Deirdra Grode, Executive Director / Principal K-8

Elementary & Middle School 713 Washington Street

Hoboken, NJ 07030 Tel: 201-963-0222 Fax: 201-963-0880

HS

EDIT

ION

11.27.13

Chris Sell 9-12

High School 4th and Garden Streets, 4th floor

Hoboken, NJ 07030 Tel: 201-963-3280 Fax: 201-963-0695

THE HOBOKEN CHARTER SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Important Dates: TODAY—1:00pm dismissal all students & staff. No afterschool activities.

Thursday November 28 thru Friday November 29—School closed for Thanksgiving Holiday Wednesday, December 11th— Board Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. @ 713 Washington Street Thursday December 12th—Professional Development Day 1:00 p.m. dismissal for students Thursday December 19th—PA Meeting @ 8:30 a.m. @ 713 Washington Street Friday, December 20th—1:00 p.m. dismissal. No afterschool activities Monday December 23rd thru Wednesday January— School closed for Holiday Break. Thursday January 2nd—Classes resume @ 8:30 a.m. Thursday January 2nd—DEADLINE FOR LOTTERY APPLICATIONS—PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD! Wednesday January 8th—Board Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. @ 713 Washington Street Thursday January 9th—Enrollment Lottery for 2014-2015 School Year @ 7:00 p.m. @ 713 Washington Street

Table of Contents

HS Spanish pages 2-3 HS History pages 4-5 HS English pages 6-7 Art News/PeaceJam/Interact pages 8-22 HS PE/Health page 23 HS Math page 24 HS Science page 25 HS Perfect Attendance pages 26-27 Boxtops for Education pages 28-31 HS Wishlist by Dept. page 32

*Hey K-8 - We at the HS welcome you all back to Hoboken! Congrats!!!!!

~ Boxtops for Education pgs. 28-31 ~ Info no how the products you buy each & everyday, can help HCS!!!!

The race is on… who will bring in the most boxtops?? Which grade will contribute the most???? Come on HS—we got this!!!!!!!!

HCS HS Cougar News & YOU… purrrfect together! DOUBLE FALL ISSUE SEPTEMBER—NOVEMBER!

Purrrfect Attendance for the months of

September & October inside this edition on

pgs. 26 & 27!!!

CAN YOU HELP?

CHECK OUT OUR WishLIST on

pg. 32 TO FIND OUT!

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EspaÑol I ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? Hello! How are you? In Spanish I class, the students worked on the topic “Greetings” getting to know each other a little bit more each and every day. During this year, students will engage in activities that will assist them in reading, writing, hearing, and speaking the Spanish language. The course will cover the vocabulary and grammar used in basic conversations and they are encouraged to use this knowledge to connect to the culture of the Span-ish speaking countries.

EspaÑol II Using adjectives, students in Spanish II wrote poems de-scribing who they are “Asi soy yo” students will continue de-veloping their writing skills through various classroom projects, starting with His-panic Heritage Month!

EspaÑol III Students in Spanish III are using reflexive verbs to describe their daily activities. They will develop short stories de-scribing their morning, afternoon, and evening.

EspaÑol IV “I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose.” -Miguel de Cervantes Students in Spanish IV are reading and studying Don Quixote along with the Spanish culture and art. They are creating a coat of armor based on their val-ues.

STUDENTS PLEDGE TO BE RESPECTFUL

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Español 1 In Spanish I students have not only learned but have acted out different ac-tivities using “me gusta” and “no me gusta” (Things they like to do and things they do not like to do.) ¿TE GUSTA?

Español 2 In Spanish II we discussed Josè Martí and one of his famous poems Versos Sencillos. Students in the Spanish II class recited this poem within their groups; this poem talks about treating everyone equally. Students also wrote poems on respect. ¡RESPETO!

Español 3 After completing a unit on cultures around the world, 11th grade HCHS students celebrated! They brought their classroom into the restaurant by conversing and ordering solely in Spanish. Many "gracias" and "de na-das" we're heard throughout lunch! Thank you Mr. Kutchma for coming with us!

Español 4 In this course students gain a great appreciation of the Spanish and Latin American cultures. After great adventures with Spain, students have now moved on to Mexico. Join our journey!

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Economics

The senior class began the study of economics by exploring the vo-cabulary and key ideas associated with eco-nomics. They com-pleted a simulation that involved creating a sim-ple economy on an is-land. The class also viewed the documen-tary film, Inside Job, about the financial cri-sis of 2008 and they analyzed their own budgets by completing a weekend project that tracked their income and spending patterns. Following this founda-tion experience, the seniors will begin ex-ploring microeconom-ics.

World History

The Freshmen are mid-way through their unit on India. Students have been learning about the origins of Indian culture and have compared Indian relig-ions to Western religions. Next week, students will begin to learn about India as a British colony and will debate the benefits and detriments of British rule.

United States History II The Junior class began the year reviewing the main themes from US History I and The Civil War. The class began the study of the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age by analyzing the three themes of industrialization, immi-gration and urbanization. The Junior class will explore the major themes of progress and the cost of progress, the balanced view and the challenge and response theories of history.

The Sophomores have been studying about Native Americans and the Conse-quences of European contact with the Americas. Students drew maps that detailed the Native American tribes of North America as well as the routes and settlements of European explorers. Next week, students will begin read-ing primary sources and accounts of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

United States History I

HISTORY

OMNIBUS EDITION OCTOBER 2013

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Economics

In Economics, the sen-iors explored microeco-nomics. They studied supply and demand, budgets, choice, incen-tives, Freakonomics. The class viewed the film Capitalism-A Love Story by Michael Moore. They will study investing, Wall Street, & The University of Chicago Video Series.

World History

The Freshmen have finished their unit on India and have since moved on to China. Students started off the unit by investigating and identifying the differences between China and the United States. Students have recently finished their group presentations of Chinese religions during which they investigated a Chinese Religion and taught the tenets of that religion to their classmates. Students are now examining the Ancient and Imperial Chinese Dynasties.

United States History II In US II, the Juniors began the year reviewing US History I and the Civil War. The class has covered all topics prior to World War I. They viewed an A&E Biography on Theodore Roosevelt and they debated Booker T. Washington v. W.E.B. DuBois and the issue of Civil Rights and Education. They have been working on the writing process.

The Sophomores have been studying the relationship between the American Colonists

and their local colonial governments during the early 18th century. Our study will

eventually lead us to the French and Indian War where will we identify the conun-

drum between the colonies and the British government. Recently, students read, anno-

tated and summarized Nathaniel Bacon's "Declaration of the People" in order to

identify the reasons for Bacon's Rebellion. Sophomores have been using primary

sources all year in order to get a clear understanding of history.

United States History I

HISTORY

OMNIBUS EDITION NOVEMBER 2013

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Welcome to the English Department!Welcome to the English Department! --Ms. Flores & Ms. MoscaMs. Flores & Ms. Mosca

We were so happy to welcome the Classes of 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 to Ho-boken Charter High School and to the English department. We began the year with short stories and the terms which go along with this fabulous genre. Dur-ing this unit we explored characters and story lines which defined the chal-lenges of the human condition. Later this year, we will read several novels in-cluding “The Great Gatsby” in honor of the latest version of the film, and the renewed American interest in this classic tale. We are pleased to welcome Ms. Jennifer Flores to the English Department. She attended NJCU for undergraduate school and is pursuing a master’s de-gree as a reading specialist. We are glad you are here, Ms. Flores!

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Welcome to the English Department!Welcome to the English Department! Ms. Flores & Ms. MoscaMs. Flores & Ms. Mosca

With “The Great Gatsby” and our Short Stories unit now completed, each class has embarked on a new journey. The Freshman class has begun reading the tragic love story of “Romeo and Juliet”. Our Sophomore class is exploring Shakespeare’s great political thriller, “Julius Caesar”, which tells the story of the conspiracy against Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of his conspirators. Juniors will examine the events of the Salem Witch Trials through Arthur Miller’s “The Cruci-ble”. Seniors will experience life on a minimum wage as seen through the eyes of Barbara Ehrenreich in “Nickel and Dimed”.

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Art Studio “14” In 12th grade art this year students are working on

Hispanic Art. We began our semester with Cubism

and Picasso. Students discussed how Cubism is char-

acterized by emphasizing the process of construction,

of creating a pictorial rhythm, and converting the

represented forms into the essential geometric

shapes: the cube, the sphere, the cylinder, and the

cone. An object, seen from various points of view,

could be reconstructed using particular separate

"views" which overlapped and intersected. Picasso

called this reorganized form the sum of the fragmen-

tations, or broken images. We reviewed the structure

of a face and students began creating their own

“fractured faces”.

12th Grade A

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Some 12th graders have been work-ing independently creating their own Anime and Manga characters. These sketches will be combined into a larger work or short story. Although some of the sketches may seem to be in their early stages, stu-dents are currently developing their characters for a greater project as they fine tune their personal styles!

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Art Studio “14”

RELIEF PRINTMAKING is a printmaking process where protruding surface faces of the matrix (printing plate or block) are inked; recessed areas are ink free. Printing the image is therefore a relatively simple matter of inking the face of the matrix and bringing it into firm contact with the paper. A printing-press may not be needed as the back of the paper can be rubbed or pressed by hand with a simple tool such as a brayer or roller. In ART IV, students drew sketches of faces in the style of Picasso and prepared their plates for printing. The print above by David Ortiz was made from a single plate and printed seven times. Many more of these prints are currently on dis-play in the school. We would love for you to stop by and check ‘em out!

12th Grade A

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Upon completing the section in printmaking, students began a unit in Expressionism. Expres-sionism is an artistic style in which the artist attempts to depict not objective reality, but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them. They accomplish their aim through distortion, exag-geration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic applica-tion of formal elements. The painting on the right by Luis Porras titled “Winter” is a won-derful example of Expressionism!

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Art Studio “15” 11th G

rade Art

This year in Art “15”, stu-dents will begin learning about artists post Indus-trial Revolution. This cur-riculum will partner with their United States History II class. While studying the artists and their works, students will develope and personalize each project with their own unique styles. We started the year off with Winslow Homer’s “Hilly Landscape”. We

discussed landscape compositions, paint applications and positive and negative space. In addition; students began identifying characteristics of what makes a landscape complete. We reviewed different style periods from previous years and they were ready to start. Students drew sketches and prepared their papers. Once the final drawing was completed, students began to paint using gouache. They learned about tints and tones as they experimented with this new medium. Below is a painting by 11th grade artist Ana Porras. When all of the works are complete, these wonderful paintings will hang in the high school hallway. We will continue into the early 1800’s with John Bradley’s, “The Cellist”

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Art Studio “15” John Bradley was a British-born American artist who was active in the New York area in the 1830s and 1840s. He is pri-marily known for his portrait paintings. Students studied Bradley’s “The Cellist” and created paintings that depicted some of the qualities seen in his paintings. In the painting above by Brendon Gaskins, we see bright, rich colors and a figure slightly elongated in mo-tion. The application of paint is

visible through the short, quick brush strokes.

11th Grade A

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11th Graders continue to learn about artist and styles post Industrial Revolution. Winslow Homer (February 2 4 , 1 8 3 6 – S e p t e m b e r 2 9 , 1 9 1 0 ) w a s an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th-century America and a pre-eminent figure in American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator. He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium. Students studied landscape paintings by Winslow and were encouraged to create their own landscape using a combination of acrylic and watercolors. This painting by Adrian Pachecho delivers a strong composition and dense application and manipulation of paint. All of these paintings are currently on display in the school.

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Art Studio “16” The 10th grade began their “Self Portrait Year”. Each project in art this year will be based on allowing the students to self reflect, who they are, where they come from, where they are going and who they want to become. We began the semester understanding that art is a form of communication between the artist and the audience. Students looked at paintings by artist Mark Rothko. In the 1930’s, Rothko began paintings called “multiforms”. These paintings had a more organic structure, and expression. Students

were given rulers, paper and pencils and encouraged to begin. Once the out-line was complete, students chose col-ors that represented themselves and be-gan to apply assorted tones to their work. The works will be on display in the hallway for the next few weeks. Stop by and see them when you can!

10th Grade A

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The second project the students will be working on will be Pop Art portraits. We will look at examples of Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn” as well as other famous people such as Michael Jack-son, Mickey Mouse, John Lennon and Jackie O. Students will

begin the project by taking a photo of themselves. Once developed, students will enlarge their faces and prepare for their application to be placed onto 30” x 40” paper. Students will have the option of multi media and will be required to choose at least two for their final work. 10th grade PeaceJam students had a head start on this style while making murals in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Keep an eye out for these self portraits to go on display!

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Art Studio “16” A self-portrait is a representation of an art-ist, drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by the artist. Although self-portraits have been made by artists since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid 15th century that artists can be frequently identified depict-ing themselves as either the main subject, or as important characters in their work. Students were asked not only to draw them-selves once, but at least three times. Stu-dents used ebony pencils and shading stumps to create their work. Students were challenged to see themselves in multiple ways.

10th Grade A

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Giuseppe Arcimboldo was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books – that is, he painted representations of these objects on the canvas arranged in such a way that the whole collection of objects formed a recog-nizable likeness of the portrait subject. Arcimboldo is known as a 16th-century Mannerist. Mannerism adopted some artistic elements from the High Renais-sance and influenced other elements in the Baroque period. A Mannerist tended to show close relation-ships between human and nature. Arcimboldo also tried to show his appreciation of nature through his portraits. Sophomores were asked to choose a season and create a self portrait using symbols, colors and designs. This self portrait by Adela Cruz depicts spring. These drawings are currently on display at the Hoboken Public Library through the month of Novem-

ber!

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Art Studio “17” This year to get the 9th graders into art, we began with AB-STRACT ART. We discussed how abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. When they looked at examples of faces and explained how they could become abstract. Stu-dents made sketches of their work until they were satisfied with a completed copy. They worked on 18” x 24” using all of the foreground and background and working out the posi-tive and negative spaces. We had a demonstration on water-colors and recognized the difference between watercolor cakes and gouache. Before they began painting, students outlined their drawings with a Sharpie®. After this introduc-tory project, the 9th grade will begin art “In India”. We will start with Madhubani Folk Art and continue with Henna. We encourage you to follow our artists this year as they will be accumulating a lot of work for their portfolios!

9th Grade A

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Art Studio “17” In “Art Around The World”, students learned about Henna and created works on their “hands” using an assortment of designs. Henna is a plant that has been used as a dye since the Bronze Ages, pri-marily in the Eastern Mediterranean re-gion encompassing Northern Africa, It-aly, Spain, and the Middle East. It was also widely used in India, where it is still a popular form of temporary body art to this day. In many cultures, women have

Henna decorations applied to their hands and feet for festivals and celebra-tions. Before a wedding, a bride will have elaborate Henna designs drawn onto her hands, arms and sometimes feet. In some regions, the groom will be decorated as well.

Art and w

orld history

9th Graders created pillows made out of 100% recycled materials in the Madhubani style. Madhubani painting or Mithila painting is a style of Indian painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar state, India and the adjoining parts of Terai in Nepal. There, painting is done with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens, and matchsticks, using natural dyes and pigments, and is characterized by eye-catching geometri-cal patterns. Natural objects like the sun, the moon, and religious plants like tulsi are also widely painted, along with scenes from the royal court and social events like weddings. Generally no space is left empty; the gaps are filled by paintings of flowers, animals, birds, and even geometric designs. Traditionally, painting was one of the skills that was passed down from generation to generation in the families of the Mithila region. These pillows are currently on display at the Hoboken Public Library.

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While hanging up our murals in City Hall, we couldn’t help but visit our “Healing Wall” which is still proudly on display on the main floor. We were excited to see many additional bricks added as well as messages of hope, love, care and well wishes from visitors around the country. Pictured

below is one of the many messages tourists wrote on the wall. It was amazing for our PeaceJammers to see how far their project has come, and how much farther it will go!

PeaceJammers began the year by celebrating Na-tional Hispanic Heritage Month. Students spent the club hour and after school painting murals of famous people. In addition; they researched their biographies and attached them to their artwork. Some famous people included are Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Desi Arnaz and more. These delight-ful paintings are on display in Hoboken’s City Hall through mid October. We encourage all our HCS family to visit our exhibit!

PeaceJammers will recycle e-waste through the Funding Factory. We have been recycling ink cartridges, old cell phones, DVD players and Ipods. For every item we send, we receive points that are used towards buying school and classroom supplies. There will be a bin in the K-8 office next month and in Room 403 in the High School all year.

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PeaceJammers are preparing for the “Pillowcase Pro-ject”. Students will be creating pillowcases, stuffing them and donating them to the local shelter for their guests for the holidays! In addition; they are creating a children’s program that they will be running in a local shelter for the holidays. Their goal is to create a pro-gram that will become a yearly event.

PeaceJammers met with New England Repre-

sentative Dave Gilbert last month. He shared

with us his experience at the annual PeaceJam

Conference in Denver Colorado. In addition;

he will be helping our PeaceJammers create

their own blogs on the International PeaceJam

website so they can meet other Jammers

around the world and see what projects they

have been working on as well. Dave surprised

us by giving everyone an official PeaceJam t-

shirt!

PeaceJammers will continue to recycle e-waste through the Funding Factory. We have been recycling ink cartridges, old cell phones, DVD players and iPods. For every item we send, we receive points that are used towards buying school and classroom sup-plies! There will be a bin in the K-8 office next month and in Room 403 in the High School all year.

PeaceJam’s Ten Global Call to Action issues: 1 – Equal Access to Water and Other Natural Resources 2 - Ending Racism and Hate 3 - Halting the Spread of Global Disease 4 - Eliminating Extreme Poverty 5 -Social Justice and Human Rights for All 6 -Rights for Women and Children, and their Role as Leaders 7 -Restoring Earth's Environment 8 -Controlling the Proliferation of Weapons 9 -Investing in Human Security

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HCHS This year the HCHS Interact Club will continue to

raise awareness and funds for the Lung Cancer

Circle of Hope in memory of Azzat Abedair, father

of Romanda, Class of 2015 and Anisha, Class of

2011. At the end of last year, Interact donated $200

to the LCCH. This year we hope to double that.

We will be selling bracelets and organizing other

fundraisers for both in and out of school. We had

our first meeting and we had over 16 students!

Next meeting we will be hosting Dr. Laura Bray-

ton, a Hoboken Rotary past president and liaison,

as well as Lisa Russo, a Rotarian for many years

and coordinator of the yearly Spelling Bee.

HCHS Interact held their first meeting on Tuesday, September 24th. At the meet-ing, junior Romanda Abedair and senior Rebecca Mannix spoke to their peers about what Interact does. Romanda described fundraising for lung cancer and visiting the UN for a water conference. Rebecca spent the rest of the meeting talking about her experiences at RYLA, the Rotary Youth Leadership Association at Camp Indian Lake. She was joined by 125 other students from Hudson County

for a week of leadership train-ing. She explained the team building activities she learned as well as the collaborative pro-jects the students worked on together. Students were mes-merized and by the time the club hour was over, we all wanted to go to RYLA!

Follow us next month to see who is

on the 2013-2014 Interact Council.

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HCHS Congratulations

to this years

HCHS Interact Club Board

President: Rebecca Mannix

V.P. : Romanda Abedair

Treasurer: Veida Rodriguez

Secretary: Adela Cruz & Giselle Price

In October, HCHS Interact were joined by past Hoboken Rotary President Dr. Laura Brayton and our Rotary Liaison, Ms. Lisa Russo. Dr. Laura discussed with Interact what the Rotary is about and what their mission is. We talked about possible upcom-ing events and fundraisers for this school year. We have already committed to once again helping out with the Spelling Bee as well as other programs the Rotary will be having. Dr. Laura presented RYLA and invited Rebecca Mannix to once again talk about her experiences. Since our meeting we began three projects. We raised over $60 for Breast Cancer Awareness, $30 for Lung Cancer Awareness and we are cur-

rently raising money for a 4 year old Hoboken resident with cancer.

Our goal is to raise $300. We have an anonymous donor who has offered to match our funds, & we are deter-mined to keep going. The students have been selling rubber band brace-lets. Please contact us to place your orders today!

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While making their way down to City Hall, PeaceJammers were met by a large camera crew. We asked these men what they were filming and they told us, "Carlos's Bakery, since his contract was just re-newed”. We told them we were on our way to hang up artwork in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month but we would love to be filmed near the bakery. They told us to come back in ten minutes and sure enough, they filmed our PeaceJam-mers going in and out of “The Cake Boss’s” famous bakery! We are not sure when it will be aired, but HCHS students will be on TV!!

The HCHS Book Club is a great place to come, relax, sit and read. We will began our leisure reading this

year with Mary Poppins! We are not only reading the series of children's books by P.L. Travers, but we will be reading the history and the mak-ing of the movie and play. These large scrap-book like editions were given to us by First Book. We encourage all to join!

With great appreciation to High 5’s free tickets, PeaceJammers and Interact stu-dents traveled into NYC in the second week of October and saw Blue Man Group on Broadway! This show fea-tures experimental music (with an em-phasis on percussion), comedy and multimedia. Our students had an unfor-gettable experience!

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Once again, this year HCHS participated in the Ho-boken Artists Studio Tour. Our gallery was in the Community Church of Hoboken on the corner of 6th and Garden Streets. We exhibited over 60 pieces of two dimensional work. The PeaceJam and Interact students launched the “Ari-Anna Fund” and all work was labeled to sell. Ari-Anna Jimenez is a 4-year-old Hoboken resident and cancer patient battling a rare kidney tumor. Ari-Anna’s struggle against can-cer began in March, when she woke up in the middle of the night demanding to go to a hospital due to pain in her stomach. She’d previously been to several doc-tors to treat various minor problems, but none had deduced a connection to cancer. Upon hearing Ari-Anna’s story, HCHS students decided to help raise money for her medical bills. In addition to other fundraising projects, the students both past and cur-

rent agreed to donate 50% of their profits towards this fund. So far we have raised almost $200. We have been offered a matching donation when we reach the $250 mark. Thank you to all who have and continue to contribute to this very worthy cause.

Rebecca Mannix (12),Adrian Pacheco (11), Arturo Dela Paz (11), Giselle Price (10), Andre Lebron(10), Amare Williams (9), and Asia Hendrix (9) take a break after setting up the Art Ex-hibit at the Community Church.

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The Annual New York City Girls Computer Science

and Engineering Conference Fall 2013 On November 14th , Adela Cruz, Danielee Gonzalez, Rozlyn Hall, Janiah Lee Bryant, Veida Rodriguez, Aicha Toure, and Emily Wodjak, boarded the PATH for the New York City Girls Computer Scince and Engineering Conference at NYU. The New York University Women in Computing (WinC), Google, and Princeton University Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE) invited young women in 9th and 10th grade to the 4th Annual New York City Girls Computer Science and Engineering Conference. This program gave young women a taste of the tremendous creativity and innovation involved in computer science and engineering or science careers, and showed young women how these fields can help change the world. The event included talks by female computer science and engineering professors, graduate and under-graduate students, demos of exciting on-going research projects in computer science and engineering at Princeton and NYU, and an engineering design competition where the girls were challenged to construct structurally-sound towers using only spaghetti sticks and gumdrops! They also the discussed the prerequi-sites required for obtaining an education in computer science and engineering, as well as the undergradu-ate computer and science engineering experience. The goal of the program was to show young women that an education in computer science and engineering is both an attainable and rewarding goal. Computer science, or engineering education opens doors to careers in many areas, including: scientific research, finance, communication, management consulting, environmental engineering, technology devel-opment in the developing world, music, animation, the movie industry, journalism, health, biotechnology, architecture, and even law. Thank you to Professor Sana Odeh from the Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University for including us in this wonderful conference!

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High School Physical Education & Health

In Health, the 9th and 10th grade students have been learning about Skills for a Healthy Life and Managing Stress. Students have been learning the importance of practicing life skills for lifelong wellness and how they can use these skills in their daily life. Students are cur-rently learning about Self-Esteem and Mental Health. Self-esteem is a measure of how much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself. How you feel about yourself affects everything you do. It af-fects how you communicate with people and what decisions you make about your health. In Health, the 11th and 12th grade students have been learning about the major health issues we face today and the risk factors involved in these issues. The students have also been learning about the compo-nents of health and how their behavior affects their health.

Next in Health all grades will be learning about self-esteem, how self-esteem develops, and how it can be improved. Students will also be taught skills to communicate better while learning the characteristics of good mental health, and strategies on how to manage their emotions.

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ISSUE YEAR VOLUME

Geometry Last month in Geometry was quite interesting! We covered all the basics of Geometry, as in terminology and the area and perimeter of rectangles and squares. Students got to use pro-tractors and straightedges for measurement and construction. Since Geometry comes after Al-gebra I, review of Algebra I is important and essential. During

the first week of October, stu-dents reviewed solving equa-tions. Students are currently learning about parallel lines and the spe-cial angles they form with a transversal. Soon we will be learning all about triangles!

Algebra II Just as in Geometry, it is a MUST to review Algebra I before really getting into Algebra II. Students have been solving, one, two, multistep equations. Now students are working on the fun topic of factoring! Factoring monomi-

als, trinomials (which seem to be their favorite) and soon enough we will be reviewing the “AC” Method to factor certain trinomials and the infamous QUADRATIC FORMULA!

Seniors are starting to do more work on the newly implemented STUDY IS-LAND. Students get practice on various math topics and get to see their own pro-gress. Before leaving high school, the seniors want to make sure they leave with all the right skills!

Math 4

Algebra I Algebra I students are cur-rently mastering the foun-dation of Algebra: Solving Linear Equations! Students have been doing an excel-

lent job at applying all their previous math skills.

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The HCS HS Science department would like to welcome all returning students back, the new fresh-men AND our first ever class pet! This 10 inch long, 12 year old, male, red-eared terrapin was do-nated to us by a loving owner who could no longer care for him anymore. We did our research for proper care and discovered that unlike more land-based turtles, this guy is more than happy swim-ming 24/7! He is currently in the tank we set aside for trout (more on that later) but will be in his more permanent tank that was donated by an HCS parent earlier this week. He has “company”, over two dozen feeder-goldfish are with him, but not for long… because he thinks they’re tasty! Also, Mr. Eves has brought in some pond plants that the omnivorous reptile has been snacking on constantly!! Needless to say, he is very happy to be with us! Now about those trout… yes, the HCS HS Science Lab will be raising trout from eggs until they are old enough to be shipped to a farm where they will eventually be sold to restaurants. Sound cruel? Not if you realize that farm-raised fish like trout and tilapia are actually MUCH more environmen-tally friendly than their wild caught cousins. Many times commercial fishing will disrupt wild ecosys-tems by accidently catching and killing fish that were not meant to be caught. Also, the mere act of entering these habitats and ecosystems with their big fishing trawlers can negatively impact the entire food chain, not just the fish and wildlife easily seen by the naked eye! It is our goal this year, and in the future, to impart a sense of environmental stewardship in all of our students, making them life-long learners and care-givers of our fragile planet.

HCHS SCIENCE!

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HCS

HS Perfect Attendance for September.

9th

Kalisha Camacho Ashley Gonzalez

Asia Hendrix Aicha Toure

10th

Ian Aranibar Adela Cruz

Karen Gutierrez Tyquon Hines Gina Krausch Giselle Price

Veida Rodriguez Kiara Santos Emily Wojcik

11th

Romanda Abedair Arturo De La Paz

Dina Elbanna Kassandra Tirado

12th

Anelis Cedeno Richard Donan

Christian Schwanse Jessica Watson

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HCS HS Perfect

Attendance for October. 9th

Luke Aranibar Kimani Brown

Rozlin Hall Aicha Toure

Amar’ee Williams Eugene Williams

10th Ian Aranibar

D’Angelo Barrow Malik Brooks Kiane Brown

Karen Gutierrez Tyquon Hines Gina Krausch

Janiah Lee –Bryant Ivan Sanchez Kiara Santos

11th Nicole Collins

Arturo De La Paz Brendon Gaskins

Meosha Washington 12th Bryant Arbito Saliar Mannix

Alexander Payamps Brandon Rivera

Christian Schwanse

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HS Boxtop/Label results for

September—November

12th grade = 19* 11th grade = 0 10th grade = 0 9th grade = 0

__________

12th grade = 0 11th grade = 0*

10th grade = 0 9th grade = 0

*Kudos to Senior Milton Vargas in the 12th grade, who contributed ALL of the Sr. boxtop

& label submissions! Way to go Milton!

You are in the clear lead for HS submissions!!!

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HCS HS Wishlist . . . HS Waitlist

Tis the Season! Please consider donating an item or

two to our wonderful staff here at the HS so they may

enhance their great work on behalf of our students!

Science Dept.— Is looking for a blender & or Food Processor to aide in the production of smaller compost particles for our worm farm. Does not need to be new! We are also hoping to secure a drill (cordless or otherwise) and a staplegun. English Dept.— Would love to have a projec-tor! Math Dept.— Is seeking to secure a smart-board. The Main Office— Would be greatful to re-ceive a Swiffer WetJet and s Swiffer Wand to help in keeping the office germ & dust free!