FAQ

All grades are posted in PowerSchool. For assistance with logging into PowerSchool, please contact the high school office at 218-773-0230.

All grades are posted in PowerSchool. For assistance with logging into PowerSchool, please contact the high school office at 218-773-0230.

Your official grade, both overall and for individual assignments, is posted in FACTS. I do not always use Google Classroom's grade book and if I do, it is only before I transition the grade into FACTS. As such, only rely on Google Classroom's grade book as an indication as to if you turned in an assignment or not. If you have specific questions about your grade, please contact me. 

As soon as you are able to, let all teachers whose class you will be missing know what day you are missing so they can give you any work you will be missing. You can use the absence form found in the high school office. 

If you leave during the middle of a school day, you will need to get a slip from the high school office (usually white) that lets the teacher know when you have to leave and that the office knows. Give this to the teacher at the beginning of the period during which you will leave. School related absences (i.e. early release for sports, etc.) do not need to get this slip. 

If you return from an appointment, check in with the high school office and receive a slip (usually pink) to give to your teacher that lets the teacher know that you checked into the high school office. 

Your parent should contact the high school office. In addition, you should stop in the high school office, verify that the office knows of your absence, and pick up absence form. The absence form should be given to each teacher, who will write down what you will miss and what make-up work you will have to do. You are then responsible for completing this work according to the timeline established between you and the teacher. 

I am available most days immediately before and after school. Please let me know (example: asking in class) if you plan on coming in for help to verify that I am available. 

The main work of the course is completed in the study guide and tests. Both of these are due on the day of the test. Other projects/essays have various due dates, but I will give the due date when I hand them out in class and post it on the assignment board in class and on the class calendar on my teacher page. 

Scripture is integrated in each theology course and used regularly. As such, I encourage students to have a personal bible, especially at home, so they can complete assignments at home. However, they do not need to bring the bible to class each day with them unless they wish to. If they are going to need a bible in class, students can get it from their locker or they can borrow a classroom copy of the bible.  

If a student does not have a physical bible at home, he/she can also use online bibles. I recommend BibleGateway.com and use the New American Bible Revised Edition version.  

As stated in the school's mission statement, Sacred Heart School "promotes faith in Jesus Christ." As such, living a life of faith is encouraged and theology courses are on Catholic Christian theology and are taught in accordance with the Catholic tradition. However, students are not graded on their religious convictions, but on their academic and intellectual understanding of Catholic theology. Students are welcome to respectfully express their personal beliefs as related to the course material in an appropriate time and manner. Students who have any concerns about this respect of religious identity should express those to the teacher as soon as conveniently possible. 

See Google's help page at https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6020284?hl=en&ref_topic=9050121  

See Google's help page at https://support.google.com/edu/classroom/answer/6020285?hl=en&ref_topic=9050121 

Official grades are posted in FACTS. To get your login information, contact the high school office. 

For initial contact, I prefer email. If you would like to talk over the phone or in-person, please indicate that in your email. 

In generally, I will respond to your email by the evening of the next school day.  

To give messages to students during the school day, please call the high school office at 218-773-0230. The office will then call the student to the office to provide the message. 

Scripture is integrated in each course and used regularly. As such, I  encourage students to have a personal bible, especially at home, so they can complete assignments at home. However, they do not need to bring the bible to class each day with them unless they wish to. If we are going to need a bible in class, students can get it from their locker or they can borrow a classroom copy of the bible.  

If a student does not have a physical bible at home, he/she can also use online bibles. I recommend BibleGateway.com and use the New American Bible Revised Edition version.  

Most likely, if you have a bible already, it is acceptable as most mainstream translations are acceptable for our level of academic study. So if you already have a bible, do not feel like you need to go get another one. Throughout my years of teaching, less then a handful of times did a translation difference raise a question, though those questions provided a great opportunity to discuss the meaning of the text! 

The main translation I use in class is the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). Not only is it one of the approved translations by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, but it is the translation adapted from for the readings at Mass and in other liturgies. 

If you do wish to buy a new bible, I suggest using either the NABRE or New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE). The only translations I suggest avoiding are those that attempt to extremely modernize the text. To see the list of translations currently approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's visit https://www.usccb.org/offices/new-american-bible/approved-translations-bible. 

Note: There is a difference between a bible's translation (how the ancient Hebrew and Greek was translated into English) and version (layout and additional features created by a publisher). Often, the same translation is published in different versions (example: NABRE is published in a "Children's Bible" and a "Youth Bible," thus the Scripture text is the same, but the layout and infographics are different.) 

Note: Catholics consider 73 books as inspired Scripture whereas many Protestant denominations only consider 66 books inspired. These seven books (all Old Testament) are generally called by Catholics as the deuterocanonical books and by Protestants the apocrypha books. Catholic bibles always have these 7 books, but in recent decades, most Protestant bibles do as well. As such, if you are buying a bible for class, be sure it includes the deuterocanonical/apocrypha books. 

If you have additional questions about translations, please contact me. 

First, regular conversations with your child(ren) is an invaluable source. Generally, students are quite aware of how they are doing in school. Second, you can verify their progress by viewing their grades in FACTS. Finally, if you have further questions or concerns, contact me.

At the minimum, I update every course to fairly represent academic progress before the academic check, which is about every two weeks. Normally, I update grades at the end of each week/on the weekend. If you have specific questions about your child's grade, please contact me.  

The key to preventing missing assignments is for the student to take active ownership in the learning process. For some students, this comes natural. For others, this can be a struggle.

As the teacher, I announce all due dates in class multiple times and I post the week's schedule and due dates on the board in the room. A digital version of that assignment board is on the Calendar page on this website, which both students and parents can access at any time. For larger projects/essays, I give a handout that explains expectations and includes the due date on it. 

I also expect students to have a method of keeping their work organized, but I do not prescribe a specific organization method since every student is unique. Some ways past students have successfully kept organized included: using the school planner (using various methods), writing due dates on the top of every assignment, using class specific folders, using a trapper keeper, having a multi-subject notebook with folders built-in, and using a fan file with a slot for each class. Most often, it is a combination of methods. Have an open conversation with your child on what he/she believes is the best method for himself/herself, have him/her commit to it, and adapt/modify it when needed. 

At home, I strongly encourage daily communication between child and parent on school work. Besides other numerous benefits, it serves as another check and reminder for the child. Part of this communication can be having the child 'walk through' the day explaining what was done, what new assignments were given, and what reminders were given in class. Then cross-reference this with the child's organization method, the class calendar on this website, and FACTS. 

If the child is still missing assignments, have an open conversation where the child troubleshoots why he/she is still not getting work turned in. This conversation not only addresses the issue of missing work, but helps the child to develop the life skills to troubleshoot issues and develop deeper awareness of himself/herself. 

I am happy to meet with any student or student/parent(s) to discuss strategies of staying organized in class.