Policies and Procedures

                 The policies and procedures I have instituted are in place to foster community, facilitate learning, and promote both the school’s mission and our Student Learning Expectations.

Grading policy:

¨ Quarterly grades are based on the percentage of total points earned.  Grades are not weighted by category, although category averages can be viewed in the online grade book.   Quarterly grades for literature (reading), composition, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary are averaged and posted  as a single grade in English.

¨ Tests, essays, and special projects carry higher point values than individual homework assignments or quizzes; as a result, those assessments have greater impact upon quarter grades.  That said,  the total point value for homework and quizzes does add up.  Diligence and a consistent work ethic are key to academic success.

¨ From time to time, I offer extra-credit opportunities open to all students.  Generally, I will not devise individual extra-credit assignments.  

General guidelines:

¨ My goal is to create a culture of reading.  To that end, literature experiences will be the heart of our curriculum.  In addition to completing the reading required for class,  I expect students to engage in independent reading.  While it is not required that all students complete the yearly 25-book Reading Achievement program, it is required that all students log on the Reading Achievement tally sheet their personal reading achievement for the year.  Tally sheets will be collected at the end of the 4th quarter.

¨ Students are encouraged to borrow books from the classroom library.  If you wish to borrow a book, please sign the check-out ledger, noting the book’s title and the date of check-out.  Please return books in a timely manner.  You will be asked to replace or cover the cost of a book that is damaged or suffers undue deterioration while in your care. 

¨ All writing in Room 16 is done in cursive.   Papers submitted in printed writing will be redone in cursive.  Only crossword puzzles, graphic organizers, and sentence diagrams may be printed.

¨ Over a weekend preceding a week we will study a Vocabulary Workshop unit, students must preview the VW PowerPoint presentation posted on this web page.

¨ If I cannot read it, it is incorrect.

¨ I prefer that you paper clip multiple pages.  Eschew staples.

¨ Books issued to you, including your agenda, VW book,  Grammar for Writing (8), and any novel, may not be defaced with doodling of any kind.

¨ Students who use coarse or unkind language will be fined .25 for each infraction.  At the end of the school year, a book related to improving one’s vocabulary will be purchased for the class.  Telling a classmate to “shut up” will not be tolerated.