Class Information


Birthdays

Students are welcome (but certainly not required) to bring treats to celebrate their birthday. The treats must be pre-packaged, no homemade food items are allowed this year. Please make sure they are individual items instead of a large cake or cookie that has to be cut to be served. If their birthday does not fall within the school year, they may pick their half birthday to celebrate.


Grading

I use our district grading scale and assignments are weighted 20% academic practice and 80% academic achievement. Academic practice assignments are those meant to give extra practice and academic achievement assignments are meant to assess student knowledge.


Missing Assignments

If an assignment is not handed in when it is due, I will put a "zero" in the grade book and mark the assignment as "missing". Students and parents will be able to see this when they log in to Powerschool. If the student hands the missing assignment in before the end of the quarter, I will grade the assignment, enter the grade into Powerschool, and mark it as "late". If a student is missing more than two assignments in any subject, they will receive a late slip. On the late slip, the student must make a plan for how they will get their work completed and have it signed by a parent/guardian. They will also have to come up with a consequence for what will happen if they don't follow their plan. Students with more than two missing assignments in any subject will not be eligible to attend class field trips and parties.


Homework

The purpose of homework is to give extra practice at a certain skill. Research shows that the more you practice something, the better you become at it. Homework is not an assessment and students should have enough understanding of the material to complete it independently. It should not exceed 30 minutes of practice time in an evening and I will not assign homework on weekends or during breaks. Please let me know if you have questions or concerns about homework, or if your child is spending more than 30 minutes an evening on homework. If a student is consistently missing homework assignments, I will contact parents and make a plan to help the student get on track. I’m available most days after school for homework help.


Make-up Work

In accordance with our district policy as stated in our handbook, students will be given two (2) days make-up time for each one (1) day of absence. Class work not completed by the required time will be recorded as a zero. If a student knows about an absence in advance, they should get a make-up slip (located in the back of the classroom) before they are absent. Make-up work is separate from homework and may take longer than 30 minutes to complete and may require holiday or weekend time.


Assignment Books

Organizational skills are an important component of student success in school and will help ease the transition between elementary school and junior high. Students will be keeping calendars and assignment pages in binders where they will keep track of school assignments and tasks they need to complete on an “action list”. I will monitor their use of assignment books at school, but parents are also welcome to check them in the evening.


Friday Folders

On the last day of the week I will send home Friday Folders with graded assignments, school information letters, and a weekly parent letter. There is a signature page inside of the Friday Folder that I ask parents to sign as a receipt of the Friday Folder. Students who get most of their signatures in their Friday Folder in a quarter get a special prize.


MTSS

We have a school-wide MTSS (multi-tiered system of support) at our school. This means that we used data from the standardized testing that we do to tailor instructional interventions for our students. This might mean placing a student in an intervention and progress monitoring them if they are behind in a subject, or it might mean that they receive enrichment activities in certain areas if they test above grade level. If your child receives interventions I will discuss this with you at parent-teacher conferences. If you have any questions or concerns about MTSS, or if you think your child should be receiving extra support from MTSS, please let me know.



Technology

Students are personally and solely responsible for the security of their cell phones and other electronic devices. The school district is not responsible for theft, loss, or damage of a cell phone or any calls made on a cell phone. I ask that students please silence these devices during the school day so they aren’t a distraction to learning. Students are not to be on their cell phones during the school day, unless they have specific permission from their teacher. Each student is assigned a Google Chromebook to use in school for the duration of the year. We will use them in a variety of ways for learning purposes during the school day such as watching instructional guided practice videos, doing simulations in science class, coding, word processing, keyboarding, and instructional games. My expectation is that students will use their device as a learning tool, not a toy. Occasionally, when a student has finished all of their work (including their AR goal) I will allow free time on their device as long as it is school-appropriate. If a student is using their device in an inappropriate way, they may have their device temporarily taken away. I will contact parents if this becomes a frequent issue.