Dear Parents and Students,
I’m excited to have you all in my classes this year! My name is Sarah Delph, and I’ll be your 8th grade Science teacher. We cover a lot of material this year that will become the foundation for the 3 Science classes you take in high school, so it’s important that we learn everything well so it sticks for the future. In addition, much of what we learn this year helps to prepare us to be informed citizens who make good decisions for themselves and world around us. I’m very passionate about that, and I hope you’ll enjoy learning with me.
Supplies Needed:
We will be keeping up with a unit’s worth of notes at a time in color-coded paper folders. I have already purchased these for your student, so the only things your student needs to purchase for my classroom are something to write with, cheap earbuds, and a reusable water bottle in case they get thirsty. Please make SURE you have signed the technology agreement so that your student can have access to a Chromebook for their lessons. If students take their chromebook home, please be sure it returns to school with them every day, charged.
Classroom Expectations:
When we are in the classroom, here’s my behavior expectations: I will treat students with respect and kindness. All of my students matter to me, and I want all of them to succeed. In order for that to happen, I need everyone in the room to treat each other (and myself) with respect and kindness as well.
Our class rules are: Be Kind. Be Considerate. Do Your Work. Kindness and doing their work should be something students are already familiar with (although we will discuss it in class if needed). Here is what being considerate looks like to me:
Follow school policies and the PBIS rules (cell phones stay in lockers, wear appropriate clothing, come to class on time, etc). Those policies exist to help us all have a safe & productive work environment.
Think about how your words, actions and habits affect others.
When others tell you your choices are causing a problem, believe them and fix it.
Handle issues with other students with grace. If what you’re saying might be uncomfortable to hear, see if you can get a teacher or counselor to mediate (at an appropriate time). Don’t hash it out in the middle of class when we’re trying to learn.
Handle issues with teachers with a professional attitude - Find an appropriate time to speak with them and calmly explain what is causing the issue, what you think might be better if it were changed, or what you need from that teacher. They should give you the same treatment whenever possible.
Classroom Maintenance:
Students don’t have much to bring to my class (just a pencil, really). Once they enter the classroom, they should stay there until class is over. Students are welcome to have a bottle of water (with a lid). Cell phones, smart watches, and other “smart” electronic devices are to stay in lockers during class time unless it is a necessary medical device. If you’re worried about something getting scratched or crushed, consider putting it in a clean Rubbermaid container (I do this for my webcam). If I see one, I will follow school policy. I suggest that students avoid bringing expensive headphones as well, as they become lost/stolen/broken very easily and it is very difficult to get the students responsible to pay to replace them, as most 8th graders are not independently wealthy. We will establish basic classroom procedures to help everything run smoothly during the first part of the school year.
Grading Policy:
We are on a 10-point scale, meaning 90-100 is an A, 80-89 is a B, 70-79 is a C, 60-69 is a D, and below 60 is failing. Students will have several “Major grades” per 9 weeks. They will be worth 40% of their grade. They may include Schoolnet tests, projects, and major notebook checks. Minor grades will include quizzes, activities, and classwork (60% of grade). Students should attempt to complete work on time. If late or missing work becomes a problem, I will work with students and families with the common goal of getting the work done. My grades will be in Infinite Campus - please use Infinite Campus to keep up with your student’s grades and missing work. If you are having difficulty checking your student’s grades, please email me and I will get you the login information.
Academic Dishonesty:
At this stage of development, students have difficulty recognizing that just giving the answers to their friends is harmful rather than helpful. This means that cheating can become a big problem very quickly, often amongst students who think that they are doing a good thing. When students give a friend their answers, not only is that friend not learning important problem-solving skills and good work ethic, but I will also not know that I need to review what we covered with that student. If a student gives out answers or accepts answers from another student, they will receive a zero grade on that assignment and I will flag that assignment with the cheating flag in Infinite Campus. Depending on the situation, I may offer a supervised retake opportunity for credit. We will work as a class to learn how to help a struggling friend on an assignment in a way that enables them to do the work and solve the problem for themselves.
Curriculum:
I teach the North Carolina Standards for 8th grade Science, which were updated in 2003 and are available at:
Grade 8 Science: 2023 Support Document
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SfWcztZt0C3rX-NXqBPvCUmMMNeXzp-gFjUFm8r3Bkg/edit
I will provide assignments and notes via Google Classroom. Please sign up to be your student’s Guardian in Google Classroom, as this is how I will send messages and updates. Be aware that 8th grade science has an EOG (like Math and English have)at the end of the year. It has been a few years since your student had a Science EOG – their last one was 5th grade. It’s a difficult test, but I am confident that your student can do well as long as they put in the work this year to prepare.
Contact Me:
I will be emailing parents to keep in contact and send out reminders. Please sign up to be your student’s Guardian on Google Classroom.
I can also be reached at sdelph@martin.k12.nc.us or by phone at (252)792-1111, ask for Mrs. Delph.
I look forward to working with you this year!
Sincerely,
Sarah B. Delph