Mahopac Middle School

MAHOPACMIDDLE SCHOOL

425 Baldwin Place Road

Mahopac, NY 10541

(845) 621-1330/Fax (845) 628-5847

Mr. Thomas J. Manko Ira Gurkin

Superintendent of Schools Principal

Anna O’ConnorHelen HorvitzLisa Emanuele

Assistant Principal Assistant Principal Special Education Administrator

CSE Chairperson

Dear Student and Parent(s),

It is wonderful to see so many of you returning to our team! Although the majority of you know what we expect in the classroom, it is important to reinforce what we are looking for this year. There are also some new faces joining us that may not be aware of our policies. Following these guidelines, and putting forth your best effort, should help you to have a fantastic year!

MATERIALS:

The following materials MUST be brought to class EVERY DAY!

1. Your binder, with allnecessary pens, pencils, highlighters and colored pencils.

2. Your assignment notebook.

3. A calculator.

4. Any necessary review books or lab material (this will typically be announced when needed).

*Your text book will be expected to be left AT HOME. It is absolutely necessary to be doing the assigned reading in this book at home – NO EXCEPTIONS!

BEHAVIOR IN CLASS:

You are now in 8th grade. You know what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Raise your hand, be on task, do not destroy or deface school property, and be kind to each other. Nothing less will be tolerated.
Lab behavior requires that everyone listens carefully and BE SAFE at all times. Those who cannot follow these rules will be asked to complete the lab after school under supervision.

LABORATORY:

In addition to the daily scheduled period, there is a laboratory period that meets once within the 4 day cycle. This will create a “double period”. You must be prepared for BOTH class and lab on your scheduled lab day. You will not be allowed to go to your locker between periods.
Regents Living Environment had a mandated laboratory requirement, and successful completion of this course earns one unit of credit in regents science. Each student MUST be engaged in a MINIMUM of 20 hours (1200 minutes) of laboratory activities. Satisfactory written reports of these must be prepared by each student. At the completion of the course, these laboratory reports must be kept in the school for six months following the date of the examination. Pursuant to section 7 of the Education Law, Section 8.2c of the rules of the Board of Regents: “Only those persons who have satisfactorily met the laboratory requirement as stated in the state syllabus for a science shall be admitted to the Regents examination in such science”.
All lab write-ups are due either the following day in class, or by the next lab class. Due dates will be given during the laboratory period. Lab write-ups must meet the minimum regents requirement to be accepted. Any lab that is “below regents standards” must be redone.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Assignments may consist of reading, writing assignments, preparation of a lab report, worksheets, review of class notes, and exam preparation.

2. No late work will be accepted for credit. Work missed due to legitimate absence from class must be made up within 5 school days or a zero will be assigned.

3. You are expected to do all of your own work. COPYING IS UNACCEPTABLE, and any

assignment that we determine has been copied will not receive credit.

4. Please use the following heading on all papers to be handed in:

Name ______Date ______

Teacher-Period ______

GRADING:

Grading will be determined by adding up all of the points you have earned on assignments, labs, and exams (quizzes & tests) and then dividing that number by the total number of points possible. You will be keeping track of your own grades and learning how to calculate your average, so that you can know your approximate grade at all times.

The best and most timely way for your parents to know how you are doing in class is to speak with you and periodically look through the science section in your binder, and see the various grades you have been achieving. If your parents are connected to the Internet, they can get an account to Parent Portal (from the guidance department) and we will be posting the science grades on this site. This is an excellent way to see if assignments are not being handed in.

**Parent Portal will not be updated on a daily basis. Grades on Parent Portal will be posted periodically.

ABSENCES:

Good attendance is a prerequisite to obtaining good results in school. Frequent absences from class (for any reason) result in large amounts of work that MUST be made up. If you are absent, you are still responsible making up all the work you missed! You may find out what the night’s assignment is through your homework buddies, my website, or Parent Connect. Remember, your textbook and binder are always at home.

It is the student’s responsibility to see that missed work is made up in a timely fashion. Work missed due to legitimate absence from class must be made up within 5 school days or a zero will be assigned.

EXTRA HELP:

After school help is available on Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. until 2:50 p.m., with the exception of those days when we may have a meeting to attend.

I also have a website available for help and fun. The web address is:

www1.mahopac.k12.ny.us/mms/teachers/petersend

This web site contains homework assignments, notes, important dates to remember and other neat topics of interest.

We are looking forward to a successful and fun year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. D. Petersen