TL;DR: If you'd rather open this letter in a separate google doc, click here. You can find the most up-to-date information (what we do each day in class) on my agenda. I am excited and grateful to meet students where they are and help them grow. If interested, you can share some information about your child on this survey. Even more information is available on my website.

Hello!

I am excited to start this year. I always appreciate the brilliance of each unique student, as well as the stress of entering high school. I feel fortunate to get to know these young people’s (and by extension, their caregivers,) experiences, passions, and skill sets as they enter room 108.

Over the past several years, the Freshman ELA Team has spent a great deal of time planning and revising the Freshman English curriculum. This course provides supported challenge with clear standards for students as they embark on their first year of high school. This is an excellent opportunity to hone fundamental literacy skills that are central to the high school experience and beyond.

Academically, the keys to success in this class are consistent effort and honest communication. Students will occasionally have homework (as needed, per class time), typically ongoing readings and related assignments. Students are expected to complete work as it is assigned. Of course, should disruptions arise, extensions and modifications are allowed. I will post instructional activities and homework assignments on our class' Schoology page and on my agenda (for the sake of less links, both are available on this website) to help students and guardians keep up to date. Freshmen use Schoology to access content, submit assignments, and to monitor current progress. I encourage you to ask your student regularly about how class is going and assignment completion, and to check PowerSchool for work completion.

Students are stepping into new expectations, part of which includes completing and submitting work in a timely fashion. You’ll see names for different types of classwork; “Prep and Practice” (P&P) (e.g. in-class essay drafts, skill-building activities, completed with care and turned in on time) and “Body of Evidence” (BOE) assessments (e.g. essays, projects, etc.) that constitute an average grade. Learning is continual and perfection is a farce, so, students can Try Again on BOE, as long as all P&P has been completed. Students can meet with me anytime my door is open. Learning the content and practicing English skills is as essential as personal communication and responsibility. I expect and welcome students practicing (not perfecting) self-awareness, appreciation, and expression. Respect of, and open-mindedness to, peers’ contiguous doing-so is fundamental to a safe, exploratory learning environment. 

We will follow the school policy concerning the bell-to-bell cell phone restriction as outlined in the state mandate. Phone use offenses will be treated with disciplinary action as per the established school policy. Students may not have earbuds or headphones on during class.

How to check grades: Scores will be based on our standards.  All body of evidence assignments, with standard(s) attached to and scored in each, make up the course average, total grade. Towards the end of each marking period, I will review all of the evidence and then use my professional judgment to determine the final score for each standard. On Schoology, the running score that you see for “Body of Evidence” when you look at grades is not the current course grade.  However, this gives a ballpark average for each assignment, but does not calculate towards the final course grade.

Finally, the transition to high school is dysregulating and exciting. I strive to not overburden students nor you with overcommunication, but will always reach out via email with unit-by-unit updates on our coursework. Please do not hesitate to reach out with curiosities or questions. As one final plug, most consistent and detailed course information is available on my website (Click here again to access it). If you prefer to stay on one document, standard school policy information re: AI Use, Habits of Work, Academic Honesty, and Scoring are on the latter pages.

Be happy and healthy!

Miranda Snyder

miranda.snyder@mdirss.org 

288­-5011 ext. 3108