Month: April 2020

April 30, 2020

Hello St. Johnnies:

There is a mass tomorrow, on Friday, May 1 at 3:00.  I strongly encourage you to attend. It’s May 1. May Day. A day to celebrate the coming of spring. A day to support workers all over the world.  And it’s a day to celebrate Mary, the mother of God, whose husband and son were carpenters, i.e., workers.   In a normal year, there would be a church full of flowers and children.  This is not the same, but it’s still a good  opportunity to connect with God, our community, and your best self. Mary has a special place in the heart of Father Crispin, a man whom I greatly admire; and she has a special place in my heart as well. I hope you will attend.

Here’s what’s up in science today:

6th grade: Sullivans, you have a guest speaker today. Hannah Cole, a St. John and Holy Names graduate and current Gonzaga student, has an impressive store of knowledge about Orcas, and she will be sharing some of that knowledge with you today.

All 6th graders need to complete a summary of energy sources by Tuesday, May 5. Please see the Teams app for details.

7th grade: You are off today. Kind of. Be sure to have the assignment on human evolution completed by Monday. (Again, see Teams for details.)

8th grade: You have an at-home hands-on activity today, which deals with Punnett squares and recessive vs. dominant traits. (If you don’t know what these things are, look at your notes or contact me; I’m totally happy to discuss this with you.) This hands-on assignment is due on Tuesday, May 5.

I hope to “see” you at the mass on Friday. In any case, have a great weekend and take care.

I continue to miss you a lot more than you might imagine,

ST

April 29, 2020

Good morning St. Johnnies!

I hope you are healthy and happy.  Here’s what’s happening today:

6th grade (Brumback):  You have a guest speaker today. Please be available for a live meeting at 11:15 today.  (If you’re a Sullivan, you will meet with the guest speaker on Thursday.)

7th grade: Please see the Teams app for a new assignment about human evolution.  Your assignment about fossils is due by 3:00 PM today.

8th grade algebra 1:  Please complete the test on rational expressions by 3:00 PM today.

Have a nice day,

ST

April 28, 2020

Good morning, St. Johnnies:

  • Mrs. Sullivan’s class has a live science meeting at 9:00 today.
  • Mrs. Mansfield class meets with me at 9:45.
  • Mr. Thomas’s class meets with me at 10:30.

Please check the Teams app for new assignments, especially if you’re in 8th grade.

Algebra I students, don’t forget you have a test tomorrow.

Have a nice day,

ST

April 27, 2020

Good morning St. Johnnies! Welcome to a new week!

  • We will have a virtual school mass on Friday, May 1; I’ll have more information for you before then.
  • It looks like all of us are growing more used to the distance learning environment. I’m seeing fewer missed assignments, and participation in Team meetings is improving; thank you for your hard work and patience in a difficult, sometimes confusing new learning environment.

Here’s what I need from you today:

6th grade:

  • Your paragraph on how electricity is made is due at 3:00 today (Brumback) or tomorrow (Sullivan).
  • You have a new assignment, again on power sources, which is due on Monday or Tuesday of next week; see Teams for details.
  • There will be a guest speaker on Wednesday/Thursday of this week. The speaker, Hannah Cole, a former St. John student, will be speaking to you about the interaction of salmon and orca populations in the Pacific Northwest.

7th grade: 

  • You will need to learn a few basic facts about how fossils are formed this week. Please check Teams for details.
  • I’ve tentatively scheduled the test on evolution for Wednesday, May 13. We may need to postpone if I don’t think you’re ready by then; I’ll let you know.

8th grade science: 

You don’t officially have science until tomorrow, according to our current schedule. You can use this day to review meiosis if you have time.

8th grade algebra I: 

  • You have a test on on rational expressions on Wednesday, April 29. To help prepare, we have a live check-in on Teams today at 12:00. Have your math book, notebook, and last week’s homework available.

Have a great day,

ST