Policies

(in alphabetical order)

1. Absences: Parkland School District policy provides two days to complete work missed for each day you were absent. That policy is, obviously, in effect in my classroom. Please note, though: If you are absent for one day, work that was due ON THE DAY you were absent is due ON THE DAY you return. Similarly, if you were to take a test the day you were absent, you are expected to take the test the day you return. For extended absences, please see me when you return. We will discuss the best way to get you caught up with missed work and assessments. If you know you are going to be absent, advanced notice is GREATLY appreciated. You are also welcome to check Schoology for homework, handouts, notes and other items that you may have missed while you were gone.

For lessons, trips with school, etc: It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to see me BEFORE you leave class for a band/orchestra lesson, a trip with a school group (ie., Read Across America, Jazz Band performances, Sports Events), or an appointment. You will NOT be excused from material if you were in school. I am in my room by 7:00 each morning, and am available in homeroom, Timberwolf Time, lunch, and flex.

2. ARP: Details about my ARP (Accelerated Reader Program) policy can be found on my ARP page

3. Classroom Behavior Expectations: Team Dragon has three guiding rules for all members: One, Respect Yourself. Two, Respect Others. Three, Respect Your Environment. You will find that just about every behavior that is inappropriate for school breaks one of these three guiding rules. If you are looking for more specific guidelines, I encourage you to arrive to class on time and ready to learn, with all of the assignments for the day completed, and with the tools you will need for class. While in class, please stay focused on the work we are doing, listen to me and to others' ideas, and be patient as I help those around you. You will find that I enjoy having fun in class, but to have fun, we all need to work together to create a safe, supportive environment. I have absolutely NO tolerance for harassment (bullying) of any kind, and I do not tolerate slurs towards race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other aspect of a person. If you are experiencing something like this - in my class or anywhere else - I encourage you to speak with me immediately!

4. Extra Credit: Each marking period, students are able to earn extra credit by making a set of flashcards or a study guide for any of the topics we are studying. If you choose to make flashcards, you must make a minimum of 20, and if you make a study guide, you will need a minimum of 20 items on it. Depending on your effort, you can earn up to 10 extra credit points for this, once per marking period. There are also additional extra credit opportunities each marking period, which will be announced in class.

5. Extra Help: I am HAPPY to provide extra help if you are confused, stuck, or just need some reassurance that you're on the right track! I am always available during homeroom, lunch, flex, and my office hours at 2:25. I also am willing to meet with you before or after school if you make an appointment a day in advance. Please, please, please. . . if you are confused, ASK FOR HELP! I am incredibly helpful with things, right up until the day they are due. If you wait until then, I am considerably less helpful. You can also email me questions or reach out to me on Schoology. I can't guarantee I will see them that night, but I will follow up with you either that evening or the next morning. My email is steigerwaltk@parklandsd.org

6. Grading: My grades follow a basic points earned/points possible formula. You will find that we have a LOT of graded activities in language arts. That's because I teach you so many different things - reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, etc, which adds up to a lot of scores!

I strongly encourage you to frequently check Home Access Center to keep yourself apprised of your grade. Parents, if you need to get a Home Access Center username and password, or if you have forgotten yours, please contact hac@parklandsd.org. Students, If you need a new Home Access Center username or password, please see Mrs. Groller in the guidance office. If you ever see a mistake in Home Access Center, please let me know - for each assignment, I type over 140 grades into the system, and it is possible for me to make a mistake no matter how careful I try to be. Don't just ignore it - be an advocate for yourself and ask me to take a look. If my mistake hurts you, I will fix it! If it helps you, I will let you keep the extra points as a reward for your honesty. This goes for grades in HAC as well as grades on tests, homework, etc.

One last note on grading: please be patient. I try to give you ample time for each assignment, and I ask that you do the same for me when I am grading them. It takes time to thoroughly and carefully grade things, especially those with lots of writing. I will always have them back to you within the 15 day requirement by the district, but especially with essays and tests, it may take me that long to get through them all. Remember, for every ONE assignment you do, I am grading over 140 of them!

7. Grammar: We will use the Daily Grammar Practice (DGP) program this year, as well as many other grammar tools to help you increase your skills with the English language. I do expect you to at least try the grammar homework each night, especially since you will be doing homework specifically geared toward what you and I think you need to work on in order to improve. You may be pleasantly surprised at how much you grow this year!

8. Homework: Yes, I assign homework. You may feel that language arts has more homework than other subjects. You're right, and here's why: language arts is actually many subjects combined into one. You get reading, writing, vocabulary, grammar, and public speaking in this class, not to mention preparation for the state tests! If I just give one assignment in each of those areas, it's six homework assignments! The good news is that I always give you time to write in your assignment book, and I try very hard to not have too much due on any one day. Homework is expected to be done by the time you walk into class. That includes having anything printed out that needs to be! If you are ever concerned that you will not have enough time/computer access/materials at home to complete your homework, please ask me for a "VIP" lunch pass. This pass will allow you to jump to the front of the line - just like a VIP - and come to my room to work. My door is always open at lunch - all you need to do is ask! I do sometimes grade homework on accuracy, not just completion, so it is an important part of your grade. I try to only assign things I think will help you succeed in class, so please take all homework seriously.

9. Late Work: Everyone makes mistakes and forgets things from time to time. That's part of human nature. In order to make sure that your grade is not seriously harmed by a little mistake here or there, I do not take points off of assignment grades for lateness. However, I do take points from your Class Preparation/Work Ethic Grade. Everyone starts each marking period with 100 points for that grade. Each late item will cause that grade to go down by 5 points. It is ALWAYS worth it to make up the work, though, since the grade you receive on it will still count! For example, if you forget to do your vocabulary assignment, you would lose 5 points from your Class Participation grade, but if you turn it in the next day, you would still get the grade you earned on the assignment. Why? Because I want you to do the work - I don't assign "silly" homework; I assign things that I think are important to helping you learn and be successful. So yes, even if you turn something in 2 weeks late, you'd still get an actual grade - not half credit or anything like that. Be careful, though! This doesn't mean you can just turn homework in whenever you want and be fine - those missed Class Participation points can add up, and if you miss too many assignments, it will negatively affect your overall grade.

I always post a deadline for late/missing work for the marking period, but the best way is to make sure you turn things in on time by using your assignment book as a to-do list, and asking for help if you need it!

10. Study Island: Details about my Study Island policy can be found on my Study Island page

11. Tests and Quizzes: Want the secret to doing well on tests and quizzes in my class? Here it is: pay attention in class, do your homework, and study! I know, it's not really a secret, and that's just it: there IS no secret to doing well. I will always announce tests and quizzes in advance so that you have time to prepare and ask questions if you have them. We will often play review games before tests to help you do well. In addition, I try to make it very clear what will be important to know for each assessment, and give study guides for major assessments. You can also always use Schoology to review - all of my notes, handouts, and materials are posted to the appropriate unit's page. And, as I have said many times, ASK for help if you need it!

We will take many of our tests and quizzes this year online. The great part of this is not only is it good for the environment, but you also get your results right away - no waiting for me to hand things back to you!

12. Text books: Here’s the good news. . . I really don’t make you carry around a text book. That’s right—no book sock needed for language arts!

Here’s the bad news. . . I really don’t make you carry around a text book. That means that the notes, pages, and packets that I give you are SUPER important, and you need to treat them like a text book—full of important information, and not good to lose.

If you do happen to lose or forget your packet at school, the even better news is that most of what I give you is also on Schoology, so you can probably get another copy if you need it, but it will mean wasting your own paper and ink. The best thing to do is to make sure that you are using the handbook folder I gave you (or a section in your own binder), and that you remember to bring it to class every day. That way, you can keep all of the important papers and materials in one place, and not worry about where they are.

In the second half of the year, you will be getting some novels from me, and they need to be kept safe, too, but they are small and light! Yay! The best way to keep them safe is a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Really! Just punch holes in one side, pop it in your binder, and viola! You have an instant paperback book protective case!

13. Vocabulary: We are going to be learning Greek and Latin roots and academic vocabulary from Study Sync. You will do all of your vocabulary work on Schoology. You can expect a vocab lesson roughly every week.

14. Writing: We will do a great deal of writing in class this year, and you will also have some assignments you need to work on at home. If you don't think you're a great writer, just wait - I have wonderful strategies that former students have called "magical" to help you do well! I do require that writing assignments be typed, so if you are concerned about this, please read below: a section I like to call "What to do if you don't have a computer. . . or yours explodes."

As wonderful as computers can be, they are just machines, and machines can break. Whether you forgot your chrome book and don't have a computer at home at all or if you are a victim of a late-night “technical difficulty,” this list will help you succeed even when technology fails you.

1. Be prepared and plan ahead.

The awesome thing about having your own chrome book is that you don't have to share computer time with anyone else. However, you do still need to plan out YOUR time. Make sure that you figure out when you will work on the assignment. Also, if you have internet issues, you need to make sure you know how you will do your work "offline." If your family does not have the internet at home, please come talk to me - we have some amazing gadgets that we can lend you from our SMS library that will allow you to get online at home for your homework!

2. Prove that the assignment is done.

If you are an unfortunate victim of computer or printer failure, you can do one of several things to prove that you did do the assignment. One, put it on a USB drive or disk and bring that in. Two, email the assignment to me. (my email address is steigerwaltk@parklandsd.org) Three, neatly hand-write the assignment—proving that it is done and just needs to be typed.

3. Get parental back up.

If you have a severe malfunction that prevents you from turning something in to me, it is always a good idea to bring a note from an adult at home explaining the situation.

4. Save your work.

It sounds simple, but if you are working on a project over several days, it is a good idea to save your work often. I encourage you to always use your school chrome book and save work in the cloud - Google drive, Study Sync, Schoology, etc. That way, no matter where you are, you'll have access to the work you've already done!