Welcome to 8th Grade Language Arts!
Hi, I’m Ms. Jenkins, your child’s English Language Arts teacher for the 2015-2016 school year. I have planned a lot of fun and engaging activities to ensure your child not only succeeds this year, but also excels in Language Arts, as well. I am excited to see all the great things your child will do!
I believe that communication is key to student success. Therefore, I encourage you to email me, text me, or even call me anytime you have a question and/or concern. You will receive regular emails, whether to inform you of upcoming events, to celebrate your child, or to ask for your help in encouraging your child to do better. I am a firm believer that not all communication should be “bad” communication, so you’ll receive emails when your child is doing great!
I offer tutoring every day, Monday through Thursday, from 3 pm to 4 pm. If you would like to meet with me during this time, or any other time, please schedule a conference by emailing me or any of your child’s teachers.
Grading Policies and Breakdown
Grading will be based on total points, which means students will accumulate points throughout the 9 weeks. Each assignment will be worth various amounts. You will receive a grade based on how many points you amass during the 9 week period. For example, if the teacher awards a total of 1000 points throughout the 9 weeks, and you earn 940 points, then your grade will be 940/1000 points. Your percentage grade will be 94%.
Grading Scale
A: 100-90
B: 89-80
C: 79-70
D: 69-60
F: 59 and below
I grade on the point scale, meaning the grades you see in Powerschool might look like 9/10, 8.5/10, and 25/30. Those grades will translate into percentages, such as 9/10 = 90%, 8.5/10 = 85%, and 25/30 = 83%.
***All homework/warm ups will be collected and graded EVERY Friday. Therefore, students will have the entire week to complete homework.
***Every other Friday will either be a quiz day or a test day.
***Please note that I do not offer regular extra credit, because I believe that students should earn the points they CAN get before they ask for extra points. Throughout the year I will offer SOME extra credit. I will inform you of every extra credit opportunity. I will always offer extra credit for the following items:
Classwork and Homework Time
Each assignment in this class is designed to be completed in class. I expect students to finish their assignments in class. Students should never have homework unless they need extra time to complete assignments. The weekly grammar and language exercises and Achieve3000 article are meant to be completed when a student finishes his or her assignment for the day and has extra time. If the student does not complete these exercises in class, they are expected to complete it for homework, by every Friday.
Internet
I understand that not all students have Internet access at home. In that case, it is the student’s responsibility to come tell the teacher and I will make sure that student has a paper copy by the end of the day. The student must come pick up the hard copy from the teacher. With major assignments and projects, every student will be given a hard copy.
Missing Work, Late work, and Make-up Work
I encourage all students to attend school regularly, but I understand that some times students must miss school due to illnesses, school field trips, family obligations, etc. Please adhere to the following due dates when a student misses a day and/or misses an assignment.
Missed assignment due to absence
If you miss more than 3 days in a week, the homework will be collected the following week. However, if you miss a Monday you will still be responsible for completing the work by that Friday.
Make-up Tests/Quizzes/projects
1 week after the assigned test or quiz. All projects will be due IMMEDIATELY when the child returns to school.
Cell Phone/Electronic Devices Policy
Students should not bring their cell phones and/or electronic devices to class; they are a major distraction. If students are caught using their electronic devices in class, per the Southern Middle School handbook, I will confiscate the device and give it to the front office for a parent pick up. Please note this includes Ipods, MP3 players, tablets, etc.
Leaving the 8th Grade Hall
Students, under no circumstances, should leave the hall without a pass signed by a teacher and/or administrator, including substitute teachers and especially substitute teachers. If you are caught outside of the 8th grade hall without a pass you will be referred to the administrator immediately for skipping.
Classroom Procedures
1. Be in assigned seat and ready to begin class. Classes are only 60 minutes long, so every minute counts. As you enter the room, the warm-up will be on the board. Students should begin working on the warm-up immediately.
2. Follow directions the first time given. Our class is VERY interactive, meaning we will be doing many different activities. Each activity comes with very specific directions. There is little time to repeat directions, although more often than not, I’ll provide written directions.
3. Raise your hand to speak. Classes can get very exciting at times (especially when debating), and if 30 students are trying to speak at once, I cannot hear anything, and I want to hear you because you have awesome things to say. Everybody will have a turn to speak.
4. Respect the rights and possessions of others. If it’s not yours, then don’t touch it. Please do not take things that are not yours, and if you borrow something please return it, whether that is to the teacher or another student. I will have class supplies to borrow, but when those supplies run out I cannot replace them. Also, please do not take things off the teacher’s desk; ask the teacher first. I do not go into your locker and take your things, so I expect you to give me the same treatment.
5. Bring all required materials to class. It is very important to show up to EVERY class with the required materials because we will most likely use these materials EVERY day. I should not have to stop class to find you a pencil. That wastes time and takes away from the educational experience of another student. Even if we are doing a Chromebook activity, you still need to bring all your materials.
6. Minimize distractions. This includes socializing while the teacher and other students are talking, getting up out of your seat when the teacher is giving a lesson or a student is presenting, eating in class, and any other activity that takes away the main focus in the classroom, such as dropping beats on the table.
7. No food or drinks in the classroom. Water is the only exception to this rule. Eating in the classroom is distracting because of the noise and because of the smell. Also, eating food leads to trash being left under tables and on the floor. Our janitor works really hard to keep our school clean, and he does a marvelous job. Let’s keep our classroom clean. Water is the only exception to this rule.
Consequences
If students should choose to break the rules consistently, there will be consequences. There is a 4-step process before students are referred to an administrator, unless the student’s offense requires immediate administration attention, such as fighting, aggressive behavior, cursing, deliberately harming another student, etc.
1. Verbal warning
2. Conference Card (student has three days to meet privately with the teacher)
3. After-school detention and parent contact: 30 minutes after-school
4. Parent/Team conference
5. Referral to administrator (Any misbehavior that leads to referrals that result in ISS or OSS will exclude students from the end of the 9-weeks celebrations).
**If a student is issued after-school detention, the student will have one week from the time issued to complete the detention. If the student does not complete the detention within one week the student will be referred to an administrator and will receive appropriate consequences.
**It is the student's responsibility to arrange for transportation.
Hi, I’m Ms. Jenkins, your child’s English Language Arts teacher for the 2015-2016 school year. I have planned a lot of fun and engaging activities to ensure your child not only succeeds this year, but also excels in Language Arts, as well. I am excited to see all the great things your child will do!
I believe that communication is key to student success. Therefore, I encourage you to email me, text me, or even call me anytime you have a question and/or concern. You will receive regular emails, whether to inform you of upcoming events, to celebrate your child, or to ask for your help in encouraging your child to do better. I am a firm believer that not all communication should be “bad” communication, so you’ll receive emails when your child is doing great!
I offer tutoring every day, Monday through Thursday, from 3 pm to 4 pm. If you would like to meet with me during this time, or any other time, please schedule a conference by emailing me or any of your child’s teachers.
Grading Policies and Breakdown
Grading will be based on total points, which means students will accumulate points throughout the 9 weeks. Each assignment will be worth various amounts. You will receive a grade based on how many points you amass during the 9 week period. For example, if the teacher awards a total of 1000 points throughout the 9 weeks, and you earn 940 points, then your grade will be 940/1000 points. Your percentage grade will be 94%.
Grading Scale
A: 100-90
B: 89-80
C: 79-70
D: 69-60
F: 59 and below
I grade on the point scale, meaning the grades you see in Powerschool might look like 9/10, 8.5/10, and 25/30. Those grades will translate into percentages, such as 9/10 = 90%, 8.5/10 = 85%, and 25/30 = 83%.
***All homework/warm ups will be collected and graded EVERY Friday. Therefore, students will have the entire week to complete homework.
***Every other Friday will either be a quiz day or a test day.
***Please note that I do not offer regular extra credit, because I believe that students should earn the points they CAN get before they ask for extra points. Throughout the year I will offer SOME extra credit. I will inform you of every extra credit opportunity. I will always offer extra credit for the following items:
- Signed and returned progress reports
- Signed and returned report cards
Classwork and Homework Time
Each assignment in this class is designed to be completed in class. I expect students to finish their assignments in class. Students should never have homework unless they need extra time to complete assignments. The weekly grammar and language exercises and Achieve3000 article are meant to be completed when a student finishes his or her assignment for the day and has extra time. If the student does not complete these exercises in class, they are expected to complete it for homework, by every Friday.
Internet
I understand that not all students have Internet access at home. In that case, it is the student’s responsibility to come tell the teacher and I will make sure that student has a paper copy by the end of the day. The student must come pick up the hard copy from the teacher. With major assignments and projects, every student will be given a hard copy.
Missing Work, Late work, and Make-up Work
I encourage all students to attend school regularly, but I understand that some times students must miss school due to illnesses, school field trips, family obligations, etc. Please adhere to the following due dates when a student misses a day and/or misses an assignment.
- All missing work/missing tests will be entered as a zero into the grade book after the allotted time.
- Late work (not missed work) will not be accepted after three days, with a deduction of 2 points for each day late.
- I encourage all students to come BEFORE school or AFTER school to ask for missing assignments. Please do not ask for missing assignments during class. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO ASK FOR MISSING WORK.
- Most documents will be on Google Classroom and on my class website, so if your child misses school, please have them check Google Classroom and my website for what they missed. I will try to always keep GC and my website updated daily for your child’s convenience. Your child can also download and print documents from the websites.
Missed assignment due to absence
If you miss more than 3 days in a week, the homework will be collected the following week. However, if you miss a Monday you will still be responsible for completing the work by that Friday.
Make-up Tests/Quizzes/projects
1 week after the assigned test or quiz. All projects will be due IMMEDIATELY when the child returns to school.
Cell Phone/Electronic Devices Policy
Students should not bring their cell phones and/or electronic devices to class; they are a major distraction. If students are caught using their electronic devices in class, per the Southern Middle School handbook, I will confiscate the device and give it to the front office for a parent pick up. Please note this includes Ipods, MP3 players, tablets, etc.
- Students are not allowed to use their cell phones and/or electronic devices from 7:30 am to 3:00, including in the halls during transition times.
- Ear buds/Beats/headphones can also be confiscated in the hall, starting at 7:30 and before you get on the bus to go home.
Leaving the 8th Grade Hall
Students, under no circumstances, should leave the hall without a pass signed by a teacher and/or administrator, including substitute teachers and especially substitute teachers. If you are caught outside of the 8th grade hall without a pass you will be referred to the administrator immediately for skipping.
Classroom Procedures
1. Be in assigned seat and ready to begin class. Classes are only 60 minutes long, so every minute counts. As you enter the room, the warm-up will be on the board. Students should begin working on the warm-up immediately.
2. Follow directions the first time given. Our class is VERY interactive, meaning we will be doing many different activities. Each activity comes with very specific directions. There is little time to repeat directions, although more often than not, I’ll provide written directions.
3. Raise your hand to speak. Classes can get very exciting at times (especially when debating), and if 30 students are trying to speak at once, I cannot hear anything, and I want to hear you because you have awesome things to say. Everybody will have a turn to speak.
4. Respect the rights and possessions of others. If it’s not yours, then don’t touch it. Please do not take things that are not yours, and if you borrow something please return it, whether that is to the teacher or another student. I will have class supplies to borrow, but when those supplies run out I cannot replace them. Also, please do not take things off the teacher’s desk; ask the teacher first. I do not go into your locker and take your things, so I expect you to give me the same treatment.
5. Bring all required materials to class. It is very important to show up to EVERY class with the required materials because we will most likely use these materials EVERY day. I should not have to stop class to find you a pencil. That wastes time and takes away from the educational experience of another student. Even if we are doing a Chromebook activity, you still need to bring all your materials.
6. Minimize distractions. This includes socializing while the teacher and other students are talking, getting up out of your seat when the teacher is giving a lesson or a student is presenting, eating in class, and any other activity that takes away the main focus in the classroom, such as dropping beats on the table.
7. No food or drinks in the classroom. Water is the only exception to this rule. Eating in the classroom is distracting because of the noise and because of the smell. Also, eating food leads to trash being left under tables and on the floor. Our janitor works really hard to keep our school clean, and he does a marvelous job. Let’s keep our classroom clean. Water is the only exception to this rule.
Consequences
If students should choose to break the rules consistently, there will be consequences. There is a 4-step process before students are referred to an administrator, unless the student’s offense requires immediate administration attention, such as fighting, aggressive behavior, cursing, deliberately harming another student, etc.
1. Verbal warning
2. Conference Card (student has three days to meet privately with the teacher)
3. After-school detention and parent contact: 30 minutes after-school
4. Parent/Team conference
5. Referral to administrator (Any misbehavior that leads to referrals that result in ISS or OSS will exclude students from the end of the 9-weeks celebrations).
**If a student is issued after-school detention, the student will have one week from the time issued to complete the detention. If the student does not complete the detention within one week the student will be referred to an administrator and will receive appropriate consequences.
**It is the student's responsibility to arrange for transportation.