Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
January 2024
From the Principal
The numerous weather cancellations made January go by quickly. There is information below in regards to our make-up days. Please pray for good weather so we do not have to add additional time to our year.
We are still working on getting semester grades finalized in PowerSchool. Information will go out with how to access report cards as soon as they are available.
I included a video that includes Brock Purdy's strong faith. This starts at 18:30. It's too bad someone with his character is going to lose to the Chiefs.
The Catholic Church dedicates the month of February to the Holy Family. I offer the following Prayer to the Holy Family from Pope Francis for this month.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
in you we contemplate the splendor of true love; to you we turn with trust.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that our families too may be places of communion and prayer, authentic schools of the Gospel and small domestic churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
may families never again experience violence, rejection and division;
may all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
make us once more mindful of the sacredness and inviolability of the family, and its beauty in God’s plan.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Graciously hear our prayer.
Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
Our Activities Calendar can be found at https://www.rivervalleyconference.org/public/genie/628/school/9/.
Monthly Adoration
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054DAFA72CA75-eucharistic
Make-up Days
Here is the current schedule for make-up days.
1 (January 9) - Reserved. No makeup needed.
2 (January 10) - Reserved. No makeup needed.
3 (January 12) - Make up date February 19.
4 (January 16) - Make up date April 19
5 (January 19) - Make up date May 28
6 (January 23) - Make up date May 29
High School Musical
Regina High School Presents - Hello Dolly
February 23 - 25
This musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder's hit play The Matchmaker bursts with humor, romance, energetic dance and some of the greatest songs in musical theatre history. The romantic and comic exploits of Dolly Gallagher-Levi, turn-of-the-century matchmaker and "woman who arranges things," are certain to thrill and entertain audiences again and again. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, February 2 at Noon.
Spring Pops Concert
Want to perform in the Spring Pops Concert?
This year’s Pops Concert, a fundraiser for the arts at Regina, will take place on Saturday, April 20th at 7 pm and PISA is looking for student performers. Solos, duets, small groups, or a whole orchestra/band/choir are all possibilities. The theme this year is "Around The World," and we will have some displays featuring different countries, but students can perform any piece of music they choose; it does not have to be something from another country.
Anyone interested in performing, or in creating a cultural display, please fill out one of the Google forms below by Wednesday, February 21st. We're looking for performances from high school only (with the one exception of junior high band).
Cultural Displays Interest Form
Please note: This form is just to gather information; it is not a guarantee that your act will be in the concert. Considerations will include representing all the Regina arts groups, balancing different genres of music, and giving priority to seniors. If necessary, we may hold auditions. If you have any questions, email Mark Santillan at mark-santillan@uiowa.edu.
InQuizition
23. This is the most quoted Doctor of the Church in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
- St. Thomas
- St. Ambrose
- St. Bonaventure
- St. Augustine
- St. Bede
24. This Saint is known as the Doctor Marianus because of his many writings on the Blessed Virgin Mary:
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- Drew Mariani
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- St. Anselm of Canterbury
- St. Albert the Great
Department Updates
Art
Sophomore Riley Houser does a pastel drawing while senior Holden Berg demonstrates his wheel pottery skills at Discover Regina Night.
Counselors
From the School Counselors’ Desks
Recent & Upcoming Highlights:
Welcome Back, Mr. Evans:
We were delighted this month to welcome Mr. Drew Evans back to Regina as a counseling intern for the spring semester. Mr. Evans has experience as a substitute science teacher at Regina, and a junior high wrestling coach for both boys and girls. He has been busy reconnecting with students, developing new relationships, and has quickly become a great help for Student Services.
Mental Health Minute:
Look in your inbox for this new monthly resource. It provides ideas for strengthening student, family, and staff well-being. Here is January’s Mental Health minute.
Post-Secondary Opportunities:
Grand Canyon University will visit during the second lunch on February 2nd. Iowa State will visit during high school lunch on March 5th.
The FAFSA is open for the 24-25 school year. Regina hosted a FAFSA filing assistance evening for Seniors and their families on January 22nd. Step-by-Step Virtual Completion Assistance is still available through ICAN on Wednesday, Feb. 28th, 5:30 pm (register here), or Wednesday, March 27th, 5:30 pm (register here). Additional advising sessions can be scheduled here on the ICAN website.
Sophomores went on a field trip to the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville on January 30th. They explored college credit options while in high school. Pictures available here.
College Credit in High School: students and parents are invited to an information session hosted by Kirkwood. One option is in person on Thursday, February 8th at 5:30 pm at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville, the other is via Zoom on Monday February 12th at 5:30 pm, using password kirkwood24 via this link: https://shorturl.at/qvEQX
Kirkwood Academy registration starts on February 5th. Sophomores and Juniors can schedule a meeting with Mr. Wiirth, Mr. Evans or Mrs. Zoulek to discuss options. A representative from Kirkwood Community College will be at Regina during intercession on Wednesday, February 21st to help Sophomore and Junior students register for 2024-25 Kirkwood Academy options.
ACT and SAT:
Regina contracted with the Doorway to College Foundation to bring an ACT prep session on Monday Jan. 15th. Thank you to those who came despite the frigid temperatures.
Upcoming Test Dates
ACT Test Date - Registration Deadline - Late Registration Deadline
April 13, 2024 - March 8 - March 24
June 8, 2024 - May 3 - May 19
July 13, 2024 - June 7 - June 21
SAT Test Date - Registration Deadline - Late Registration Deadline
Mar 9, 2024 - Feb 23, 2024 - Feb 27, 2024
May 4, 2024 - Apr 19, 2024 - Apr 23, 2024
Jun 1, 2024 May 16, 2024 May 21, 2024
Summer Internship Portal Open, Workplace Learning Connection:
Sophomores and Juniors are eligible to apply for a summer 2024 internship. All parts of applications are due by 3 pm on Feb. 9th. Go to www.kirkwood.edu/wlc to learn more.
New Semester:
The new semester brings a fresh start for students and their grades. If you find yourself falling behind on assignments (particularly with online courses), let Mrs. Zoulek, Mr. Wirth, and/or Mr. Evans know. We are here to help!
Registration for the 2024/2025 school year
Student Services Staff will be coming around to each grade level to chat with students about course selection for next year. More information will be coming out shortly.
English
7th English
We are working on Fever 1793 still. Chapts 17-25. They will have a test over this material on Monday the 5th of Feb. and we will continue through the book to the end. I believe the students are enjoying this. They are also working on Kahoots for their vocabulary words. They are on Fever #3 and will be moving to Fever #4 soon.
Language Arts 7
We are working on Noun Usages. We just finished Object of the Preposition on Friday 26th. They are moving on to Predicate Nominatives and Adjectives on Monday the 29th. They will go into Direct Objects, Indirect Objects and touch on Object Complement and then have a TEST over these after we finish them individually. They are learning how to diagram these, as well, as they go.
They also just picked a new book for their Free Read Book Reports due in April. This was supposed to be done on Friday the 26th. Some missed the deadline, so ask your child if they gave a book for their book report to Mr. Kunz. Thanks.
8th Grade ELA: In English 8, we are continuing to read The Hobbit. We will soon learn about the elements of a hero’s journey and the concept of archetypes. Some of the literary concepts we are exploring include motif, intrusive narration, allusion, alliteration, and inciting events. In Language Arts 8, we are beginning a short research project comparing and contrasting nonfiction. During this unit, we will learn about and practice avoiding plagiarism. This year, students will learn to cite using MLA and will learn to paraphrase their research findings while using in-text citations. We are also studying direct objects, indirect objects, subject complements, and object complements in grammar. This will help students next year as they progress in their study of a foreign language.
9th Grade ELA: This is a month of discovery for the 9th graders as we move through the drama unit. Students’ slide presentations on mythological creatures are an introduction to Odysseus, which will be followed by Romeo and Juliet and theater of the mind featuring the radio show “The Shadow”.
10th Grade ELA: The 10th grade students are doing research presentations on Roman and Greek deities and titans as they prepare for “Prometheus Bound” in their drama unit. They will move on to theater of the mind featuring the radio show “Dragnet”, followed by small group analysis of one of a selection of short plays.
Junior English: We are starting the month covering Naturalism (Jack London) and Regionalism, then moving onto The Great Gatsby. Additionally, we are continuing our ACT vocabulary practice and our writing skills.
AP Language and Composition: We are reviewing the fundamentals or argument, focusing on counterclaims and rebuttals, and how to effectively craft an argument essay. Additionally, we are reading the classic Elements of Style and working on grammar skills. There is an ongoing current events project as well with submissions due approximately every two weeks. Multiple choice test prep is happening weekly.
Senior English: We are reading a few of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, which the students are enjoying. We are also working on a research unit in conjunction with their Senior Seminar class.
AP Literature and Composition: We are reading The Importance of Being Earnest and reviewed the elements of comedy (satire, parody, irony). We are continuing to focus on our AP writing skills and will be honing in on the Q2 literary response essay. Additionally, we will begin our poetry analysis unit. Multiple choice test prep is happening weekly. The semester 2 outside reading choice novel has been assigned with an expected due date in April.
Math
In Math7, we completed our unit on percentages. This included a project where students designed a pixelated picture out of 100 squares and wrote the percent, decimal and fraction equivalences. Our final was an Area Project. The students designed a picture or scene using all the 2D shapes we learned about. They then calculated the total areas using the formulas. Pictures of both projects are included.
Science
8th Grade Integrated Science - Mrs. Goldsmith
Science 8 students are finishing up their study of atoms and the periodic table. Our major project for this unit was having each student model an element from the periodic table. We then assembled a large periodic table or our own using those models!
Chemistry - Mrs. Goldsmith
Chemistry classes have been working with stoichiometry, where chemical equations are used to mathematically determine chemical relationships. The unit started with making s’mores to understand the concept of limiting reactants, and then continued with a larger lab where students made salt through a chemical reaction between sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. Fire was involved as well!
8th Grade Science
Periodic Table
8th Grade Science
Model of oganesson
Chemistry
S'mores Lab
Chemistry
Salt Lab
Chemistry
S'mores Lab
Chemistry
S'mores Lab
Social Studies
Ms. Osweiler Classes
AP Modern World History: Students completed a simulation of the Industrial Revolution. Students will be analyzing the effects the industrial revolution had on the environment, social order, economy, and life in general. Students will be using the simulation and documents to form a conclusion on if the Industrial Revolution had more of a positive or negative effect on the time period. (Urban Game simulation pictured)
World History: Students will analyze the Declaration of Independence to evaluate the extent in which the Enlightenment had an affect on the American Revolution.
Government: Students are analyzing the Declaration of Indpenedence and the Articles of Confederation to understand the impact they had on the creating of the Constitution.
AP Government: Students finished their Political Ideology quizzes and reflections on how they view politics. Students will learn about all the influences around them that impacts how a voter votes and how complex a voter can be.
Mrs. Wallace’s Classes
AP US History: In AP US History, the students have just started Period 6 in which we will study the Gilded Age in the America. While studying topics such as politics in the Gilded Age and the Industrial Revolution, the students will also be working on a DBQ essay over Reconstruction.
7th Grade Global Studies: The 7th graders have started on their unit over Southwest & Central Asia. As they learn the geography of this region, we will zero in our focus on the topic of refugees in this region and throughout the world as well.
AP Human Geography: We have started Unit 5 in AP Human Geography which covers the processes and consequences of agriculture throughout the world. We will examine issues such as the historical diffusion of agriculture as well as The Green Revolution.
Kahler’s 8th Grade History
We are studying James Madison and the War of 1812. Just finished our inventor unit, they did a mini invention convention that was fun. We have a scandal project. We are reading our fourth Biography.
Spanish
Spanish I: Unit 4, Lesson 1
Students are learning vocabulary to discuss the weather in each season and appropriate clothes to wear. They are also learning direct object pronouns and stem-changing verbs.
Spanish II: Unit 4, Lesson 1
Students are learning vocabulary to discuss stories. They are learning the imperfect tense of verbs to describe activities they "used to" do in the past; Etc.
Students are reading a short Aztec legend.
Spanish III: Somos 2 Unit 1
Students are reviewing the preterite tense to express what happened in the past. Students are learning how to discuss what others have said, where they have gone and what they have seen. Unit aligns with the AP theme of Contemporary Life: Leisure and Sports.
Spanish IV: Huellas Unit 1
Students are using the Present Perfect tense to discuss works of art, the importance of art and museums and their personal preferences regarding art. Unit aligns with the AP theme of Beauty and Aesthetics.
Theology
In Junior Theology, we have completed our Morality semester with a final essay about The Truman Show movie. The second semester will focus on learning about vocations, specifically marriage and holy orders. The students will learn about these sacraments of service and also do some career exploration activities. We will do some Lenten activities to learn more about the next liturgical season.
Regina Junior Senior High School
Email: glenn.plummer@regina.org
Website: www.regina.org
Location: 2150 Rochester Avenue, Iowa City, IA, United States
Phone: (319)-338-5436