Classroom Rules/Expectations

Academic:

1. Come to class prepared each day.

Computers need to be fully charged, pencils sharpened, and notebooks out before class starts each day.

2. Use class and school materials responsibly.

This is our classroom and everything and everyone in it needs to be treated with the utmost respect. Misuse of classroom materials including fidget baskets (beads, putty), learning materials (rulers, calculators, scissors, paper, bathroom passes, books, etc.), and computers will result in loss of the privilege to use these particular items for that class period. If the assignment calls for that material, the student will either be paired with another student or given an alternative assignment comparable to the original and meeting the same standards of rigor and content.

3. Take responsibility for your own success and failure.

Students will have every opportunity to succeed in this classroom, but they must take those opportunities in order to be successful. Because students will have so many options for improving their grades and will receive many different types of assessments to suit their individual needs, they also need to take responsibility if they are not taking these opportunities after they are offered.

Behavioral:

1. Follow directions the first time they are given.

No one will learn if we spend the class repeating the same directions for one assignment.

2. Use positive/respectful language in the classroom (and really, in general).

Every student has the right to feel safe in order to learn; use of negative language (insults, name-calling, disrespectful comments) cannot and will not be tolerated in our classroom community.

3. Keep your class questions and comments academic, and keep them to yourself until I am able to address them in the lesson.

Questions are important and are a vital learning tool. I want students to be curious about their studies and get answers to all of their questions, but they need to go about getting those answers in an orderly way. Questions or comments that are called out will not be acknowledged. Conversations in class are expected to remain academically focused during group work and should not occur during instructional activities such as lectures/note-taking.

HouseKeeping Policies

1. Food and Drink

To maintain a safe learning environment (especially when I teach sciences), food is not permitted in my classroom unless it is being used in a particular lesson (cooking demonstration, hands-on activity/experiment). Beverages are allowed, however they must be in sealed containers. Bottle flipping will result in bottles being confiscated for the class period.

2. Cell Phones

All phones must be placed on the student's desk at the beginning of class, face down, and must remain there for the duration of the academic period without disruption. Any student who chooses to ignore this policy will have their phone confiscated and sent to administration for parents to pick up.

3. Backpacks

Bags and backpacks will have a designated area at the front of the classroom and should be left there each day prior to the start of class. Students should only have required work materials at their desks and must have them ready at the beginning of class each day to use them.

4. Bathroom

Students will receive 15 bathroom passes, each good for 5 minutes, at the beginning of the semester. Students are responsible for keeping track of their own passes and rationing them throughout the semester. Students who lose their passes will not be provided with additional passes. All students must sign in and out of the classroom when going to the bathroom. Students must use the bathroom closest to the classroom. Only one (1) student may leave the classroom at a given time.