Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common
questions of students and parents.
- What are your expectations for my child?
- Does my child have homework?
- If my child is absent, what should he or she do?
- Do you offer extra help or bonus?
- What can I do to help my child succeed in this class?
- Speaking of warm-ups- what are they and why are they such a big deal?
- How does Accelerated Reader work?
- Why does it seem so difficult for my child to bring up his/her grade?
- How can I contact you?
What are your expectations for my child?
Ultimately students need to come to school regulary, complete
assignments,
and act in a way that furthers their education and the education
of others.
In addition to the school-wide expectations of being prompt,
polite, and prepared, the following rules are posted in the
classroom:
1. Be seated with your needed materials when the bell rings and
START THE WARM-UP!
2. IMMEDIATELY follow your teachers directions.
3. Practice SLANT! (Sit up, Lean forward, Ask questions, Name
key information, Track the talker)
4. Work from bell to bell without distracting others.
5. Be supportive of this classroom and your fellow classmates.
For following the rules, the positive reward system is in place.
Tickets will be given out to students for appropriate behavior.
Raffles are every Friday for a variety of rewards including bonus
points, job assignments or other surprises. In addition, when
your child is exceptional, I will let you know.
For rule infractions, depending on the severity and frequency of
the
behavior, these consequences will be followed:
1. Warning
2. Student Conference Completion of written IWISH Contract
card
3. Parental Contact/ 250 word Behavior Essay based on IWISH
(Identify the behavior. Why did I do it? I am in control. Solve
it. How can the teacher help?)
4. Removal and/or Referral sent to the office.
For severe disruptions or repetitive infractions, 1-3 may be
skipped.
Does my child have homework?
Weekly, your child should be reading a book, keeping a reading log for you to sign, and writing a reading letter
for Accelerated Reader. Additional homework for other class objectives will be assigned.
Homework is an inevitable tool to enrich and reinforce things we learn in class.
However, homework is often times linked to a students' performance in class. Students
who use their time effectively may have less homework because they accomplish
what they need during school hours. Ask your child to see their work and and their planners
daily. Verify questions about the work and homework through my website or through emailing me.
Most importantly, begin to teach your child self-discipline by continuing to reinforce a regular
routine and schedule that allots time for homework or studying everyday.
If my child is absent, what should he or she do?
1. Consult this website for make-up work.
2. Ask me for any handouts or notes.
3. Your child has 3 school days from the time of the excused
absence to makeup any missed work, and should plan to stay in at
lunch or after school to make up any tests or quizzes. This way
the student does not miss out on what is currently being covered
in class.
Do you offer extra help or bonus?
After school on Mondays, I tutor from 2:30-3:30. This is the
best time for students to make up any missed work, tests, or
quizzes as well as get extra help.
Bonus may be found on this website. I tend to offer bonus in the
beginning but not at the end.
What can I do to help my child succeed in this class?
Ask to SEE what your student has done in class check their grades through
Parent Access (email our principal at dglueck@ebrschools.org for more information).
Everyday your student has written something (even if it is just a warm-up exercise). Check the website so
you know what is going on in class, and help me keep the student
motivated. All of my projects have deadlines which means the
students are encouraged to turn it in early, but NEVER
allowed to turn it in late (there are a couple of loopholes -
like voluntary homework detention). You may also help your child
by providing transportation from after-school tutoring sessions
as needed. Please contact me if I haven't contacted you about
your child's progress.
Speaking of warm-ups- what are they and why are they such a big deal?
Journals/bellringers/warm-ups . . . they have several names and
we have several reasons for doing them:
When many start their adult lives and get out on their own, a lot
of responsibilities come at once such as searching for a job and
managing money. While warm-ups do have some obvious academic
benefits, they also teach some life skills that will benefit
students as they transition into young adulthood. Warm-ups can:
1. Assist in student focus - In order for students to clear
their minds and prepare for class, I will focus the class with a
question written on the board. This question could be
introducing a new topic, stimulating prior knowledge, or
reviewing old content.
2. Prepare students for timed tests or on-demand answers -The
students must complete the warm-up within the first 5-10 minutes
for full credit.
This time limit is designed to focus students during the
beginning of class, so we don't waste any of our precious 53
minutes. Also, warm-ups can simulate timed tests or on-the-spot
interviews during a job search.
3. Teach organization and responsibility - Warm-ups will be
picked up only once a 6 weeks for a grade (100 points) normally
on the day we hit our 20th warm-up. The goal is to teach
responsibility and organization since all exercises are to be
kept in a section of the binder; in addition, some
students will find value in the presence of future test questions
in our question topics.
4. Teach thorough record-keeping - Warm-ups are graded for full
completion - the students must write the date, number, full
topic, and complete answer - which for questions includes at
least 5 COMPLETE sentences. This is designed to teach the skill
of good record-keeping, a skill much needed with the student gets
that first debit card.
5. Reinforce daily writing skills - While many journals are
graded for full completion, I do require at least five complete
sentences when answering a journal question, and as I stamp these
exercises in class I can give daily, consistent, and immediate
feedback to help improve student's on-demand writing skills.
How does Accelerated Reader work?
Students will be given a STAR test to determine their reading level
at the beginning of each semester. Based on their level, we will recomment
a range of books for them to read. They may choose any books within those levels
to maximize their growth in reading comprehension and help them achieve
their point goal. Each 6 weeks AR grades will be approximately 100 points.
10 points a week will be based on their record of daily reading for the week and a weekly
reading letters discussing what they have read. 50 points a week will be based
on performance and progress toward their AR point goal.
Why does it seem so difficult for my child to bring up his/her grade?
Louisiana's NEW scale is as follows 93-100-A, 85-92-B, 75-84-C, 67-74-D,
and Below 67-F.
Grades are cumulative each 6-weeks. These grades progress to a
semester grade which is the final grade reported on the
transcript and determines if your child earned a credit for the
course. Your child's points earned are added from the first day
of the semester until the end. Hence it is very important that
the student keeps up with all of his/her work from the
very beginning. This grading system may be different from your
understanding of your child's previous grading systems. In some
cases, he or she may have earned an F, then an A which averaged
out to a C. However with the system for this course, if in the
1st 6 weeks, a student earns 100 out of 500 points (20%F), then
the 2nd 6 weeks earns 500 out of 500 points (100% A+), then the
total number is 600 out of 1000 which is a 60% F. GRADES
DO NOT START OVER EACH 6 WEEKS, only at the beginning of each
semester (in August and January)!!!! Remind your child that
they must take FOUR English classes to graduate and it all starts
from the first day of class.
How can I contact you?
You may email me from this website or call the school to set up a
conference with me.