2015-2016
Honors VA/US Government Syllabus
Mrs. Collins – Nansemond River High School
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General Overview
Welcome to Honors Virginia/United States Government Please be sure to read over this syllabus to become completely familiar with procedure and content. Students will develop the skills and knowledge necessary for becoming an informed and responsible citizen. Students will develop a basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the three branches of government on the federal and state levels. The values and principles of America’s democratic system will be emphasized. This course will focus on the awareness of basic rights and responsibilities of a productive citizen in a democratic society.
Expectations
1)It is expected that you will come to class each day and complete all assignments and participate in class discussion.
2)Participation is very important in this class because we do not only learn about the democratic process, we also discuss current events and how they relate to government and our lives. Each student is expected to voice his or her opinion and add to the discussion of the class is an educated debate forum.
3)You are expected to bring your “A” game to this class. You will be putting forth a considerable amount of effort. Stay focused and consistent.
4)Make-up work – Be on time and try to avoid missing class. All assignments are posted on my website and there is a calendar with work that is done in class, quizzes, tests, and due dates. If you miss an in-class assignment, you have FIVE DAYS (not class meeting days), to make it up. If you miss a quiz or test, you must arrange a make-up day with me, but assignments due on TEST DAY WILL BE DUE THE DAY YOU RETURN. If you miss days before a test or quiz, but are present on test day, you WILL take the test that day. They are all pre-announced and on the calendar. It is your responsibility to keep up with your work. We will not spend class time on your make-up assignments. Please make sure your parents have access to the grade book through Home Access. I will not be looking up your missing assignments for you.
5)If you are planning to be out of school for an activity, club, trip or sport, it is your responsibility to make sure assignments are turned in and test make ups are arranged BEFORE your absence. I am not usually informed of these activities ahead of time through the school, so please take responsibility for your activities and absences and do not use them as an excuse for late work. Late work due to an absence for trip you knew about in advance will NOT be accepted.
6)If you arrive late to class, it is up to you to catch up and join the class. You will not disrupt instruction because of tardiness.
7)Late work – NONE! If you are absent on a due date, your work is due the next day you are at school, whether or not it is a class meeting day. You may drop work by between classes or before or after school. Do not interrupt another class to do so.
8)Email – each student must have a signed computer agreement on file with the school so they may use the school’s computers. For this class, each student MUST use his or her Suffolk Public Schools e-mail address. This is so we can share Google Documents and collaborate on projects. Most other e-mail programs are blocked through our system.
9)Grading Scale
10)Cell phone/personal device policy – SUFFOLK PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS A BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE POLICY. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT STUDENTS MAY USE DEVICES “AT WILL” BUT STATES THAT IT IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE TEACHER. Any student who brings a cell phone into my classroom will place it in a pre-assigned area in silent mode or powered off. The phone will not be used without specific permission from me. “But we were finished” is not an excuse for whipping out a phone in class. Violation of this policy will result in confiscation of the phone, which will be taken and turned in to the office with an accompanying referral before I leave school for the day. This will require a trip by the parent to the school to pick up the phone. There are times I will allow students to use electronic devices, and it will be very clear when this is appropriate.
11)Binders – Students will keep a binder (and bring it to class daily) with all assignments up to date. Each test day, binders will be collected, and the completeness of this binder will be a quiz grade. So keep it up to date. Being absent does not excuse you from ANY class assignments. They will all be posted on the website.
Binders will be organized with 8 tabs and labeled as follows
Tab 1 – Warm-Ups/Current Events
Tab 2 - Lecture Notes
Tab 3 – Vocabulary
Tab 4 – Class work
Tab 5 – Projects
Tab 6– Graded Tests and Quizzes
Tab 7 – Syllabus and Reference Materials
Tab 8 – Other
This syllabus and links to the curriculum, as well as many other resources are available on my website – There is also a class calendar that will be updated as necessary, with a follow-up reminder for any changes to the calendar.
Please sign up for the class reminders by either text or e-mail. Students and parents are welcome to sign up to keep up with any changes to our schedule.
Acknowledgement
I have read and understand the syllabus above and agree to abide by classroom procedures and policies including late work and device expectation described in the syllabus.
Student Name______Student Signature______Date
Parent Name(s)______
Parent Contact telephone number ______Parent e-mail______
Parent Signature______
If there is anything else I need to know, please do not hesitate to call or email.