Hello everyone!
I am hoping that everyone has had a nice school year so far, but that everyone is also ready for a change. This email is being sent to help disseminate general information about my classroom policies and expectations.
On the first day of class I will go over this information with the students, but I know that they are often overwhelmed and sometimes the information does not sink in. I will discuss homework grading, late work, where to find class information, needed supplies etc...I will fill you in on some of this information in this email.
CLASS WEBSITE
This past summer I redid the science website and I now have a website of my own. I am hoping that these websites will provide parents with more timely information on science in Belleville. On the website students and parents will be able to access the class calendar (this calendar can also be found in Moodle, on Homework Online, and in student gmail accounts).
I have placed general class documents on the class website too.
You can also find links to other class links (turnitin.com, class dojo etc...) and information about how I use these tools in the classroom on my website.
LATE WORK
PASS Program Policy (pg. 19)
Daily homework: If students do not turn in their daily homework on time they will receive a reduced homework grade. These policies will be discussed with students on the first day of school and they can also be found on my homepage. I will accept daily homework anytime (except the last calendar week of the grading period), even if a student is not on the PASS list.
Other work: All other work will not be accepted past the deadline. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule: if a student is on the PASS list they will be allowed to turn in missing work, in some cases if a student is absent (case by case basis) they may be able to turn work in past the deadline. Details can be found on the website in the course syllabus.
I would like to note that I will not accept late work during the last calendar week of the term. These dates can be found on the class calendar.
When you are looking at the online grade book you might see a check-mark that states that an assignment is missing. Unless there is a zero or a special code (M, missing; L, late; INC, incomplete....) your child's assignment is not missing. This is a feature in the system that I have no control over. If there is a missing assignment I will ALWAYS put a special code in and/or a zero with a special code.
MAKE-UP WORK AND EXTRA HELP
I am typically at school around 720-730 and this is often a good time to get extra help. I highly encourage students who need to make-up work or who need extra help to come in sooner than later and to not wait. I am available after-school for help as well, but each day I will need to leave at different times. If your child knows that he/she needs to make something up or get some extra help I encourage him/her to let me know so that we can work out a time that will work for both of us.
CALENDAR AND LESSONS
On the board in my classroom the students will be able to find a general weekly outline and a more detailed daily lesson plan. What needs to be turned in that day and what is due the following class period will also be written on the board. All of this information can also be found on Google Calendar (Google Calendar can be found on my website, Homework Online, Moodle, and student gmail accounts). Needed documents will be attached to calendars daily, so if your son/daughter loses their work or is absent they can access needed documents and print them from their Google Calendar.
***If your son or daughter has a smartphone it is very easy for them to import my class calendar to their phone. By importing the class calendar to their phone they can set up reminders and alerts for due dates.
TURNING IN WORK
Student work will be collected differently and where it will be turned in will depend on the type of assignment it is. Projects, papers, and journals will all need to be turned into turnitin.com. Students will have two options for turning in lab reports: electronically on Moodle or by hand in a lab notebook. Daily homework will be turned into me at the end of the unit. This list is not exhaustive, but it does cover most types of assignments. The students will be required to do a Weekly Check each week (this will be due on Saturday by midnight, but I encourage your son/daughter to get it done before they leave school on Friday). This serves as an opportunity for the students to reflect on what they have learned each week and for them to tell me if they need any additional help with a topic learned that week. .
CONTACTING ME
I strongly urge you to have your child talk to me about any questions or concerns that he/she might be having in the class. I know this is difficult for some students to do, but it is a skill that they need to have for the future (they might need to advocate for themselves in a college setting, job setting, hospital setting etc...). I also urge you to contact me with any questions or concerns that you have about class, your child, grades, etc... I will be the one that can explain why your child’s grade is the way it is, why he/she has an “INC”, why I marked him/her tardy etc...
My office phone is not in my classroom and I often do not hear the phone ringing. If you call my “office” and leave a voicemail I might not get the message until the following morning. If it is my prep you can have the office just ring my classroom and if I am in the room I will pick up. The BEST way to contact me is to email me. My computer is on all day and I receive email all day and at home too. I might not be able to respond immediately, but it is the quickest way to get in contact with me.
As of right now I can't think of anything else I need to add. I am sure there is more, but this is a good start. You will be receiving progress slips via email every so often with some of the pertinent class information. I hope the information is helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Meredith Smith
[email protected]
I am hoping that everyone has had a nice school year so far, but that everyone is also ready for a change. This email is being sent to help disseminate general information about my classroom policies and expectations.
On the first day of class I will go over this information with the students, but I know that they are often overwhelmed and sometimes the information does not sink in. I will discuss homework grading, late work, where to find class information, needed supplies etc...I will fill you in on some of this information in this email.
CLASS WEBSITE
This past summer I redid the science website and I now have a website of my own. I am hoping that these websites will provide parents with more timely information on science in Belleville. On the website students and parents will be able to access the class calendar (this calendar can also be found in Moodle, on Homework Online, and in student gmail accounts).
I have placed general class documents on the class website too.
You can also find links to other class links (turnitin.com, class dojo etc...) and information about how I use these tools in the classroom on my website.
LATE WORK
PASS Program Policy (pg. 19)
Daily homework: If students do not turn in their daily homework on time they will receive a reduced homework grade. These policies will be discussed with students on the first day of school and they can also be found on my homepage. I will accept daily homework anytime (except the last calendar week of the grading period), even if a student is not on the PASS list.
Other work: All other work will not be accepted past the deadline. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule: if a student is on the PASS list they will be allowed to turn in missing work, in some cases if a student is absent (case by case basis) they may be able to turn work in past the deadline. Details can be found on the website in the course syllabus.
I would like to note that I will not accept late work during the last calendar week of the term. These dates can be found on the class calendar.
When you are looking at the online grade book you might see a check-mark that states that an assignment is missing. Unless there is a zero or a special code (M, missing; L, late; INC, incomplete....) your child's assignment is not missing. This is a feature in the system that I have no control over. If there is a missing assignment I will ALWAYS put a special code in and/or a zero with a special code.
MAKE-UP WORK AND EXTRA HELP
I am typically at school around 720-730 and this is often a good time to get extra help. I highly encourage students who need to make-up work or who need extra help to come in sooner than later and to not wait. I am available after-school for help as well, but each day I will need to leave at different times. If your child knows that he/she needs to make something up or get some extra help I encourage him/her to let me know so that we can work out a time that will work for both of us.
CALENDAR AND LESSONS
On the board in my classroom the students will be able to find a general weekly outline and a more detailed daily lesson plan. What needs to be turned in that day and what is due the following class period will also be written on the board. All of this information can also be found on Google Calendar (Google Calendar can be found on my website, Homework Online, Moodle, and student gmail accounts). Needed documents will be attached to calendars daily, so if your son/daughter loses their work or is absent they can access needed documents and print them from their Google Calendar.
***If your son or daughter has a smartphone it is very easy for them to import my class calendar to their phone. By importing the class calendar to their phone they can set up reminders and alerts for due dates.
TURNING IN WORK
Student work will be collected differently and where it will be turned in will depend on the type of assignment it is. Projects, papers, and journals will all need to be turned into turnitin.com. Students will have two options for turning in lab reports: electronically on Moodle or by hand in a lab notebook. Daily homework will be turned into me at the end of the unit. This list is not exhaustive, but it does cover most types of assignments. The students will be required to do a Weekly Check each week (this will be due on Saturday by midnight, but I encourage your son/daughter to get it done before they leave school on Friday). This serves as an opportunity for the students to reflect on what they have learned each week and for them to tell me if they need any additional help with a topic learned that week. .
CONTACTING ME
I strongly urge you to have your child talk to me about any questions or concerns that he/she might be having in the class. I know this is difficult for some students to do, but it is a skill that they need to have for the future (they might need to advocate for themselves in a college setting, job setting, hospital setting etc...). I also urge you to contact me with any questions or concerns that you have about class, your child, grades, etc... I will be the one that can explain why your child’s grade is the way it is, why he/she has an “INC”, why I marked him/her tardy etc...
My office phone is not in my classroom and I often do not hear the phone ringing. If you call my “office” and leave a voicemail I might not get the message until the following morning. If it is my prep you can have the office just ring my classroom and if I am in the room I will pick up. The BEST way to contact me is to email me. My computer is on all day and I receive email all day and at home too. I might not be able to respond immediately, but it is the quickest way to get in contact with me.
As of right now I can't think of anything else I need to add. I am sure there is more, but this is a good start. You will be receiving progress slips via email every so often with some of the pertinent class information. I hope the information is helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Meredith Smith
[email protected]