The Final Stretch

We’re heading into our last full week of school before finals. There are ten school days left in the semester, and then we're off for a well-deserved break. This is the time to tighten things up and finish strong.

Gradebook

The gradebook is almost completely up to date. Only my second block has one pending assignment left to be entered, and that will be updated over the weekend. Students should check Backpack and make sure there are no surprises on their end. 

Socratic Seminar & Makeup

We held our final Socratic Seminar today, and overall, the classes did well.

If a student was absent, they will complete a makeup exam, not a seminar.

• Deadline for makeup exam: next Friday.

• After next Friday, finals week makes scheduling a makeup impossible.

Please make sure your student stays on top of this if they missed today.

Extra Credit

There are two remaining extra credit options next week. These are the final ones of the semester. 

Live Performance Review

Due: Dec 17

See a live performance and write a one-page review of it. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, or what it made you think/feel. While you may call out parts of the performance, I do not want a summary of it. Turning in a summary will not get you any extra points.

The review must be physical. Either handwritten or printed out.

Students who are part of any of the school productions can write a review from the perspective of a performer/crew member.

FIHS Winter Band Concert

• When: Dec 11th @ 6:00 PM (free). 

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: Free

Check in with me before and after the show to confirm attendance.

FIHS Winter Orchestra Concert

• When: Dec 9th @ 6:30 PM (free). 

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: Free

Check in with me before and after the show to confirm attendance.

Other Live Performances

• When: Before Dec 12 (just so you have enough time to write your review before the deadline)

• Where: Can be at another GCS school or local venue

• Cost: Varies depending on location.

You must turn in a ticket stub or a playbill with your review.

Potential Snow Day

Rain is expected tomorrow, and with the colder temperatures there is a real possibility of snow or sleet. If the district calls a snow day, students will be expected to log in to Google Classroom during our regular class time. A Google Meet link will be posted in the stream if we move to virtual learning for the day. Please keep an eye out for communication from the district.

Socratic Seminar - Major Grade

Friday December 5, 2025

On Friday, students will participate in a Socratic seminar for a major grade. A potential snow day tomorrow will not change this plan. Students who are present on Friday are expected to fully participate. Previous seminars have gone well, and students know what is required to earn a strong grade.

Because a Socratic seminar depends entirely on student engagement, any student who is present but chooses not to participate will receive a zero for the major grade. There is no make-up opportunity for non-participation, just as there would be no make-up for refusing to take a test.

Students who are absent on Friday will complete an alternate major grade: an exam based on the book their lit circle group selected.

With all that in mind, I am not encouraging students to miss school; however, if a student knows they will not participate in the discussion, it may be worth having a family conversation. Absences require a make-up option, but non-participation does not. If your student earned a zero on a Socratic seminar last quarter, this is an especially important conversation to revisit.

Thursday will be a preparation day, and students will be allowed to use their notes and resources from that day and from the past few weeks during Friday’s seminar.

Extra Credit

Extra credit is still available. Check my most recent post below for full details.

There are several upcoming chances for students to earn extra credit. None of these are required, but they reward students who take initiative and engage with the arts and class activities.

Live Performance Review

Due: Dec 17

See a live performance and write a one-page review of it. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, or what it made you think/feel. While you may call out parts of the performance, I do not want a summary of it. Turning in a summary will not get you any extra points.

The review must be physical. Either handwritten or printed out.

Students who are part of any of the school productions can write a review from the perspective of a performer/crew member.

Alice in Wonderland

• When: Nov 21-22 @ 7:00 PM

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: $8 per ticket

FIHS Winter Choir Concert

• When: Dec 4th @ 6:30 PM (free). 

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: Free

Check in with me before and after the show to confirm attendance.

FIHS Winter Band Concert

• When: Dec 11th @ 6:00 PM (free). 

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: Free

Check in with me before and after the show to confirm attendance.

FIHS Winter Orchestra Concert

• When: Dec 9th @ 6:30 PM (free). 

• Where: FIHS

• Cost: Free

Check in with me before and after the show to confirm attendance.

Other Live Performances

• When: Before Dec 12 (just so you have enough time to write your review before the deadline)

• Where: Can be at another GCS school or local venue

• Cost: Varies depending on location.

You must turn in a ticket stub or a playbill with your review.

In-Class Extra Credit

Next week is short, and Tuesday is a Day to Rise, so we will not introduce new material.

Students who are present on Monday will have the chance to complete an in-class extra credit assignment.

This keeps present students productive without penalizing those who may be absent during the holiday week. any questions or concerns.

Good afternoon Fury Families,

We have wrapped up our media literacy unit. Students should have their career research project submitted by 11:59 pm on Friday. They had four class periods to work on it and additional time this week to refine and complete it. Late submissions have a 10% penalty per day, up to a maximum of 30%.

What’s going on in class?

Lit Circles

This week, students began our final unit through literature circles. Each group chose a novel to read, and students have a specific role and task each day. Students focus on their tasks and then collaborate during the last part of class to discuss and synthesize their readings. This method places responsibility for learning in the students’ hands.

Participation in lit circles is measured by completion of the daily task, as we do not have whole-class discussions due to the different novels being read. Lit circles will end in one final Socratic seminar for a major grade, based on the lit circle experience.

Late Work Deadline

The last day to submit any work from the media literacy unit is Monday, November 25. 

Assignments

Minor Grades

• Media Literacy Quiz - If a student has a zero they were absent the day of the quiz and still need to schedule a time to take it.

• Same Story, Different Source.

Major Grades

• Career Research Project

Check Google Classroom for assignment details.

Gradebook

The gradebook is current; any zeros reflect missing assignments. 

Major Grades - 50% of quarter grade

• 5 assignments, each worth 10%

Minor Grades - 50% of quarter grade

• Weekly assignments, each worth just over 3% of the quarter grade.

• Weekly participation, each worth just over 3% of the quarter grade.

Senior Reminders

Seniors have until the end of November to order their cap and gown from Herff-Jones before prices increase on December 1.

End of Semester Countdown

As of today, we have 24 school days remaining before winter break. Here’s what the coming weeks look like:

• Week 6 (Nov 17–21): Normal week focusing on lit circles and reading

• Week 7 (Nov 24–28): Thanksgiving week. Classes are Monday and Tuesday only. 

  • Monday: In-class extra credit opportunity. 

  • Tuesday: Day to Rise—students can job shadow, visit a college, take the ASVAB test, or receive extra help.

• Week 8 (Dec 1–5): Normal week, lit circles continue

• Week 9 (Dec 8–12): Normal week

• Week 10 (Dec 15–19): Last week of the semester; finals

Important Dates

• Friday, November 14: Career Research Project due.

• Tuesday, November 25: Late work deadline and Day to Rise.

• Sunday, November 30: Last day to order cap and gown before the price increases.

As always, thank you for supporting your student’s learning. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Happy Friday, Fury Families,

This week’s assignments have been graded, and the gradebook is now completely up to date. If you see a zero, it means the assignment was not turned in. 

What’s going on in class?

Students completed a Soliloquy Analysis from Hamlet. After discussing with Mrs. Sudduth (the other English IV teacher), we decided to count this as a major grade as well because it required a higher level of effort and analysis than a typical weekly task.

This is good news for those who submitted their work on time—nothing extra to worry about. However, students who would like to improve their score now that they know it’s a major grade will have the opportunity to revise next week. There will be no late penalty for this assignment since the change in weighting was not announced in advance.

Participation Reminder

Participation remains one of the easiest ways to boost a student’s grade. I understand that not everyone is comfortable speaking up in class, so there are multiple ways to earn participation points: students can contribute to discussions or simply complete the daily task during class time to earn full credit.

Important Dates

• Friday October 24: Reddit Post project due by midnight. Each student in the group must make a copy of the group document and turn it in individually. Late submissions will receive a late penalty.

• Friday October 31: Final deadline for all Hamlet-related work—both minor and major grades.

As always, thank you for supporting your student’s learning. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Happy Friday, Fury Families,

We’ve made it through the first quarter! There are 43 school days left before winter break, and the second quarter is already off to a strong start.

What’s going on in class?

We recently read selected scenes from Hamlet, which will serve as the foundation for our first major grade of the quarter. This project, introduced on Wednesday, is due next Friday, October 24. 

Students are creating social media-style posts from the perspective of a character in Hamlet. It’s a group project, and part of the assignment includes replying to other group members’ posts both as their character and as themselves. Students will have several in-class workdays, and no student will be penalized if group members fail to meet deadlines.

Once we wrap up Hamlet, we’ll begin our Media Literacy unit. In this unit, students will learn how to evaluate information in today’s media landscape, distinguishing between news, opinion, analysis, and satire, and exploring how media influences public perception and decision-making.

Class work and grading

To make grading more consistent and transparent, here’s how the gradebook will be organized going forward:

• Each week, one assignment will be selected for a graded entry.

• All other assignments that week will count toward participation, designed for students who may prefer not to engage verbally in class (absences do not impact the participation grade).

• Students will not know in advance which assignment will be graded until it appears in the gradebook, so it’s important they give consistent effort across all tasks.

All grades for this week’s work have been entered for assignments that were submitted on time.

Important Dates

• Friday October 24: Hamlet posts due (major grade)

• Friday October 31: Last day to turn in any late work from Hamlet

As always, thank you for supporting your student’s learning. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Welcome to the new year!

I’m Mr. Woolsey, and I’ll be teaching English IV this semester. This is my third year in the classroom and my second year here at Fountain Inn High School. Before teaching, I worked in the tech industry doing technical writing and content strategy for companies like Facebook and Google. While tech was exciting, it didn’t feed my soul the way teaching does, so I made the switch.

Here’s what you can expect from me

1. Syllabus confirmation sheets will go home tomorrow.

2. Permission slips for A Monster Calls (PG-13) will also go home tomorrow. We’ll only be watching selected scenes. Reading begins next week, so I need these back as soon as possible.

3. Regular communication – I send updates every 1–2 weeks, often after I’ve finished grading for the week

4. Grading – Each week, you’ll see two grades entered into Backpack:

   • A weekly cumulative grade for all assignments completed (details are in Google Classroom).

   • A participation grade, earned either by engaging in class discussions or completing a daily alternative task.

Cell Phone Policy

Greenville County Schools enforces a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones and internet-connected devices during the school day. This policy is a state Department of Education mandate, and schools must follow it to maintain funding.

Starting today, students who violate the policy will be removed from class by an administrator and sent to ISS for the remainder of the period. Repeated violations will lead to escalating consequences. Students with documented medical needs on file (such as blood glucose monitors for diabetes) are, of course, exempt.

TalkingPoints

TalkingPoints is the easiest way to reach me outside of school hours. I’ve already added all primary contacts from Backpack. If you’d like me to add another parent or adult, send me their name and cell number.

TalkingPoints works like a group text: when more than one adult is linked to a student, the app automatically creates a shared conversation so everyone stays in the loop. It also offers automatic translation for most languages, so families can communicate in whichever language they’re most comfortable using.

I’m looking forward to working with your students and making this semester a productive and rewarding one.