Students are responsible for understanding the rules and guidelines found here: HCS Code of Conduct
Students are responsible for understanding and following the guidelines found in this document: HHS IB Academic Integrity Policy (with this helpful one-pager summary of sorts)
Grades for my class will be entered into the online grade book (and thus available to parents and students alike through PowerSchool) as quickly as possible. In the case of tests and quizzes, these grades will often be available through PowerSchool by the time the student gets home on the day of said test or quiz. Be aware, though, that written assignments (papers, article response, etc.) take some time to grade, and it can take up to two weeks (depending on the assignment) for those grades to be made available online. Parents and students should monitor grades online through PowerSchool and should not hesitate to send Mr. Lochamy an e-mail (rlochamy@hoover.k12.al.us) with any questions they have.
Also, note that a grade of 0 indicates that a student has an opportunity to make up that grade for at least partial credit. A grade of .01, though, indicates that the student's opportunity to earn credit for the grade has passed.
Any attempt by a student to intentionally present another's words or ideas as their own will be treated as a serious offense. A grade of .01 will be entered for any assignment in which the student product includes plagiarized text or ideas and a referral will be made to the office so that an administrator can deal with the offense appropriately. It's a good idea to check out these resources to help you make sure you're not committing plagiarism.
Make-up work must be made up in a timely manner. Some of the work in this class can be completed and submitted online even if a student is absent on the official due date. If that is the case for a particular assignment, the due date stands even if the student was absent from school (unless the student has communicated with Mr. Lochamy about a reasonable excuse and has received an extension on the due date--NOTE: the provision of extensions is very, very rare). If a student is absent on a due date when work must be turned in physically, the work that was due on that day must be turned in the next time that student comes to class. If a student misses a day when an assignment is given, it is up to that student to check this site and see what they missed and to make an effort to obtain whatever materials they need from the website (or from Mr. Lochamy) as quickly as possible and complete the assignment in question. A grade of 0 will be entered for any assignment/quiz/test that a student misses or fails to turn in on the due date (even due to absence), but a grade will be entered as soon as the assignment is turned in or made up in a timely and responsible manner. 10% will be deducted from the overall grade for each day that an assignment is late (but this deduction will not apply to tests and quizzes). And for the record, if/when you do turn something in late, it's your responsibility to let me know (via email) that you've done so so that I'll know to go and check your work and update your grade.
Electronic copies of handouts and class materials will be placed on the class website. Students who miss class for any reason will be expected to check the website to see what they missed and then keep up the best they can by completing any assignments or accessing any class materials they might need.
In addition to their Chromebooks (which they should bring to class every day), students are allowed to bring an e-reader or tablet-sized (not phone-sized though) electronic device to my class so long as the devices are used exclusively for reading (or for some other use explicitly approved by me, like doing class-related research) and only at times when the student has been given permission to use said device. These devices, however, are not ever to be used in class to play games or communicate with other people (unless such usage is explicitly and directly approved by me on the occasion that the student is using the device in such a manner). Any student who is discovered using an electronic device in an unapproved manner will lose their privilege to bring said device to class the rest of the year. This policy serves as the only warning, and one infraction will be enough to trigger the loss of privilege. Students are not allowed to be on their phones for any reason during class without explicit permission from Mr. Lochamy.
Students who enter class after the tardy bell has rung (and who do not have a valid pass to class from a teacher or administrator) should expect to be marked as tardy.
Students are expected to be in class when it's in session. Students will be allowed to leave class to go to the restroom only in the case of extreme emergencies (i.e., they will have an accident if they are not allowed out of class). Each student will be allowed one such pass from class each month. Students should be sure to use the restroom between classes throughout the day so as not to find themselves needing to do so during time designated for instruction.
Students who have questions, who need help, who are behind in their work, or who are needing to make up a quiz/test will be expected to address those issues by attending a study session outside of regular class meetings (if/when these sorts of issues can't be resolved during class).
Any student who is in need of a study session outside of class should request one using this form so that one can be arranged.