Winter Break
Winter Break is from December 17 through January 3. Have a fabulous break!
IMPORTANT DATES
- Edgenuity stops assigning work on Friday, December 9
- ALL work is due Friday, December 16, by 8:00 AM- 1st semester ends
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PPEC Yeti: Kendra Greathouse Pikes Peak Early College is proud to announce the Yeti for the month of November, Kendra Greathouse! Kendra is an 11th grader at PPEC. She started with our school as a 9th grader. She is currently interested in studying Environmental science or Biology, but has diverse interests and might want to look into Political science as well. She enjoys all subjects. Kendra currently serves on Student Council and is instrumental in planning the frequent spirit weeks. She was very surprised that she was PPEC's yeti for the month of November but felt happy that her peers and the staff recognized her for this honor. Kendra feels she has mastered the yeti traits of leading with humility and grace, she travels paths others fear or avoid, and enjoys being unique. She has named her yeti, Beverly. Kendra's favorite quote is, "Love is free". Congratulations, Kendra and thank you for all that you do for our Campus! | Yetis of the month The Campus is pleased to announce that we have not one but TWO Yetis for the Month of November! Congratulations to Kendra Greathouse from Pikes Peak Early College and Kavika Johnson from Springs Studio! | SSAE Yeti: Kavika Johnson Springs Studio is proud to announce the Yeti for the month of November, Kavika Johnson. Kavika is currently a 9th grader at SSAE. He attended school at SSAE off and on since he was in elementary school and loves the blended learning program as well as the curriculum. He was surprised to be SSAE's yeti for the month and honored. Kavika is not sure what exactly he would like to do after high school, however, he is interested in joining the armed forces and might like to be a Marine. The yeti traits he feels he has mastered are humility, protecting his own, and being relentless in the face of adversity and extreme obstacles. Kavika works hard and consistently demonstrates perseverance. Congratulations, Kavika! We are so proud of you and appreciate your leadership on our Campus! |
PPEC Yeti: Kendra Greathouse
Pikes Peak Early College is proud to announce the Yeti for the month of November, Kendra Greathouse! Kendra is an 11th grader at PPEC. She started with our school as a 9th grader. She is currently interested in studying Environmental science or Biology, but has diverse interests and might want to look into Political science as well. She enjoys all subjects. Kendra currently serves on Student Council and is instrumental in planning the frequent spirit weeks. She was very surprised that she was PPEC's yeti for the month of November but felt happy that her peers and the staff recognized her for this honor. Kendra feels she has mastered the yeti traits of leading with humility and grace, she travels paths others fear or avoid, and enjoys being unique. She has named her yeti, Beverly. Kendra's favorite quote is, "Love is free". Congratulations, Kendra and thank you for all that you do for our Campus!
Yetis of the month
The Campus is pleased to announce that we have not one but TWO Yetis for the Month of November! Congratulations to Kendra Greathouse from Pikes Peak Early College and Kavika Johnson from Springs Studio!
SSAE Yeti: Kavika Johnson
Springs Studio is proud to announce the Yeti for the month of November, Kavika Johnson. Kavika is currently a 9th grader at SSAE. He attended school at SSAE off and on since he was in elementary school and loves the blended learning program as well as the curriculum. He was surprised to be SSAE's yeti for the month and honored. Kavika is not sure what exactly he would like to do after high school, however, he is interested in joining the armed forces and might like to be a Marine. The yeti traits he feels he has mastered are humility, protecting his own, and being relentless in the face of adversity and extreme obstacles. Kavika works hard and consistently demonstrates perseverance. Congratulations, Kavika! We are so proud of you and appreciate your leadership on our Campus!
The Campus's National Wacky Race champion!
Congratulations to Blake Marvici, the official Campus Nationals Wacky Races champion and has earned the title of “Worlds Wackiest Racer”!
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Algebra II & Pre Algebra I can't believe the semester is almost over! As Aleks.com students complete their 85% progress, they are encouraged to use the Review section to prepare for the Final Knowledge Check. Students using Edgenuity.com for math should be working towards 100% progress, and if there are any assignments needing revision, please email me about options for earning higher scores. Students who are behind in progress or need support should work with me during Math Support times (11:50-12:50pm Mon/Wed), and virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I don't see you before Winter Break, I hope you have a wonderful time with friends and family during this special season! | Geometry & Algebra I The end of the semester is fast approaching and students are fully in work mode. Students must reach 85% on Aleks.com first before coming in to take their Final Knowledge Check Dec 12 and 14. Students on Edgenuity must reach 100% completion with a grade of 70% or higher. I hope everyone has a safe and warm holiday season with their loved ones, and I'll see everyone in the new year. | Pre-Calculus, Algebra III, & College Thoust winter is coming. Thy days are short upon the horizons, and so are the hours to finish Aleks. Students are nearing completion, and we appreciate all their hard work. 85% is the goal; students must reach this by December 14. Edgenuity students in Statistics must reach 100% completion. Students not at 85% with a knowledge check must come to school on Dec 12 and 14th. Quick tip in helping your child get through topics: If they google the topic name, a bunch of Aleks videos will pop up on how to do the topic. This might avoid disaster, especially on the long-winded Aleks written explanations. I do wish all the families and students a wonderful holiday season. I appreciate every one of our SSAE and PPEC students. |
Algebra II & Pre Algebra
I can't believe the semester is almost over! As Aleks.com students complete their 85% progress, they are encouraged to use the Review section to prepare for the Final Knowledge Check. Students using Edgenuity.com for math should be working towards 100% progress, and if there are any assignments needing revision, please email me about options for earning higher scores. Students who are behind in progress or need support should work with me during Math Support times (11:50-12:50pm Mon/Wed), and virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If I don't see you before Winter Break, I hope you have a wonderful time with friends and family during this special season!
Geometry & Algebra I
The end of the semester is fast approaching and students are fully in work mode. Students must reach 85% on Aleks.com first before coming in to take their Final Knowledge Check Dec 12 and 14. Students on Edgenuity must reach 100% completion with a grade of 70% or higher. I hope everyone has a safe and warm holiday season with their loved ones, and I'll see everyone in the new year.
Pre-Calculus, Algebra III, & College
Thoust winter is coming. Thy days are short upon the horizons, and so are the hours to finish Aleks. Students are nearing completion, and we appreciate all their hard work. 85% is the goal; students must reach this by December 14. Edgenuity students in Statistics must reach 100% completion. Students not at 85% with a knowledge check must come to school on Dec 12 and 14th. Quick tip in helping your child get through topics: If they google the topic name, a bunch of Aleks videos will pop up on how to do the topic. This might avoid disaster, especially on the long-winded Aleks written explanations. I do wish all the families and students a wonderful holiday season. I appreciate every one of our SSAE and PPEC students.
Chemistry & Honors Biology
The science lab is a bustle of activity as the year winds to an end. Honors Chemistry students explored the structure and bonding of organic molecules by using models to build organic molecules and investigate different classes of organic compounds. Not to be outdone, our Non-STEM Chemistry students took the common reaction of baking soda and vinegar to new heights in an exciting inquiry-based competition! Their goal was to find the right ratio of rocket mass to baking soda mass to propel their film canister rockets into the air. Next, using their knowledge of chemical reactions and mole ratios, they determined the optimal amount of baking soda for a given amount of vinegar to use as the rocket fuel. This activity was our capstone project that applied the concepts of chemical reactions, stoichiometry, data analysis, and more in a fun and engaging way! Intermission for chemistry joke: Organic chemistry is difficult. Those who study it have alkynes of trouble. Honors Biology has wrapped up an extensive Project Based Learning challenge that has been a deep dive into biology, engineering, and writing. Students did an amazing job demonstrating their knowledge of a threatened or endangered species by identifying and describing through research their: biome, food, habitat, physical, spatial and social needs, adaptations, etc., and history of their path to being threatened or endangered. Seeing all of the unique exhibit designs and prototype models of their new and/or improved exhibits was exciting. I was proud to see them presenting confidently to our Zoo professional and community experts, who engaged with each group to help evaluate their final products. With only one week left in the semester, please reach out with any questions as we wind this semester down. And now I leave you with a final biology joke: What did Gregor Mendel say when he founded genetics? A: Woopea!
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English I English I students finished up their first formal argumentative essays and have been working on making revisions. Students competed in the Grammar Olympics, had some time to make up missing work, and finished out the semester with their mid-year Star360 assessment. Honors English I students presented their final projects or participated in a Socratic Seminar. | English IIEnglish II students have wrapped up this first semester by practicing their creative writing skills with a short poetry project. Their color imagery poems are fantastic and fun to read! We are ending with the mid-year Star 360 reading assessment. I can't wait to see how students have grown since the beginning of the year. English II Honors students will complete their Writers Workshop projects in their final class by showcasing some of their best writing and participating in a Socratic Seminar. Their ultimate goal is to help each other improve their writing skills. We are all looking forward to Winter Break, but students have done a great job of finishing the semester strong. | English III The semester has flown by, and here we are at the end. Students in English III wrapped up class with a career inquiry project that had them researching, writing field reports, and creating audio presentations. Their hard work showed a demonstration of 21st-century learning skills. Now it's time to rest for a few weeks. When we return, English III students will dive into the world of survival! |
English I
English I students finished up their first formal argumentative essays and have been working on making revisions. Students competed in the Grammar Olympics, had some time to make up missing work, and finished out the semester with their mid-year Star360 assessment. Honors English I students presented their final projects or participated in a Socratic Seminar.
English II
English II students have wrapped up this first semester by practicing their creative writing skills with a short poetry project. Their color imagery poems are fantastic and fun to read! We are ending with the mid-year Star 360 reading assessment. I can't wait to see how students have grown since the beginning of the year. English II Honors students will complete their Writers Workshop projects in their final class by showcasing some of their best writing and participating in a Socratic Seminar. Their ultimate goal is to help each other improve their writing skills. We are all looking forward to Winter Break, but students have done a great job of finishing the semester strong.
English III
The semester has flown by, and here we are at the end. Students in English III wrapped up class with a career inquiry project that had them researching, writing field reports, and creating audio presentations. Their hard work showed a demonstration of 21st-century learning skills. Now it's time to rest for a few weeks. When we return, English III students will dive into the world of survival!
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HistoryUS History students have moved into the late 1800's and are completing a magazine article on a specific area of the Spanish-American War. World History students worked in groups on advertising and marketing an invention from the late 1800s-1920s. Psychology students learned about phobias and completed a project on their choice of phobias. Happy holidays to all! See you in the New Year! | Biology- Physical Science- Forensic Science It has been good to get back from maternity leave and into the building and catch up with all of my students. As we end the semester, we have been working on wrapping up any loose ends! I am looking forward to a lab-filled second semester! Biology: In January, we will start the year with Heart Dissections, followed by 3D cells, microscopes, and genetics! Physical Science: Students will learn about experimental design and creating a procedure to create a rainbow in a test tube after the break and dissecting cow eyes to learn about refraction and reflection. We will then hit the ground running on Chemistry! Forensic Science: I am so proud of my forensic science classes they solved a murder mystery in record time! I look forward to challenging them with some college-level labs this next semester! I wish all of you a wonderful and rejuvenating winter break, and I look forward to an exciting new year and semester! | Spanish As the special Holiday Season is approaching, I cannot help singing in my mind the traditional Spanish song, "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad!" We have completed our Spanish video project consisting of a role play of a conversation between a waiter and clients ordering food at a restaurant. We all had fun watching each other's videos and gave each other constructive feedback and evaluations. The best part was that we all got to practice and learn Spanish! I want to wish everybody, "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad y un prospero año de felicidad". |
History
US History students have moved into the late 1800's and are completing a magazine article on a specific area of the Spanish-American War. World History students worked in groups on advertising and marketing an invention from the late 1800s-1920s. Psychology students learned about phobias and completed a project on their choice of phobias.
Happy holidays to all! See you in the New Year!
Biology- Physical Science- Forensic Science
It has been good to get back from maternity leave and into the building and catch up with all of my students. As we end the semester, we have been working on wrapping up any loose ends! I am looking forward to a lab-filled second semester! Biology: In January, we will start the year with Heart Dissections, followed by 3D cells, microscopes, and genetics! Physical Science: Students will learn about experimental design and creating a procedure to create a rainbow in a test tube after the break and dissecting cow eyes to learn about refraction and reflection. We will then hit the ground running on Chemistry! Forensic Science: I am so proud of my forensic science classes they solved a murder mystery in record time! I look forward to challenging them with some college-level labs this next semester! I wish all of you a wonderful and rejuvenating winter break, and I look forward to an exciting new year and semester!
Spanish
As the special Holiday Season is approaching, I cannot help singing in my mind the traditional Spanish song, "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad!" We have completed our Spanish video project consisting of a role play of a conversation between a waiter and clients ordering food at a restaurant. We all had fun watching each other's videos and gave each other constructive feedback and evaluations. The best part was that we all got to practice and learn Spanish! I want to wish everybody, "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad!" "¡Felíz navidad y un prospero año de felicidad".
Engineering
This month Engineering enjoyed the culminating event - the Wacky Races Campus Nationals. The winner of this year's CO2 races would raise the 3D Printed Piston Cup and be immortalized in Engineering history. With 40 entries, it was a grueling day of racing, but ultimately, Blake Marvici and his car "El Diablo" came out victorious, winning him the title of the World's Wackiest Racer! The rest of the finalists were Noah Nocita, Micah Mirabella, and Dennis Antoni. Principles of Engineering students have worked on a fully automated marble sorter over the last several months. They navigated the challenges of coding as well as learning to work as a team as they worked with VEX Robotics kits to build their robot. Engineering Design and Development students are beginning the prototype phase of their year-long project. Their project ideas include increasing the efficiency of coal power plants, creating artificial gravity concepts for the Moon, and using natural enzymes to break down microplastics in the oceans!
Robotics Team
So far, the Robotics teams had their best performance at the VRC Spin-Up #3 - qualifying 2nd, 3rd, and 12th. Two teams lost in the Round of 16, while one team went all the way to the Semi-Final, where they lost by a single point. Are you interested in STEM, coding, or becoming the next great Yeti Robotics champion? We are looking for 2-3 motivated students to join for the second semester! Email Mr. Wixom at jwixom@d49.org for more information if you are interested!
Coding
Coding 1 has wrapped up unit projects utilizing Python's built-in libraries and operators to perform advanced math and use random values. Students used libraries to create bots that interacted with users to troubleshoot tech problems and made art bots to display different shapes and colors. Coding 3 students finished our lists unit. When working with strings, it is common to split them apart into a list of substrings and join a list of substrings together into a string. This makes it easier to replace, check, and manipulate the characters within a string. Drones students completed coursework and coded drone flight plans. I hope everyone has a great holiday season and look forward to Spring Semester.
Peer Tutoring Offered
Peer support coaches are students who enjoy helping other students develop their academic abilities and provide extra support to motivate them through complex assignments. We meet every Friday from 10:40-11:55 am, and the coaches will establish their availability at various times throughout the week. Email Mrs. Shonk, jshonk@d49.org, if you are interested in joining the Peer Support team!
Early bird Pricing Ending: Order your yearbook!
This is your final chance to order your yearbook with early bird pricing! To order your yearbook, visit inter-state.com/order and enter code 72527M
Yearbook wants YOUR pet pictures!
The yearbook is looking for student artwork submissions. We would love various artwork, including digital art, pictures of sculptures or ceramics, photography, paintings, and even something out of a sketchbook. Email submissions to mleider@d49.org.
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ESports is at the Campus! 2nd Semester ESPORTS will resume 1/18/2022 Teams will compete in Super Smash Brothers tournaments. Reach out to ncummings@d49.org for any questions. Please click here to sign up if you would like to join for 2nd semester season. ncummings@d49.org | Community Service (Volunteer) Club Students will come together and provide community service at various events/organizations. Students meet in room 167 on Wednesdays from 3:10-4:10 PM. | Books and Bagels
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ESports is at the Campus!
2nd Semester ESPORTS will resume 1/18/2022 Teams will compete in Super Smash Brothers tournaments. Reach out to ncummings@d49.org for any questions. Please click here to sign up if you would like to join for 2nd semester season. ncummings@d49.org
Community Service (Volunteer) Club
Students will come together and provide community service at various events/organizations. Students meet in room 167 on Wednesdays from 3:10-4:10 PM.
Books and Bagels
Fridays 9:15-10:15 AM
Meet in room 165
Books and Bagels is a student-led group where members take turns selecting books for the group to read. B&B meets on Fridays to have fun discussing the books.
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Mission Possible The club's mission: To encourage and edify one another and to multiply the goodness of God for a positive impact. | Want to start a club? Have an idea for a club you and your friends would like to create? Share that idea with a teacher. | Table Top Games A Club for D&D, Magic, and other games that express the fantastical imagination of our students. This club meets on Mondays from 3:10-4:10 PM in room 156. Reach out to Mrs. Rotunno for more information. |
Mission Possible
The club's mission: To encourage and edify one another and to multiply the goodness of God for a positive impact.
Want to start a club?
Have an idea for a club you and your friends would like to create? Share that idea with a teacher.
Table Top Games
A Club for D&D, Magic, and other games that express the fantastical imagination of our students. This club meets on Mondays from 3:10-4:10 PM in room 156. Reach out to Mrs. Rotunno for more information.
