"Your brain is built of cells called neurons and glia - hundreds of billions of them. Each one of these cells is as complicated as a city." --David Eagleman

And with that opening quote, we are transitioning this week in Biology into the study of cells and cell organelles. The students will be considering just this topic, the cell as a city or some other analogy more unique to each of them. This project will be due next week and will conclude our first nine weeks of the semester! The Physics students are moving into vector addition and motion in two dimensions. They, too, will also be beginning a project in creating a vector treasure map which will be due next week. Both classes have midterms next week covering all the material discussed within the first nine weeks and supplemental readings.

A note to parents of struggling students:

I think the quote by the football player Robert Griffin, III, really sums up being a student at a college prep high school. I had a parent this week send me an email because she was concerned about her child's grade and wanted to know what I could do or had done to help or if another program was better for her child. My classes are tough, but they challenge the students to think, learn, and do. And with that toughness, I am always willing to help students if they seek me out. I do prefer to have students let me know in advance if they need help. It is always best to schedule an appointment during "office hours" aka my prep, but this teaches our learners to communicate with their professors on a collegiate type level. Also, I have that Remind app and I have MANY students access it frequently for help. This is the most efficient way to reach me when students have questions. I know that most high schools provide physics to juniors and seniors and often trigonometry is a co-requisite. Our sophomores are receiving physics, but it is algebra based, and all trigonometry is front loaded by our amazing math teacher, Mr. Hubbard. Other resources include the student's text book (always available online), and their notes as well as their peers who they can contact in the Remind app. The major problem with student grades currently is just not making up the work after an absence or sports activity. I completely understand the desire to be successful at an athletic sport, trust me I do, but we have to maintain our eligibility to play so academics really do need to come first. If a student misses an assignment or a test for a meet, they need to then sacrifice some practice time to make up work. If during my office hours is absolutely not an option, I am willing to meet with students at lunch on a case by case basis. If this is your child, they just need to come talk to me. I think our students have all the right tools, they just need to start learning how to access them.

With that, I had a dream last night that life was fast forwarding by me and it slowed at the end of the school year. I am afraid just that is happening. How are we at the end of the first nine weeks already?

Yours educationally,

Mrs. Mortensen