Hello and Welcome!
My name is Andrew Shimko and I'm a science teacher at Independence High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. I teach Biology, Astronomy, and Earth and Environmental Science.
My schedule for the 2021-2022 school year is:
1st Block: Biology
2nd Block: Biology
3rd Block: Astronomy
4th Block: Planning
Links to each class page are at the top of this page.
Contact Information:
If you have any questions or want to contact me, please send an email to andrew1.shimko@cms.k12.nc.us and I will reply as soon as I can.
Tutoring hours:
Tutoring is available Monday afternoons after school until 3pm, and most mornings from 6:45 until school starts. Appointments for other times are also available either in-person or online.
General Policies:
Grading policy: There are three categories of assignments: Prepare (worth 20% of the total grade), Rehearse (30%), and Perform (50%). This is a change from the previous system of formal and informal grades. Prepare assignments include warm-ups, exit tickets, and various small class assignments. Rehearse assignments include quizzes, lab activities, and mini-projects. Perform assignments include unit tests, and larger projects.
The grading scale used in class is as follows:
A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: 59 and below
Grades can be checked on https://cms.powerschool.com/public/home.html
Late work policy: 5 points will be deducted for each day an assignment is late. You should always turn in your work to get credit though, even if an assignment is late.
Absent work and quarantine work policy: Class work for absent students will be available in our Canvas course each day. Any time you are absent and able to login please complete this work to earn credit.
If you are absent from class because you are isolating from COVID exposure, and you are able to complete class work, you should login to Canvas to complete work so you stay up-to-date and/or catch-up.
If you have any questions, please let Mr. Shimko know. Work from days you missed must be completed and turned in as soon as possible.
Test, retest (and missing test) policy: Most units end with a test we take during class, and you will have the chance to complete test corrections to improve your grade. Retests are available throughout each quarter if you score less than 80% the first time you take the test, and you can earn up to a maximum of 80% by completing a retest. Some class time will be available for completing retests, and retests are also available during tutoring hours.