Thank you for helping me foster student responsibility and independence—
keys to their success!
- ASSIGNMENT POSTING: Is everything always posted on this site?
- CONTACT: What is the best way to contact Mrs. Garcia?
- COURSE LEVEL CHANGES: The teacher signed my child's course recommendation form & recommended the same course level next year.; however, I would like my child moved up a level next year. What should I do?
- EXTRA HELP: How do I know if my child should come for extra help?
- GRADE UPDATES: How is my child doing? Can you e-mail me weekly with updates or a list of missing assignments?
- LOW EXAM GRADES: My child's midterm or final exam grade is lower than I expected. Should I be worried?
- LOW GRADE AVERAGE: Why is my child's average suddenly so low? How can I help my child succeed?
- STILL A FAILING AVERAGE: My child has started to do all of his/her work and put in more effort, so why is his/her average still an F?
- PROGRESS REPORTS & REPORT CARDS: How many times per year do progress reports and report cards come out?
- READING DIFFICULTY: My child has trouble reading. What can I do to help?
ASSIGNMENT POSTING: Is everything always posted on this site?
This web site is maintained as a courtesy for my students and
their parents. The site is intended for use as a guide to
readings, long-term assignments, and current grades. The site
will not necessarily contain every single assignment given, as
that is not the site’s intended purpose or function. In order to
meet the needs of my students, I have to be flexible when it
comes to lesson planning, which sometimes includes adapting
assignments on the spot. It is the student's job to pay attention
in class so that s/he is aware of the assignments and has all of
the information s/he needs. It is the parents' job to communicate
with their children in order to stay abreast of assignments and
grades.
CONTACT: What is the best way to contact Mrs. Garcia?
STUDENTS should see me in B-16 if they have questions. They
should not send e-mails; I do not open them. I see students
nearly every day, and the large number of students prevents me
from accepting student e-mails. If I were to respond to one, I
would have to respond to them all.
PARENTS, please feel free to e-mail me. There is no telephone in
the classroom; therefore, I can respond to you much faster if you
e-mail me. I would be happy to do so. I check this school address
Monday-Friday: garcian@trumbullps.org.
As a courtesy, kindly limit the number of e-mail messages to a
reasonable number. I understand that it is easier to send an e-
mail than to call. However, there are literally hundreds of
parent e-mails per semester, and as you can imagine, prompt
replies are possible only if I receive a reasonable number of e-
mails. For example, please check to see if your question can be
answered by visiting this Web site or by asking your child. It
will help the student be responsible for communicating with you
about his or her progress in class.
COURSE LEVEL CHANGES: The teacher signed my child's course recommendation form & recommended the same course level next year.; however, I would like my child moved up a level next year. What should I do?
There is no need to worry just because a course selection form
has already been signed. In January, teachers sign course
selection forms for the following academic year and recommend
course levels based on their assessment of student performance.
If a student's ability is greater that his/her actual performance
in class, that student may be able to handle a higher course
level. In that case, encourage your child to put forth his/her
best effort from now until the end of the year to make his/her
true potential clear to the teacher. At the end of the year the
teacher can revisit the course selection, and make an adjustment
if appropriate. Students should also understand that just because
they earned an A or B in English this year does not necessarily
mean that they will earn the same grade when they move to a
higher level. It is not uncommon for students who earned A's in
one level to earn C's when they move to a higher level. This may
disappoint some students at first until they adjust to the
increased rigor of the higher level.
Teachers have your child's best interest at heart and seek
appropriate placement for each student.
EXTRA HELP: How do I know if my child should come for extra help?
Students should check their averages weekly, and I recommend that
any student whose overall average is below 70 should come for an
extra help session that week. Students whose averages are in the
D/F range should meet with me to figure out what they can do to
succeed, as well as what I can do to help them reach their goals.
This is not a detention. Consider it an "attention," because that
is what your child will get!
GRADE UPDATES: How is my child doing? Can you e-mail me weekly with updates or a list of missing assignments?
If I were to e-mail a customized weekly update for one parent who
requested it, in all fairness I would have to extend that to all
parents. As you can imagine, with approximately 100 students,
such an arrangement is not possible. (That is, until the Science
Department figures out a way to clone me!) I may contact you if I
notice a decline in your child's performance; however, I would be
remiss to promise customized weekly reports, knowing full well
that I would not be able to deliver. The only exceptions are for
students whose IEP or 504 accommodations make this specification.
If your child does not fall into those categories, and you
believe that constant communication is merited, you can contact
your child's guidance counselor and request a weekly progress
report. It is your child's responsibility to give this weekly
report to his or her teachers each Friday at the beginning of the
period. The teachers will then complete the form and return it to
your child who is responsible for transporting it home to you.
Because the report has general boxes to check off, such
as "Satisfactory" and "Good," I suggest that the Grades page of
this site would provide you with more specific information.
I have set up the Grades page for efficient and accurate updates.
It has student averages posted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Student averages are posted confidentially online and are updated
each weekend. Simply type in your child’s 7-digit student ID
number. In addition, parents receive 8 written updates per year
in the mail (four progress reports and four report cards).
Parents and teachers can help a student succeed, but parents and
teachers should not be scrambling around doing things that
students can do for themselves. It may seem tough, but as I tell
the students, tough love is still love. Students should not put
THEIR responsibilities on their parents or teachers. Students
should keep track of what is due, when it is due, and if they
have turned it in. Let's prepare students with the responsibility
and independence that they will need to succeed in the real
world.
LOW EXAM GRADES: My child's midterm or final exam grade is lower than I expected. Should I be worried?
Not necessarily. Based on the grade patterns that I have seen in
past years, it is not uncommon for a student's midterm or final
exam grade to be a full letter grade lower than his or her
marking term average. This might be attributed to pressure and
resources. For example, although students have ample time to
complete their exams, some students do not perform as well under
pressure as they do during the marking term when they have more
time to. In addition, during the marking term, students may seek
help from teachers, parents, peers, etc. However, the exam
reflects how well students are able to apply what they have
learned and perform all by themselves. On the other hand, if a
student's exam grade is higher than the marking term grade, it
may indicate that the student is not working to his or her full
potential during the term.
LOW GRADE AVERAGE: Why is my child's average suddenly so low? How can I help my child succeed?
Of course, the precise answer to this question will vary from
student to student, and we can discuss your child's progress in
more specific detail. In the meantime, if you will pardon this
quick, "canned" answer, it is actually accurate 99% of the time.
If you have asked your child the reason for a low average and
he/she has said, "I don't know," one or more of the following
reasons apply:
MISSING ASSIGNMENTS: Student has several homework assignments
missing. Student may have a major assignment missing. (None of my
students can say, “I turned in all my work, but I earned a D/F
anyway.” Any student with an average in the D/F range had
assignments missing.)
READING: Almost all classwork hinges upon the text in some way.
Therefore, students who have not read the text or who have fallen
behind in the reading usually fail quizzes, cannot complete
homework or participate in discussion. They find their averages
slipping rapidly. The problem could be one or more of the
following:
1. The student is not reading the text.
2. The student, says he/she“read” the text, but actually just
skimmed it without actively reading.
3. The student used Spark Notes / Cliff Notes instead of reading
and learning to comprehend for himself/herself.
WRITING: Student is submitting draft-quality papers as
the “finished” product. Student may have waited until the last
minute and has given little, if any attention to the writing
process (revising, editing, and proofreading).
You probably know much of this already, but in general, here is
what you can do to help your child succeed:
If you see your child using Spark Notes instead of or in addition
to reading, please intervene, and prevent it. Cliff Notes may
seem to help temporarily, but it is like putting a Band Aid on a
gunshot wound. See the Policies & FAQ page for
more information.
The Connecticut Education Network provides an overview of the
CAPT as well as access to rubrics and released test items. Once
on the homepage, select "statewide testing" under the "parents"
section in the left-hand column.
If you have requested a meeting with guidance and/or your child's
teacher(s), please make sure that your son or daughter is there
at the meeting.
Please let your son or daughter know that you regard their
education as a top priority, and help them minimize absences.
When possible, try to schedule doctor appointments after school
hours. The Board of Education strongly believes that family
vacations should not take place when school is in session.
Students who minimize their absences avoid falling behind and
even losing course credit due to excessive absences. If your
child is going to miss school because of a family vacation,
please be courteous and notify his or her teachers as soon as
possible. Teachers need enough time to gather and copy the
necessary materials and assignments so that they can be given to
the student in advance. In order for your child to get caught up
more easily and not fall behind, he or she should speak with the
teacher in advance to set up due dates for the makeup work.
Although this Web site is a tool for parents, it is primarily a
tool for students. Please encourage students to be responsible
for keeping track of their own work.
STILL A FAILING AVERAGE: My child has started to do all of his/her work and put in more effort, so why is his/her average still an F?
After a student with a D or an F average starts to increase his
efforts, the student and parent may become frustrated if they do
not see a noticeable increase in the student’s average right
away. That is understandable. However, mathematically speaking,
when a student has accumulated a number of zeroes or failing
grades over a period of time, it takes nearly an equal amount of
time for the average to increase. That is the way that averages
work. Therefore, dramatic changes in averages decrease as the
marking term continues.
Teachers certainly appreciate the student's recent dedication to
increasing his efforts--and we wish there were a quick fix--but
there is no shortcut. The student must be patient and persistent
in his efforts. Earlier in the course, if the student spent much
time doing little to no work and not practicing the skills, it
will take time for him to develop the skills and raise his
average. I know we are all concerned about a passing grade for
students, but above all, if they focus on learning, the passing
grades will automatically follow.
PROGRESS REPORTS & REPORT CARDS: How many times per year do progress reports and report cards come out?
Report cards come out four times a year. Progress reports are at
the teacher's discretion; however, halfway through each marking
term I do mail home progress reports for ALL of my students.
Therefore, if you do not receive these reports, you may want to
ask your child if he or she forgot to give you the mail. (Due to
the speed of snail mail, the grade on the Grades Page is often
more up to date than the paper progress report you will receive.)
READING DIFFICULTY: My child has trouble reading. What can I do to help?
Consider getting the book on tape or CD. Although these can be
purchased, many libraries have books on tape. Have your child
read along and take notes while listening to the tape. This is
not cheating because the student is listening to the actual text,
not someone's interpretation of the text.
Consider buying your child his/her own copy of the book so that
he/she may write (annotate) directly in the book.
If you see your child using Spark Notes instead of or in addition
to reading, please intervene, and prevent it. Cliff Notes may
seem to help temporarily, but it is like putting a Band Aid on a
gunshot wound. See the FAQ, Policies, and Procedures page for
more information.