MS. WEISS’ BIOLOGY CLASSROOM POLICIES

WELCOME!!! Success in Biology is dependent on reading the text, taking notes in class, and completing the homework carefully, with thought and accuracy. We will be doing many fun and exciting laboratories in class, and hopefully you will find the class interesting, engaging and fun. In order to successfully complete this course you need to attend all class periods and complete the required assignments. In addition, in order for this year to run as smoothly as possible, we must have a few policies with which to follow. If everyone cooperates together, and meets these expectations, this year will not only be interesting and thought provoking, but fun and successful as well.

CLASS PARTICIPATION:

  • Students are expected to be in their seats and ready to work when the tardy bell rings, having taken care of all personal needs before and outside of class. Leaving the classroom to use the bathroom, get water or anything else that detracts from the learning environment, will affect your class participation. Being tardy means you are not participating in class. 5 points will be deducted from the students grade for each tardy.
  • When a student is absent from class, he/she is missing valuable curriculum. According to the Beverly Hills High School Attendance Policy, only absences as a result of illness, bereavement or court-ordered appearances are considered excused. Therefore, any other absence will be considered unexcused. Class participation is affected by unexcused absences. For each unexcused absence, 25 points will be deducted from the student’s grade. In addition, sleeping in class affects class participation and 25 points will be deducted from the student’s participation grade.

HOMEWORK:

  • Homework will be assigned regularly. It will always be collected and graded for credit.
  • IF YOU ARE ABSENT, check my website to find out what homework is due upon your return. If homework is not posted yet, then check the side board in class for the homework that was assigned. LATE ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

GRADES:

  • Letter grades will be computed in the following manner:

(Total number of points earned)/(Total number of points possible)= class %

  • This class percentage will count towards approximately 80% of your final grade.
  • The final exam will count towards the remaining approximately 20% of your final grade.

MISSED ASSESSMENTS:

  • Missed exams due to UNEXCUSED absences cannot be made-up. The student will be given a grade of 0 on that exam.
  • If a student misses an exam due to an excused absence, the make-up exam will be taken upon the student’s return. All exam class period absences will be checked with a phone call home to verify the reason for the absence.
  • SINGLE PERIOD ABSENCES ON THE DAY OF AN EXAM WILL BE CONSIDERED UNEXCUSED. WITH ADVANCE NOTICE OF ALL TESTS, DO NOT MAKE APPOINTMENTS ON THE DAY OF AN EXAM.

CHEATING:

  • During an assessment, a student looking at another’s paper, any talking, not stopping when time is up, or anything else that may be perceived as cheating will be considered as such.
  • Exams MUST be turned in by the announced ending time.
  • A student who cheats will receive a score of ‘0’ on the exam, and parent/guardian notification via a referral through the appropriate administrator.
  • On the second offense, the student will receive a course grade of ‘F’.
  • Please refer to the school cheating policy for more information on cheating.

If you are having difficulty with the material, please let me know right away. Many students wait until the day before the exam. It will be almost impossible to schedule an appointment with me at that late date. Although you can usually find me in room 311 before school, an appointment will ensure that we can meet. I teach a period 1, so I typically arrive at school by 6:30am. Remember, I am an athletic coach and have responsibilities that at times limits the amount of extra time I can give my students. Please try and keep up with your studies, so if you do need help, I can be there for you.

NEVER FORGET: YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LEARNING.

Good luck, work hard, do the best you can, and look forward to a fun and succesful year!

-Ms. Weiss