Family and Friends Page

Dear Family & Friends of Senior English,

            I’m so pleased to welcome your senior to Twelfth Grade English!  No matter what experiences and expectations your child is bringing to the field of English, this class will challenge them to develop critical thinking, reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.  This year, we’ll be working as a community of readers and writers to expand our definition and understanding of communication.  Our class uses a differentiated approach to instruction, which challenges each student to individually reach their potential.  Many of our assessments are authentic and project-oriented, so the students are kept very busy and engaged in their learning. 

            Please take a few minutes to explore my website.  You'll find a variety of useful tools that will help you to stay informed of our work in class.  You might like to start by taking a look at the syllabus. This plan for the year will answer many of your questions about English class. 

           For students taking Honors English, you can expect to see additional reading, writing, and speaking assignments that stretch their advanced communication skills.  Accelerated work is more independent and fast-paced than the academic course. 

           For more detailed information about upcoming assignments, just click on the link to my "Assignments and Due Dates" page.  All assignments, materials, and handouts can be found in our Google Classroom site, and you're welcome to join the "Friends and Family" class in order to access our specific projects and lessons.  If your student needs to access their project files that have been created here at school, they need to use Google Drive to make those documents available on your home computer.  That way, students can work from home on projects that they started here at school.

     I will be available for live, distanced instruction every day from 1:00-3:00, using the Google Meet virtual space set up in our Google Classroom site.  All students are welcome to join in that instructional time daily, whether they're in another classroom in the building or working from home.  We'll use the time for focused mini-lessons to reinforce course content and to answer any questions the students have.  I'm also available via email for students throughout the day, so please encourage your student to utilize those options for keeping in contact.

          Another great way to stay informed about your child's progress is to check our online gradebook, called Skyward.  This tool will allow you to check your child's current grade, attendance, and scores on individual assignments.  

           If you have any questions or concerns now or throughout the year, please contact me at hshindledecker@dubois.school or 371-8111.  I truly look forward to working with your child.  Thank you for your interest in their progress!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Heidi Shindledecker

Senior English Teacher, DAHS