English
Mr. John Wou
Horner Middle School, Room 35
(510) 656-4000 ext. 48035
jwou@fusdk12.net
Horner Bell Schedule 2023-2024v3.pdfHORNER MIDDLE SCHOOL VISION STATEMENT
We at Horner Middle School, envision a future in which every student receives an effective,
equitable, and engaging education that allows them to reach their full and unique potential.
HORNER MIDDLE SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT
At Horner Middle School our mission is to provide students with the Knowledge, Tools, and
Skills they need to master content standards, make effective decisions, and collaborate with others,
which will enable them to be successful lifelong learners.
Knowledge;Tools; Skills = Master, Make, Collaborate!
DISCIPLINE - STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
Treat other students and staff with dignity and respect. Follow directions from adults the first time they are given.
Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself and avoid behavior that is disruptive. Do not engage in horseplay or rough play. Public displays of affection such as kissing are not allowed.
Respect yourself, school property, individual property, and the rights of others – no insults, “put downs,” racial slurs, threats, profanity or obscenity in any language will be tolerated.
Do your own work (no cheating or plagiarism).
Selling or negotiating the selling of items at school that are not sanctioned by the school is prohibited
No running on campus (except in P.E. or when involved in an activity)
No weapons or dangerous objects allowed Any weapon or item that can potentially injure someone or resembles a real weapon is strictly forbidden at school. Masks and/or items depicted as weapons as part/s of Halloween costumes are also not allowed.
Be prepared for your classes. Bring all necessary materials: Student Agenda book, homework, paper, writing utensils and class specific items with you daily. If students need supplies they should speak to their Assistant Principal or Counselor for assistance.
Be inside the classroom when the tardy bell sounds. This is a minimum requirement and individual class rules may be stricter. Check the teacher's syllabus.
At the end of the period, do not leave class until the teacher dismisses you.
Students are not to leave class at any time without a pass.
ATTENDANCE - Students are expected to attend school everyday. The FUSD goal for attendance is 95% or higher. If for some reason a student is absent, their parents must call the office explaining why they are out of school. Parents should be specific about the child’s symptoms when calling into the school so that we can code the absence appropriately and take necessary action to ensure everyone’s safety. California law requires regular attendance at school. If you are not in school regularly, there could be disciplinary actions that could result from you not attending school.
ABSENCES - UNEXCUSED
Unexcused absences are those absences that are not verified by a parent/guardian and that do not meet the California codes for excused absences. Those codes are available in the parent handbook. Unexcused absences may result in disciplinary consequences or a referral to SARB.
ABSENCES - TRUANCY: Any student who is absent from school without a valid excuse for three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant (Education Code 48260). After a student has been declared truant, any subsequent absences or tardiness that are unexcused will also be declared truancies. Students with excessive truancies will be reported to the district’s office of Student Support Services, and the parent will be contacted. Unresolved truancies may result in the student and parent/guardian being referred to the FUSD Student Attendance Review Board (SARB). This may also lead to a hearing held at the Fremont Police Station.
TARDINESS: Students arriving late to school after the tardy bell for period 1, should go directly to the office for a pass to class. All students are required to get a pass from the office to enter period 1 after the tardy bell rings. Students have passing time from one class to the next. Students who are not in their classrooms by the tardy bell , will be marked tardy by the teacher. Any student who arrives to period 2-6 more than 5 minutes late, will be sent to the office for a pass to explain why they were tardy to class. Students will then be admitted into their class with a late pass from the office. Students with excessive tardies will receive after school detentions.
SBAC - April 29 to May 17
Mon/Tues/Thur/Fri will be testing block schedule.
Wed will be the normal Wednesday schedule.
COURSE DESCRIPTION - English is a standards-based English class that will help prepare you for your future academic endeavors. Over the course of the next ten months, we will address the California State Standards for Language Arts through a variety of projects and assignments that are generally literature-based. The emphasis of the curriculum is the development of academic writing as well as close reading and critical thinking skills.
BINDERS – Each student is required to maintain a 3-ring binder of all notes, homework, handouts, and classwork for the entire semester. This binder will be collected and graded every grading quarter and should be divided into the following sections:
1. Agendas
2. Vocabulary and Spelling
3. Literature
4. Writing
5. Grammar
ASSIGNMENT SHEET – At the very front of the notebook, an assignment sheet, kept in a plastic protector, is to list the dates and scores of all assignments we complete for a grade. The assignment sheet is both a table of contents to your notebook, and a current record of your progress throughout the semester.
GRADING – It is expected that you do all the work to the best of your ability. Work that does not reflect genuine, individual effort will not be accepted. Each graded assignment will be worth a certain number of points. Points will be awarded based on your ability to meet a given standard. Your points will be totaled to arrive at a semester grade. Your letter grade will be determined by the percentage of the total points you earn. These letter grades are a measure of achievement, and are calculated on the following scale:
A: 100-93% A-: 92-90% B+: 89-87% B: 86-83% B-: 82-80% C+: 79-77%
C: 76-73% C-: 72-70% D+: 69-67% D: 66-63% D-: 62-60% F: <60%
HOMEWORK - District policy is that grade-level junior high school students spend an average of 15 minutes each night per class for homework in addition to 20-30 minutes of independent reading each evening. Homework will be assigned with this in mind.
· Students are expected to read at least 20 minutes a day of something they choose (not an assigned text). To assess this reading, there will be genre-specific book reports during the year.
MAKE-UP WORK – All work missed due to excused absences will be made up for full credit. You are responsible for finding out what you missed while absent. You will be allowed the same amount of time you were absent to complete the work.
EXTRA HELP – If you need extra help, please ask me! I can arrange to be at school extra early or stay late to meet your needs. There will, however, be NO extra credit assignments.
ATTENDANCE AND TARDIES – You cannot succeed in this class if you are not here. We will follow the school tardy policy and take whatever steps are necessary to get you to class ON TIME.
EXTRA CREDIT COUPONS – You begin the semester with four 10-point extra credit coupons. These coupons will be redeemed for points at the end of the semester. You will be required to forfeit one coupon each time you:
1. Are late to class
2. Are missing materials
3. Break a class rule
Chronic offences will result in an office referral.
BEHAVIOR – Courteous and respectful behavior is expected at all times. You should raise your hand if you want to contribute to a class discussion. Also, please avoid using profanity or saying “shut up” to others in the class. This kind of behavior is inconsistent with an academic environment and negatively impacts individual and classroom goals. With personal dignity and respect for others you will succeed in this environment.
DAILY MATERIALS (to be brought every day):
1. English Notebook
2. Pencil & pen
3. The book we are working with as a class and a free read book.
WRITING GENRES
- Response to Literature - Research Report - Persuasive
- Narrative - Career Documents - Technical Documents
FINAL NOTE – I teach because I care about students and I take great pride in your success. You begin each semester with an A; if you work hard and avoid absences and tardies you will retain this grade at the end of the semester. I enjoy communicating with your family. They are your primary teachers, so I try to work with them, to let them know when you are enjoying success as well as when you are experiencing difficulties. I try to make myself available as much as possible, and I look forward to getting to know my students and their families. Welcome to an exciting new year!