Portola Middle School
English 7 and 8
Ms. Tina Ballabio
Dear Students and Parents/Legal Guardians:
Welcome to Ms. Ballabio’s English class.
Course Standards:
This course is designed to meet the Common Core Standards for Language Arts, Grade 7 and 8. Schools in the state of California must adhere to specific content standards that outline the skills and concepts students need to know and be able to perform at each grade level in English. You can see all the standards by visiting
Agenda Books: At the beginning of every class period students must copy the homework (if any) for that day in their agenda books.
Website: Students and parents can take advantage of Portola’s website Ballabio’s page is updated periodically with news, information and instructional videos. Copies of some assignments can also be downloaded from Ms. Ballabio’s site.
Homework, Tests, and Quizzes: Homework is given as needed. Please use the student’s agenda book to check for due dates.
Assignment Weighting System:
Homework: 10%
Classwork: 30%
Blog: 15%
Tests/Quizzes/Projects/Writing45%
Grading:
The following grading scale will be used:
90% to 100% = A
80% to 89% = B
70% to 79% = C
60% to 69% = D
BELOW 60% = FAIL
Work Habits and Cooperation Grades:
A student’s work habits and cooperation grade is assessed according to the criteriaoutlined in LAUSD Policy Bulletin, “Marking Practices and Procedures inSecondary Schools”(Bulletin No. BUL-1353.1) Attatchment A,“Criteria for Marks” A hard copy of the attachment is included with Mr. Goldstein’s Course description or you can find the entire document here:
Marking Practices and Procedures in Secondary Schools
Substitute Teachers: If a student is ever written up for blatant disregard for classroom rules with a substitute teacher, that student will automatically receive a "U" in Cooperation on the next report card. For these reasons, students will have to be "extra cooperative" when Ms. Ballabio is absent.
Late Work: Late work is NOT accepted. However,
- Each semester, students will receive onehomeworkpass
- The pass can be used on any assignment
- By using the pass, homework or classwork can be turned any time after the due date
- Projects will only be give ONE extra day to complete.
Writing:
Writing may be revised and re-turned at anytime within the semester.
Getting Make-up Work: When a student is legitimately absent from class, the student is responsible for inquiring about and completing the missed assignments. Students will have the same number of days absent to get missed work turned in to Ms. Ballabio. It is the sole responsibility of the student to turn in absent work to Ms. Ballabio.
Cheating/Plagiarism:
Students may NOT
a)copy answers from another students.
b)give answers to another student.
c)have possession of any other student’s work for any reason.
d)write in answers (except in red or green) while the teacher is correcting the assignment with the class.
e)plagiarize the ideas or writings of another person’s work (including ideas from website sources).
f)reveal test questions to students who have not taken the test
g)engage in any activities that compromise the integrity (honesty) of one’s work
Students who are caught cheating in this class will meet with severe consequences: a fail grade on theassignment, “U” in Cooperation and/or Work Habits, parent contact, referral to the Mrs. Milleror all of the above. Ms. Ballabio maintains a zero tolerance for cheating of any kind.
Contact Information: If you have questions, comments or concerns, I am available by email ().
Sincerely,
Ms. Ballabio
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