Life Skills
I can be contacted via by email or phone:
805-383-5340 ext. 5548
What should I bring to school/class every day?
-CHARGED Chromebook
-Binder
-Pencil/pen/highlighter/erasers
-College ruled loose leaf paper
-Spiral notebook for History (this will be supplied)
-Any homework or class work that is due on that day
DAILY PROCEDURES:
Line up outside the classroom until I invite you to come inside.
Take out all necessary supplies and be ready for class to begin.
Begin opening activity; silent reading or activity indicated on board.
At the end of class, upon teacher dismissal, note homework, clean up all supplies and personal belongings and push in your chair before you leave the classroom.
Curriculum:
We will be continuing to use our history adoption called TCI. This program offers high student engagement and various opportunities for differentiated instruction and learning styles. Students are encouraged to get involved and be a part of history in our classroom! This will be mainly offered as an online resource, but textbooks and workbooks are available.
GRADING:
100%-90%- A
89%-80% B Tests/Quizzes 50%
79%-70% C Classwork/Projects 40%
69%-60% D Homework 10%
59% and below F
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
Classroom Expectations:
Be respectful at all times.
Be attentive when others are talking.
Be prepared with the necessary materials and be ready when the bell rings.
Always try your best.
Be a positive role model within our classroom/school community.
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT:
Minor infractions such as; missing materials, uncharged Chromebook, phone, etc, will be handled within the classroom by redirection, individual conferencing, phone calls home etc, in order to correct the behavior.
Major infractions such as; disrespect, defiance, profanity, disruptive behavior, etc, will be handled according to the PVSEA Middle School Progressive Discipline Procedures. This includes after-school detention. Parent communication slips will be sent home for signature and are expected to be returned to the teacher the following day.
Please Note: Behaviors that occur throughout the school day will be logged into the Q Parent System. Parents and Guardians can view any incidences that occured. (Please allow a turnover time of 24 hours for information to be updated.)
REWARDING POSITIVE BEHAVIORS:
Hughes Tickets (daily): Students can earn Hughes Tickets for being good classroom citizens. Once a student earns 10 tickets, they can choose from the reward bin.
End-of-Trimester Rewards (3x per year): Students earn reward events for positive citizenship grades on their report cards. (Only O's or S's will be accepted for participation.)
Middle School Cougar Bucks: If students earn 5 Cougar Bucks they will be entered into a weekly raffle. If they win the raffle, they can see Mrs. Castro for "Castro's Cafe" and will be recognized by our principal.
HOMEWORK POLICY:
It is a good idea for homework to be noted in agendas every day before students leave the classroom. This information can also be found on Google Classroom.
Please refer to the PVSD Homework Policy for further clarification.
TEST RETAKES:
Any student who scores less than 70% on a [major test] has one opportunity to retake or correct the test for a maximum score of 70%.
YOU MUST TAKE INITIATIVE AND SEE ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR A RE-TAKE!
Test corrections or re-takes must be completed within one week of the test being returned.
Benchmarks and final exams are excluded from this policy.
LATE WORK POLICY
Late work will be accepted up to one week with a 10% deduction each day. After one week, (5 school days), work will no longer be accepted and will be a 0.
Exceptions may apply. See me if your circumstances do not allow for this.
ABSENCES:
It is crucial that students attend school every day! Please note that careful planning goes into every lesson; when students are absent it makes it very difficult for them to catch up on instruction and assignments. However, If a student is absent, they will be responsible to check the website and/or Google Classroom on their own upon the first day of returning back to class and gather all materials needed for make-up work. Any clarification or handouts needed, can be asked of the teacher or a “study buddy” before the end of the day. Make-up work is due within the same amount of school days as the student was absent.
CHEATING:
Cheating will not be tolerated! Zero credit will be given for any assignments on which a student cheats and disciplinary action will be taken for all students involved.
PARENTS: You are encouraged to check Parent-Connect to stay up-to-date on your child’s grades.