I Implement a Weighted Grading System As Follows
Integrated Math 1330-954-2364 – Room 94
Miss Waysack
Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year, and your first year in high school! My name is Miss Waysack and I will be your Integrated Math 1 instructor. High school is a new and exciting time for all of you, and it is my hope that your transition through this new chapter in your lives is a smooth one. Over the next four years, you will be held to higher standards than that of middle school, and are expected to be accountable for your own work. As your teacher, I plan to do all that I can to help you to achieve the level of success that each of you are capable of. Whether your future plans include high school, college, or a career, this math course is a necessary and beneficial step towards reaching your educational goals. I wish you the best of luck and am looking forward to a great year!
Grading
I implement a weighted grading system as follows:
Tests and Quizzes (70% of your grade)
Tests and quizzes count as a majority of your grade in this class. They are given on a regular basis and you are always expected to show any work when possible. I give partial credit for work shown. This means that the more work you show, the more points you can earn. It also means that simply providing a correct answer without any work will cause you to lose points. Showing your work shows me what you know!
Homework/Notebook Checks/Group Work/Participation (30% of your grade)
Homework is an important way to review material, practice current skills, and encourage critical thinking opportunities. I assign homework nearly every night, including weekends. I grade homework for both correctness and effort. You may earn from 0 to 5 points for homework, depending on how well the assignment was attempted/completed. Since we do go over the homework in class, late homework is not usually accepted. All assignments for the week will be posted on SchoolPointe.
You will be working in groups on a very regular basis. As a member of your group, you are expected to be as productive as possible. For group work points, if you come unprepared to class or are not participating positively in your group, you will lose points.
For notebook checks, if you do not take notes and work through problems in your notebook, you will lose points. Also,if you do not correct the problems as we go over them in class, you will lose points. I expect you to come to class each ready to work so that you may have a successful learning experience.
Note: I do not raise grades at the end of the quarter or semester. What you do during the course of the year is what you will receive credit for. There will be no adjusting your grades because you waited until the last minute to worry about it. Give your best effort each day in class and your grade will reflect your hard work!
Daily Requirement for Class:
1. Textbook3. Pencil/Pen, Highlighter
2. Graphing Notebook4. Graphing Calculator: TI-84 or TI-84 plus
Class Expectations
1. Hall Passes. Each quarter you will receive 3 hall passes. These are to last you for the duration of 9 weeks. You may use a hall pass to leave the room to use the restroom, get a drink, or go to your locker. Once your hall passes are used up, you may not leave the room during my class without a consequence.
2. Be on time. When the bell rings, you must be in your seat. This does not mean you wander in the room 10 seconds after it rings. Doing so will result in either giving me one of your hall passes or a detention. Once you sit down, there will be an opener each day on the board for you to work on QUIETLY. You are expected to get out your notebook and begin working immediately until I am ready to start class.
3. Raise Your Hand. If you have a question or comment that you would like to share during class, you must raise your hand and wait to be called on. Calling out in class is one of my biggest pet peeves. I expect you to exercise patience and wait to be called upon if you would like to say something. Repeated failure to do so will result in detentions.
4. Participation. When you are in my class, I expect your full attention and participation. This means that you work hard both individually and within your group. Sleeping in class is not acceptable, and neither is doing work for another class. Both of these actions will be followed with consequences.
5. Absences. When you are absent for whatever reason, you are expected to make up any work you missed both in class and as homework. You have as many days as you were absent to do so. If you were absent Monday, you should turn in both Monday night’s and Tuesday night’s homework on Wednesday. Tests/quizzes are announced about a week ahead of time so even if you are absent the day before, you will still be expected to take these. It is solely your responsibility to find out what you missed while you were gone. Now that you are in high school, do not expect me to chase you down to remind you to follow up on the days you were out.
How to Access SchoolPointe
All assignments for the week will be posted on SchoolPointe, including tests and quizzes. To access my SchoolPointe page:
1)Go to the Aurora City Schools web page
2)Find Aurora High School’s page on the left hand side
3)Find “Teacher Web Pages” located again on the left hand side of the page
4)Locate my page under “Waysack, Crystal”
5)Be sure to select “Integrated Math 1” from the left hand side of the page
Discipline
It is my hope that this school year is a smooth and successful one for all of you while in my class. I have high expectations for you, which includes behavior. I will show the utmost respect for you as my student, and in return expect you to not only respect me, but your fellow classmates and teachers as well. I anticipate that as high school students, you can behave appropriately in class. Things such as being late, not raising your hand, throwing things, using profanity, being disrespectful/disobedient, and disrupting my class in any other way will result in detentions as mentioned. My detentions are held after school for 20 minutes, during which you will write the entire time. Sound like fun? I didn’t think so, so try to make this an enjoyable year for all of us!
Cheating
Cheating is absolutely not tolerated in my class. Honesty is important to me and I would like to see your best effort. Cheating will result in zero credit for the assignment, a call home, and possible office intervention.
Availability
It is my responsibility as your teacher to help you to become the best math student you can be. I believe that every student has the ability to succeed in my class and as long as you give me 100% effort, I will do everything that I can to make that possible. One of the ways we can work towards your success is for you to come in for extra help. I am available after school…however, if you would like to guarantee time to meet with me, it would be best for you to come to me and set up a time (especially if you can only come before school). Remember, don’t be shy…if you don’t understand something, ASK!
E-mail is the fastest way to contact me; do not hesitate to send me an e-mail at any time. I check my e-mail numerous times a day and will get back to you as soon as possible.
I look forward to getting to know you, and working with you to make this a fun, exciting, and productive school year!
Miss Waysack
Integrated Math 1 – Classroom Policies
I, ______have read the above syllabus and understand what is expected of me on a daily basis in class. I have shown this syllabus to my parent/guardian as well. They are also aware of my daily expectations and will e-mail you at any time if there are any questions or problems that need clarified.
______
Signature of Parent/Guardian Signature of Student
Parent/Guardian Contact Information: Please put a * next to your preferred method of contact.
Home Phone: ______
Cell Phone: ______
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