ATTENTION: CERTAMEN INFORMATION BELOW!!!
6: Read pp. 59-61, "Patria Potestas," and answer questions that accompany the reading in Cultura handout.
7: Review vocabulary (meanings and parts of speech), Chapters 2-6. There will be an unannounced quiz of 20 vocab words from these chapters one day next week: be prepared every day!
8: 1) Review Ch. XVI vocab, #14-26 for vocab. quiz, part II Monday. 2) 4BC in the checklist. 3) Make sure 2F Derivatives is complete, if you haven't already completed this.
CERTAMEN LETTER:
April 26, 2012
Dear SFX Latin Students and Parents,
We would like to let you know about an exciting, new extracurricular offering for our future 7th-8th grade (current 6th-7th grade) middle school Latin students that will officially begin during the 2012-2013 academic year, called CERTAMEN.
What is CERTAMEN? CERTAMEN, in Latin, means “contest” or “competition”. Several states in the United States, including Illinois, sponsor this quiz bowl-type organization that promotes student interest in Latin and the Classics. There is a very active CERTAMEN league in Chicago and its southern, western and North Shore suburbs. It is time for St. Francis Xavier to enter this competition with a team (or possibly more than one team!) of our Latin scholars.
The questions in this college bowl-like format include topics that might range from points of Latin grammar or vocabulary to the etymology of English words derived from Latin to Roman history, art and culture to Classical Mythology. Latin/Classics teacher-volunteers, active and retired, at both the junior high (7th & 8th grade) and high school levels organize local CERTAMEN competitions. Recent sponsors of local CERTAMEN tournaments have included: Evanston Township High School, Glenbrook South High School, Loyola Academy, Lake Forest High School, New Trier High School. and Northside College Prep High School (Chicago).
What is the time commitment to CERTAMEN? The actual CERTAMEN competitions are typically held on the first Tuesdays of the months of November, December and February, with the winning schools at each level attending an inter-league tournament during the last week of April or first week of May. Each competition is held from 6 p.m. until about 8 p.m. So, there are only three-four evenings dedicated to competition in the entire school year. Parent transportation or carpooling would also be necessary to bring students to and from competitions.
When are practices held? Our CERTAMEN team practices will take place about once a week during lunch-recess during the competition season from early October through February, and continuing through April, if our team should become one of the finalists.
We will hold a CERTAMEN information session for any interested, current sixth and seventh graders during lunch period on Thursday, April 26, in room 302 and will hold two CERTAMEN preliminary practices in room 302 this spring so that students can get a feel for what the competitions might be like again at lunch on Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 17. We will distribute to interested students a short, suggested summer reading list to provide additional background as well as a list of some sample CERTAMEN questions.
Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you or your child has any questions in advance of our first preliminary practice on May 3.
Thanks very much,
Magistra Mary Joan Masello
maryjoanmasello@sfx-school.org
847.256.0644 ext. 47
