English I A. Carter

Northwest Rankin High School

2014-2015

August 7, 2014

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to English I at Northwest Rankin High School! I’m excited to have you in my class, and I look forward to a good year. Please take a few minutes to carefully read this letter and the enclosed information so that you (or your child) will be ready for success in my classroom!

Clear communication will, of course, be key to success this year. You will find all kinds of helpful information (including daily assignments to check when you’ve missed class) on my website. To find my website

  • Go to the Rankin County School website (rcsd.ms)
  • Click on “Select a School” and select Northwest Rankin High School
  • From the NWRHS page, click on “faculty” and select my name (Carter, April), which will take you to my page!
  • You may also contact me by email at , or by phone through the school office at 601-992-2242.

Please fill-out, sign, and return the confirmation that you’ve read this letter and the attached informationby the next class meeting.Parents, please also provide your up-to-date contact information so I will be able to communicate with you as needed. This will count as the first graded homework assignment for the year! Speaking of grades, this is how they will break down:

40% Formative grades (daily grades, practice assignments, quizzes, and so forth)

60% Summative grades (major/unit tests)

**Semester exam grades are worth 20% of that semester’s grade.

An important reminder: students, you were to have read The Last Lecture as summer reading. Starting the beginning of next week (August 11) you MUST have it finished to participate in class (and receive the accompanying grades)! You may access an electronic copy of the book through the NWRHS website. Please ask if you have trouble finding it!

Parents and students, I am look forward to a productive year of partnering with you in education. My hope is that you will always remember this as an excellent year!

Sincerely,

April Carter

REQUIRED SUPPLIES:

(Students—you should have these things with you EVERY time you come to class.)

  • 3-ring binder(at least 1 inch)
  • Tab dividers (at least 5: vocabulary, reading logs, bellwork, class notes, miscellaneous)
  • 1 pocket folders with brads – preferred specific color based on block

(A2 block—purple folder, B5 block – red folder,B7 block – green folder, B8 block – blue folder)

  • Pencils and black pens
  • Colored pens (not black or red – any other color will work for editing/revising)
  • Lined loose-leaf notebook paper (college or wide ruled)
  • Highlighters
  • $5 English fee (by cash or check made out to NWRHS)

Please choose one or more of the following items to bring for classroom use :

Kleenex, Pencils, Germ-X, notebook paper, markers

Classroom Expectations

(All falling into two basic categories . . .)

  1. Be prepared and responsible
  2. Be prepared to speak up (having done your homework , read your assignment, and THOUGHT about these things)
  3. Always have appropriate writing utensils, paper, and books. All major works or outside reading will be announced in class. If a work is not in the literature book, it is the student’s responsibility to acquire a copy.
  4. Turn in work on time—at the BEGINNING of the class on the due date. Turn it in according to my instructions (usually in your class’s colored basket).
  5. Late homework will not receive higher than 70%—the later it is, the larger the number of point deducted. When work is more than a week late, or the Summative (Unit) Test has already been taken, the late work will very likely NOT receive any credit.
  6. When you miss class (for ANY reason) take the initiative to find out what you missed and get your make-up work in ASAP. You will have the number of days you were absent plus one before your make-up work is late. Example: if you missed 2 days of class, you will have 3 days after you return to school to make up what you missed. (Certain homework assignments may not be accepted late and are left to teacher descretion.) Please note: Research papers and oral presentations/projects will not be accepted late. Research papers must be turned in on the due date whether you are at school that day or not. If you are absent on the date that an oral presentation/project is due, you must be prepared to present on the first class day of your return to school with a score no greater than 80% of the possible points unless otherwise directed by your teacher. This policy will be strictly enforced! Work must be made up before or after school. Please make the appropriate arrangements.
  7. Take care of your bathroom needs between classes. Permission to miss class to go to the bathroom will be very rare.
  8. Astudent may “re-do” a summative assignment or grade that he or she feels is sub-standard twice a nine weeks. To take advantage of this opportunity, the student must complete all work or assignments leading up to the summative grade and have his or her parent sign the acknowledgement. All of this information must be presented to the teacher prior to the agreed upon date of the “re-do.” The student must schedule this date with the teacher. Students have 5 days upon return of the grade to complete the re-do opportunity. Students may earn back half credit. *Research papers, final essays, and projects may not be redone. Advanced Placement courses do not have “re-do” options.
  9. Consider a due date as the LAST possible time/day to turn in an assignment. Assignments may be turned in before the due date.
  10. The English department feels strongly that a student’s grade should be an accurate representation of that student’s performance. Therefore, no extra credit will be offered. Bonus grade opportunities will sometimes be awarded. These grades will be calculated into the student’s average as an extra grade. The averages of the students who do not participate will not be affected.
  11. If you complete all assignments, listen in class, and review each night, you will find that you are well prepared for tests. If a major test is missed, it is your responsibility to arrange to make up a test within the allotted time either before or after school, the time and place to be arranged with the teacher.
  12. Students will be assigned vocabulary regularly, often as part of the literature being read and sometimes as an independent activity. Students will complete various activities using these words, such as analogies, double sentences, sentence completions, synonyms, antonyms, and related words. Students will then be tested on the assigned words. A section of your three-ring binder should be for the independent vocabulary activities. Vocabulary that comes from literature being studied will be kept with the Reading Journal notes for that piece of literature.
  13. Students will be assigned pre-bell activities (or “Bell work”) regularly. Students will complete the various activities and will receive a cumulative grade for the accurate completion of the activities. A section of your three-ring binder should be for pre-bell activities.
  1. Be Respectful
  2. Show respect to all of your fellow students and your teacher, both in attitude and in your words. In a high school English class we will discuss many things and you will not all agree. The only way to learn to really think through these things is to have a safe atmosphere, and that requires showing respect to each other, no exceptions.
  3. Cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, and earphones are NOT ALLOWED unless teachers give permission for educational purposes. School electronic policies will be strictly enforced. Cell phones must be turned off and put away in backpacks (not in pockets or hands). On rare occasions we may use them for a class activity. Unless instructed otherwise, if I see or hear your phone, I will confiscate it. Period.
  4. Be in your seat when the tardy bell rings and begin bell-ringer.Ask permission before you leave your seat for any reason (sharpening pencils, blowing noses . . . whatever the reason). This will greatly reduce chaos in the classroom and make it much easier to concentrate on the task at hand.
  5. No eating or drinking in class--unflavored water is the exception. It is allowed.
  6. Clean up any trash around your desk and throw it away as you leave class (NOT by practicing your free-throw from across the room).
  7. Do not write on the boards unless instructed by the teacher to do so.
  8. When the teacher talks to the class, you will be respectful and not talk.
  9. Cheating will not be tolerated. Students will receive an automatic zero. Turnitin.com is used on all major writing assignments

Both parents and students, please sign below indicating you have read and are willing to comply with all of the information in this letter (including obtaining the necessary supplies and paying the $5 English fee). Detach this portion to return to me, and keep the rest for your reference.

Parents’ names (please circle parent(s) with whom the child lives):

Father ______Mother ______

Email ______Email ______

Preferred ph. # ______Preferred ph. # ______

Whom should I contact for a conference? ______

Parent’s signature ______Date ______

Student’s signature ______Date ______

**Remember, returning this form, filled out and signed by parent and student, counts for the first homework grade this semester! Turn it in promptly!