August 15, 2016
Dear Parents,
My name is Mrs. Harrington, and I will be your student’s English language arts teacher this year. I look forward to an exciting and productive year. In this letter I would like to inform you about the language arts program at Jefferson, and about my expectations in the areas of homework and classroom discipline. In addition, I wish to let you know that I am always available to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your student’s progress in this class. My conference period is from 2:00 - 2:45 P.M., and I will be happy to meet with you during that time, or at another time that is mutually convenient, either before or after school. You may call the school office and leave a message for me so that we can set up an appointment. You may also communicate with me through email. My email address is . If you email me before 4 P.M., I should be able to respond to you the same day. Emails received after 4 P.M., or on weekends, will usually receive a response on the next working day.
Your student will be participating in an English language arts program, based on the Common Core State Standards, for two periods each day. Students will have the opportunity to read literature, both fiction and non-fiction, that is both challenging and exciting, providing a basis for studying the English language while broadening their intellectual experience and fostering a spirit of informed critical thinking. In addition, the writer’s workshop will allow students the opportunity to work on their writing skills in a student-centered program that meets the needs of both advanced and emerging writers. My goal for this class is that each student will learn to be an excellent communicator, able to use the English language with confidence and style. Students will learn to communicate through written and spoken language, and will also practice their listening skills.
The Common Core State Standards emphasize the important role of technology in a 21st century education. To that end, students will be expected to accomplish most of their work for this class online. This year, the entire Language Arts department at JMS is excited to be piloting two new curriculum programs for possible adoption. Each of them is an online program that focuses on informational as well as literary reading and writing. Each student will have a Chromebook to use in class each day, but students will also need to have access to a computer and to the Internet outside of class. We will be using Google Docs, as well as some of the other Google Apps for Education, to which our students have access through their school gmail accounts. In addition to using the computers during class time, students will have regular homework assignments in various other online programs, such as Kidblog (blogging about independent reading), and Membean (vocabulary development). Assignments, both homework and classwork, will be posted in Google Classroom. I strongly suggest that you ask your student to share his/her login and password, so that you may check on assignments and due dates.
Some suggestions for students who do not have regular access to the Internet at home:
•Use a computer at a friend or relative’s home
•Sign up to use a computer at San Gabriel Public Library
•Use computers in the JMS media center or computer lab after school, Monday through Thursday
•Use a Chromebook in the classroom before or after school
•Use a Chromebook in the classroom at lunchtime, Monday through Thursday
I ask that you read the following guidelines and policies carefully, discuss them with your student, then sign the form on the last page and return it to me, to show that you and your student understand the expectations and consequences. I look forward to meeting you very soon. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s progress in English language arts.
Sincerely
Elizabeth W. Harrington
HOMEWORK:
Homework is a valuable aid in helping students to make the most of their experience in school. In this class homework serves several purposes:
•Reinforcing and extending what has been learned in class
•Preparing students for upcoming lessons and tests
•Teaching responsibility
•Fostering good study habits
There will be two regular, weekly homework assignments, both Internet-based. Membean is a vocabulary development program, on which students are expected to spend at least 60 minutes each week. Kidblog is a blogging platform which allows students to write about their independent reading, as well as to comment on the writing of their classmates. In order to complete the blogging assignment, students are also expected to be reading independently for at least 30 minutes each day. This reading is self-selected, and is in addition to the assigned reading that is done in class.
Late Work:
Unless a specific due date is assigned, students are expected to turn in completed homework assignments the day after they are given. Late assignments will receive reduced credit. Any assignment that is more than three days late will receive no more than half credit (equivalent to an F for the assignment). If a student is absent from class, it is his/her responsibility to check Google Classroom for the homework assignment(s), and to complete the work missed within the same number of days as the absence. If the student is absent, but able to work, s/he may complete the assignments during the absence, but will not be required to do so. Students who miss tests due to absence should be prepared to make up the test on the day of their return to school, if the absence was two days or less, and the student knew about the test before the absence. For absences of more than two days, or where the student was absent when the test date was announced, the student is responsible for discussing with me an appropriate date on which the test can be made up. Students and parents are encouraged to check Google Classroom every day for assignments and test dates.
Please note that it is not possible to receive late points for the weekly Membean vocabulary assignment.
Plagiarism
Students are encouraged to seek help from friends, parents or other sources when they do not understand, or are having difficulty with, an assignment. However, it is important for them to learn the difference between asking for assistance and copying work wholesale from another source, whether that source is a friend, a parent, a book, or the Internet. This is plagiarism, which is considered a form of cheating, and will result in a zero being given on the assignment, as well as disciplinary consequences in accordance with the school’s discipline policy.
ASSESSMENT AND GRADING:
Students’ progress in the class will be assessed in a variety of ways:
•Points are given for daily work, including in-class assignments and homework.
•Major assignments such as essays and projects are graded using rubrics based on the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.
•Each semester, students take a performance based assessment (PBA), an integrated reading and writing assessment modeled on the new Smarter Balanced assessment.
•The Smarter Balanced test mandated by the State of California will be given in the fourth quarter. This test is entirely computer-based, and will not affect the student’s class grade.
The English language arts department at Jefferson has adopted the following grading scale:
Test, quizzes and major assignments: 70% of total grade
Classwork: 20% of total grade
Homework: 10% of total grade
Above all, it is important for students to know that I am always available to give help, advice, and additional explanations when needed. Students are always encouraged to ask for help with any assignment that they are having difficulty with, either during class or after school. Students may also contact me via email, or by posting a comment or question in Google classroom.
CLASSROOM GUIDELINES:
Every person in this room has the right to work in an effective learning environment. The following guidelines are intended to ensure that this will happen. Each student is an individual, and as such will make an individual choice to adhere to these guidelines or not. Students who choose not to adhere to the guidelines will be choosing to receive the consequences outlined in the Discipline Policy.
GUIDELINES:
•Show courtesy and respect to everyone in the room.
•Respect the rights of property of yourself and others.
•Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
•Be in your seat and ready to begin when the bell rings. If you are not in your seat, you will be tardy.
•Be responsible for keeping your workspace neat and tidy.
•Come to class prepared with all the materials you will need, including pens, pencils and paper.
•Listen to directions and follow them carefully.
•Raise your hand and wait to be called on when you wish to speak.
•Keep all food and drinks out of the room (This includes gum).
•Sit quietly if you wish to be excused at the end of the period.
•Smile and think positive thoughts!
DISCIPLINE POLICY:
1st violation--stay after class for discussion of behavior choices
2nd violation--phone call to parent
3rd violation--30 minutes detention
4th violation--referral to counselor or assistant principal and citizenship grade of ‘N’
or‘U’.
Serious disruptions of classroom activity that endanger others or jeopardize the work of the class will be referred immediately to the counselor or Assistant Principal.
Students who are consistently well-behaved, or who show genuine improvements in behavior, will be rewarded with praise and will receive a citizenship grade of ‘S’ or ‘O’.
STUDENT/PARENT SIGNATURE SHEET
1. I have read and discussed these guidelines and policies with my student. We both understand the expectations, and the consequences. The student agrees to follow these guidelines for the remainder of the school year.
2. We understand that students will be held responsible for any damage to or inappropriate activity on the classroom computers. It is each student’s responsibility to report any damage, or signs of inappropriate activity immediately on noticing it.
______
Student signature
______
Parent Name (please print)
______
Parent signatureDaytime phone number /email address
Date ______
Please return this form to Mrs. Harrington. Thank you!!