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9th Grade Newsletter

October 2026

9th Grade NewsletterOctober 2026
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We’ve officially made it to October! It’s hard to believe how quickly the first month of high school has gone by. Our students have been learning new routines, meeting new people, navigating their classes, and beginning to find their place here at CREC Academy of International Studies.

As we move into October, this is a great time to check in with your student about how things are going. Ask about their classes, friendships, activities, and anything they may need additional support with. The transition to high school is a big one, and having a strong support system at home and at school can make all the difference.

We encourage our Dragons to stay focused, stay engaged, ask questions, and take advantage of the many opportunities available to them. Whether they are joining a club, participating in athletics, connecting with a teacher, or simply getting more comfortable in the building, every experience is part of their high school journey.

Thank you for continuing to partner with us and support your student as they begin this exciting chapter. We are looking forward to a great October and an amazing year ahead!

Grade Level Class Updates Grade Level Class Updates

Art B Art B

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Students are wrapping up their first project, an Identity Name Sculpture. For this assignment, students designed their names in 3D and added drawings and symbols that show who they are, what they enjoy, and things that are important to them. They also learned that sculptures need to look interesting from all sides, since viewers can walk around them and see them from different angles. Students had to think carefully about balance physical and visual) and how to make their sculptures look good from every viewpoint.

Algebra I Algebra I

Students are studying how to model different kinds of linear/arithmetic and exponential/geometric patterns! They are getting more comfortable modelling these patterns in different notations and representations. After that, we will begin a unit studying statistics!


Contact: Gabriel Schechter

gschechter@crec.org

American Literature American Literature

Students are reading and analyzing poetry, short stories, and song lyrics. They are thinking about literary devices and discussing author’s tone as well as theme. Students will complete their first summative on Oct 7 in Criteria A & D - students will analyze literary devices and their effects.


Contact: Jacqueline Bolduc

jbolduc@crec.org

Chemistry Chemistry

We will start a new unit. This unit is anchored by the novel phenomenon of oyster larvae die-offs. Students learn that oyster die-offs occur in the Pacific Northwest due to ocean acidification. They decide they want to design solutions to help oysters and break the problem of oyster die-offs due to ocean acidification into smaller sub-problems. They investigate acids and bases, how carbon dioxide gets into the ocean, and how carbon moves through some of Earth’s systems. They use a computational model to figure out how acidification and other processes can naturally reverse due to shifts in chemical equilibrium


Contact: Neeta Vishwakarma

nvishwakarma@crec.org

Health Education Health Education

This term, our health curriculum centers on the Wellness Wheel—a holistic model illustrating how interconnected different areas of health are to overall model illustrating how interconnected different areas of health are to overall well-being. Below is an overview of the key wellness dimensions your student will explore:


  • Physical Wellness: Focuses on standard health habits including balanced nutrition, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and avoiding harmful substances.

  • Mental & Emotional Wellness: Covers emotional regulation, self-awareness, positive self-talk, and recognizing feelings in a healthy way.

  • Social & Relational Wellness: Emphasizes building supportive friendships, effective communication, setting personal boundaries, and managing peer pressure.

  • Sexual Wellness: Focuses on age-appropriate understanding of reproductive health, personal autonomy, consent, healthy relationship dynamics, and bodily respect.

  • Cultural Wellness: Explores understanding and appreciating one's own heritage, respecting diverse cultural perspectives, developing cultural empathy, and navigating multicultural environments.

  • Intellectual Wellness: Explores critical thinking, curiosity, creative problem-solving, and lifelong learning habits.

  • Environmental Wellness: Highlights understanding our surroundings, practicing sustainability, and creating a safe, supportive personal environment.

  • Occupational & Academic Wellness: Focuses on goal-setting, time management, organizational skills, and exploring future career interests.

  • Financial Wellness: Teaches fundamental money management skills, budgeting, differentiating between wants and needs, and basic financial literacy.

  • Spiritual Wellness: Examines personal values, ethics, sense of purpose, mindfulness, and what brings individual meaning.

  • Digital Wellness: Covers healthy technology usage, online safety, managing screen time, and maintaining a positive digital footprint.


Contact: Tyler Champ - tchamp@crec.org

HS Band HS Band

Band is in full swing, with Small Group Ensembles in our instrument families (percussion, brass, strings, and woodwinds), as well as some full band pieces! We are going to the US Coast Guard’s Band Concert on Oct 27th, and our concert is January 14th @ 6:00pm here at AIS!

Contact: Ellie Campbell

ecampbell@crec.org

Resource Resource

Mrs. Pearson’s Resource Room is stepping up their game! Students are building confidence and strengthening their skills while learning to solve PEMDAS and Algebra I equations. We’re working hard, growing stronger, and making progress every day!


Contact: Sandra Pearson

spearson@crec.org

Spanish 2 Spanish 2

New students have been integrating language in thematic ways, looking at school vocabulary and learning new grammar. Returning students have reviewed material, including sentence syntax and, gender and number agreement between nouns (the boss!) and articles/adjectives. We have begun looking at subject pronouns and verb conjugations in the present. I plan to complete the review for returning students by mid October. For students new to Spanish, the plan is to have them caught up with all the basics by early December.


Contact: Elizabeth Parada

eparada@crec.org

Strategic Reading & Mathematics Strategic Reading & Mathematics

Students have begun working on literacy and math skills to help them become stronger, more independent students. We are increasing the understanding and use of academic vocabulary and working on communicating why answers are chosen and how they know what choices to make.

Contact: Shana Parks (Literacy)

sparks@crec.org


Meghan Glanovsky (Mathematics)

mglanovksy@crec.org


US History US History

In US History we are switching our focus to the Gilded Age and research. Our big focus is Criterion B: Investigating. Students will learn about various topics in the Gilded Age like industrialization, urbanization, child labor, and Robber Barons, amongst other topics. Students will then be able to pick a topic they are interested in before the end of the quarter and develop a research project.


Contact: Jessica Girard

jgirard@crec.org

World Theatre B World Theatre B

Theatre is nearing the end of our “soft skills” development, and we’re almost done with our first major project of a flower box! Students have been learning to measure, saw, drill, hammer, paint, and soon will plant their tulip bulbs in their finished product! Then we’ll move into our focus study on “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” and begin making/building in prep for the upcoming show!


Contact: Ellie Campbell -

ecampbell@crec.org

Trip to Washington, DC 2027 Trip to Washington, DC 2027

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