Scientific or graphing calculator?

Scientific or graphing calculator? What students should purchase?

As your children grow older the school supply list may get shorter, but not necessarily cheaper.

One item that can cause sticker shock to parents of middle and high school students is a specific calculator. Many schools prefer if students are provided with their own personal scientific calculator. For the most advanced math classes, such as AP Calculus for example, a graphing calculator may be required.

What's the difference? A scientific calculator can perform tasks beyond subtraction, subtraction multiplication and division. The most common scientific calculators have buttons that are specifically for parentheses, trigonometric functions, exponents inverted numbers and pi among other things.

A graphing calculator does even more. It will have a larger screen, allowing you to type in a specific function, then see a graph of it.

The Best to Buy's Geek Squad agent Derek Meister says scientific calculatorscan run anywhere from $10 to $60. Graphing calculators typically cost more, usually between $80 and $150.Should the students returning to school buy the scientific and graphing calculators? (KOMO News)

But, Best Buy says you may not actually have to purchase a device and recommends seeking advice from your school before you buy.

Harmony Weinberg, Edmonds School District's public relations and media supervisor She tells KOMO News each individual school is responsible for its own policy.

"For higher level classes, like AP Calculus, it is often expected that students have a handheld graphing calculator, such as TI-83, TI-84 or TI-89."

Calculators of this type are perfect for AP tests. Weinberg further states that schools have a procedure in place for students to check out calculators just like they check out texts, in the event that they cannot or don't want to buy their own.

For the Edmonds District School, calculators are managed like textbooks, with regard to loss or damage, but don't have any fees to use.

One other option may already be on their school-issued laptop. Weinberg says in Edmonds "all students have access to scientific and graphing calculators through their district-issued Chromebook." The district also encourages teachers and teachers to use Desmos online calculators, since they can be used in state-wide tests as well.

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West Seattle family says school policies on quarantine are biased against those who have not been vaccinated

written by Joel Moreno, KOMO News reporterSaturday 19th September 2021

https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.485.1_en.html#goog_1206168445Volume 90% Denny International Middle School.

SEATTLE - A family in West Seattle say their young son was told to stay at home after the boy came in contact with people who had been tested positive for COVID-19. The incident prompted his family members to say that their son was targeted and being treated differently by school district officials because the boy was not vaccine-free..

In the last week, the 12 year old student at Denny International Middle School was exposed to an individual in the class who was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The school officials told him to remain home for two weeks because there was no vaccination.

His relatives said they have discovered that, had he received a vaccination, the 7th grade student wouldn't be forced to miss class as when he didn't exhibit indications of the infection.

"My kid has no symptoms," said Jeremy Gollyhorn, the boy's father. "He's completely healthy. Why is it that he doesn't get the COVID test negative and come back to school?"

Gollyhorn claims that his son is being kept to a higher standard that students who've had their shots. Even if he showed a negative COVID-19 exam, the boy isn't allowed to go back to school until the two-week quarantine has been completed.

Close contacts who are completely vaccinated and have no symptoms are not required to stay in quarantine. They can go back to school, however they are advised to be tested every three to five days for confirmation.

Gollyhorn declared that it isn't making sense.

"Vaccinated people can still spread COVID too so what's the difference there?" he explained.

A spokesperson told us that Seattle Public Schools is following guidelines on public health that are set by state officials.

Gollyhorn stated that the policy strips people of their freedom of choice. The doctor added that his family does not trust vaccines , and incidents like this can only motivate him to challenge the government.

From the time Seattle Public Schools started the school year on Sept. 1st, the district has confirmed 117 positive cases of COVID-19 as well as Denny International Middle School has reported four positive cases in the span of four days.

It's unclear how many staff and students have been instructed to be in quarantine due to exposures. However, the absences are considered to be excused.