Classroom Rights: 

• Each student has the right to learn in the ways that work best for them. 

• Each student has a right to share their ideas, and to be heard and understood. 

• Each student has the right to be treated with respect by all their peers and teachers. 

Classroom Responsibilities 

• Students are expected to be in class on time. 

• Students should arrive in class prepared with the following: 

  • Laptop or device to work on

  • notebook (spiral or otherwise)

  • writing utensils

  • Assigned materials for that day’s class

  • Open mind

  • Students will be respectful of all classmates, at all times. 

Other things to keep in mind:

• Phones should be silenced for the duration of the class period. 

• Students should participate in various ways. Students that prefer not to speak out can engage by being prepared, attentive, and cooperative and by making a visible effort in all class activities. 

• Students should submit work on time, and advocate for themselves with the teacher should they need extra time or help. 

• Students will complete all assignments with academic integrity. This means that students will not plagiarize (knowingly pass off another’s work as your own), or allow others to plagiarize from you.

• Students will check Google classroom regularly for information and assignments.

• Feel free to email me at rebecca.balfour@sau41.org with any questions or concerns. I will reply within 24 hrs unless it’s between 2:30 on Friday and 7:30 Monday or vacation, holidays, personal or sick days. 

Assessments:

Your progress and mastery of skills and content will be measured through a combination of Formative and Summative assessments. All assignments will be based on points for each assignment.

• Formative Assessments give the teacher a sense of student understanding within a particular subject of study, and can entail a variety of skills. These will typically be graded on a point scale, generally between 5 and 20 points. These assessments can include Discussion Board Posts, Take-Aways, short answer practice questions just to name a few.  

• Summative Assessments are designed for students to demonstrate their culminated understanding at the conclusion of a unit of study.  Summative assessments this year will project-based assessments, such as digital presentations, individual and group assignments completed via Google Docs.  

Additional Instructional Materials: In addition to the films listed in the library catalogue, Mrs. Balfour's students may occasionally view short excerpts from historical documentaries and films. The instructional materials used at Hollis Brookline High School represent a broad range of knowledge, viewpoints, and experiences as well as a diversity of religious, ethnic, and cultural groups. Materials support curricular goals, stimulate academic growth, and provide students an opportunity to practice critical analysis while developing the ability to make intelligent judgments in their daily lives. We recognize that at times students and parents may object to some instructional material. A parent who wishes to have their student exempt from the use of any material, such as a video or novel utilized in a class, they must notify the teacher as soon as possible so an alternative assignment for that individual student can be arranged. It is strongly encouraged that the parent and student meet with the teacher to discuss the alternative material and/or any alternative assignments that coincide with the change in material.

If you have questions about the selection of course materials, please review the HBHS Cooperative School Board Policy IIA Instructional and Library Media Materials which can be found at http://policy.ctspublish.com/hollis-brookline-nhsba/.

Honor Code:

Academic integrity means that you will not plagiarize (knowingly passing off another’s work as your own), or allow others to plagiarize from you. This includes, copying another student’s work, copying information from texts, articles and online sources, copying answers from tests and quizzes, turning in work that has already been submitted to another class, and all other forms of cheating.