Academics

Parents, I invite you to partner with me in your child's education. Communication and collaboration are key to supporting students' success. Please log in to your student's SIS regularly, read all of their teachers' weekly lesson plans, read emails and reminders - and don't hesitate to email or call me if you have any questions or concerns.

Our Academic Calendar and Bell Schedule can be found here.

Science Department Grading Scale:

Labs/projects: 30% of total grade

Assessments (Test/Quiz): 30% of total grade

Homework: 20% of total grade

Class Participation: 10% of total grade

Science Fair: 10% of total grade

Citizenship and Attendance:

Students cannot learn the material if they're not physically in school. Especially as our curriculum is mainly hands-on, lab and project-based learning, it is impossible for students to create a parallel experience with make up work outside of school. Students with 3 or more absences will receive a call or email home. 3 or more unexcused absences will result in an NG (no grade) and a U for citizenship, which must be appealed through the counseling office.

Attendance will be taken within the first 5 minutes of class. If you arrive tardy, you must sign the tardy sheet on the front table so I may change the absent marking to a tardy by the end of the day - you must also attach your admittance slip or excuse note to the clipboard. If you do not sign that same day, it will remain an absence!

After 3 tardies, students receive an N citizenship grade for my class and must appeal through the counseling department.

Homework Philosophy:

Students and parents can expect homework from my class 1 - 3 times per week. My goal is to have homework take no more than 20 minutes each time, on average. Homework will frequently take the form of pre-reading chapter sections to prepare for class activities, while taking down notes and vocabulary, but can also include worksheets, crossword puzzles or word searches, online research, and collaborate documents. Work assigned as part of class work that a student doesn't finish is their responsibility to finish outside of class and bring back completed. If your student seems to have more than a total of 1 hour of Science work at home (on average, excluding special projects), ask them how effectively they're using their class time.

Homework Policy:

Homework will be assigned 1 - 3 times per week. Online homework is to be submitted via my website, via the Assignment Submission tab and form. Physical homework is to be completed via the format assigned and is to be turned into the appropriate period's inbox in the classroom, or shown to me in class (as per instructions).

All homework and classroom assignments are due by the stated due date. Missing assignments will appear as an "M" on Aspire/SIS. Late work will be accepted through Monday of the following week for 50% credit. Work from the previous week, turned in past Monday at 3 pm, will not be accepted and will receive a zero.

Tutoring, Help & Support:

My office hours for Tutoring Lab are Wednesday and Thursday from 3:10 - 4:00 PM. Tutoring Lab is not the same as Homework Lab - it is not just for people who have gotten behind or have missing assignments. It's for anyone who just needs a little extra time in my room. Please DO NOT HESITATE to come in and see me if you didn't completely understand a science concept, if you need a little more practice, if you need to be shown the online or technology pieces just one more time, or even if you just need a quiet place to do homework after school - even if it's not my homework. I am here for you! All you need do is show up and ask.

That said, the environment in my room after school is one of quiet productivity. If you show up in such as way as to disturb this environment for me and students in my room, you will be excused, and a call or email home may be made. Be respectful.

Science Department Tutoring/Homework Lab Policy:

Homework Lab takes place during the same hours as Tutoring Lab, the difference is that Homework Lab is not voluntary, it is by referral and is mandatory.

- Students may be referred to Homework Lab if extra support is needed for them to master the science concepts they will need to succeed, due to missing homework or classwork, low test scores or another reason.
- Notice will be given via a referral form students must take home and have signed by a parent to return. Failure to return the signed form will necessitate a call home to inform parents of the referral.
- Failure to attend Homework Lab will result in the student’s referral to Mr. Post for disciplinary action. Students that don’t show up or are not productive will be given a zero, with no chance for makeup and risk losing citizenship points.
- Students who come and complete this missing work at the assigned Homework Lab will have the chance to receive partial credit for this late work if they come, work productively, and turn it in before 4:00 that same day.
- The environment in our science classrooms after school is one of quiet productivity. If you show up in such a way as to disturb this environment, you will be removed, and a call or email home may be made. Be respectful.

Students must attend Homework Lab weekly until work has been made up and the problem has been resolved. Once they have resolved the issue that necessitated Homework Lab, they will be released from the obligation via a signed note in their planner or an email sent home.

Plagiarism:

Any cheating, copying or plagiarizing is not tolerated and will result in at least a zero, plus possible additional consequences. Students are here to learn and cheating makes learning impossible.

Test Corrections Policy:

Any student that receives 65% or less MUST complete test corrections. If you received a 66% or higher and would like to improve your grade, you can choose to do test corrections, but they are not required. The final grade for your test will be an average of the original test and the test corrections. All test corrections are due by the end of the week after you received your graded test back. Test Corrections do not apply to quizzes or Benchmark/Final Tests. Test Corrections apply to regular course tests only.

To do Test Corrections: 1) Rewrite the questions marked incorrect on your test. To do this, write the number of the question on the test, the question itself, and the correct answer. 2) Staple your original graded test to your Test Corrections, being careful to label your page, "First Name, Last Name, Period #, Test Corrections." 3) Place your Test Corrections in the appropriate inbox for your period by the end of the week your graded test was returned to you. Failure to follow these instructions may result in a zero on your Test Corrections, meaning your original score will stand.

Extra Credit:

I provide regular opportunities for students to earn extra credit. For my classroom culture, extra credit is defined literally: It is extra - in addition to - the credit opportunities provided by daily class and weekly lab opportunities. I will accept extra credit from students who attend class reliably, participate meaningfully, and come to tutoring lab when they need extra help with practice or understanding. As I tell my students, trying to rely on extra credit to save your grade when you're not doing the homework, classwork or studying, not showing up for class, etc., would be like trying to make a weekend, part-time cake job compensate for quitting your full-time day job. It just doesn't set our kids up for real-world expectations.

Extra credit opportunities may take the form of: Doing a structured essay about the Faraday Lectures or Physics Day at Weber State, creating a study tool for yourself, above and beyond what we have done in class, creating a lesson for a younger sibling (or better yet, a class at Little DaVinci!) that you can deliver using puppets or another engaging activity that demonstrates your knowledge, a write up on Earth Day after attending the Ogden Nature Center's event, and more.