• A binder, in order and up-to-date, complete with lined paper.

• Several HB pencils & pens, eraser, and a few highlighters.

• Post-it Notes, Pencil Crayons, poster paper, and other additional materials may be required for some projects. Notification will be provided.

• Class textbooks, novels, and other materials;

• A positive attitude and a willingness to participate.

Please note that this is a list of units to be covered and the order may change.

UNIT 1: Smiley Face Tricks

UNIT 2: Persuasive Writing

UNIT 3: Poetry

UNIT 4: Novel Study

UNIT 5: Film Study

UNIT 6: Play

UNIT 7: Media Study

General Expectations:

• Students will attend class every day, prepared to work, with a writing utensil, an organized binder, and any other supplies or textbooks that are being used for the unit being studied.

• Food may be consumed, but teachers have the right to disallow food if garbage, or allergies, become an issue.

• Students will treat the teacher and fellow classmates with respect. Everyone has a right to be heard and to learn in a secure environment.

• Students will treat the property of the school and the property of others in a proper manner.

• Students will not let anything impair their ability to communicate (cell phones, MP3 players, hats, etc.) and the teacher may confiscate the item if it becomes an issue.

Academic Integrity

We at Bert Church High School (BCHS) believe Academic Integrity supports intellectual growth and creates a fair learning environment. Teachers and Administrators at BCHS recognize that there are significant expectations and pressures to achieve academic excellence and the pressure can lead individuals to be dishonest and/or cheat. However, we firmly believe that cheating diminishes the value of education, damages the ethical character of the individual student, and undermines the integrity of our school community. BCHS Academic Integrity affirms that we value learning, and that we expect personal integrity and intellectual honesty.

What is academic integrity?

• Intellectual honesty

• Personal truthfulness

• Learning for its own sake

• Representing your work honestly and accurately

• Giving full credit to others who have helped you, or whose work you have incorporated into your own

What is cheating?

Cheating is defined as seeking to obtain (or aiding another to obtain) credit or improved scores using any unauthorized or deceptive means.

Some examples of what cheating looks like:

• Presenting information collected, organized, or envisioned by someone else as your own (with or without the author's permission) or allowing someone else to present your work as his or her own

• Taking shortcuts (such as unauthorized use of study aids) that allow you to bypass steps of an assignment

• Using forbidden material to "help" during an exam, such as cheat sheets, graphing calculators, or cell phones.

• Asking about or sharing questions and/or answers to quizzes and exams.

• Submitting the same work for more than one assignment without express permission from your teacher(s).

• Altering corrections or scores with the intent of changing your grade.

• Misrepresenting yourself in any way to your teachers regarding the work you have done, such as saying you've turned in an assignment when you did not, or that you've worked hours longer than you did to complete an assignment.

• Fabricating information to try to earn more time, more credit, or grading leniency on an assignment, project, or exam.

• Missing class to avoid turning in an assignment or taking a test.

• Doing more or less than your share of a group project without permission from your teacher

Next steps if found cheating.

When there is evidence of cheating, staff will consult with their grade level administrator on next steps. Cheating has consequences, both academically and behaviourally. Academically, students are not getting valid feedback on their knowledge of the curricular outcomes. Behaviourally, students are not engaging in their learning in an honest way, and this could lead to other breaches of integrity when it comes to school rules.

Upon consulting with the grade level administrator, staff will:

1. Connect with their grade level administrator to inform them of the situation.

2. After consulting with their grade level administrator, staff will proceed with:

1. Having a private conversation with the student and present the evidence collected.

1. If the student admits to being dishonest, the staff member will work with them to have them re-do a similar assessment.

2. Upon devising a plan, the staff member will reach out to the guardians and grade level administrator to communicate the situation and solution.

3. If the student denies the claim, the staff member will consult with their grade level administrator on next steps. These could involve

1. Meeting with the grade level administrator

2. Meeting with the guardian

3. Re-doing a similar assessment

4. Schedule changes

5. Other actions deemed necessary by the administrator

Our goal is for students feel supported in their learning and for them to not feel cheating is a worthwhile endeavor. If found to have compromised the integrity of an assessment, our goal is to collect new, valid evidence of learning, as well as have the student reflect on their behaviour with their teachers, administrators, and family so it is less likely to re-occur.

Absences:

• It is always the student’s responsibility to determine, and complete, any evaluative activity has been missed.

Excused Absence:

• An excused absence occurs when a parent or guardian phones the school at 403-948-3800 (24 hours a day) to report an absence. Telephone calls from students are not acceptable, unless the student has “adult status” confirmed by the administration of BCHS. Parents are requested to phone in advance of the absence if possible. If that is not possible, parents must call the day of the absence, or no later than the day after the absence (i.e. within 24 hours) if it is to be excused. Notes received from parents within this time frame are also acceptable.

• If a student is excusably absent from class on days during which an assignment, quiz, examination or other evaluation activity occurs, the student shall be given the opportunity to make up the missed work through either the original or replacement work at the teacher's discretion.

Unexcused Absence:

• An unexcused absence includes those absences for which no phone call or note has been received within 24 hours following the absence. If the student misses a class where there is an assignment due or a quiz or exam written, the work will be awarded a designation of “NHI” (Not Handed In), which constitutes a zero for the purpose of calculating grades. (Chapter S-3, Part 1.14, School Act, 2000).

Late Arrival:

• Please arrive to class on time. If you are late for any reason, you will knock on the door and wait outside until it is convenient for your admission into the classroom.

• Repeatedly being late will result in disciplinary action which is specific to the presiding teacher. BCHS policy also applies.

Readability:

• Sloppy or illegible work WILL NOT be accepted. If it can’t be read, it can’t be graded. Students are encouraged to utilize assistive technology whenever possible to ensure legibility.

Rewritten Assignments:

• Reading Comprehension Exams

Students will be taught specific annotation strategies to use during reading comprehension exams. IF students choose to use these strategies on their exams, they will be eligible to make corrections to their exam and earn the "Grade Boost Option." This option is only open to students who use the strategies (aka. actually annotate the exam) and will award them a half mark for every question they fix in their corrections. For example, if a student uses the strategies and gets 50% on their reading comprehension exam they can make corrections. If they get 100% of their corrections correct, they will be awarded a mark of 75% on the exam instead of the original 50%. Corrections must be explained and submitted within one week of receiving the exam back.

• Major Writing Pieces

If major writing pieces are submitted by the due date, students may take the option to re-write their pieces based on feedback given by the teacher in a writing conference. Students will not be able to boost their score on writing mechanics to place an emphasis on editing work before submission, but all other categories of the rubric are up for grabs in terms of boosting a grade! Re-writes must be submitted to the teacher within an agreed upon date and no lates will be accepted. If students do not choose to implement feedback and boost their grade, the original awarded grade will stand.

• Other Assignments
  I am happy to discuss the possibility of replacing grades or giving second chances to students with extenuating circumstances, however this will not be a regularly available option in order to encourage students to put their best effort forward each and every day.
  

If it is determined that a rewrite on an assignment is appropriate, the following guidelines apply:

1. Corrections are not permitted. Assignments must be re-written (i.e. completing a different question or topic) under the guidance of the presiding teacher.

2. Re-written assignments are due on the date noted by the presiding teacher. Once this date has passed, students will not be permitted to hand in re-writes for the assignment in question.

3. Re-written assignments must be submitted with:

- The original, marked assignment;

- The mark sheet for the original assignment.

4. Before a major assignment (such as an essay or another composition) is re-written, the student must discuss it with the presiding teacher one-on-one.

If the noted guidelines are not adhered to, the re-written assignment will not be accepted.

Extensions:

Extensions on assignments will only be considered if a student makes arrangement at least one (1) day prior to the due date. An accompanying signature/note from a parent indicating the circumstances of the extension would be welcomed.

Digital Submissions:

Assignments may be submitted electronically in Google classroom. Please do not "share" the assignment/document. Ensure the assignment can be read in its entirety- watch the camera angles :)

Marking Expectations:

• Assignments submitted on the due date – Will be marked in as timely a fashion as possible (typically 2-3 weeks, depending on the size/type of assignment). These will be given a rubric, and formative feedback.

• Assignments submitted within 2 weeks from the due date – Will be marked as other assignments allow (these are not the priority, and the only timeline that can be assured is prior to the end of the semester). Students will receive no written feedback.

• Assignments submitted after 2 weeks from due date – Will be awarded a zero, unless special arrangements are made at the discretion of the teacher. This is known as an assignment “Dead Date.”

Please Note: The presiding teacher has no onus to grade late work immediately. The teacher will do everything in their power to mark late work as quickly as possible, but it may not be marked until the conclusion of the course.

An educationally functional electronic device as outlined by Bert Church High School policy is an asset. If such a device is to be used, it is expected that students will bring their device to class with charge sufficient for use throughout the period.

Cell phones do not replace the use of a Chromebook/Laptop, and significant research reveals that such devices are significant distractions to student learning and impediments to success. As such, cell phones, tablets, and other non-educational electronic devices should not be used in-class unless expressly directed by the teacher.

Response from teacher to issues concerning technology in class as per BCHS Electronics Policy:

1. Teacher will address if there is a use issue in the classroom around technology.

2. If a teacher confiscates the technology, the device will be returned to the student at the end of the day or class.

3. If the distraction persists a discipline notice will incur and a discussion with Administration.

In addition to using their devices responsibly, students (and, by extension, their parents) are responsible for safeguarding and caring for their devices. While teachers and administrators will remain watchful and attempt to mediate any disputes arising over the loss, theft, or damage of electronic devices on school property, they are ultimately the property and responsibility of the student.
Ref: POLICY IFCL 2011