Mrs. Hilton’s Classroom Values:
I expect my classroom to be a positive learning environment for all students and that very few behavioral problems will occur. Therefore, I have certain classroom VALUES which help the classroom run smoothly. As a result of these values, students need to follow a few specific rules.
Value #1: RESPECT yourself, your classmates, your teacher, your classroom, and your education. Disrespectful behavior affects not only your ability to learn but others’ as well.
PAWS rules! (Please follow directions first time given, Always keep hands/feet/objects to one’s self, Walk inside building, Speak Appropriately)
Stay on task at all times during class! Pay attention to the lessons, videos, presentations, etc.
Mrs. Hilton dismisses class! The bell doesn't dismiss class. Everyone must remain seated until the entire class is dismissed.
Value #2: RESPONSIBILITY
Come to School/Class on Time! You are tardy when you are not in your seat when the bell rings. You will be expected to begin working when the bell rings. If you are tardy..............
Be Prepared for Class! This includes all class materials and textbooks. Bring your AR book ALWAYS.
Complete Your Assignments! – Be responsible by completing assignments on time and with full effort. This includes all in-class/out-of-class assignments and projects, as well as, studying for and taking quizzes or tests.
Value #3 KINDNESS - Treat others better than you want to be treated!
Don’t interrupt! (This means raise your hand to speak to me and/or other students, use the restroom before class, and get up from your desk only in an emergency.)
Be Honest! Don’t cheat or steal from others. Don’t make excuses for your actions.
Any form of bullying will not be tolerated.
Classroom Behavior Consequences
“The word fair means that each student gets what he or she needs to be successful. Being equal means that each student gets exactly the same thing.” - Brian Mendler
Fair and equal do not mean the same thing, although many times they can. Each student is an individual and will be treated as such. I promise I will always do my best to be fair to each and every one of you in this class. But many of you will get different consequences, homework assignments, tests, quizzes, etc. which may not be viewed as equal. These things will be based on what each student needs to be successful. This means I will not always be treating all students exactly the same way, or what you view as equal. Most of the time, the following consequences will occur; however, they may not occur in this particular order. Sometimes different consequences will be given for the exact same behavior. All consequences will almost always be personal and private.
Warning
Detention
Phone call home
Recess Suspension
Removal from room and/or sent to see principal
OTHER
Daily Class Supplies
Chromebook
Assignment Notebook/Agenda
Pens and/or Pencils – you can use any utensil as long as it is legible; all students may type assignments as needed if preferred and must be attached to the original worksheet.
Separate folder for history (can be a section in your accordion folder)
Classroom Procedures
When the bell rings, students are expected to be in their own seats already working on their daily bell work and following all classroom procedures. Mrs. Hilton will not direct you to do the following tasks. You are responsible for knowing what you need to do every day when you walk into the classroom.
Bell Work:
Check Google HW Calendar
Write your assignment in your agenda
Take out your homework to be graded or make sure your homework is turned in on classroom. We will grade or discuss most assignments in class the day they are due.
Other Procedures:
Students will be allowed to leave the classroom only at appropriate times deemed acceptable by Mrs. Hilton. Only TWO students will be allowed to leave the room at a time.
Restroom: Using the restroom during class will not be a daily activity. Only 2 students will be allowed in the bathroom at any given time.
To the Library/Office/Nurse: To go to one of these locations, ask Mrs. Hilton for a pink hall pass. This will need to be signed by the librarian, secretary, or nurse when you leave their location to return to class.
To your Locker: Please bring everything with you that you will need for class. You will only be allowed to your locker if it is an absolute necessity and Mrs. Hilton deems it safe to do so.
Homework Expectations
These expectations apply to all assignments given whether on paper in class or on Google Classroom - There is no difference!
Unless otherwise stated, homework will be due at the beginning of class the next day our class meets. It is highly recommended that students and parents alike access the HW Calendar and Google Classroom to always see when upcoming assignments are due. On TeacherEase, students and parents can see assignments that are yet to be graded, individual graded assignments, assignments that may be missing or late, and even absent work. Assignments without a grade are not factored into the overall grade unless the assignment is missing. All missing work is factored as a zero until the assignment is turned in.
Absences:
Whether you are absent for an entire day, part of the day, or just miss one class period, you are responsible for the work you missed whether it is online or on paper. If you leave in the middle of the day for any reason, please see the teachers of the classes you will miss before you leave so you can turn in any work that is due and pick up anything newly assigned.
For all absences, please do the following things:
Check the SS HW calendar first to see what homework has been assigned.
Complete any work assigned on Google Classroom from either before or during your absence. Assignments posted on Google Classroom can be completed even though you were not in class typically so, go ahead and do the assignment there.
All due dates apply and will be considered late if not turned in on time.
Email Mrs. Hilton or send a private comment on the assignment if you are too sick to complete it on time.
See Mrs. Hilton upon your return for any additional materials or classwork you may have missed.
Classwork (assignments on paper) will be given you when you return to school and you will have one extra day for each day absent, up to 5 days, according to our Absent Work Policy in the student handbook to turn in these assignments. Homework is considered late and points will be lost if it is not turned in after your extra day(s).
No work or materials will be taken to the cubbies for pick up if you are only absent for 1-2 days. You and/or your parents DO NOT need for work to be placed in the cubbies. It will be given to you when you return.
If you are absent 3 or more days, you and/or parents should email Mrs. Hilton to see if materials or paper work needs to be picked up from the homework cubbies.
All homework, online or on paper, assigned before your absence is due the day of your arrival back to school. You only have extra days if the assignments were assigned on paper during your absence.
Tests/Quizzes will always be communicated to students on the HW Calendar at least 5 days in advance.
If absent on the any day prior to the test and/or the review day, you should be prepared to take the quiz/test as scheduled.
If absent the day of the quiz/test, you should be ready to take the test you return to school.
If you are absent for an extended time prior to the test and the test day, you will have an equivalent amount of time as allowed in the homework policy to prepare for and take the test. This should not exceed one week after you return.
Weekly CEs/GOALs or Projects are always due by their due date no matter what. No extended time for absences will be allowed. These assignments are designed to be completed over multiple days so you should be aware of them and be working on them well before an absence.
Extra Credit: Please see the Yearly Extra Credit page of Mrs. Hilton's webpage or the document posted on Google Classroom for more information about extra credit opporunities in social studies class. These opportunites are available for all students all year long and should be completed as directed from the handout. Students do not need to ask for permission to complete any of the opportunities. Students should be taken advantage of these opportunities because additional extra credit will not be given when it is asked for or on an individual basis. Extra credit is not necessary to maintain an above average grade in my classes. Do the work the first time around at your best ability and you earn the best credit available.
Cheating/Plagiarism: In accordance with the seventh and eighth grade rules, if cheating occurs, all students involved will receive a zero on the assignment, project, or test. The student will also be given a detention, which the parents will be asked to sign so that they are aware of the situation. Please note that giving and/or receiving answers is considered cheating. In my classroom, a large portion of a student's grade comes from homework. Even if we work on an assignment together in class or with a partner, once you leave my room, the assignment ALWAYS becomes an individual assignment and students are expected to do his/her own work. Otherwise, it isn't a reflection of the student’s progress or learning.
Examples of situations that may occur that would constitute cheating or plagiarism are as follows:
*Comparing/Discussing answers on ungraded work
Ex. “Hey, I don’t think I did my HW right. How did you do #20?”
*Receiving or giving an answer to ANY question on an assignment
Ex. “Hey, tell me what you get for #20?”
*Directly copying answers from a classmate
Ex. “Your answer for #20 looks good, I’m going to write it down. OK?”
*Plagiarism - Copy and Pasting AI generated responses and/or directly from an internet search/website
Ex. “I should just cut and paste this Google suggested answer into a doc. How will Mrs. Hilton ever know?”
Ex. "I can just have AI write my answer/paragraph/essay for me."
Ex. "Google Lens is so easy. It's just one click and it shows me the answer that I will just copy and paste or write down on my paper."
Good alternatives if a student needs help:
*Asking Mrs. Hilton or another middle school teacher for assistance on anything you don't understand.
*Asking Mrs. Hilton to spot check your work if you are not confident in your understanding or direction.
*Having your parents assist you on your homework (re-teaching or spot checking) without giving you the answers. (However, this should be done on a very limited basis. If you frequently do not understand how to complete the homework, please let me know. My assignments are designed for students to be able to complete them without parental assistance.)
Late Homework
Keep in mind that consequences for late work may vary from teacher to teacher across the school. Here is a brief overview as they pertain to my classes.
Homework is considered late if 50% or more of the assignment is not complete, the assignment was left at home, or the assignment can’t be found.
All late assignments will be counted in the gradebook as a zero until the student turns it and its is graded. Remember this could affect weekly eligibility reporting and could deem a student ineligible for extra-curricular activities if a student has late work early in the quarter or has multiple late assignments.
Late assignments will be accepted up until the end of the current chapter/unit at which point if they will stay a zero with no chance of making it up if they haven't been completed. This time frame may vary depending on the length of the unit. Rule of thumb, if we took a quiz/test on the material from an assignment, the assignment can no longer be made up and a zero will remain in the gradebook.
Students are responsible for seeing what late work still needs to be done and turning it in. Mrs. Hilton will not give repeated reminders of any late work, so write yourself reminders in your agenda when necessary.
Google Classroom and TeacherEase can be checked regularly to see what late assignments a student may have. Please understand that work turned in on time is my grading priority. Late work may not be graded immediately after it is turned in, especially online work.
Penalty for Late Homework
A penalty for late HW assignments will occur for each occurence no matter how late the assignment is, no matter the excuse.
All Online Work - 20% OFF your earned grade
Automatically noted as missing/late on Google Classroom
You do not need to let Mrs. Hilton know you turned in late. Google Classroom reports that.
This includes weekly CEs/GOALs.
All Class Work - counted as a 50% completion grade only
Tell Mrs. Hilton immediately at the start of class if you do not have your assignment complete.
Get an "Excuse Me Slip" from Mrs. Hilton's desk and fill it out to explain the reason for the late assignment and give it to Mrs. Hilton.
DO NOT GO OUT IN THE HALL. Return to your desk and complete the assignment as it is graded/discussed in class to earn your half credit! Yes, that means you may fill in all the correct answers! The only time a student will be sent to the hall to work on an assignment is to catch up on absent work as needed.
*If you do not tell Mrs. Hilton that you didn't do your work before it is graded in class, additional consequesences may result for not being honest and/or cheating.
*Mrs. Hilton allows you to fill in the answers as we grade it for multiple reasons.
So you don't miss out on further instruction and discussion of the topics the work covers.
Eliminates goofing off or wasting time in the hallway
Less late work grading for Mrs. Hilton and students get correct work to study from sooner
Eliminates late work from piling up and students forgetting about it
A 50% is better than a 0%!
If you cannot complete the assignment while it is graded/discussed in class, you must complete it on your own and show it to Mrs. Hilton to earn your half credit. Once you do this, Mrs. Hilton will not grade the assignment for exact right and wrong answers but instead simply award 1/2 credit for completion. All students are then encouraged to check their work with another classmate so the correct material can be studied.
Remember all late work is counted as a zero in the grade book until the assignment has been graded online or you prove to Mrs. Hilton that the class work is complete.
Please note that all late work is NOT always graded immediately once it is turned in nor updated in the grade book right away. All late work grades will for sure be updated by midterm/end of the quarter.
At no time will Mrs. Hilton allow any work, quizzes, or tests to be redone for a better grade. Remember, extra credit opportunities are always available.