The Secret to Getting Ahead Is Getting Started

I.S. 239 Ms. Favale SEVENTH GRADE September 2016

“The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”

– Mark Twain

STUDENT-TEACHER CONTRACT

The following contract is designed to give a clear understanding of what your responsibilities will be in English. You will know exactly what is expected of you in order to perform successfully in English Language Arts. It is also important that parents/guardians understand what is expected of you, therefore, both your signature and your parent’s/guardian’s signature are required below.

GRADING POLICY:

Grades will be posted online. It is the students’ and parents’ responsibility to actively check PupilPath.com to ensure timely understanding of students’ performance.
All graded assignments are CUMULATIVE and are a continuous reflection of student work throughout the year. Projects, exams, quizzes, classwork, homework, etc. will be assigned regularly and will be weighted to calculate your final, cumulative, grade in the class as follows:
Exams/Quizzes: 30%
Writing/Projects/Performance Tasks/Presentations: 30%
Homework: 20%
Classwork: 20% (group work, do nows, independent work, journals, effort, participation, etc.)

CLASSROOM CONDUCT:
Upon entering the classroom, students will immediately sit in their assigned seats and prepare for the day’s lesson.
Students may only leave their seat when instructed by their teacher.
Students must sign in and out when excused from the classroom present the date and exact time.
Absolutely no gum chewing, food, or drinks are permitted in the classroom.
Please raise your hand if you have any questions or comments. Calling out will not be tolerated.
Respect the people, equipment, and furnishings of our classroom.

CLASSWORK:

Classwork must be written in blue or black INK. No pencil.
Classwork must be kept in the classwork section of your binder. Keep your binder neat and organized.
Classwork will be checked and collected randomly. Points will be deducted from your classwork grade for each missing or incomplete set of notes or table of content entries. Treat every task like it would be collected for a grade!
Classroom participation is considered part of your classwork. Participation includes asking questions and contributing to discussions.

HOMEWORK:

Homework assignments will be posted online. It is the students’ responsibility to actively check PupilPath.com to ensure timely awareness of assignments.
Homework assignments must include the proper school heading and the respective homework number.
Homework assignments must be written in blue or black ink. NO PENCIL!!
Homework assignments must be kept in the homework section of your binder. It can be collected at any time throughout an active unit and graded as a quiz.
Late Work: If you do not submit a homework assignment on the due date, you have ONE DAY to make it up. The late assignment will receive a late penalty. It must be signed and dated late by your parent/guardian.
In the event of an absence, homework assignments must be made up. No exceptions!
Homework assignments and test/quiz dates can be found online, in the event of any absences, please go to is239.schoolwires.com for information.
Please take pride and professionalism in your work.

TESTS, QUIZZES, AND PROJECTS:

Students will be notified at least one week in advance for upcoming tests and two days in advance for upcoming quizzes, unless it’s a pop quiz!
I encourage cooperative learning, and you’re always free to get together to brainstorm, discuss assignments, and study for exams. However, no form of plagiarism or cheating will be tolerated.
Any student who is caught cheating, which includes giving and receiving answers, will automatically receive a zero for that test or assignment and their parents/guardians will be contacted immediately.
Late Work: If you do not submit a project or writing assignment on the due date, you will receive a deduction for every day it is late. It must be signed and dated late by your parent/guardian, or it will not be accepted.
Students must obtain their parent/guardian’s signature on all graded projects, tests, and quizzes.
I firmly suggest that you SAVE your work! A copy of all writing assignments should be saved in your personal computer. No due dates will be extended due to such mishaps.

TUTORING:

Students should come prepared with questions and specific topics they wish to work on.
Tutoring is on ______, period ______.
PLEASE NOTE: My door is open and I am available and happy to help you with short and long-term assignments. It is your responsibility as an advocate of your own education to seek me out in a timely manner to further promote success.

SUPPLIES:

These items are to be in your book bag at all times:

- To continue the color-coded system, we ask that you have a three-ring BLACK binder for ELA (1-1 ½ inch). This binder should have two sections: one for classwork and an additional section for homework.

-black and blue pens for classwork and homework! ONLY BLUE OR BLACK! Only use red ink for making corrections.
-highlighters, white out, post its, reinforcements for hole punched paper

-1 marble notebooks to be kept in class
-1 BLACKfolder

Make sure you have the following suppliesat home: (Do not bring them to school!)

-construction paper, glue, scissors, markers, colored pencils, poster board, and oak tag.
-any other art supplies you may need.

VIII. IPAD USAGE:

You are expected to adhere to all stipulations within the school wide iPad contract. As part of your agreement to use the iPad responsibly, please remember the following:

iPads are a privilege to use in the classroom and are a part of your participation grade.
iPads are an academic tool to assist in the learning process and therefore, using your iPad inappropriately (i.e. playing games, watching videos that have not been requested by your teacher, taking photos or recording video, etc.) will result in a loss of participation points for the day.
If you have downloaded non-academic apps onto your iPad, you will be asked to delete them. If you do not remove them your entire iPad will be wiped clean, meaning EVERYTHING will be gone.
The iPad does not replace any other supplies required by your teachers nor does it replace conventional note taking.
Be sure that you have your iPad and charger with you everyday and that the iPad is fully charged in the morning. Not having your iPad will result in a loss of participation points.
If you leave your iPad behind in another location, you will NOT be allowed to go back and get it during class. You must go during your lunch period or during AM or PM homeroom to retrieve it.

IX. CONTACT INFORMATION:

Contact me by phone at Mark Twain: (718) 266-0814
E-mail me at:
Visit my webpage
Schedule a Cluster Conference with Mr.Hamill

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**This tear-off page is due to Ms.Favale on 09/____/16. The contract should be placed as the first page in your English Language Arts section of your binder and should remain there throughout the course of the year.

STUDENT-TEACHER CONTRACT

A part of being a middle school student means you are becoming more responsible for your own education. This means you must advocate for yourself. Seventh grade classes are demanding ones. Please stay on top of your work in order to maintain not only short-term goals, but long-term goals, as well. . If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact a classmate or the teacher in order to get any missed assignments. You should own and use your planner/assignment book every day, turn in assignments on time, and take care of your class materials.

I am looking forward to being your English teacher, helping you improve and grow as readers, writers, and thinkers.I value you each and every one of you as an important member of this class and I am certainly excited for a productive and enjoyable year!

SIGNATURES:

By signing below, I, ______, acknowledge that I have read the student contract with my parent/guardian and understand what is expected of me for my English Language Arts class. I understand the grading policy, expectations, rules, and consequences that accompany this course. I will come to class on time. I will complete all of my work on time, and understand the consequences I face if I do not. In the event that I am absent, I recognize that it is my responsibility to get all notes, handouts, and make up any assignments that I might have missed.

______

Student’s Signature

By signing below, Iacknowledge that I have read the student contract with my child and understand what is expected of him/her for this English Language Arts Class.

______

Parent/Guardian Signature

* Parents/Guardians: Please provide your preferred method of contact information below:

Name and Relationship:______

Home Phone Number: ______

Cell Phone Number: ______

Email: ______

Additional contact information:

Name and Relationship: ______

Phone Number:______

Email:______