2017/2018
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students,
This year will be an academic adventure that will offer new challenges, increased responsibilities, opportunities for growth, and a chance to prepare for the future. Students should be well prepared for their daily activities and be willing to participate with a positive attitude. My goal for your child this year is to help him/her learn and progress to the best of his/her abilities. I want each child to be able to give and receive help when it is necessary and to be able to accept responsibility and the resulting consequences for his/her choices. I believe these goals can be accomplished with your support. I truly believe that students have the right to learn and teachers have the right to teach.
Effort, determination, and hard work will be the keys to a successful and enjoyable year. I strongly believe that parent/guardian support is vital to a child’s academic and behavioral success. I hope to work as a team with you to promote your child’s success. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Also, please let me know if you are available to volunteer in the classroom.
Expectations
1. Be prepared for class. Students are expected to bring all required materials (listed above) each day and to stay organized. Binder checks will be done periodically. Being prepared also includes completing the required class work and academic practice in order to participate successfully each day.
2. Complete all class work in a timely manner and by the assigned due date.
3. Be hardworking and make an effort.
4. Be respectful. Students will not take away a learning opportunity for another student. All students have the right to learn, and the teacher has the right to teach. In order for this to happen, respect is absolutely necessary. Intolerance of others’ interests, personalities, and backgrounds is not appropriate in a 21st century classroom. Inappropriate/disrespectful behavior will be disciplined on a case-by-case basis.
5. All academic practice is due for correction on the assigned date.
6. Note taking will be expected.
7. Be responsible for yourself and have a positive attitude. As 6th graders, students are expected to take full responsibility for their learning by:
9. When you walk in to our classroom . . .
As parents, we must understand the importance of school attendance. Every day missed subtracts from your child’s overall understanding of the course content. While assignments can be made up, it is difficult to recover from missing the face to face instruction and discussion in class that occurs daily.
Homework Policy
Homework is posted daily in the classroom and on each Haiku subject page. The amount of academic practice assigned will vary depending on the current unit. At times, shorter assignments will be given on various days throughout the week. Long term assignments will include essays and occasional individual and group projects. Students will be required to do outside reading each month. Depending on the month, outside reading books may be assigned by the teacher or may be the student’s choice.
Written Assignment Requirements
Assignments will be done neatly in cursive, printing or typed.
Late work policy:
Assignments are expected to be turned in complete and on time. The school policy for late assessment work is one letter grade for each day late. Work will not be accepted for a grade after the chapter/unit assessment is completed. If a child is absent, it is his/her responsibility to get the material/assignments and make arrangements to make up the work. The student has as many days to complete the make up work as he or she is absent from class.
Extra Credit Policy
At my discretion, extra credit is occasionally offered.
Substitute Policy
I consider a substitute to be a guest in my class and therefore misbehavior will not occur. If a student’s name is given in a substitute’s report for misbehavior, one hour of detention will be assigned to that student.
Grading Policy for Language Arts and Social Studies ----- Grading is based on percentage. Scores between a 90% and 100% = A, 80% - 89% = B, 70% - 79% = C, 60% - 69% = D, and 59% and below = F.
Proficiency Levels
A = 90 - 100 %: - Mastery Level -- the student is capable of doing top quality work without supervision.
The student has achieved outstanding mastery of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘4’ level on writing assignments.
B = 80 - 89 %: - Proficient – the student is capable of producing quality work but may not be at the top of his or her field.
The student has achieved above average mastery of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘3’ level on writing assignments.
C = 70 -79 %: - Basic -- the student is close to meeting the requirement at a minimal level
The student has achieved adequate understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a level'2'
D = 60 - 69 %: - Below Basic - the student has achieved limited understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘1’ level on writing assignments.
F = 59 % or below: Below Basic - the student has achieved little to no understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘1’ level on writing assignments.
Overall grades are determined by assessment (this includes any tests, quizzes, projects or any other material that assesses the student’s learning) and practice (aka homework). Academic practice is an important part of your student's grade, so it is important your student complete their homework in a timely manner and hand it in on time. Grades are updated on Aeries, please check regularly. Please make sure you obtain your code to access your child’s grades in the Aeries system if you have not already done so.
Website Information
Your child has access to Haiku and has been instructed on how to use it. Students access Haiku using their 9 digit school ID number and their first name followed by the number 6. Please have them share this site with you as this is my means of communication with your student. Homework, as well as many other valuable resources are posted on this page. I encourage students to use this site to keep tabs on our activities throughout the year. I try to update it daily. There are times that I may miss, but I will add when time allows.
I will be asking your child to print files from my website occasionally. This will allow me to use my limited number of copies for the year on the more extensive projects and assignments we will do. If your child cannot access the internet at home, I will provide a paper copy of everything they need. All they have to do is ask. Thanks for your understanding.
Parent Involvement & Communication
I would like to use e-mail as the main form of communication. Academic practice provides a home-school link and provides parents an opportunity to become informed about what is being taught at school. To help facilitate home-school communication, develop organizational skills, and promote individual responsibility, students are required to record all assignments in their agenda on a daily basis.
Thank you for your time, interest, and support. I ask that you review these classroom and homework policies with your child. Please feel free to contact me at 696-1406 ext. 4175 or e-mail me at [email protected]
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students,
This year will be an academic adventure that will offer new challenges, increased responsibilities, opportunities for growth, and a chance to prepare for the future. Students should be well prepared for their daily activities and be willing to participate with a positive attitude. My goal for your child this year is to help him/her learn and progress to the best of his/her abilities. I want each child to be able to give and receive help when it is necessary and to be able to accept responsibility and the resulting consequences for his/her choices. I believe these goals can be accomplished with your support. I truly believe that students have the right to learn and teachers have the right to teach.
Effort, determination, and hard work will be the keys to a successful and enjoyable year. I strongly believe that parent/guardian support is vital to a child’s academic and behavioral success. I hope to work as a team with you to promote your child’s success. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. Also, please let me know if you are available to volunteer in the classroom.
Expectations
1. Be prepared for class. Students are expected to bring all required materials (listed above) each day and to stay organized. Binder checks will be done periodically. Being prepared also includes completing the required class work and academic practice in order to participate successfully each day.
2. Complete all class work in a timely manner and by the assigned due date.
3. Be hardworking and make an effort.
4. Be respectful. Students will not take away a learning opportunity for another student. All students have the right to learn, and the teacher has the right to teach. In order for this to happen, respect is absolutely necessary. Intolerance of others’ interests, personalities, and backgrounds is not appropriate in a 21st century classroom. Inappropriate/disrespectful behavior will be disciplined on a case-by-case basis.
5. All academic practice is due for correction on the assigned date.
6. Note taking will be expected.
7. Be responsible for yourself and have a positive attitude. As 6th graders, students are expected to take full responsibility for their learning by:
- Participating in class, turning work in on time.
- Asking for help at home and/or from the teacher when needed.
- Obtaining class notes, handouts, and academic practice when absent.
9. When you walk in to our classroom . . .
- Walk in quietly ---- please end your conversations with your classmates, and make sure your cell phone is put away. You have four minutes between classes; if you are not in the classroom when the bell rings, you will be counted tardy. Tardies are reported to the office for each period daily and can quickly add up.
- Be in your seat ready to work quietly. Take out necessary supplies. Read the Poem of the Day and be ready to discuss.
- Take out the Shivela agenda and fill in the homework assignment. Place the previous night's homework assignment on your desk so it is ready to be corrected/ collected.
- Begin the opening activity (you will only have 5 minutes to complete the warm up activity, so use your time wisely).
- Wait quietly for the teacher's instruction.
- Stay in your seat until you hear the teacher dismiss you.
- Leave quietly and in an orderly manner.
As parents, we must understand the importance of school attendance. Every day missed subtracts from your child’s overall understanding of the course content. While assignments can be made up, it is difficult to recover from missing the face to face instruction and discussion in class that occurs daily.
Homework Policy
Homework is posted daily in the classroom and on each Haiku subject page. The amount of academic practice assigned will vary depending on the current unit. At times, shorter assignments will be given on various days throughout the week. Long term assignments will include essays and occasional individual and group projects. Students will be required to do outside reading each month. Depending on the month, outside reading books may be assigned by the teacher or may be the student’s choice.
Written Assignment Requirements
Assignments will be done neatly in cursive, printing or typed.
- Work that is illegible will not be graded and must be redone.
- Assignments will have on the right hand corner: first and last name, date, period and subject.
- Directions must be followed on all assignments! If a student chooses not to follow directions on any assignment, or part of an assignment, points will be deducted from the student’s earned grade on that assignment.
- When answering questions, students must answer writing complete sentences using part of the question in their answer.
- Typewritten work will be double-spaced and in a Times New Roman 12 font, with one inch margins.
- Papers handed in must be tidy; no torn or ragged edge papers will be accepted.
Late work policy:
Assignments are expected to be turned in complete and on time. The school policy for late assessment work is one letter grade for each day late. Work will not be accepted for a grade after the chapter/unit assessment is completed. If a child is absent, it is his/her responsibility to get the material/assignments and make arrangements to make up the work. The student has as many days to complete the make up work as he or she is absent from class.
Extra Credit Policy
At my discretion, extra credit is occasionally offered.
Substitute Policy
I consider a substitute to be a guest in my class and therefore misbehavior will not occur. If a student’s name is given in a substitute’s report for misbehavior, one hour of detention will be assigned to that student.
Grading Policy for Language Arts and Social Studies ----- Grading is based on percentage. Scores between a 90% and 100% = A, 80% - 89% = B, 70% - 79% = C, 60% - 69% = D, and 59% and below = F.
Proficiency Levels
A = 90 - 100 %: - Mastery Level -- the student is capable of doing top quality work without supervision.
The student has achieved outstanding mastery of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘4’ level on writing assignments.
B = 80 - 89 %: - Proficient – the student is capable of producing quality work but may not be at the top of his or her field.
The student has achieved above average mastery of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘3’ level on writing assignments.
C = 70 -79 %: - Basic -- the student is close to meeting the requirement at a minimal level
The student has achieved adequate understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a level'2'
D = 60 - 69 %: - Below Basic - the student has achieved limited understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘1’ level on writing assignments.
F = 59 % or below: Below Basic - the student has achieved little to no understanding of the standards.
The student consistently writes at a ‘1’ level on writing assignments.
Overall grades are determined by assessment (this includes any tests, quizzes, projects or any other material that assesses the student’s learning) and practice (aka homework). Academic practice is an important part of your student's grade, so it is important your student complete their homework in a timely manner and hand it in on time. Grades are updated on Aeries, please check regularly. Please make sure you obtain your code to access your child’s grades in the Aeries system if you have not already done so.
Website Information
Your child has access to Haiku and has been instructed on how to use it. Students access Haiku using their 9 digit school ID number and their first name followed by the number 6. Please have them share this site with you as this is my means of communication with your student. Homework, as well as many other valuable resources are posted on this page. I encourage students to use this site to keep tabs on our activities throughout the year. I try to update it daily. There are times that I may miss, but I will add when time allows.
I will be asking your child to print files from my website occasionally. This will allow me to use my limited number of copies for the year on the more extensive projects and assignments we will do. If your child cannot access the internet at home, I will provide a paper copy of everything they need. All they have to do is ask. Thanks for your understanding.
Parent Involvement & Communication
I would like to use e-mail as the main form of communication. Academic practice provides a home-school link and provides parents an opportunity to become informed about what is being taught at school. To help facilitate home-school communication, develop organizational skills, and promote individual responsibility, students are required to record all assignments in their agenda on a daily basis.
Thank you for your time, interest, and support. I ask that you review these classroom and homework policies with your child. Please feel free to contact me at 696-1406 ext. 4175 or e-mail me at [email protected]