Chaparral Middle School Home of the Cougars August 2018 Dear Parents and Students... Welcome to Chaparral! I hope you are as excited as I am at the start of this new school year. It should be filled with lots learning and fun! MATERIALS: I don t have any special materials that the other teachers probably haven t asked you for already. However, I have two minor ones I would like the students to have some green or blue pens for correcting work. Try not to get red or black. And I would like one spiral or composition notebook that is used exclusively for science notes. Nothing fancy - just a cheap Wal-Mart notebook. I will provide these for your child if you are unable, or choose not to provide one for them. Please have them ask ahead of time, if needed. We're going to practice taking notes all year and build our skills as we go. By keeping all your notes together, you have a ready resource to use to practice for quizzes and tests. In addition, you can view your growth in note taking as the year goes on. Middle school is where we start to prepare for the challenges of high school and beyond - organization is a great place to start. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: Starting in middle school, the expectation for the students will be that they begin to take more and more responsibility for their own education. The teacher is not going to remind them of due dates or give them a pencil when they forget one. The Binder Reminder, teacher websites, and Homework Buddies are all resources the student can use to help them manage their responsibilities. One of their responsibilities is to write down all assignments for class. Assignments will always be on the board when they come to class. You should be able to look at their Binder Reminder every day and see something written in each class. There is no such thing as No homework. Another responsibility is to always make sure they re giving their best effort. Following the instructions / guidelines for an assignment is important. However, most of these guidelines / instructions are only the minimum required from each student. Completing only the minimum requirements will not get the student an A grade, but will result in an average (C) grade. To receive an A, or excellent grade, the student must go beyond the general expectations. Almost ALL homework will be found on my website. It is the expectation that the student will be responsible for printing and completing any assignment, as the assignments will not be passed out in class. Those students without internet access or working printers will have other options to help them prevent late assignments. But they will still have sole responsibility for obtaining the assignment on their own. Please inform the teacher if you do not have a computer, internet access, or printing capabilities as soon as possible, to avoid any consequences.
HOMEWORK POLICY: Homework is a valuable aid in helping students because it prepares students for upcoming lessons, reinforces what is taught in class that day, and helps develop self-discipline, responsibility and organizational skills, etc. Please help make homework a positive experience by providing necessary supplies, a quiet work environment, and by showing interest and support in their studies. Homework will primarily be assigned only on Block Schedule days. Homework will rarely be given on Wednesdays, which is usually a 6-period day. So A days will get homework on Monday (due Thursday), and on Thursday (due Monday). B days follow a similar schedule, but on Tuesdays and Fridays. Homework is always due at the beginning of class. Due dates will be given if an assignment takes more than one day. Chaparral s Block Schedule is unique. In a block schedule, the student has 2-4 nights to complete homework. We recommend that homework is completed the day it is assigned, so that the student still has an extra day to clear up any misunderstanding, ask questions, get copies, or clear up any other difficulties that might come up. In addition to daily homework, students are expected to also review notes, corrected worksheets, and other resources to be better prepared for upcoming quizzes or tests. Learning is an ongoing process that requires practice, practice, practice. You need to exercise your brain just like your muscles, to get it to grow bigger and stronger. Just like piano practice or soccer practice (or even playing video games), you get better faster the more you practice. Homework is meant to be a time to make mistakes to practice what we are learning. The expectation is that students will ALWAYS give their best effort. If they still don t get the answer correct, that s okay. For many of the assignments we do this year in Science, the students will get 100% just for trying every problem, even if they are incorrect - but only after giving their best effort. In class we will correct and review the homework, and share feedback to see where mistakes were made. By going over the mistakes and then correcting them, the student will learn from those mistakes, without the fear of doing poorly all the time. And their homework grade will not suffer very much because they got some answers wrong while they were practicing. However, because of this philosophy, homework will only be a small part of the overall grade, as outlined below. If they learn from their mistakes, and practice and study regularly, they should do well on the quizzes and tests, and their overall grade will benefit. But if they don t learn from their mistakes on the homework, they will repeat them on the tests and grades will suffer. Grading Scale: (standard scale) Weight: 100% - 90% = A Tests/Quizzes 60-65% 89% - 80% = B Class work 79% - 70% = C Homework 25-30% 69% - 58% = D Reading WS 10% 57% - 0% = F 100%
ABSENT WORK: Please try to limit absences as much as possible. Every class a child misses is 95 minutes of instruction in the Block Schedule, which is like two regular days of class. It is harder to catch up than with a regular schedule. Therefore, please schedule appointments after school hours, on weekends, or during holidays as much as possible. After an absence, it is the student s responsibility to get the missing assignment and due dates. Check the teacher websites, look in the Homework Box in class, ask a Homework Buddy, or request missing work from the teacher. Absent work should be submitted in a timely manner within a few days of returning to school. - Please remember that there are numerous places/resources to find absent work. - Don t try to use an absence as an excuse for falling behind the pace of the class. LATE WORK: Late homework is not encouraged and will not be accepted for full credit. Unless a student is absent, or has made prior arrangements, points will be deducted the longer the assignment is late up to 50% off the actual graded value. Any late work MUST be turned in by the end of the school quarter it was assigned, if it is to receive any credit at all. Late work turned in after the current quarter will receive 0% credit. BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS: At Chaparral, our classrooms are intended to be a learning/sharing community in which all students have the right to feel safe, supported, and prepared to succeed. The following expectations and guidelines have been set up to enhance the student s learning Be Prepared Come to class with ALL required materials every day! If you can t supply something yourself, please ask the teacher before class begins Bring in Homework on time! Be Respectful Listen to and follow directions the first time they are given No interrupting the speaker, whether student, teacher, or guest - Raise your hand and wait to be called upon Show consideration and regard for others - Not just belongings, but also their feelings and learning - Remember the Golden Rule Be Productive Use class time for learning / actively participate in your education - Knowledge doesn t just sink in when you sit and listen - You have to work/practice to get it in, so it fits and makes sense Be Your Best Give your best effort every time! - The student who does only what is asked is only demonstrating average effort - An A grade reflects added work and effort in all areas
PARENT / STUDENT INVOLVEMENT: One of the best ways to ensure that your child always has the chance to do their best is by taking an active role in their education. An important way for you to do this would be to sit down with your child each evening and go through the events of the day. This allows you to follow your child s educational growth, and this demonstrates that his/her education is important to you. In addition, we recommend the following The parent / guardian... will let the child know that education is very important to them will provide a comfortable / consistent environment for doing homework will regularly check the Binder Reminder and websites for assignments and due dates will regularly check to make sure students complete homework with best effort evident will try to sit down each day to discuss the events of the day with your child will regularly check Parent Portal to keep track of grades, scores, and any missing work - assignments / scores will be updated at least once a week - progress reports will be e-mailed at least every two weeks will hold the student accountable for the following... It is the student s responsibility to... follow the expectations of the core complete all assignments on time actively participate in their learning make a positive contribution to their classes each day show excellent effort in all things (minimum = average) understand that homework and studying are important for learning and growth ask for assistance before they fall behind understand that mistakes are simply opportunities to learn better CITIZENSHIP: At Chaparral, we are committed to maintaining a positive and fair atmosphere that is conducive to a quality education. We view our system of expectations, rewards, and consequences as effective reinforcement, allowing your child to manage his/her own academic and social development. Poor study or organizational skills, lack of responsibility or motivation, or poor classroom behavior will affect a student s citizenship grade. All students who follow the classroom rules will earn a 2 (= satisfactory) automatically To earn a 1 (= outstanding), a student must also participate regularly in classroom discussions and activities, work well with and help others, show best effort, etc. Students who choose not to follow all expectations will earn a lower citizenship grade: 3 = needs improvement or 4 = unacceptable Lower citizenship scores may affect eligibility for extra-curricular activities offered by the school, such as dances, after-school sports and clubs, assemblies, and our 7 th grade camp experience in May.
Hopefully, by following these guidelines, we can work together to help your child develop good work habits, organizational skills, and a sense of responsibility necessary for success in both school and daily life. Encourage your child to ask for help as soon as he/she feels they might be falling behind, before things get out of control. We offer additional help and study opportunities before school, at lunchtime, and most afternoons, for those students who request the assistance. It is my goal that your child will have a successful year in Science. The time you spend helping and encouraging your student is greatly appreciated. With your support and encouragement, I anticipate a great year. Periodically, you will receive an update on your student s progress by e-mail. Please make sure that I have the most current e-mail for you on record. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at jreutzel@walnutvalley.k12.ca.us, or call me at 909-861-6227. Sincerely, Mr. Reutzel Science Homework website www.chaparralmiddle.org By signing the form below, we indicate that we have read and understood the classroom expectations found in this Science Newsletter. Student Name (please print clearly) LAST NAME FIRST NAME Parent Signature Student Signature Parent E-mail preferred (if different that the one on file already?)