Grades & Communication

• Grades will be entered once a week in Infinite Campus.

• It is the responsibility of the student and their parents/guardian to check assignment grades in IC weekly.

• If there is a reason I am not updating grades during a particular week, I will send a message via IC Messenger letting students and their parents/guardian know.

• ONCE A GRADE IS ENTERED IN IC IT IS FINAL. Barring a mistake on my part (which happens, I am human), grades posted to IC are final.

• If an assignment is marked as *M (missing) in IC will usually have a final date in the comments that students must turn their assignment in by in order to receive credit.

• Missing assignments or work from absences will be entered when weekly grades are updated.

Once an assignment is CLOSED for submissions in Google Classroom, it is closed. I am not reopening it. A few things that GC provides teachers that curb the "I did my work, you just didn't check it" excuse:

• GC shows the date and time students submit their assignment.

• Google Suite tracks changes to a document with timestamps.

• GC shows how recently a student has accessed a file attached to an assignment AND also shows if the assignment has never been opened/viewed by the student.

• GC has an originality checker - checking for AI use, plagiarism, etc

• My main form of communication with students and their adult(s) will be through IC Messenger. That said, it is the responsibility of the student and their adult(s) to do the following:

  • Download the Infinite Campus app (parent portal or student portal)

  • Create and save your username and password information

  • Turn ON notifications for the app in the settings on your phone and within the app itself

• I will also use my HCS email if I am sending information to individual students and/or their adult(s). Thus, it is the responsibility of the student and their adult(s) to check their email daily. Students should check their HCS email and their adults should check the email address provided in IC.

• The use of AI on assignments in my classroom will result in a ZERO for cheating.

• Students who use AI will not be permitted to redo an assignment.

• I employ multiple AI detection sites to review student work for generative AI.

• There is a place for AI in academics - for instance, "Please check over my writing for conciseness" or "Help me rephrase this sentence for middle school readability."

• If students are allowed to use AI on an assignment, I will include that in the assignment instructions.

• My courses are not academically taxing, but they are highly rigorous in the way of critical thinking. AI cannot think critically. AI cannot speak to an individual's nuanced or lived experiences.

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION THOROUGHLY!

I will NOT police cell phones, head phones, ear buds, etc. during the class period. I am NOT spending instructional time fighting with students about their technology. It is the responsibility of the students and their parents/guardians to understand and adhere to the district policy.

Each student in HCS is issued a ChromeBook. Unless your student's ChromeBook is in for repair, there is not reason they should need to use their own technology (Macs, iPads, etc.). That will largely eliminate issues within the classroom.

*** HOWEVER *** Students who come to class on their phones (ie: on a FaceTime call, on a phone call, etc.) or who are interrupted during the class period by phone calls, FaceTimes or text messages will be given one warning. Subsequent missteps will follow the WHS discipline policy regarding technology use. That means, parents/guardians, you could be complicit in your student receiving disciplinary actions if you opt to call and/or text them during the school day regarding grades, etc. You can email your student's school email account or call the school directly, if you need to communicate with your student immediately.