FAQs

Our Email Addresses

If you can't find the answer to your question on this page or have a concern regarding your child, please don't hesitate to send us an email!* 

Ryan Christensen - Math - r.christensen@komets.k12.mn.us 

Travis Robertson - Social Studies -t.robertson@komets.k12.mn.us 

Halle Strunk - Science - h.strunk@komets.k12.mn.us 

Jazmine Arentz - English - j.arentz@komets.k12.mn.us 

*If your message is time sensitive (for example, you need your student to ride a different bus after school), please send that communication to the office instead. They're great about making sure communication is related to students in a timely fashion. Our prep time is in the morning, and we often don't have the opportunity to check our email again until students have left for the day. 

Retake Policies

On our team, each of us offer retakes on tests and quizzes. We know there is a lot to learn in 5th grade when it comes to organization, communication, studying, and work completion; we want to help them learn those skills as well. For the most part, our retake policies are very similar. We each require the student to: 

• Talk to us and make a plan for the retake

• Improve their skills/study the content they didn't understand on the assessment, and provide verification that they've put in the additional work

• Come in on their own time to complete the retake

Due to the nature of the subjects we teach, each of our retake policies differ slightly. If your student wants to retake a particular assessment, use the information below for more detailed explanations about how each of us handles retakes. We do communicate this to students regularly in class, but we want parents/guardians to know that students have this option. 

Google Related Questions

All students were provided with a small slip of paper containing all of their school related information (username, email, password, lunch number, etc.) during the 1st week of school. This was taped inside their planner. We encourage all parents/guardians to have access to their student's school Google account. This can be done by adding their account to your phone or device, or just by logging into their account occasionally with their email and password. 

How do I log into my students' Google (KoMets) account?

You will need your student's KoMets email address and their school password. This can be found on the first page of their planner. 

• On a computer, it will be easiest to use the Chrome browser. You can add their account by clicking the profile icon in the upper right hand corner, then click "Add Another Account" and enter their school email and password*. 

• On a phone, you'll need to navigate to your settings and then to the place where user accounts are stored. From there, you should be able to add their account as a Google account. When prompted, enter their school email and password*.

*When students log into a Chromebook at school, they only have to enter their username and password because a school Chromebook defaults usernames to a KoMets account. However, at home, students will need to enter their full email and school password.

How can we access Google Classroom from home?

We strongly encourage parents/guardians to access their student's Google Classroom at home, whether it's on a computer or on your phone. Having access to the study materials, assignments, and quiz/test scores that we post is a great way to hold students accountable at home.

• On a computer, there are several different ways to navigate to Classroom, but the most foolproof way is to just type classroom.google.com into the browser. (Classroom runs best on a Chrome browser, but any internet browser is compatible.) If you've already logged into your student's school account using the instructions above, you should be able to see all of their classes' pages. 

  • If multiple Google accounts are logged in, make sure their school account is the one showing in the upper right hand corner. Not seeing students' classes or being prompted to enter the class code is a sign that the computer defaulted to the wrong account. Just click the profile icon in the upper right corner, then click their school account from the drop down menu. A new tab will likely open that will bring them to their school account's Google Classroom. 

• On a phone, download the Google Classroom app from the Apple Store or Play Store. Use the instructions above to add your student's school account to your phone, then use that account when accessing Google Classroom through the app. 

How do I access study materials and assignments on Google Classroom?

From the main Classroom homepage, you can click on any of the classes that students are enrolled in. After clicking on a class, you will automatically be brought to the class's Stream Page. Some teachers utilize this feature more than others. However, the best way to see everything the teacher has posted is to click on the Classwork Page. 

• On a computer, this can be found at the top of the page. There should be three options at the top: Stream, Classwork, and People. Click "Classwork" to see all of the study resources, assignments, links, and quiz results students have been given access to. 

• On a phone, the instructions are pretty similar to the computer instructions. The biggest difference is that, if you're using the app, the three options for Stream, Classwork, and People should be at the bottom of your screen instead of the top. 

Why does my student need to be able to access Google Classroom at home?

Some teachers utilize Classroom differently than others. At the 5th grade level, we don't use all of the features available to students. Assignments and tests given through Classroom will often be done in class - families often don't need to worry about these unless students are absent that day or don't use their class time wisely. However, the biggest reason students would benefit from being able to access Classroom from home would be for studying purposes. Because studying is a relatively new skill for 5th graders, we usually post a lot of study resources on Classroom. These can be in the form of study guides; links to relevant Blookets, Quizlets, etc.; or online materials provided by the curriculum. We may even have links to (portions of) the entire textbook that's used in class. This can be especially helpful if students are trying to catch up after an absence or if they forgot materials at school that they need for their homework. 

How do I know whether or not my student has any assignments to do on Google Classroom?

Ultimately, Infinite Campus is what families should use to keep up with quiz/test scores, missing/incomplete work, and overall grades. Sometimes, if students don't click the "Turn In" button after completing an assignment, Google will try to be helpful and notify students that they have missing work. However, if it's an assignment that teachers can see is done, we'll often give students credit in the gradebook because we aren't big sticklers about using the "Turn In" button at the 5th grade level, especially at the beginning of the year. If a student asks, "Why did Google mark an assignment missing even though I did it and there's a score entered on Infinite Campus?" we usually tell them to go with what Infinite Campus says since that's what we use for grading at KMMS. 

Infinite Campus Questions

Infinite Campus is the ultimate source of communication when it comes to students' grades. One of the biggest shifts from Elementary School to Middle School is that students have a lot more teachers. This also means that teachers have a lot more students. Infinite Campus is our primary source of communication when it comes to individual homework, quiz, and test scores. We do our best to keep grades accurate and up to date (a missing assignment usually does mean it's missing and needs to be turned in or resubmitted by the student), but please don't hesitate to reach out with concerns. We will reach out via phone call or email with any major academic concerns, but we operate under the assumption that families are checking Infinite Campus regularly and are aware of grades as they evolve throughout the quarter. 

How can I access Infinite Campus?

There are three log in options for Infinite Campus. You can log in as a teacher, student, or parent. All three options have a different log in page. The parent log in can be accessed using the link provided on the KoMets website or by clicking here. Parent accounts and information are run through our IT department. Emily Mehling is one of our office staff members and is the best person to reach out to with account questions. Her email is e.mehling@komets.k12.mn.us. 

There are also apps available on the Apple and Play stores. Be sure to download the Parent app - you won't be able to log in with your information if you accidentally download the Student app. 

Why aren't updates from the school or my child's teachers going to my email inbox?

At the beginning of the school year, you can expect weekly communication from the 5th grade teaching team. If you're not getting our messages, this is usually caused by one of two reasons. 

• The first thing to check is that your email is listed on your Infinite Campus account and that your settings allow Infinite Campus to forward communication/notifications to your email address. 

• If that's all done correctly and you still aren't getting messages from KM, it's usually an issue on your email account's end of things. 

  • Check your Spam, Junk, etc., folders first - if you find messages from us in there, mark them as "not spam" so they go to your inbox instead. 

  • If you still don't see anything school or Infinite Campus related in your Spam or Junk folders, check to make sure that Infinite Campus and emails from the KoMets domain (@komets.k12.mn.us) aren't in your list of Blocked Contacts. We've found that sometimes families will block us without meaning to, in an attempt to reduce the amount of emails coming through during their child's elementary school years. 

In middle school and high school, the communication coming through Infinite Campus will continue to become more and more important/relevant, so it's important that families are able to receive messages from us.

Can my student access Infinite Campus?

Yes! Before the end of 1st quarter, we will be teaching students how to access Infinite Campus with their log in information. If students have a smart phone, we'll also encourage them to download the student app when they get home. If your child has restrictions in place for downloading apps, they may need your help/permission in order to do this.

Where can I find a list of my student's missing work?

In the sidebar on Infinite Campus, there should be a button called "Assignments." After clicking that, all of your student's assignments from the quarter will appear. Near the top of that page, click on both "Missing" and "Incomplete" to see if any of those assignments still need to be turned in or redone. Most of the time, we will accept students' late, missing, or incomplete work, as long as it's turned in within a reasonable amount of time!

Which grade is their current grade? (Progress or Quarter?)

Students' quarter grade for the current term will always be the most up to date grade for that class. The progress grade is a grade that's submitted at mid quarter and will not change. However, the only grade that's used to calculate students' GPA is the quarter grade. 

How often do I need to check Infinite Campus?

After we've settled into our routines and procedures, we'll be telling students that they need to check Infinite Campus at least once per week. Sometimes, if we have extra time in class, we'll use that time to have students check. However, if we don't have extra time, students may have to check their grades on their own time. 

At least once per week is a good rule of thumb for families too. We certainly don't expect families to check every time an assignment grade is posted. However, we also don't want parents to be surprised by students' grades at the end of each quarter.