Becoming a father! And, how to keep working hard...

Students,

My sincerest apologies that our instruction will be interrupted for the next week or so. I need to support my wife, our new child, and her family visiting from Germany in the coming days.

You may be relieved to find that there will be no online HW for a while. :) However, please take heed of the instructions written on the whiteboard in class. I will summarize them here:

#1) The 'crystal lab' report is still due this Tuesday. Have a look at your vials, and see if you were able to grow crystals to compare to one another. If your crystals did not grow, you can look at the ones that I grew and use them for your data (you can find them on the far right end of the counter). Turn in a COMPLETE lab report (use the 'Golden Lab' guide to be sure you've done it correctly) to Ms. Payne, and make sure everyone who helped your lab group's name is on it (keeping in mind that no groups had more than four members).

#2) The work that Ms. Payne assigns you all during this 'intermission' period will be graded and entered into gradebook as 'Practice' when I return. She may choose either to collect it every day, or have you keep it in your binders. It will be a 180-point assignment, so please treat the practice seriously.

#3) If you have made up all missing work notes and tests, and want to improve your grade, you can begin working on either of the TWO extra credit assignments that are explained on the small whiteboard next to the "library" in the classroom. You can even do each project multiple times (i.e., read and report on two articles; or plan and conduct two experiments) -- as long as each report is different. Those of you still needing to take an old, 'missing' test, I will try to come after school today (Monday), so please visit my room at 3:10 to see if I am around!

Finally, I will be posting your grades on the most recent test "Ions and Ionic compounds" later today -- so check your grades online to see how you did.

if you feel like it, please either wish my wife and I luck, or keep us in your prayers.

Sincerely,
Mr. Mikulski

P.S. -- Honors students, I have graded the four NatGeo article reports that were turned in on time; please check your grades and if you received a 45%, go ahead and start on a redo (with a new article). READ THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE ASSIGNMENT! Those of you in honors who have not yet turned in the article (and thus have a "mi") can still do so, albeit with a late penalty. Don't turn them in to Ms. Payne; instead hold on to them until I return.