Greetings Parents/Guardians:
My name is Karen Knight, and I am excited to have your student in my Computer Apps/Introduction to Computer Science class this year. With 35 years of teaching CTE/Business Education, I have experienced many changes in technology and course content. These changes are exciting and have motivated me to be a life-long learner. In this class your student will learn important skills needed to exist in today's workplace while developing leadership and 21st Century Skills which will help him or her have a thriving career one day.
Please read the attached course syllabus and information about Future Business Leaders of America. FBLA is a student leadership organization that allows students to showcase their business talents and interests.
If you have any questions throughout the year, please contact me at:
Karen Knight, CTE Teacher
Tumwater High School, 700 Israel Road SW, Tumwater, WA 98501
360-709-7672
(preferred contact method)
I encourage you to view your student's class progress from your home computer through Skyward. If you don't have family access to Skyward, contact Jana Tyrrell at 360-709-7616 (THS Career Center). Skyward tips are included on the following pages.
Please fill in the blanks below to make it easy for me to contact you with kudos, concerns, or info about your student. (Printing would be appreciated, especially for email address.)
Please cut on the dotted line and return the portion below to your teacher. Keep all other pages for your reference.
Office User Specialist(Please Print Below)
Which period of the day are you in Office User Specialist? ______
Student Name: ______
Name of parent/guardian living with student: ______
Daytime phone number of parent/guardian: ______
Parent/guardian e-mail address: ______
Please sign, detach this portion and ask your student to return this to show that you have read and are familiar with the attached information.
Parent/Guardian Signature / DateLength of Class
One Year. Satisfies occupational credittoward graduation.
Lab Fee
- $10 due by September 21. Payments can be made at the THS ASB office or through the TSD online payment portal. After September 21, unpaid fees will be submitted to the office as a fine.
- Please show your teacher the receipt.
- The fee covers paper, toner, and color printing.
Class Overview
In today’s competitive job market, having the latest technology skills can give your student an edge when applying for their first job. Whether your student is planning for a career in technology, science, or business, the Microsoft®Imagine Academy Program gives them hands-on experience with the latest technology to help them succeed.
As a Microsoft®Imagine Academyschool, our goal is to prepare students to enter the workforce with technology skills that are in demand by employers. Students may earn Microsoft® Office Specialist Certification (MOS) to provide evidence of their computing skills to potential employers. While in this class, students will receive training on Microsoft® programs and will take Microsoft® Certification tests.
Cell Phone Policy
- All cell phones will be placed in the cell phone caddy.
- First offense—phone taken to the office—student may retrieve phone at the end of the day.
- Second offense—phone taken to the office—student assigned lunch detention.
- Third offense—phone taken to the office—parent must retrieve phone.
Student Planner Use
Students will use their planner for tracking assignments, schedules, activities, and goals. The planner will also be your hall pass record. We will periodically check your planner.
Internet/Technology Use
School technology is not your personal property and your use will be monitored by our technology staff. Please do not modify the desktop settings to meet your individual needs. This includes changing color schemes, themes, adding desktop icons, unplugging components, etc.
No Internet or games without permission. See student planner/handout for technology expectations.
TAKE NOTE: A loss of Internet privileges occurring outside this class and/or during this class will affect your entire schedule and prevent you from completing assignments while at school.
Attendance (Follow School Policy)
- Tardies—Teacher contact with guardian and office referral.
- Unexcused Absence/Truancy—Refer to steps outlined in the student handbook.
- Disruption of Learning Environment—First, the teacher will talk to the student to get to the root of the problem. If the behavior continues, the teacher will email/call home to seek parental support. Finally, the teacher will refer the student to the office (see student handbook).
Individual Class Folder (Provided by Teacher)
- Keep the folder in the classroom and in the appropriate class period basket.
- Purpose—store graded work, handouts, and work in progress.
Grading Categories
5% 21st Century Skills(Summative)
10%Assignments/Quizzes (Formative)
85% Tests (Summative)
Grading (Use Skyward Family Access to check your grades often)
1 / CTE/Business Education | Knight | Swart | JensenOffice User Specialist / 2016-2017 /
A93-100
A-90-92
B+87-89
B83-86
B-80-82
C+77-79
C73-76
C-70-72
D+67-69F0-59
D60-66
1 / CTE/Business Education | Knight | Swart | JensenMicrosoft Office Specialist (MOS) / 2016-2017 /
Skyward Tips
- Use Skyward, located on the THS home page, to access your assignments and grades.
- To get student and/or parent/guardian access, contact Jana Tyrrell at 709-7616.
- To conserve paper and help students develop responsibility, students and guardians should access Skyward to stay current on progress.
- Please read comments that may be provided by your teacher for assignment scores.
- A score of zero indicates an assignment has not been completed or has not been turned in. Occasionally, students may have the file saved on their H Drive but may not have printed it or submitted it to our drop box.
- Please note that Skyward uses an asterisk (*) to denote that no grades have been posted yet for an assignment and a message appears indicating that the assignment is missing and past due. However, in Computer Applications an asterisk means that we have entered an assignment description, point value, assigned date and due date but that we have not corrected and/or entered the score into Skyward. In the case of asterisks, please be patient with us.
Assignments and Tests (Graded)
Point values for assignments and tests vary based on the formative or summative nature of the task. Watch the overhead, white board and/or written rubrics for assignment details, points possible, and due dates. It isextremely important that you have regular attendance and that you arrive to class on time to ensure that you don’t miss out on demonstrations, directions, and lab time.
When absent you will have work to make up and you will need outside of class time [TU1]to complete the work. Time is available during CORE/FLEX, by appointment, or before/after school most days. Check the clipboard for the daily lessons.
During this class you will learn how industry uses Microsoft®2016 Applications. This class will be a combination of teacher led demonstrations and student independent work. You will be using Jasperactive™ which is a Prescriptive Learning Pathway system and GMetrix® which you will use for test taking. This will further prepare you for the MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) Certification exam. Students who earn Core Level Certification will have the opportunity to achieve a Microsoft Office Master Certification by training and testing at the Expert Level.
Testing Procedures:
- Complete Jasperactive™ Lessons.
- Complete GMetrix® tests.
- Take the MOS Certification exam. (Retake is available)
Retake Testing Procedures (Outside of Class Time):
- All Jasperactive™ lessons and GMetrix®tests must be completed before retaking an exam.
- This work can be done before/after school or during CORE/FLEX.
- Retakes must be completed within two weeks of the original exam.
- Up to one hour after school will be needed to complete this test.
21st Century Skills (Graded)
The following table lists “soft skills” that employers have identified as essential workplace skills.
Traits / Work Definition / What does it look like in class? / What it looks like if you don't demonstrate the skill.Strong
Work Ethic / Willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done well; takes initiative / Gets work done on time regardless
Puts work before fun
Stays focused / Off Task
Goofing around
Procrastinating
Doing the minimum
Doesn't finish work
Dependable and Responsible / Can be counted on in attendance and job assignments
Self-motivated; able to accept mistakes without blaming others / Maintains Planner
On time and regular attendance
Works bell to bell
Enters room quietly
Refers to overhead to get started
Follows class expectations
Follows oral and written directions
Keeps folder/binder organized
Cleans up workspace / Doesn’t have Planner filled out
Tardiness
Absences
Excessive Hall Pass Use
Doesn't put books, folder, stand away
Constantly reminded to get to work
Doesn't ask for help during class
Doesn’t use outside of class time to complete assignments
Flexible / Able to handle change; willing to take on any assignment / Adjusts to technology glitches
Changes priorities if need arises
Helps peers / Complains
Doesn’t help others
Honest and Respectful of others / Does not badmouth others
Actions match words / Respects equipment
Respects others personal space
No talking or computer use while teacher or others are talking / Changes computer settings
Messes with equipment
Disrespectable to others
Distracting others
Plagiarism
Cheating
Continuous Learner / Willing and able to gain new knowledge and learn new skills / Uses CORE/FLEX time
Seeks information on own
Problem solves / Does not try new things
Does not accept alternatives
Resilient and Persevering / Able to overcome adversity (setbacks) and stay focused / Does not give up
Ignores rude or unproductive comments / Gives up
Attentive to Detail / Inspects own work; follows through with details of job assignments / Proofreads work
All parts of assignment are completed and turned in / Doesn't log off/shut down
Missing assignment components
Parents: How Can You Get Involved?
All Career and Technical Education departments have an advisory committee that consists of volunteers from their respective industry. In our case, we have members from the business and marketing industry. We are always looking for new members to join our committee and share their knowledge of the job tasks and competencies required for related occupations, related labor market needs and courses necessary to meet these needs. The committee provides our department (CTE/Business Education) direction and guidance for the continuous improvement of our program offerings. Our committee meets a minimum of three times each school year with the BHHS Business and Marketing instructors and we ask for a minimum of three years of service. If you or anyone you know may be interested in serving on our committee, please contact THS business education department coordinator, Karen Knight at .
Student Leadership Opportunity
Leadership is an integral part of all CTE (Career and Technical Education) courses, and we encourage students to continue building upon the skills learned in class by participating in a CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization). One such option at Tumwater High School is Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Dear Guardians and Students:
Being involved in your school is important! The Tumwater High School Business Department would like to encourage ALL students to enroll in FBLA. We are fortunate that we are able to offer this organization as a co-curricular activity at our school. We will hold meetings during the school day at "Club Time" on Friday's. The meetings emphasize building teamwork, reaching individual potential, learning what FBLA can offer and much more. Occasional after-school activities focus on service, social and sales (fundraising).
Fall, winter, and spring leadership conferences are planned by our Capital Region Adviser and State Officers. The fall conference (November) provides exciting entertainment, excellent workshops, and the chance to network with other students from around the region. The winter conference (January) is for students to compete in events with hopes of qualifying to compete at the state conference. The state conference will be held in April in Spokane this year.
FBLAis a national high school organization and is known as Phi Beta Lambda on the college level. Dues for the 2016-17 year are $20per member. This rate includes national dues and state dues. At our first "Club Day" meeting in September, membership forms will be passed out to take home. Our hope is that you and your student will discuss the opportunities that FBLA provides and then return the membership form and receipt of payment to a business teacher or to Ms. Knight, Adviser in room B4 (next to the student store).
If you have any questions about this organization, please contact Ms. Knight, adviser at or 360-709-7672. Also, you may visit the State FBLA website at or the national website at for more information.
Sincerely,
Tumwater High School CTE/Business Department
Karen Knight, Melissa Swart, Arne Jensen
1 / CTE/Business Education | Knight | Swart | Jensen[TU1]Will be interesting to see if students can work from home. This program may be connected to Office Online. There is a tutorial in Lynda.com for Office Online.