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“To write, or not to write; that is the assignment.”
Q2 Week 1 - October 17, 2025
Q2 Week 1 - October 17, 2025
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?
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
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
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.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'm looking forward to helping your students graduate and move forward as young adults.
Q1 Week 1 - August 11-15, 2025
Q1 Week 1 - August 11-15, 2025
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
Here’s what you can expect from me
Syllabus confirmation sheets will go home tomorrow.
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.
Regular communication – I send updates every 1–2 weeks, often after I’ve finished grading for the week
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
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
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.
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