Choices

"It just shows what can be done by taking a little trouble," said Eeyore. "Do you see, Pooh? Do you see, Piglet? Brains first and then Hard Work." ~ The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne

Making the Right Choice(s)

Life is about choices. Choices come with outcomes... sometimes good, sometimes bad. Whether you will have more good outcomes than bad is up to you, but the following might help you in the decision making process.

A Role Model Student...

Respects others & their property.
Follows directions the first time.
Advocates for self.
Participates in class.
Cleans up after self.
On time for class
Prepared for class with completed work & necessary supplies.
Completes & turns in work on time.
Uses best ELA skills, always.
Follows MMS rules as stated in MMS student handbook.

Making the Wrong Choice(s)

Not one person has the right to interrupt the educational process. If you choose not to be a cooperative, active member of this class, that is entirely up to you, but it does not come without consequences. The following is a list (& not a complete one) of the possible side effects of making bad choices.

Consequences of Wrong Choices...

Lack of self respect.
Lack of respect from others
Lack of knowledge.
Poor grades.
Failure of class.
Home contact.
Long term impact on your future.
??????

Ready for Class . . .

Every time you walk through the classroom door you need to bring the following with you:

the ability to actively & enthusiastically participate
composition notebook (not "the binder")*
pencils & erasers & pens
colored pencils
bottle of glue - no glue sticks
whatever is due for the day
DEAR book

Additional supplies for this class:

Library Card - make sure that you have your own as you will be making a few trips to the library this year. Do NOT bring this card to school. Keep it safe at home. You will learn to use the library on line ordering system so that you can order books from any of the 70+ libraries in the Hudson Valley area, so you'll need yo know your member number (we'll talk in class)
Folder - to keep work that is due in the future; could be a general HW folder that you use for all your classes... whatever works for you
At Home Folder or Binder - to keep all your old tests & papers in so that you will have them to study from for the final exam

I am not a Fan of Homework.

Don't Get Trapped Under the Heavy Load! Plan Ahead!

I am not a fan of homework. This doesn't mean you won't have homework, it means I am not a fan of homework. I believe there is more to a person's life than slugging through hours of work after putting in a day at school. I try to keep homework to a minimum. Most HW assignments will be given with a turnaround time of 2 - 4 days. For example, HW assigned on a Monday, won’t be due until Thursday. This allows you to figure out when the best time for you to complete the assignment.

Not everyone will have the same type or amount of homework. Don't compare what you have to do with someone else in our class or another class. People learn in many different ways & therefore people require different types of things to do to ensure that they will learn something. This means that calling up your best friend because you didn't write down what YOU were supposed to do isn't going to fly in this class. It also means that when you look on Parent Portal you will still need to know what YOUR work is, otherwise you might end up doing everything listed.

Homework Expectations

Adult Communication - I expect that the adults in your life will be part of your life. This means there will need to be conversations, cooperative, informative conversations, where YOU keep the adults up-to-date as to what is going on in our classroom.
Unfinished Class Work - Work you do not finish in class is HW.
Missed Class - Whether you are absent or miss class for lesson or some other legitimate reason, you are responsible for finding out what you missed & making up what you missed. Anything missed is recorded & listed on the classroom "Check It Out" bulletin board. It is YOUR responsibility to check it out & then complete it.
Reading - You will be reading for this class. It's best to stay on top of it.
Projects - There will be projects that will require outside the classroom work. It's best to stick to the advised timeline.
Optional HW:

At times, there will be optional HW that will help you better understand a concept. It is up to you whether or not you choose to do this work or not.
If you are really into something & you want to take it to the next level, we can take care of that.

Absences & Homework & Class Work:

It is the responsibility of you,the student, to make sure that his/ her work is turned in on time.

All work is due on the date that it is due. Work turned in on time will be accepted. Each student gets one missed HW pass per quarter. Students not using the quarterly pass earn themselves 10 points. Long Term Projects need to be handed in on time. Long term assignments will be accepted late, up to 5 school days, & will earn a maximum grade of half credit.
It is your responsibility to find out what was missed, what needs to be made up & have the work completed within 2 days of returning to school. Please see me before homeroom to go over what you need to make up. If the absence is for an extended period of time, Parents need to contact the guidance office to ensure that work is put together for pick-up. If necessary, upon the student’s return, the student & teacher will discuss how to best proceed in ensuring that the missed work is completed.

"Credit"

You asked me to do it.
I promised to do it.
I planned to do it.
I started to do it.
I really meant to do it.
Except I forgot.
Couldn't I get some credit?
For promising,
Planning,
Starting,
And really meaning to do it?

Guess not.

~By Judith Viorst

Grades

TOTAL POINTS GRADING: With TOTAL POINTS grading, everything is worth exactly the same amount. 20 points earned for HW is the same as 20 points earned for class work, is the same as 20 points earned for a test or quiz, is the same as 20 points earned for any work completed for the course. Tests do not count more; everything is equal.

For example, for the quarter there are 15 assignments. These assignments are a mixture of class work, homework, tests, quizzes & other (projects, etc). The total number points that could be earned for these 15 projects is 180 points. Then an "A or 100%" is worth 180 points. Perhaps you do only some of the assignments well & earn half of the 180 points; you earn 60 points. Your grade is then a "F or 50%". (I bet this won't happen to anyone!)

PARENT PORTAL: Parent Portal is the program that the district uses to calculate grades, keep track of absences & a host of other administrative needs. Parents & students may find this to be a helpful back-up tool when it comes to keeping track of assignments that are due, as well as interim & final quarter grades. It is here that teachers post assignments. Some teachers post grades, but none are required to do so. Parent Portal should not be used as a substitute to keeping track of one's own assignments & grades.