Scientific or graphing calculator?

Scientific or graphing calculator? What do students need to purchase?

As your kids get older and get older, the list of school supplies will get shorter however, it's not necessarily less expensive.

One thing that can trigger sticker shock for 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, like AP Calculus an graphing calculator may be required.

What's the difference? A scientific calculator can perform tasks beyond subtraction, subtraction division and multiplication. A scientific calculator typically has buttons that are specifically for parentheses, trigonometric functions, exponents reverses, and pi among other things.

A graphing calculator does even more. It'll come with a larger screen that allows 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 from $10 to $60. The graphing calculators usually cost more, ranging from $80 and $150.Should back-to-school students buy the scientific and graphing calculators? (KOMO News)

But, Best Buy says you might not need to buy one and recommends consulting with your school first.

Harmony Weinberg, Edmonds School District's public relations and media supervisor, tells KOMO News each individual school has its own set of rules.

"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."

These calculators can be used for AP testing. Weinberg also says schools are able to set up a system for students to borrow calculators in the same way as they would texts if they are unable to or prefer not to purchase their own.

Within the Edmonds School district, the calculators are used in a similar manner to textbooks in terms of damage or loss, however they do not have a fee to make use of.

Another possibility could be available on their school laptop. Weinberg says there is a provision in Edmonds "all students have access to scientific and graphing calculators through their district-issued Chromebook." The district also encourages teachers to use Desmos online calculators, as these 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

from Joel Moreno, KOMO News reporterSaturday on September 18th, 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 instructed to stay at home when he came into contact with one who was positive for COVID-19, prompting the family to claim that he was targeted and being treated differently by officials from the school district because the boy was not vaccinated..

Last week, the 12-year-old student who attends Denny International Middle School was confronted by a fellow student who was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The school officials told that he should stay home for two weeks since he has not been vaccinated.

The family members of the victim have learned that if he had received a vaccination, the 7th grader would not have had to miss class so long as he didn't show any symptoms from the virus.

"My kid has no symptoms," stated Jeremy Gollyhorn, the boy's father. "He's completely healthy. How can he not get positive COVID results and go back to school?"

Gollyhorn told reporters that his son was being treated differently than students who have had their shots. And even If he passed a positive COVID-19 test, he will not be allowed back into school until the two-week quarantine period has ended.

However, those close to them who are fully vaccinated with no symptoms do not require to stay in quarantine. They can go back to school, but they are urged to get tested every three to five days to be sure.

Gollyhorn claimed that it does not make sense.

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

A spokesperson confirmed that Seattle Public Schools is following public health guidelines set through the federal government.

Gollyhorn claimed that the law strips people of their choices. Gollyhorn also stated that his family doesn't trust vaccines and such situations can only motivate him to push back.

Since Seattle Public Schools started the school year on September. 1st, the district has reported 117 positive COVID-19 cases and Denny International Middle School has reported four positive cases during the span of four days.

It is unclear how many employees and students have been told to quarantine because of exposures. However, absences from school are considered to be excused.