The Caribbean Team – Romig

In Algebra the students are working on their systems of equations unit. They will complete this unit and have a chapter test on Monday, February 6th .

In Pre-algebra the students are working with probability. They will have a quiz over this section on Tuesday, February 7th.

The math student of the week is Aurora Williams. Aurora was spotted working  from her top secret MATHCOUNTS binder outside of school. Great work Aurora!

During the past week and a half,  we’ve spent a lot of time learning about the history and realities of Europe during WW2 and background information on the Holocaust.  I hope that your child has been coming home and “debriefing” with you about all the different information that they have been learning.  During the blocking days this week, students are selecting a novel to read based on our Holocaust studies. There are several selections to choose from, and it is their choice which book they select.   The book is being checked out to them, so they should be bringing it home and doing some reading there as well.  Please help your child to remember to BRING the book back to class every day.  Books need to be finished by the end of class, Feb. 7th.  Following our novel reading, students will be writing a series of essays, studying political cartoons as well as drawing their own political cartoon.

Terra Nova Testing is next Tuesday and Wednesday.  It is important that they be in school during this time.  Please arrange appointments, etc. for alternative times.

Student-led conferencing is Feb. 15th and 16th.  The site is set up for you to now schedule your conference time.

Lots of our students are involved in activities at this time- school play, skiing, wrestling, weight training and girl’s basketball.  We encourage all students to participate in activities, however, some may need your help keeping on track with their class assignments.  Please encourage your child to make sure they check to see if they miss anything when out for one of the activities, and it might not hurt to check on them concerning their homework.

Have a good week.

Keri

Although it is still a ways off, a letter was sent home today in science regarding our annual team trip down to Seward to participate in the Kenai Fjords Marine Science Explorer program.  We have done this trip for many years and it has always been a big success and a lot of fun.  Please click on the link to see the letter or ask your student.  At this point we are just getting the information out there for advanced planning and to make sure we get our deposit submitted in time to keep our spot.  As we get closer to the actual date, we will be communicating with students and parents about the details, including what day does not work for a student.

Seward Trip 2012

The Chapter MATHCOUNTS competiton will be Saturday, February 11th at UAA. If your son/daughter has qualified for this competition they need to please save the date and notify Mr. Bruce if they will be there. The competition begins at 8am and normally ends around 1pm. Contact Mr. Bruce if you have any questions.

Mr. Bruce

Both Algebra and Pre-algebra received progress reports this week. Students should have brought them home for you to sign and return. If you did not receive one please ask you son/daughter for it. If you check zangle you will find the most up to date progress report.

In Algebra the students just finished a unit on solving and graphing inequalities. Their next unit is on solving systems of equations and inequalities. Their next quiz will be on Friday Jan. 27th over sections 7.1-7.4.

In Pre-algebra the students just completed a unit on ratios and proportions. They are taking what they have learned and applying it to scale drawings. The students worked on a scale project on Friday and should have brought it home this weekend for you to see. This is one of those units that math really applies to the real world!

Please check zangle this weekend to make sure your son/daughter does not have any missing assignments. If so please have them complete it and turn them in on Monday. My goal is to have no missing assignments in all classes.

This week we began our study of the Holocaust.  I will be giving historical background information, articles to read, and there will be plenty of discussion.  We reviewed the poem, The Butterfly, by fourteen year old Pavel Friedmann.  We are making our own butterflies to add color to an otherwise dark period of time, and these will be hanging in the classroom. Next week, students will select the novel that they will read for this unit, and ultimately, students will be writing their five paragraph essays.

Congratulations to Kat Beaudin for winning our Romig Spelling Bee, and to Nigel Floyd, for winning our Romig Geography Bee.  We’re all very proud of these students.

Finally, Terra Nova Testing is scheduled for January 31 and Feb. 1.  More details about testing will follow.  Parent-teacher conferences are also coming up ( (February 15-16.) and scheduling will soon be available on our Caribbean website.

Have a good week.

Keri Barter

This week we transitioned from generalities about elements and the periodic table toward specific properties of elements. Each student researched one element more in-depth and after their posters are graded, they will be put together on the wall into a team periodic table. Please make sure your student did this so we don’t have any blank spaces!

On Wednesday and Thursday, students made molecular models and explored the ways in which atoms can bond together. Today we introduced atomic structure through some historical perspective and then into our current understanding of atomic theory.  We will be continuing with atomic structure through next week.  On Friday, January 20th, students have a quiz on the first 18 elements of the periodic table. That would start with Hydrogen and run until Argon.  They need to know the name (spelled correctly), atomic number, and put them in the correct order. There will be a more comprehensive chemistry exam on Friday, February 3rd.

Please remind your student to continue progressing on his or her independent project.  At this point, students should be narrowing in on a choice and beginning to plan and carry out whatever they decide on.  If your student is stuck or wants to run ideas by me, please do not hesitate to have them stop by before or after class or at lunch. I always look forward to seeing what students come up and I hope they take advantage and turn it into a meaningful experience.

I hope you have enjoyable weekend.

Mr. Walker

In Algebra the students are completing a unit on linear equations. They will have their chapter test on Tuesday Jan. 17th. The next unit will be on solving systems of equations.

In Pre-algebra the students are working with ratios and proportions. They will have a quiz on Thursday Jan. 19th.

I hope everyone had a great vacation.  It’s nice to be back!  Students are doing a couple of short stories that are set in the future, and are learning vocabulary and spelling to go along with this unit.  A test will be given next week on their blocking day over the terms and spelling words.  They are also memorizing the poem, In Flander’s Fields, by John McCrae.  This will also be recited on their blocking day next week.

After the short story unit, we will begin the Holocaust Unit.  This is a very serious subject and students will get a lot of history in addition to the literature that they read.  It may be helpful for some students to “debrief” over the days lessons at home.

I am very proud to say that the Romig School Spelling bee winner was Kat Beaudin, from our team. The 1st runner up was Collin Rieger, also from our team!  Congratulations to both of these young people.  They did an amazing job!

Have a great weekend.

Keri

The Romig Middle School MATHCOUNTS competition will be held Tuesday January, 10. If students are interested in participating in the school competition they need to sign up with Mr. Bruce.