Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
February 2021
From the Principal
We start the month of February with Catholic Schools Week and transition into Lent and our winter sports tournament seasons. This month also starts with the high possibility of school staff receiving their vaccine for COVID-19. February promises to be an eventful and meaningful month.
One highlight every year is our Ash Wednesday prayer service. COVID-19 will impact that tradition, but we are looking for ways to celebrate this important day and tradition with our students while keeping everyone safe.
A reminder that President's Day (2/15) is a no school day. Teachers and staff do not report to school that day as well.
This month's newsletter has the following:
- Updated COVID-19 Protocols
- Department Updates
- Catholic Schools Week Schedule
The following prayer from Give Us This Day speaks on how we start Lent in winter (usually) and end the journey in the Spring. The connection compelled me to share that prayer this month.
Guide us in these weeks ahead,
loving Lord of Resurrection;
draw us forward despite our pain and fear,
may we learn, like the barren trees,
to blossom again, to bear fruit,
to praise you by our lives,
continuing the great work of justice, of peace.
Amen.
Prayers for a great start to your Lenten journey,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
2/1: JV/V girls basketball at Northeast, 7th boys basketball at Mid-Prairie
2/2: JH boys basketball vs Wilton (7-away,8-home), F-S/JV/V boys basketball vs. Mt. Pleasant
2/4: JH boys basketball vs West Liberty (7-away,8-home), JV/V girls basketball at Tipton
2/5: F-S/JV/V girls and boys basketball vs. West Liberty
2/6: Wrestling sectionals at Mediapolis, JV/V boys basketball vs. Cascade, JV/V girls basketball vs. Mid-Prairie, District swimming meet
2/8: JH boys basketball vs Wilton (7-home,8-away), JV/V girls basketball at Wilton, JV/V boys basketball vs. West Branch
2/9: F-S/JV/V girls and boys basketball at West Branch
2/11: JH boys basketball vs Durant (7-away,8-home), JV/V girls and boys basketball at West Liberty
2/13: Wrestling regional at Wapello, V boys basketball vs. Mid-Prairie, Girls regional basketball (TBD). State swimming meet
2/15: No school, JH boys basketball vs Tipton (7-away,8-home), Boys district basketball (TBD)
2/16: Girls regional basketball (TBD)
2/17: Ash Wednesday
2/18: JH boys basketball vs West Branch (7-away,8-home), Boys district basketball (TBD), State wrestling
2/19: Girls regional basketball (TBD), State wrestling
2/20: State wrestling
2/22: JH boys basketball vs Mid-Prairie (7-home,8-away)
2/23: Board of Education meeting @ 6:30, Boys district basketball (TBD)
2/24: Girls regional final basketball (TBD)
2/25: JH boys basketball vs West Liberty (7-home,8-away)
2/27: Boys substate basketball (TBD)
Updated Health Protocols for COVID-19
The full Health Protocols document can be found at regina.org under the COVID-19 tab.
Catholic Schools Week
Souper Bowl
The Regina Junior Class will be holding the annual 2021 SOUPER Bowl of Caring! During Catholic Schools Week we will be collecting canned food or monetary donations to donate to the Community Crisis Center. Each canned food item or each dollar donated will count as 1 item. We will be competing by VIAs in the Junior High and 9-12 grade in the High School. Whichever group brings the most cans will have a sports jersey out of dress code day on
Monday, February 8th in honor of the Super Bowl.
This year, because the Community Center is in such need, we are having the collection take place ALL WEEK. Bring your cans by Friday, February 5th, to your Religion classroom.
Thank you for doing your part to make our SOUPER Bowl of Caring a success.
Tuesday, February 2
College/sports day - wear your favorite team’s shirt, jersey,... (sweats or jeans okay)
Wednesday, February 3
Color/crayon day - wear your favorite color (sweats, jeans, shorts okay)
Friday, February 5
Dress-up day: School colors w/ jeans, sweats, or dress code bottoms
Junior High students will be with their Via classes.
High School students will be separated into 3 groups by grade.
Grades 7-9
8:20-8:40 Activity 1
8:45-9:15 Mass
9:20-11:30 Activities 2-4
Grades 10-12
8:20-9:40 Activities 1-2
9:45-10:15 Mass
10:20-11:30 Activities 3-4
All students
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-2:00 Movie
2:00-3:10 Talent Show (Videos shown in individual rooms)
Discover Regina Nights
Iowa City Black History Month Events
The City will be hosting and co-hosting numerous events throughout February 2021 to commemorate Black History Month. The month will feature book clubs, presentations, lessons, and more, aimed at celebrating the impact Black Americans have had on our country, and educating people on the barriers Black Americans have faced, and still face today.
Below is a short summary of each City event. For event details, including how to register, visit icgov.org/BHM2021.
Rosary Every Wednesday
Winter Sports Protocols
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to modify many events, programs, and activities at Regina. With our winter sports season approaching we want to inform you of the necessary changes that will be taking place to start our winter sports season. These changes will hopefully ensure the safety of our students, coaches, and community members. As with everything during this time, these changes may be modified based on a variety of circumstances.
Face coverings are mandated by the River Valley Conference for all spectators, coaches, and players sitting on the bench.
School-issued tickets will be required to attend all Regina events. This applies to away teams as well. Each student athlete in grades 7-12 participating in basketball or wrestling will be given 2 tickets.
Areas will be blocked off and social distancing is the responsibility of the spectators.
No fans will be allowed for games in the elementary gym.
Junior high games/meets will take place in the high school gym unless there is a conflict with scheduled high school games.
The concession stand will be open.
We all understand that this is not an ideal situation and pray for the day we can all gather for games, concerts, and religious celebrations. Thank you for your understanding.
Bryce Smeins, Jr Sr High School Activities Director
Glenn Plummer, Jr Sr High School Principal
Chromebooks
Also, please remind your students to charge their Chromebook every night.
Department Updates
Business
Personal Finance
The students this year have done a great job of adapting to the ever changing learning environment that they have been put in. In Personal Finance class that is just as important in the classroom as it is in the real world. Our world continues to gravitate towards technology not only in the class but via the banking industry, utility payments, budgeting, etc. We just recently finished up our introduction to the personal finance unit which focused on the need for personal financial education in the United States and now the students are working on our savings unit. I encourage all parents to discuss with their students as much as they can about “real world” scenarios you are facing. It is tough to discuss financing with students but I can assure you it will benefit them in the long run. Many of the tenth graders are beginning to get part -time jobs and it is important for them to understand things like FICA and how to best use their money (expenses and savings). We have taken a close look at the benefit of saving money early and how that compares to waiting until we are 40 as many Americans do.
Economics
Ever wonder why we make the decisions we do? Why is it that we choose to do one thing over another? Well, the economic students are studying that exact situation right now. Last week we wrapped up our unit on opportunity cost and marginal analysis. This next week we will begin our unit on World Economic Systems and look at how different systems answer the three basic questions all societies answer in regards to satisfying the one problem we all face….Scarcity. Now we are expanding on those experiences and looking at why we no longer as a society attempt to meet all of our own needs by yourself. Instead, we know look to specialize and rely on others who have an advantage over us in doing one thing..For example, why don’t I grow all my own food or why don’t I produce my own clothing anymore? Students are also taking a look at how we measure efficiency and opportunity cost. As they have learned there is a cost to every decision we make. However, hopefully we are making the one that gives us the most benefit for least cost. We want the best deal. The seniors, especially, are doing just this with some major life decisions right now...School? Military? Trade? Degree? What is best for me?
Introduction to Business
This is a new course that is beginning this year that engages students in a wide variety of business topics ranging from marketing, entrepreneurship, finance, to economics. This week we began taking a look at how marketing has changed over time and its impact on the global economy. It is important for students to understand that no matter what “job” they may end up in they ultimately are participating in a business. For some that means they want to have their own business and for others that means they simply want to be a part of something larger. Either way it is important to see the interaction between all different forms of business.
Mrs. Belknap's Library & Learning Center Updates
Library News
Though budgets have been impaired by Covid, we still have managed to add new books to the library shelves. Students can request books by using a Google Form at
https://tinyrul.com/rhsrequest
There is also a Google Classroom for the library where students can see updates and the current issue of the Toilet Paper which is a newsletter about books and other tidbits of information. The code for students to join this classroom is wk6ujtx.
Our Grant Wood Area Education Agency has also provided a number of digital resources which students have access to. Mr. Kahler’s history class will be making use of some of them next week.
Computer Applications News
This quarter, there are only three students in Computer Apps, but we plan to move at a quick pace and have some fun along the way. Due to some interesting circumstances, we are beginning our first unit with a dip into managing an online course. Using the platform provided by Google, students will be choosing units of interest to them and completing short mini-courses at their own pace. I am always present to help when needed. This will last through this week and part of next week, but students can use this platform free whenever they choose. An advantage to this experience is that it gives them a little confidence going into high school where they may be taking Advanced Placement classes online.
Following the online unit, we will be looking deeply into other Google tools, Draw and Spreadsheets for sure and others as we have time. We usually end with a coding unit. We also spend about 10 minutes a day using a keyboarding program to improve their keyboarding skills.
Junior High Learning Center News
There was a fruit basket upset in students this semester. I welcomed a few old faces and also some new ones, and said goodbye to another.
Our main goal is to do what we can to make sure assignments get completed and whatever help is needed, is given. Some students are also learning through a program called i -Ready which gives targeted help in either Math or Reading. Because of the COVID-19 block scheduling this year, there is less time to spend big blocks to time using the program in Learning Center, but students can also use it at home. In years past when students had a dedicated period to spend on i -Ready, many got caught up to grade level and graduated out of it. This year we have had two and they were very excited to have reached that landmark.
School Counselor
For Juniors seeking the National Merit Scholarship Program, contact the National Merit Scholarship Corporation regarding an alternate entry to the program. Information can be found at www.nationalmerit.org or by calling 847-866-5100. The alternate entry information sheet is attached below. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2021.
To sign up for a SAT, go through their website: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/register
Kirkwood and the U of I are the closest test sites. Feb 12th is the deadline to sign up for the March test.
Science
7th grade science - Mrs. Coffin
7th graders will be up to their knees in Genetics. We just started this week learning about Gregor Mendel and his experiments with pea plants. The students will learn the vocabulary of genetics, how to determine probability associated with genetics, and use inheritance traits to predict the outcomes while growing Brassica rapa, and they will create some monsters!
8th Grade Science - Mrs. Goldsmith
Science 8 students have just finished our unit on Waves, Light, and Sound. A highlight from the unit was using diffraction glasses to turn various types of light into an assortment of different rainbows. From there we are heading into the world of Chemistry. (We are going to wait for warmer weather to study Earth Science.) In our studies of matter, we will do labs involving slime, oobleck, and hopefully get to see some fun chemical reactions.
Earth & Space Science - Mrs. Coffin
We have been reviewing last year’s instruction on plate tectonics and how it applies to Wegner’s Continental Drift Hypothesis. From here, we are moving on to understanding the formation and impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes. Students will be tasked with creating a structure that can withstand a 6.0 earthquake.
Biology - Mr. LaKose
Biology students are investigating taxonomy and how we go about classifying living organisms. We will also discuss how viruses fit into this conversation, and begin with the simplest forms of life: bacteria. Students will perform a lab where they extract bacteria from yogurt bought at a nearby grocery store!
Chemistry - Mrs. Goldsmith
Chemistry students are moving into Chemical Reactions, which involves some of my favorite labs. We are currently writing and balancing chemical equations. Then students will learn to predict the products of chemical reactions, based solely on the reactants. The Qualitative Analysis Lab will put all of these new skills to the test when students determine the identities of unknown solutions. Up next: Stoichiometry and the Quantitative Analysis Lab.
Anatomy & Physiology - Mr. LaKose
Students will be finalizing their investigation of the physiology of muscle tissues and begin our investigations of the nervous system. The labs over the special senses (vision, hearing, etc) are traditionally a hit and should be again this year!
AP Biology - Mr. LaKose
We are in Unit 5 which is everything to do with DNA. Students have extracted DNA from their cheek cells, role played as Watson & Crick and built a model of the double helix, as well as researching the nuances of DNA replication!
Principles of Biomedical Science - Mr. LaKose
Unit 2, entitled “Clinical Care,” sees the students taking a variety of roles. This has included taking patients vital signs common at a typical physical, ensuring patient confidentiality by researching HIPAA laws, and even a newer development of health care: telehealth. The coolest lab was drawing “blood” from a synthetic arm!
Social Studies
In 7th Grade Global Studies, we are now studying the civil war in Syria along with the experience of the Syrian refugees. This week, the student first defined major vocabulary words such as refugee, migrant, internally displaced persons, and push/pull factors as related to immigration. We then examined the origins of the crisis in Syria and will move on to listening, reading, and mapping the journeys of Syrian refugees throughout the world. Our concluding activities during mid-February will include an assessment along with a blackout poetry activity related to the experience of refugees.
8th Grade Social Studies
Finished up learning the precedents of forming a new government. Discussed the Bill of Rights, and how important they are to civil liberties. Our Biography IV is due at the end of February. We wrote journals as if we traveled on the Lewis and Clark journey. Upcoming we are learning about James Madison, JQ Adams, Andrew Jackson and the War of 1812.
World History
The Medieval times have finally come to an end. Our next adventure will be the accomplishments of the Renaissance and the rocky times for the Catholic Church during the Reformation. These two concepts are key for the end of the month when we start discussing exploration.
US History
We are moving through the unit on World War I. A change for this unit for homework is that the students are choosing their assignments from a homework grid to differentiate instruction. There will be a traditional exam at the end of the unit. Also, the students will be using a method to "weather" a piece of white paper to create an original letter as a French or German soldier discussing the atrocities they are experiencing in trench warfare.
Psychology
With a new semester class, we are covering the foundations, research methods, and statistical data found in psychology. The students are also doing a homework grid and some group projects.
Government
The year 2021 is starting off with some deja vu. Or at least for me it is. Government is only a semester class so students are studying the very beginning of the United States government. The class first starts out with understanding the basics of government, differences between governments, and the different economic systems. This month will also be focused on the American Revolution and how our founding fathers set up the Constitution we know today. Unit 1 will end with learning about the six key cornerstones of the Constitution's Preamble.
AP US History
Currently, in AP US History, we are cruising into Period 6 which is also known as the Gilded Age. We are studying the rise of big business, industry, labor unions, and the "New South". The students will be participating in a simulation related to the Populist movement while also completing a DBQ and LEQ essay on the Gilded Age as well. We will soon be in the 1900s with Period 7 starting out with the Age of Imperialism and then the US involvement in WWI. Save the date for the AP US History exam on May 6th, 2021 at 8 am. It will be here before we know it!AP World History: REVOLUTION!!!!! Students are studying the similarities and differences between the Atlantic Revolutions as well as the Enlightenment. Our major concept coming into play is the Industrial Revolution. We will be exploring the impact this event has had on our history. Students are also practicing their short answer questions, long essay questions, and stimulus based multiple choice questions for the upcoming AP exam.
AP U.S. Government
We are beginning the course discussing the foundations of American government, the US Constitution, and political philosophers and framers of our government.
To celebrate Black History Month - each class will be divided into small groups. Each day at the beginning of class, there will be a name of an important African American individual who's name will be scrambled. The groups will be able to work together, come up with one name and collectively guess. I will then present some pertinent information about the individual and their contributions to America.
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReginaEducation/
Twitter: @gap_4