Course Syllabus*

Course and Classroom Expectations

1) Respect everyone in the classroom and do not infringe on the following:

2) Respect and correctly use all lab equipment as instructed.

3) Completely abide by the Lab Safety Rules.

4) Work to your full potential and seek help when needed.

5) Technology usage is embedded in Mr H's course. It is then required that all students bring school-distributed iPads daily to class fully charged and refrain from non-educational mobile app distractions.

6) Follow and abide by all school rules (refer to the OFHS Student Handbook).

Google Classroom

Mr H uses Google Classroom exclusively to deliver content to students, it is essential to check the platform on a regular basis for lesson materials and absent activities that a student missed. Also, during any remote functions at OFHS some courses will be conducted via Google Meet. A link will be provided at the top of Google Classroom for all Google Meet sessions per class.

Remediation Policy^

In the event that a student impedes on the effective operation of the lesson plan or classroom rules by not following stated expectations...

^The above steps can be skipped due to any egregious incident in nature as determined by school personnel.

Cell Phone Policy

Cell phones are not to be used in the classroom. With every student being supplied a school-issued iPad, cell phones have no educational purpose in class. Students will be required to use the cell phone storage holder in the classroom to aid in refraining from using their cell phones during the class period. Any student not placing their mobile phone in the storage holder will be marked absent that day in class (exemption for students who do not own a mobile device). If a student doesn't place the phone in the slot before the class bell, the student is unexcused tardy to class. Whenever a student uses a cell phone in a non-authorized manner, a detention will be assigned.

Classroom Supplies

Every day each student will need to bring to class...

1) A fully charged district-issued iPad 

2) A scientific calculator w/ trigonometric functions. Check out this one from Staples by clicking here.

3) A notebook or three-ring binder to organize course materials

4) Your Brain! (You would be surprised how many people forget to bring these daily)

Mr H will not loan out any of the above supplies at any time, so make sure to bring your own!

Grading Policies

The Semester Grades will consist of a combination of the following categories and associated percentages:

1) homework / classwork (30%)     2) performance of labs / projects / exams / quizzes (70%)

HW assignments are graded for completion, but lab assignments and projects are graded for accuracy to expected outcomes.

Exams/Quizzes might be scaled with respect to the average test score from the combined sections of Mr H’s Physics course.

Cheat sheets are allowed during the course assessments, provided they are in the students' own handwriting and a single 8.5"x11" sheet of paper. All cheat sheets will be turned in at the conclusion of the assessment and can be used only again on the cumulative semester exam.

No makeups will be permitted on any assignment or assessment given throughout the course of the year. Students are encouraged to provide 100% effort the first time and search out help when necessary. 

All grades will be assigned utilizing the following scale. 

90% - 100% A

80% - 89% B

70% - 79% C

60% - 69% D

59% - 0% E

Letter grades A through D are passing grades, whereas E is a non-passing grade. No physics course may be taken for Pass/Fail credit.

Collaborative Tasks


It is expected that submitted tasks for Mr H's Physics courses are completed individually. Students can collaborate with their peers in the class to collect data and process thoughts about the experiment analysis and conclusions. But by no means does that allow any student to copy another student's work as their own submission, without expressed prior consent of Mr H. Doing so would cause appropriate disciplinary actions per the policies of Mr H and/or Oak Forest High School, which may include zero points on the task and an assigned detention or disciplinary referral.

Extra Credit Assignments

On occasion, Mr H will assign extra credit assignments due to his initiative only and not at the request of any student, parent or other OFHS staff members. Yet, in order to participate in the extra credit assignment, students must be in attendance on the day the assignment is assigned and the day it is due. Late submissions for EC will not be accepted. There are no exceptions to these policies.

Course Prerequisites

Math 1 level mathematics or concurrent enrollment is HIGHLY recommended. Else, the student will find themself under heavy pre-determined challenges in any physics course.

Hallway Passes 

Students are allowed to make use of the restrooms or retrieve items in the building during class. In order to do so, students must sign out using the 5-Star system app, limited to a four-minute pass. Any student who stays behind to complete work in class after the dismissal bell will also use the 5-Star system app to their next scheduled class.

Late  Assignments

Simply forgetting is not a valid excuse to turn in any assignment after its respective deadline. All assignments are only considered turned in when they are uploaded to the respective entry day on Google Classroom.

Honors Physics 1st & Integrated Physics: Only accepted up to two (2) weeks from the posted original deadline and for 50% of the original credit value. 

AP Physics 1: Only accepted for one (1) week from the posted original deadline and for 50% of the original credit value. 

Unless extenuating circumstances (i.e. multiple-day excused absence) would require further deadlines, please inquire with Mr H. Extensions are only allowed with prior communication with Mr H (email and/or Google Voice) before the deadline.

Class Absences

When students are absent from class, they are allotted the same amount of time as detailed in the OFHS student handbook to make up the work they missed in class. Students will not be excused from assignments missed, and it is the sole responsibility of the student to make up the work due to their absence. Unexcused absences result in no credit awarded for assignments started or due on the date of the absence in question. 

Being absent on the review day(s) prior to an assessment does not excuse any student from taking the assessment the following day.

PowerSchool

All students' grades will be reported and archived on the online program of PowerSchool.

It is expected that each student and/or their parents monitor their grades for any inaccuracies or any missing assignments (usually listed as a zero). Please do not hesitate to contact Mr H regarding any concerns or questions you may have about your grade in a timely manner and do not wait until the last moment before grades are due.


*This syllabus is a living document and can be modified at any time due to subsequent necessary changes in policy by Mr Hogan, Oak Forest High School, and/or Bremen High School District 228.

Last updated 01/29/24