Health

Welcome back! This is going to be a great year and I know we will a lot. Health is a passion for me both in and out of school. I look forward to a great semester of questions, answers, and discoveries from the entire class. The teen years are some of the busiest when it comes to your health. Hopefully, this class can shed some light on your lives. Please feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions at my email: .

Enjoy the year!

Mana Aminah Greenwell

What we cover:

In this class you will learn how to become a health-literate adult. We will discuss proper nutrition and exercise and the effects our habits have on our bodies. We will beak down the complicated machine that is our bodies and understand how we all got started. My hope is that by the end of this class you will gain a deeper understanding of the knowledge and behaviors you can use to safeguard your health. The book used is: Glenco Health by Bronson and Merki.

How the class is run:

The board has the assignments and the discussions for the class about 3 weeks in advance. You will always know what we are doing ahead of time. The night before we work on a section your homework will be to read that section, write out the vocabulary definitions, and answer the questions at the end of that section. If you are stumped on any part (only after you have tried to find it) you can leave it blank and ask about it in class.

The next day we will discuss that section by doing one of the following: either I will do an open question and answer period about both the homework and the section (at which time students should take additional notes directly onto the homework) or I will give a pop quiz over that section. The catch is this: Ifhomework iscomplete, students are allowed to use the homework and notes on the pop quiz. If you did your homework the quiz is a breeze, if not, your grade will reflect it. When will I give the pop quizzes? You can never know.

The day after we end the chapter you will have a chapter quiz and the last day there will be a chapter test.

What you need everyday:

- Two different writing utensils (one usually a red pen).

- Paper in a spiral that can be torn out or a binder with loose-leaf paper.

- A binder to keep all your handouts and packets.

- Your textbook- ALWAYS HAVE IT!!

Grade breakdown:

Pop quiz grades: 20%These are like daily grades. 2-5 of these a week.

Chapter quiz grades: 30% You will have one of these per chapter covered.

Tests: 50%These include multiple choice, matching, and short answer.

Extra credit: If you do the end of chapter review in the book and turn it in the day of the test, you can have up to 10 points added to your test grade.

Test Corrections: These are available to everyone. Corrections are due no later than 3 days after a student gets a test back. Corrections must include the page number and paragraph number from where the student found the correct answer in the textbook- without this, the corrections are not valid. Students may get half credit back for each corrected answer with the highest grade available being a 70.

Note to Parents: You can now access your student’s grades and notes from teachers through TX Connect. The administration will send out information on how to log into it. Students will also bring home a report card every 6 weeks as well as a progress report at the mid 6 weeks (so you will see grades every 3 weeks). If students return the progress report signed within two days of receiving it, they will have their lowest pop quiz grade replaced with a 100.

Make-up work, attendance, and tardiness:

The work is on the board far in advance so you will always know what is due when. If you are ever absent in my class you MUST have a note from a parent or the excuse note the front office gives out, to excuse the absence. If the absence is not excused, it will result in a zero for whatever was done that day (yes- even if it was a test).

Morning classes start at 7:45. A student is considered tardy exactly 3 minutes after the start of any class. If you come in tardy I will document it, and you will not be allowed to make up work that is missed (unless you have a doctor's note). The first time students get a warning. The second time, it is mentioned in progress reports and report cards. The third time, results in a discipline referral. The fourth time, there will be a parent/student/teacher conference. With any tardy, students must got to the front office to get a tardy slip taking away from instruction time that students cannot make up.

In the case of a pre-arranged absence, the student should come to me in advance to make arrangements to have that work done before leaving or ready immediately upon return.

The student must also be in class at least 90% of the time to receive credit. There are no exceptions to the 90% rule. Excused or unexcused, passing or failing, if you miss more than 90% you will not receive credit for this class. This is a rule for both the state of Texas and Star.

Late work policy:

Star has adopted a zero tolerance policy toward late work. That means that no late work is accepted. If you do not have the work when it is due you will receive a zero. This applies to everything from daily grades to major tests and projects. For large projects where you have had weeks to prepare please do not assume that being absent for one day before the presentation gives you permission to not turn it in the day it is due.

The first time work is missing the student gets a warning. The second time, it is brought up on progress reports and report cards. The third time, results in a discipline referral. The fourth time, there will be a parent/student/teacher conference.

Class Recommendations:

Star has an advanced curriculum so it is a lot of work. These are steps that I recommend you take to better balance your workload in this class.

  1. There are fewer students in Star classrooms. There is time for you to ask questions. You can do it in class or one on one. Please take advantage of that.
  2. You have an extra half-day to work so use it! Don’t wait until the last minute to do your homework. Devoting the proper amount of time to the homework each night makes the class much, much, MUCH easier.
  3. Stay organized. Keep homework in your spiral so that it is easy to find and use on pop quizzes.
  4. Use a planner to balance and organize all of your classes.
  5. Read the section before answering the questions at the end. It makes all the difference when it is time to study for a test.
  6. Don’t get behind. Missing one night of homework means doubling it the next night.
  7. If you need help please ask me! If you are doing your homework and you are still having a hard time on tests and quizzes, you need to let me know so that we can work together to solve the problem.
  8. Take advantage of test corrections, but do not rely on them above studying for the test. You only get half credit back, so don’t assume that you can bring the grade up to passing if you did not study for the test at all.

House Rules:

  1. Take responsibility for your own actions. This is the most important rule in my classroom. We all make mistakes. It could be not doing your homework or getting caught doing something wrong. Now that you are becoming adults, the best things to do are tell me what you did, accept the consequences, and tell me that you will do better next time. The rules and consequences are clearly stated in this syllabus and are equally applied so please take responsibility for your actions. I will always have the most respect for you when you are simply honest about your mistakes. It is also very easy to forgive when you do so. 
  2. Do not vandalize any classroom or personal property.
  3. Do not chew gum in class. This is a school rule. The first time I catch you with it, you will get a warning. The second time, your punishment is to stay standing for a determined amount of time during class (usually the whole period). The third time, you will get a discipline referral for not following the rules. Warning: I will enforce these rules even if I do not see the gum but I suspect you are chewing. Gum swallowers beware!
  4. Be respectful to teachers and other students in class. Breaking this rule will quickly give you a discipline referral to the front office.
  5. No food or beverage is allowed in class with the exception of water. …Real water…no color.
  6. You may only use your homework on the pop quiz if homework is complete. It is perfectly fine to leave a question or two blank because you need help on it. But homework that is partially or halfway done will not be allowed on pop quizzes. This is different from years before.
  7. You cannot use my printer or my personal computer. If you need to print something off for my class you will need to go to the computer lab and you will have had to do it in advance. If it is not printed when class starts it is not there and considered a zero. Tip: Don’t try to print it out the day it is due. The computer lab will inevitably not work and it will leave you with a zero.
  8. Do not use the fridge or microwave. I have found that if I let one person do it, students will try to come into my classroom in the middle of class time to use it.
  9. I do not tolerate offensive, racist, bigoted, and hurtful comments. They have no place in my classroom, this school, or your mind.
  1. Cell phones or electronic devices are not allowed to be on or seen in class. If I hear it or see it after you walk into the door it belongs to me for 24 hours or when a parent comes to retrieve it- whatever comes first.

Health Syllabus

Please sign that you have read and understand the information above. If you return this form tomorrow (the second day of school) you will receive a free pop quiz grade of 100. Return only the section below the line and keep the rest in your binder for your records. All students must return this syllabus with a parent’s signature.

I understand the rules I must follow, their consequences, and the obligations that I have to Mrs. Greenwell’s class.

______

Student Name (print) Student Signature and Date

______

Parent Signature Parent Email Address and/or Phone Number: