The Mission of Regional School District 17 is to engage our students in an educational community that challenges students with high standards and builds their capacity to succeed and their aspiration to improve themselves and their society.
Late work/Hard copies/Plagiarism Formal assignments, such as papers, must be turned in as a hard copy on the due date. Late work will be penalized A FULL LETTER GRADE PER DAY LATE. You will always be given enough time to fully complete assignments to the best of your ability. Use your time wisely! Plan your work and work your plan.
Alternatives to hard copy (flash drive, e-mail, Google Drive) are not a substitute for a hard copy. Please do not ask me to print out your work or ask if you can email me your assignments. It is your responsibility to have your work ready when class beings. If a paper is due at the start of class, and it is not printed out and on you when the bell rings, the late penalty will be enforced. I understand printer troubles happen, but communicate those problems with me beforehand.
Essays and formal writing assignments will be evaluated for grammar, form and content. Students may re-write an essay provided they have made an appointment with the teacher to discuss that essay. Students have three (3) school days to complete such a “re-write” after the writing conference with the teacher has taken place. The overall grade for a re-written essay will be determined by averaging the essay’s original grade with any/all subsequent re-write grades.
Students are reminded of the school policy on plagiarism. It goes without saying that plagiarism is absolutely unacceptable.
Classroom Expectations I will make sure that our classroom is a space where every student feels safe and comfortable. On top of these two non-negotiables, here are the expectations I have for our class: Come to each class with your best attitude, concentration and effort. There are three things that every person has total control over - their attitude, concentration and effort. I will always strive to give you my absolute best for each and every class, and I expect the same in return. Come to class with a terrific attitude, concentration and effort, and all of us will have a great year.
Be fair and respectful to all. Student actions that interfere with the teacher's teaching or the learning of others will NOT be tolerated. It is expected that each student is fair and respectful to all others in the classroom. Bullying of any kind is absolutely unacceptable. On top of treating everyone in the classroom respectfully, it is also expected that you treat our room with respect. Pick up after yourself and keep our room clean; this is our house. While students will be allowed to have drinks in the classroom, food is not permitted. Individuals who interfere with our classroom learning environment and/or fail to complete assigned tasks will be issued either “Lunch/Activity” or “After-school” detentions. Lunch detention will be for a whole lunch period (40 minutes). The student will eat their lunch, complete work and spend quality time with the teacher (me!). After-school detention runs from 2:20-3:00pm and the student will complete assigned work during this time. Work/extra-curricular activities are not valid reasons to miss detention. Proper behavior and personal responsibility are the best ways to avoid having to forfeit your free time either during lunch or after school.
Be on time and put in your time. In school or in life, when you show up to something on time, it shows that you care. It is expected that you are in your seat, with your notebook and writing utensil out when the bell rings. If you need to use the bathroom or leave the classroom, you need to sign-out and get a pass from the teacher. Please try your best to use the bathroom or get a drink BEFORE class begins to reduce interruptions during class time. If you put your time and effort into this class, or anything you do, you will be rewarded. Always give your best and be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking you’re giving your best when you really are not. As John Wooden once said, "If you don't have time to do it right the first time, when will you have time to do it over?"
Use your technology appropriately. I am a huge fan of technology - particularly my phone and laptop. I would like our classroom to be "tech-friendly," as long as we can handle it. Unless given permission by the teacher, phones should be off your desk and put away. Students who are caught using or “secretly using” their phone, when not permitted, will have their phone taken away for the remainder of the class. If this behavior continues, the student will be written up and sent to the office. Unless it is for school purposes, pictures/selfies of any kind are unacceptable in the classroom.
Students will be accountable. If you’re absent, it’s your responsibility to talk with a classmate about what you missed and come to see the teacher to collect the work that was missed. I will not seek you out to make up work. Also, please don’t ask if we did something while you were out, as we will always be doing something in class. If you self-advocate and talk with your fellow students and instructor, there will not be a problem. For missed work, each student will be given two (2) school days to obtain and complete work that was missed. Failure to do so within the prescribed period will result in a reduced grade for that assignment(s). Extensions may be granted at the discretion of the instructor after a meeting between the teacher and the student. Late work may also be completed any time within the quarter - however, late work that is turned in extremely late will be capped to a 50 (much better than having a zero weigh your grade down).
I am here to help you and I genuinely care about each and every one of my students. I really do want you to be successful and have a great experience in our class. With that being said, if you ever feel like you need help with something or would like to talk about a way to make your classroom experience even better, don’t hesitate to come see me. I will do everything I can to help you have a positive experience in this class.