Ms. Gorsuch's Policies

• Students are allotted one work day per one excused absence to complete missed assignments and/or assessments. It is the student’s responsibility to collect their Absent Work Form from the Absent Bin, and schedule any missed assessment(s).

• "Students should make immediate plans to do all make-up work due to the absence. Grades will reflect absences, if work is not made up" (page 12 of IBHS Handbook). 

• Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students who violate the Academic Integrity Policy will not receive credit for the submitted assignment and/or assessment. Violations may include but are not limited to

  • 1. Submitting work of another as one's own

    2. Using unauthorized materials (cell phone, notes, etc.) during an assessment

    3. Helping a peer commit an act of academic dishonesty

• Upon arrival to class, it is expected that students complete the Problem of the Day on their POD Handouts. Students will be granted approximately two minutes past the late bell to request Ms. Gorsuch's signature. Students who do not show viable work for their answers will not receive credit for that day.

• On Fridays, it is the student's responsibility to turn in their handout. 

• There is absolutely no way for students to redo POD handouts. 

• Absentee students will be excused for the day of their absence. 

• "Though teachers are expected to handle student conduct issues within the classroom when possible, teachers may remove students from the classroom for disruptive behavior and send them to the Principal's Office. On the first referral to the Principal, the student will have a conference with the Principal and may receive one of the following: 1. After-school detention 2. Activity restriction 3. Classroom restriction 4. Removal from lunchroom setting 5. Saturday School 6. Out of school suspension" (page 32 of IBHS Handbook). 

• For all students' sake, being on time for class is important. Lunch detention will be issued in tandem with a second tardy. Before-school detention will be issued in tandem with tardiness occurring a third time and every time thereafter. 

• Depending on the extremity of a situation, redirecting students will be attempted first. Methods of redirection include; verbal cues and restorative conversations. If the redirection fails, the student will be sent to the office. Any student sent to the office will be issued before-school detention. 

• School-issued computers will be used regularly in Miss Gorsuch’s classroom. It is expected that students come to class with their devices charged. 

• Cell phones WILL NOT be permitted in Ms. Gorsuch’s classroom. They are to remain out of sight and out of mind during the duration of math class. 

• Earbuds MAY NOT be worn during instruction or any form of assessment. 

• Other personal property such as bookbags and heavy coats will not be allowed in Ms. Gorsuch’s classroom. 

• Violation of this policy will result in the following:

Violation #1 - Verbal warning + documentation in TeacherEase

Violation #2 - Confiscation for the duration of the class period + call home

Violation #3 - Confiscation for the duration of the school day + before-school detention

• If a student desires to waive final exams, in addition to parent permission, he/she must meet the conditions listed below for each semester (page 20-21 of IBHS Handbook):

  • 1. Can miss no more than 5 periods in any one class (students who miss more than 5 periods in any class will take the final exam for that class).

    2. Accumulate no more than 5 total tardies in 2nd-8th period (total for both quarters). Students who receive more than 5 tardies in one semester will take all final exams.

    3. Accumulate no more than 3 unexcused tardies to school (this includes, but is not limited to: oversleeping, missing the bus, car trouble, and weather related issues).

    4. Miss no more than 5 excused days of school (students who miss more than 5 days of school will take all final exams).

    5. Maintain an average of at least passing in the class (total average) in which the student wishes to waive the final.

    6. Maintain an acceptable discipline record having no occurrences of Out of School suspension.

    7. Accumulate no unexcused absences of any kind. This includes individual class periods. Students who arrive late to school or leave early without following proper procedures for checking in or out in the office will be marked “unexcused”.

• Semester grades are based on the following (page 18 of IBHS Handbook): 

1st Nine Weeks 40% (50% if there is no semester exam)

2nd Nine Weeks 40% (50% if there is no semester exam)

Semester Exam 20%

• The IBHS Grade Scale is as follows (page 18 of IBHS Handbook):

A = 94 - 100

B = 85 - 93

C = 74 - 84

D = 65 - 73

F = 64 and below

• The grading weights in Ms. Gorsuch's classroom are as follows:

MMM/POD Participation 10%

Assignments 20%

Unit Notes 20%

Assessments 50% 

• "Students are not permitted in the halls during class periods unless they are accompanied by a teacher or have an authorized hall pass from a staff member. A student must have an IBHS authorized classroom hall pass. All teachers are expected to protect their instructional time by being extremely judicious in issuing passes to leave the classroom; therefore activities such as going to a locker, vending machine, restroom or the office may be denied at the teacher’s discretion. Students are asked to plan to utilize the time before and after school and during lunch and passing periods to accomplish personal needs and are expected to plan their time and be organized and ready to learn upon arrival to class" (page 29 of IBHS Handbook). 

• Each semester, students will be granted one “Get Out of Jail Free” card. This card DOES NOT excuse the student from the assignment. Instead, they are granted a two-day extension to turn it in. After the use of this card, the following penalties will be imposed to the students earned grade:

1 day late = 10% penalty to earned score

2 days late = 20% penalty to earned score

3 or more days late = 100% penalty to earned score (irreversible)