“For me, it's writing a book and telling people about this story.” ― Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

I am delayed in writing this post because much did not change from last week, I hope no one was too disappointed. :) We are still working through new information, but the majority of time spent for the freshmen was reading the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. We have made it through the story of her life including the autopsy and immediate medical uses of her cells. The students are really enjoying the story and we have had incredible academic discussions from it. I've been very impressed with their insight. We are a 1/3 of the way through the book and I anticipate us finishing within the next few weeks. Ask your son or daughter to explain why we now have informed consent as patients! Medical history is fascinating! We moved in to transcription and translation (protein synthesis) and will then work through genetic mutations, and gel electrophoresis (I'm hoping this is a LIVE lab)!

Physics students are powering through their bridges, learning the hard way about precision and the adage "measure twice cut once". Within the bridge project, students are also learning about balancing forces, friction, and Newton's laws. We will have a test this Wednesday covering these concepts and then will break their bridges on Thursday. Photos will be posted soon! Students may say they are not getting enough time to work on their bridges, but in fact they have been given over an hour four days a week and I extended the deadline for the bridge to be completed by Tuesday at 4:00 pm. I have given up my lunches, along with Mrs. Rosario three of the days so that students can work through lunch. Students also may come in during study-hall if they have a study hall.

I want to remind parents and students that we are COLLEGE PREP, which means we are prepping the students for college, which with Oasis students starts their junior year of high school. Two things I noticed from this weekend are that students are not reviewing their notes and following up with concepts in the text. To be successful in college, students should be doing this daily. Another observation I have had is that students give up on challenging questions/homework without collaborating with each other or going to their text and or notes for examples. Often in college, there is not a grace period on turning in assignments and done means done. We need to work together to teach our students how to be better students in that they develop more self-efficacy and self-sufficiency when completing their work.

Have a great week!