Mira Costa High School
Mira Costa High School
Classroom Expectations
2011-2012
Course: English 1-2 CP Teacher: Westerberg
Conference Period: 6th
1. ATTENDANCE
A. Absence
1. You must be physically present or you are defined as absent.
2. It is the policy of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District to encourage students’ regular attendance and participation in all classes. Student participation and personal interaction with teachers and with fellow classmates are recognized as integral parts of the students’ high school learning experience.
3. Excessive excused absences may directly affect a student’s grade whether by missing class lectures and discussions or by failing to turn in homework and tests.
4. When students lose a class, they lose credit and can become ineligible for athletics and/or for co-curricular activities.
B. Clearing Absences
1. You must bring a note signed by your parent/guardian stating the reason for your absence to the attendance office within three days of your return to school.
2. Unless you have cleared the absence with a note from a parent through the attendance office, you will be marked truant. The attendance office is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and during snack and lunch. CLEARING AN ABSENCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR TARDINESS.
C. Off-Grounds Pass/Leaving Campus
You must obtain an Off-Grounds Pass from the attendance office, if you are required to leave campus
for any reason. A student, who has a doctor/dental appointment or must leave campus for any reason after he/she has arrived at school, must first acquire an off-grounds pass from the Attendance Office. The Attendance Office will not issue an off- grounds pass unless the student has a note from a parent or from a school official. This must be taken care of before school, at snack or lunch prior to leaving campus. Students who are sick may not leave campus without an off-grounds pass from the Health Office. Students found off grounds without a pass may be cited by the School Resource Officer.
2. PUNCTUALITY
It is important to be in class on time. You are tardy when you are not in your seat when the bell rings. Any student who is tardy more than 30 minutes is absent for the period and must clear the absence with the attendance office the following day. Detention will be assigned for tardiness. In case of excessive tardiness, your parent(s) will be contacted and you will be referred to your Counselor. Chronic tardiness may result in a referral to SART.
3. ETHICS
To create a fair and positive learning environment, The Mira Costa Administration and Faculty require that students act with honesty at all times in their academic endeavors. To this end, the following policy has been established by a faculty committee to promote academic integrity and to establish consequences in cases of unethical behavior.
The development of academic integrity in the students of Mira Costa High School is a significant priority for teachers and faculty. This document encourages students and parents to become partners in this goal as students explore ideas and achieve success as a result of their own efforts. The Manhattan Beach Unified School District expects students to take their responsibilities as ethical learners seriously.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, plagiarizing, copying another student’s work, using notes, electronics, or other means of assistance on an assignment or test, passing answers or information to other students about an assignment or test, altering a teacher’s grade book/records, and taking a copy of a test to use it for personal advantage or for distribution to other students. Please note that teachers utilize software (such as turnitin.com), internet search engines, and references to other materials (including Spark Notes) to ascertain the authenticity of student work. For additional information on How The Policy Works, please see the student planner.
4. MIRA COSTA GRADING SCALE
100 - 93 A
92 – 90 A-
89 – 87 B+
86 – 83 B
82 – 80 B-
79 – 77 C+
76 – 73 C
72 – 70 C-
69 – 67 D+
66 – 63 D
62 – 60 D-
Below 60 F
5. REQUIRED MATERIALS
You must bring a pen, appropriate texts, and paper with clean edges and binder holes every day to class. Electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) must be stored completely out of sight unless otherwise directed. I reserve the right to confiscate devices used for any other purpose than the assigned task (e.g. texting, social networking, game playing, internet surfing, etc.).
6. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Read and study texts as assigned. Contribute to class discussions and activities. Complete homework and projects as assigned. Course syllabus, documents, and assignments can be found on my personal page at the school’s website: www.miracostahigh.org.
7. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
The grade you receive on your report card is based on your performance in the following four categories: Tests and Quizzes (35% of your grade), Essays and Projects (45% of your grade), Homework (10% of your grade), and your Portfolio (10% of your grade). Tests and quizzes will be administered on a regular basis (typically one quiz a week and one test every three-four weeks), essays are also assigned regularly (one process paper and one in-class timed writing per month), and projects will be assigned usually at the culmination of a unit study. Class participation is essential as it is a vehicle not only for note taking but for the generation of ideas that will appear as essay and project topics and will be assessed as part of your Portfolio score. I will generate progress reports for any student with a course score lower than a “C.”
8. MAKE-UP AND TARDY WORK
Turn in all work the day you return to class. If you missed a test or a quiz because of an excused absence, you must make up the test the day you return. If you neglect to do so you will receive a zero. You are responsible for all work missed, so arrange with someone in class to get notes and handouts from the day(s) you were absent and always check my website. If you are absent when an assignment is given, you must still complete it per the instructions I post on-line. I will not remind students of make-up work; they must be pro-active and approach me themselves. Late work will be marked down one grade for every day the work is late.
9. PARENT SUPPORT
Parents, please encourage your children to mark the books as directed in class to promote active reading. Reading is the foundation of this course; help me steer students clear of on-line summaries and any other short cuts of the sort. Help your children revise drafts of papers—read their papers aloud to them and discuss editing and revision possibilities.
10. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
Come to class with an open mind and conviction in your ideas. The thirty students in my class will have thirty different responses to the literature we read. I expect to hear them all. As far as conduct is concerned, my only rule is this: respect me, respect your classmates, and respect the environment around you. If discipline issues do arise, I will deal with them swiftly and professionally.
Please sign and return:
I have read the Classroom Expectations for (class).
Taught by .
Student name ______
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