Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
December 2023
From the Principal
I wish all of you a Happy Advent. This time of the year is always special at Regina as we are able to reflect on and practice the true meaning of Advent and Christmas. This is done especially through our music performances, Christmas Basket Project, and religious celebrations. You are invited to join us for all of these meaningful events. I also share the following Advent prayer by Henri Nouwen.
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'
Amen.
We will have semester assessments soon after return from Christmas break. The schedule for semester assessments is given below. All students in grades 7-12 will have semester assessments.
Best Wishes to All,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
Our Activities Calendar can be found at https://www.rivervalleyconference.org/public/genie/628/school/9/.
Semester Assessments Schedule
Semester Assessments Schedule
Regina Junior-Senior High School
January 10-12
Wednesday, 1/10
8:15 – 9:30 1st Period Classes
9:40 – 10:55 3rd Period Classes
11:05 – 12:20 5th Period Classes
1:00 – 3:30 Test Make-up Period
Thursday, 1/11
8:15 – 9:30 2nd Period Classes
9:40 – 10:55 4th Period Classes
11:05 – 12:20 6th Period Classes
1:00 – 3:30 Test Make-up Period
Friday, 1/12
8:15 – 9:30 7th Period Classes
9:40– 10:55 8th Period Classes
11:00 – 3:30 Test Make-up Period
**Students reporting late to a testing period will not be given additional time**
Lunch service will be provided on Wednesday and Thursday at 12:25. Lunch will be provided on Friday at 11:35.
Students need to make arrangements for transportation in order to leave school immediately after their last testing period or test make-up period.
All students are to be in their scheduled classes from 8:20-12:25 on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 8:20-11:00 on Friday. All students may leave campus during their study hall.
Semester Assessments
All courses will have semester assessments.
The semester assessment must be between 5-20% of the semester grade.
No retakes/corrections are allowed on semester assessments.
Semester assessments must be submitted to the principal at least one week prior to the semester assessment date.
Monthly Adoration
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054DAFA72CA75-eucharistic
InQuizition
19. The name Michael means:
- God is in charge!
- Sword of God
- Who is like unto God?
- Who can stand before God?
- Mighty warriot
20. The name Gabriel means:
- God is my strength
- Beloved of God
- Child of God
- Servant of God
- Who is like unto God?
Regina Jr/Sr High Yearbook Sponsors Needed!
The Regina Jr/Sr High yearbook is looking for support! The '23-'24 yearbook is increasing from 72 pages to 118 pages. This will make the yearbook bigger and better, however, it also increases the costs to create it.
Sponsorships from people and businesses like yours are needed to make sure our school memories are affordable for students and the content reflects their experiences and accomplishments!
Please consider purchasing a sponsorship or donating at one of the levels shown in the graphic. To purchase an ad or make a donation please click HERE.
Questions? Please contact yearbook adviser, Annie Gavin at annie.gavin@regina.org.
Department Updates
School Counselors
“Life is just a moment, so enjoy it.” -Roy Ayers
Recent & Upcoming Highlights:
7th Grade STEAM I Institute: On Monday, Nov. 20th, Workplace Learning Connection and UI Health Care partnered to host STEAM I Institute at the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville. Students got to explore careers and enjoy interactive experiences with a focus on STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and/or Math. Pictures available here.
Job Shadows: Sophomores and Seniors are continuing to participate in job shadows. 100% are registered for an in-person experience this fall.
Mental Health Minute: Look in your inbox for this new monthly resource. It will provide ideas for strengthening our students’ well-being and our own.
Mock Interviews for Juniors: On Wednesday, Nov. 15th, Workplace Learning Connection facilitated mock interviews for Juniors. In-class preparation focused on interview prep and resume prep. Community volunteers raved about how impressive Regina’s students were.
Post-Secondary Opportunities: St. John’s University was available to provide information and answer questions from high school students in November, and a Kirkwood Community College helped register students for college level courses this spring.
Scholarship Opportunities: Now is the time for seniors, especially, to explore and apply for scholarships. Christmas break is a great opportunity for this. Students can find a list of scholarships by alphabetical order here and by deadline here.
Spring Internships: Interested Juniors and Seniors applied for spring internship opportunities via Kirkwood’s Workplace Learning Connection.
Spring Kirkwood Course Options: Students with a K# can view courses at kirkwood.dualenroll.com. Those without a K# can look for courses at
https://selfservice.kirkwood.edu/Student/Courses. Kirkwood registration is open until December 15th, but classes fill quickly, so don't delay.
Upcoming ACT and SAT deadlines:
ACT: Jan. 5th is the regular registration deadline and Jan. 19th is the late deadline for the February 10th test.
SAT: Feb. 23rd is the regular registration deadline and Feb. 27th is the late deadline for the March 9th test.
Regina is contracting with the Doorway to College Foundation to bring in an ACT prep option, tentatively scheduled for Monday Jan. 15th (Martin Luther King Jr Day) from 9a-3p. Sophomores and Juniors will be invited; details to follow.
English
English 7: The seventh grade English classes are starting to read and discuss Fever 1793. This is a book that speaks of the main character Mattie Cook who lives with her mother and grandfather above a coffee shop in Philadelphia, PA. The “Fever” sweeps the streets like a plague, and Mattie flees the city with her grandfather only to discover that the disease is everywhere.
7th Language Arts: We are completing our lessons on picking out Complete and Simple Subjects and Verbs in sentences. The students have a TEST on this on Tuesday the 28th.
We have a Pep Rally that day, so will be cutting the test a bit short because of the lack of time.
Then, we will be moving into nouns, verbs and adjectives practices.
ELA 8: We are discussing tone, style, voice, and mood as we work our way through the mystery and suspense unit. We will be starting our novel unit over The Hobbit soon. In LA 8 we are learning to identify direct and indirect objects and are working on creating final drafts of our creative writing stories. Soon, we will start a mini research project using our nonfiction book Before Columbus and online sources.
English 9: The students in English 9 have just begun the literary analysis unit on Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The students will complete research projects on censorship, readings, assignments, and quizzes throughout the unit. We hope to complete the unit prior to winter break.
English 10: The students in English 10 started the literary analysis unit on Animal Farm by George Orwell. The students are working on research projects centering on the Russian Revolution of 1917 as background for the story. The students will be reading, completing study guide assignments, and working on assessments throughout the unit. We hope to complete the unit prior to winter break.
English 11: We’ll be delving into the world of poetry, in particular Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. The students will learn poetry terms, how to analyze poetry, and also just experience the beauty of the different poetry from these two very different individuals. We will continue our ACT vocabulary, and focus on academic writing as well. The midterm final will cover our poetic study and vocabulary.
AP English Language and Composition: We’re continuing our rhetorical analysis writing, and will move into argument analysis. We will also read The Crucible and study the logical arguments made in the play.
English 12: We will study British Romanticism, and in particular British poetry of this time period. A major focus will be on “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” which is always a favorite, as it includes glowing pirate zombies!
AP English Literature and Composition: We’re going to cover Hamlet in December. Shakespeare’s most popular play will consume us until the winter break. Students are expected to read an outside reading book chosen from a list of previous titles that have appeared on the AP Literature test. There will be a timed essay covering the book after winter break.
Mathematics
In PreAlgebra, the students completed the chapter over Rational and Irrational numbers by creating a 3D model to represent the Pythagorean Theorem. They came up with their own word problem that used a right triangle. Then they solved it using the formula and to present to the class they used their model. Pictures are included. We have continued with solving equations throughout the month of November.
Statistics is currently studying random sampling and bias in data collection. They participated in an activity that looks at economic segregation in San Antonio, Texas using a simulation. Students enjoyed collecting their data (using their graphing calculators to choose random data points), looking at a compilation of everyone's data, and discussing how effective the samples were (or were not). A couple of quotes at the end of the first day of the activity were:
1. "Can we stay after class and finish the activity?"
2. "Can we all come in after school tomorrow to finish the activity?"
An excerpt from the activity is attached.
Social Studies
Osweiler Classes
Disguise Gobble the Turkey: All classes were given the opportunity to disguise a turkey like a historical figure or something to do with the government. Judges, President Biden, the Federalist Papers, and Thomas Jefferson made an appearance for government classes. Ghengis Khan, Merchants, the Black Death, and Serfs were a hit among the world history classes. They then had to persuade Ms. Osweiler in an essay that their turkey was not a turkey but the disguise.
AP World History had to create an autopsy of a land-based empire. They researched the rise and the downfall of their empire. They then compared the land-based empires to the other empires to find similarities and differences among them. Students used wounds and trauma to showcase the killing blows that led to the death of their empire.
AP Government and Politics learned about different bureaucracies in the style of superheroes. They researched what the bureaucracy's powers are, who their sidekick is to help them, and their villain which they are trying to defeat. Students then presented their superheroes to the class.
Moeller Class
Economics students are taking a deep dive into the different business structures and organizations that exist around us in today’s world. Students are creating their own method of teaching the rest of the class about a specific topic and then doing some reinforcement exercises that help to assure knowledge is being gained through worksheets, kahoots, quizlets, etc. Once complete the students are making their own group quizlet to help with preparation for the upcoming tests.
Wallace Classes
AP US History: We are finishing this week with Period 4; which included the study of the presidencies of George Washington through Andrew Jackson. After we test on Period 4 on December 1st, we will be working our way to finish up the Civil War prior to Christmas break!
7th Global Studies:The 7th graders are finishing up their study of Latin America by completing a Document-Based Question (DBQ) essay over Brazil. The students will analyze the wealth of Brazil on a local, regional, and international scale. After the essays are completed by December 4th, we will be starting our study of the countries of Southeast Asia.
AP Human Geography:The AP Human Geo students are finishing up their unit over culture this week and will be soon starting Unit 4 over political patterns and processes. In Unit 4, they will be studying how international states are organized and function.
Kahler Class
We finishing up the Revolutionary War unit. Our DBQ is on -would you have stayed or left Valley Forge. We are going to try to get our reenactor to come back at present on Lexington and Concord. The next unit will be on building a nation
Theology
In Theology 11, the juniors have completed their chapters on living as Jesus would. This included a focus on the Beatitudes. They did a slide collage on a specific Beatitude of their choosing. Pictures are included. We will continue with Conscience and Sin through the month of December, as well as, do activities that focus on the Liturgical Season of Advent.
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