Dear Parent or Guardian,

I would just like to take a moment to welcome you and your student to my U.S. History class here at Knightdale High School. U.S. History is the last of three social studies courses which your student will need to pass in order to graduate from high school in Wake County (the others are Civics & Economics and World History). Course credit depends solely on finishing the semester with a cumulative passing average of 70% or higher. The final average will be determined as follows: 1st 9-weeks = 40%, 2nd 9-weeks = 40%, final exam = 20%.

I would also like for you to understand how each 9-weeks grade will be determined for the course:

Tests / 50%
Quizzes / 20%
Class work / Homework / 20%
Document Assessments / 10%

Interim reports will be sent home about every 3 weeks. I strongly encourage you to monitor grades on-line through SPAN, which (time allowing) I update daily. If you do not have a SPAN account set up, please visit the Wake County Public Schools website at: http://www.wcpss.net/span/ for details on how to apply for one.

I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with my contact information and to invite you to contact me at any time with concerns, problems, or questions. My school e-mail address is . I can also be reached at the school between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM on school days – the telephone number for the main office is 217-5350. I am always glad to meet with you in person either before school (7-8 AM), during my planning period (8:15-9:35 AM), or after school (after 3 PM); simply make an appointment to meet with me through the school’s Student Services office. For documentation reasons, I am unable to meet with you directly unless you request a meeting through your student’s counselor in Student Services.

Finally, I have created a syllabus which shows what our topics will be each day throughout the semester and when major tests will be administered. I hope that this will help you and your student stay up to date with where we are in class in case of unforeseen absences; the syllabus is accessible from my class website: http://wbphillipskhs.pbworks.com or through the www.edmodo.com site (for students who create an account). Please check it regularly – this is where I will post any necessary changes in our schedule, as well as copies of in-class handouts.

For the online version of the U.S. History textbook including chapter summaries, online quizzes, and other study tools, go to: http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/ushistory/tav2003/index.php4

There is a link at the top of the webpage for the online edition of the textbook. Click on it and then enter your username and password.

Username: TAV

Password: W3DRAQAGEC

With best regards,

W. Brian Phillips

Social Studies Department

Knightdale High School