Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions about what is expected in Ms. Palmer's class.
- What do I need to bring to class?
- Uh oh. I didn't do my homework. Now what?
- What is this 'proper decorum' stuff ?
- When do I get to see my grade?
- Ms. Palmer! I don't get it! Help!
- I'm usually a perfect angel, but I had a bad day. What happens now?
- Arghh! Please say there is extra credit in Ms. Palmer's class!
- How do I see my grades and assignments online?
What do I need to bring to class?
Students are expected to be prepared every day. This means bringing a
notebook, writing utensil, homework, notes and books. Students may also
bring a clear, tightly sealed water bottle. Water is the only beverage
allowed
in class and no food is allowed. In addition, students are expected to come
into class ready to learn and with a good attitude. If students come to
class
unprepared or eat in class, they are expected to serve detention with Ms.
Palmer to make up for wasted learning time. If a student is repeatedly
unprepared, Ms. Palmer will contact parents/guardians to set up a meeting.
Uh oh. I didn't do my homework. Now what?
Homework is due on the due date assigned in class. Students can receive 60%
on a late assignment if it is turned in the next school day (anything later
than that is a zero). EXCEPTION! Large projects that students have had a
lot of time to work on will not be accepted after the due date. Ms. Palmer
will always tell students when this exception is put into place.
This rule applies to those students involved in athletics and other
school/family activities. If a student will be out of town for a preplanned
absence, he or she is expected to turn in work before the absence. The
exception to the rule is for an unplanned excused absence, such as illness or
family emergency. In these cases, students have two days to make up work for
every one day missed, per school district policy. Please remember, homework
is not assigned as a punishment. It is to continue the learning process and
to prepare students for the next lesson. If students don't do their
homework, they are putting themselves behind the rest of the class and making
it difficult to move on to the next lesson. Students will also not receive
their work back or see updated grades as quickly if Ms. Palmer has to wait
for
someone to turn in his or her work. If a student can't remember what the
assignment entailed, he or she should check this website or the
week-at-a-glance board in the classroom.
What is this 'proper decorum' stuff ?
Proper decorum,in a nut shell, means that Ms. Palmer expects good manners
from students. It is imperative that students know how to conduct themselves
within society and the workplace once they are out of school. Therefore, Ms.
Palmer insists on certain 'decorum' in her classroom, such as no hats/hoods,
no nasty language, no visible underwear or bellies (although that should be
an obvious one), cell phones/MP3's/IPOD's/etc. are turned off and hidden
away,
no "visible" gum (she doesn't want to see it or hear it), and lots of
pleases
and thank-you's.
When do I get to see my grade?
Grades will be updated in class and on the district website on most
Wednesdays. The previous week's homework will also be handed back on most
Wednesdays. The exception will be major projects that take several hours
for
Ms. Palmer to grade. Those will be handed back before the next quarter.
PLEASE REMEMBER:
KEEP EVERYTHING! Ms. Palmer occasionally adds things up incorrectly or may
accidently invert numbers when typing grades into the computer. She is happy
to correct the situation IF a student has his or her assignment as proof.
With all of the paperwork Ms. Palmer sees in a week, and over 100 students,
she can't remember what grade a student received on an assignment, so
students
must have the assignment to show her. However, Ms. Palmer does not change
her
grading method or point values assigned, so please don't ask. Changes will
only be made if there was an error in calculation.
Ms. Palmer! I don't get it! Help!
Ms. Palmer is available throughout the day to help students with questions or
homework. She arrives between 7:30 and 7:45 in the morning (she lives in
Sandpoint, so give her a few minutes if the roads are bad) and will be
available to help students until 3:30 most days (depending on if there is a
drama rehersal). Feel free to stop in and ask questions or to e-mail her at
bpalmer@lakeland272.org. She will get back to students as
soon as possible, keeping in mind that teachers take weekends, too. :)
I'm usually a perfect angel, but I had a bad day. What happens now?
Ms. Palmer is pretty flexible with most things but will not tolerate
disrespectful behavior towards herself, staff members, or other students. If
a student is impeding on the right of Ms. Palmer to teach or the rights of
other students to learn, he or she will be punished via detention, written
assignment, or a visit to Mr. Carr, depending on the severity of the offense.
Arghh! Please say there is extra credit in Ms. Palmer's class!
There will be two opportunities for extra credit per quarter. One is fairly
easy, and the other will require a lot of work. Extra credit is not given
lightly. The details are below:
1.) Palmer's Poodle Passes. Each student will receive a sheet of three
poodle passes a quarter. These passes are what students will need if they
need to use the restroom, get a drink or go to their lockers (all things that
should be taken care of prior to coming to class). No poodle pass, no
leaving the room (if it is an extreme emergency, arrangements will be made).
If a student has a neat sheet of all three poodle passes at the end of the
quarter, he or she will receive extra credit (amount will vary depending on
the units covered during the quarter). The sheet must be intact and have the
student's name on it in order to qualify. Each quarter's poodle pass will be
different to prevent the hoarding of passes. Keep them safe!
2.) The second way to receive extra credit will involve some sort of lengthy
research project or activity that will tie in to the units covered during a
particular quarter. Ms. Palmer will provide information on the project
during
quarter along with a due date and point value. This assignment will be worth
more points than the poodle pass extra credit because it involves more work.
How do I see my grades and assignments online?
That's simple. Go to http://www.lakeland272.org/parents.asp and click on
PowerSchool. Then type in your unique password assigned to you the first
week
of class. You will then be able to see your grade for each assignment.
Please refer to the questions above about when grades will be updated and
what
to do if you spot an error. In order to see you assignments, visit the
appropriate class link on this webpage, and it will list the assignments for
the week. This list will be updated every Friday by 3 PM, barring any
technical difficulties.