Dear Parents and Guardians of students in Ms Purcell’s class:
I welcome your children to my class this year. This will be a year of growth, work and responsibility for them, but if they try, they will end the year knowing how to read, write, think, be creative, responsible and self-starting, and know more about grammar than anyone!
Please read and keep this letter because it will answer a lot of questions that come up through the year and save a lot of miscommunication.
What you need to look for as a parent and class basics:
+ I expect students to be mature and responsible about their work and put time and effort for the time given.
+ I expect students to help each other, ask each other questions, and work with each other.
+ If students have ANY questions or problems, I expect them to come to me and ask about it--I am here for private help before and after school as well as on break, and lunch. We do a lot of work through a draft process, so all students should bring in drafts and get them checked for correctness to ensure final work is done correctly.
Class Routines/Requirements:
1. READING Logs:EVERY trimester your child is expected to read 800 pages (every student at IVCMS should read daily for homework) of any kind of BOOK they choose. See last page to sign off on this. This ends up being 20% of the language arts grade and makes a BIG difference. This is the biggest grade killer when students don’t do this, or saver if they do. Your student should turn in the reading logs every 2-3 weeks to be checked and given credit. Students who wait until the end of the quarter will not receive full credit on their reading logs. Chapter summary sheets should be completed by students and then will be discussed during Book Talks throughout the quarter.
2. Daily WAGS--Writing and Grammar Skills-- ALL that your child needs to is complete the task I put on the board each day in their notebooks. At the end of each week they will get a stamp in their notebooks for completed WAGS activities. At the end of the quarter, the stamps are counted for a letter grade and entered into the gradebook. They must not lose their work. If they are absent, students should get the daily WAGS assignment from a friend in the class and then show me the completed work so I can stamp the work. It is the student’s responsibility to show me the completed work so I can stamp it. At the end of each week we will have a summative quiz on the WAGS topic of the week.
3. Journal Writing: Each student will be required to complete their journal entries. Students will complete two journal entries a week. Journal entries for 1st trimester are minimum 250 words in length. The word requirement increases each trimester by 50 words ( T2 300 words, T3, 350 words.) Student who fall behind in their journal writing will be calling home until they are made up. Prompts will usually be discussed on Mondays and Wednesdays and written on the board all week long as well as on the website homework page, and Calendar. As long as they write enough and do them all, it is an “A.” This is fabulously successful in allowing them to improve their writing skills. More details here: https://sites.google.com/site/amspurcell/useful-information-to-help-with-daily-work
4. Projects/Tests/Quizzes: I do projects regularly because students are often more successful on them than on tests, so you will be seeing them regularly. I ALWAYS give a handout with directions that say what is required for the assignment, and I usually give a rubric, which is basically a self-grading checklist about what their grade is. I encourage and expect students to always ask for help and bring in drafts to get checked. I expect hard work, time, thought, and creativity in relation to the amount of time they have to work on it. An “A” means excellent, not adequate or some. READING the DIRECTIONS is often the biggest problem as well as not doing the work over the time given, so try to really help them check.
Additional Notes:
Grading policy:
My policy is aligned with the NHUSD board policies: 20% formative work (practice) 80% summative/final work (tests, projects, etc.)
Students are graded on a percentage scale from 0 to 100% of how much is correct, so if they get 70% on a quiz, that is a C, if they do 20% of the work, that’s a low F, etc.
Ways to communicate with Ms. Purcell:
email: spurcell@nhusd.k12.ca.us (fastest way to get in touch)
Phone number: 510-489-0700 ext. 60590 only before or after school or during 1st prep
Class website: http://sites.google.com/site/amspurcell/
I use my website to do at least weekly updates, often more, and post assignments you can download. There is also TONS of great information on the site. I can also connect parents with Calendar if you request it--students can automatically connect. Google Classroom has resources, also, which can be accessed with an NHUSD account. The access code is on the main page of my website.
Back to School Night is Thursday Sept. 7. It would be REALLY great if you can come so I can explain everything to everyone at once and you can see how things work in my class.
Thank you, Shareen Purcell, S-8, IVCMS
Please read over the class rules and guidelines with your child and that you both understand them.
Please keep these pages for your reference.
Return this page only to Miss Purcell.
Print student last name___________ first________________
Please answer the questions below, sign, and fill in all possible contact information so I can get a hold of you if I need to. Have your child return this page only by __________________.
Here is an opportunity to tell me a little about your child. Please feel free to answer any question or add anything you feel necessary.
What is best about my child:___________________________________
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Concerns I have about my child: __________________________________________________________
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Something the teacher should know about my child to make him/her happier/more productive in class (medical problems, requirements, behavior, strengths/weaknesses, etc.):
__________________________________________________________
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Guardians:
#1--relation:_________________ #2--relation_________________
name: _____________________ name: _____________________
home phone #_______________ home phone #:_______________
work phone #:_______________ work phone #:_______________
work hours:__________________ work hours:_________________
cel phone #:_________________ cel phone #:_________________
email:________________________ email:_____________________
reprint email___________________ reprint email_______________
I have read the rules and expectations of Miss Purcell’s class. I understand them/I have gone over them with my child. I will do my best to be productive, responsible student in class/I will support my child’s good behavior and work ethic in class.
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student signature parent signature date
Independent Reading/SSR (Silent Sustained Reading)
All students are required to read a MINIMUM of 800 pages a trimester. All IVCMS students are expected to read a MINIMUM of 20 minutes a day. (Minimum 20 pages a day= minimum 100 pages a week=minimum 600 pages in six weeks very easily.) How each teacher records this varies. Go through this document carefully to make sure you understand my requirements for reading.
* All reading must be books, not comic books, graphic novels, or magazines.
* You may read any type of book you’d like. Try to choose something at about your grade level of reading, not too easy or difficult.
For each quarter, you must turn in AT LEAST 400 pages of completed book or books before the end of the deficiency period. You may choose one 400 page book, several shorter books, or a longer book. If you choose a longer book, one that may get your reading done for the whole quarter, you still MUST turn it in by the deficiency. If you know you will have trouble with a longer book, don’t do it. Choose books YOU like and feel comfortable for you. You should be turning in a book every two/three weeks.
You will get a grade for the first half of the reading and the second, which will add up to about 20% of your grade.
A week before the end of the quarter is the LAST day to turn in the rest of the minimum 800 pages due. NO ONE should wait until the last day to turn in anything.
Books need to be turned in with chapter summary sheets (typed or handwritten is fine) as SOON AS YOU FINISH, preferably every two/three weeks. You must bring the book (or reader) and the summary sheets to do this. I will talk to you for a few minutes about the book. This is very easy if you read it. You may do this during appropriate class times, before school, after school, lunch, break, etc. This is the easiest way to do reading.
DO NOT wait until the last days to turn in reading. I expect everyone to have turned in a book the first three weeks. Students who wait until the last week to turn it in will get progressively less than 100% (60% last day, 70% two days before, 80% three days before, 90% four days before.)
The chapter summary sheets or book review sheets are designed to be simple, but make sure you do them correctly. They are also designed to practice writing a concise summary for each chapter so they are practicing their writing skills, also.
I have read the requirements for independent reading in Ms Purcell’s class and understand them. I will make sure to do the reading as required, or support my child in doing this.
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print student name student signature
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parent signature date