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Cathy Fiebelkorn » Welcome to 8-2 ELA!

Welcome to 8-2 ELA!

Welcome to English Language Arts (ELA)!
 
I'm looking forward to meeting all of my students and kicking off your 8th grade year, which I hope will be your best yet!
 
My goals are to help you grow as readers, writers, and communicators. To do so, I am committed to creating an environment in which you feel safe, valued, happy, and inspired. I will ask for your opinions and input often, so that I can best support your learning and overall well-being.
 
Please know that my door will always be open for you! 
 
 
 
You'll need:
Amazon.com : Black Marble Composition Notebook, 100-Count, Wide Ruled, 9 3/4" x 7 1/2" (12 PACK) : Writing Pencils : Office Products   tape
 
-marble composition notebook (We will be using an old-school marble notebook. No spiral notebooks, please.)
-earbuds
-Scotch tape (to be replenished throughout the year as needed)
-writing utensils 
-independent reading book 
 
Optional:
-index cards (you may wish to use these to make vocabulary flash cards)
-Post-it notes (to annotate your independent reading book)
-colored pencils (for some of our notebook entries that will involve drawing)
 
Students can find assignments by accessing our Daily Agenda slide deck (found in Google Classroom). 
 
 
HOMEWORK
No homework will be assigned on weekends or holidays.  Those times are reserved for students to relax, spend time with their families, and pursue other interests, so that they can come back to school refreshed and ready to learn.  However, at their own discretion, students may choose to work over weekends and holidays on long-term projects or assignments.
 
GRADING
As per our district’s grading practices, grades will be reported under two categories:

Achievement
Major Assessments = 50% (Includes tests, written pieces, projects, presentations)
Minor Assessments = 30% (May include quizzes, poetry recitations, oral assessments, other graded assignments)
Classwork = 20% (May include do-nows, exit tickets, notebook entries, individual grades for group work)

Accountability
Independent Reading = 50% (May include evidence of reading such as weekly check-ins, preparation for conferences, timely turn-in of responses; student should be consistently prepared for class with a book, maintain lists and logs)
Daily Expectations = 50% (Expectations:  contribute to class activities; demonstrate effort and positive attitude; stay on task; follow directions; complete work including make-up work on time; submit electronic assignments correctly; bring all required materials to class; self-advocate)
 
WORK QUALITY
If a student ignores basic rules of capitalization and punctuation, the work will not be scored. 
 
This includes:
  • capitalization of the pronoun I
  • capitalization of the first words in sentences
  • capitalization of proper nouns (e.g. names of months, days, places, people, organizations, companies, titles of books, movies, songs, etc.)
  • punctuation at the ends of sentences
  • apostrophes to indicate possession (e.g. Memorial's track team) or contractions (e.g. wouldn't, I'm)
 
LATE PROJECTS, MAJOR ASSESSMENTS, MINOR ASSESSMENTS
If you are in a situation where you are unable to complete an assignment on time, please contact me as soon as possible before the due date. We can accept major and minor assessments up to one week late with no late penalty. (This does not apply to presentations.)  Work will not be accepted after two weeks beyond the due date.
 
Anytime you submit work late, you should leave a private comment on that assignment, so that we receive a notification.
 
Note: late work is placed at the bottom of the grading queue. If Genesis has not been updated after two weeks from the date of submission, please feel free to reach out to us.
 
RUBRICS and MODELS
When an assignment is given, clear expectations are modeled and discussed in class. Almost always, mentor texts or models are analyzed and studied before we ask students to perform on their own. Coaching rubrics and models will be found in Google Classroom.
 
Reassessment

If a student earns a 69% or lower on a major or minor assessment, they may ask to reassess. The student should email me or Dr. Conboy (or you can ask in person) to request the reassessment. After requesting the reassessment, the student must complete the following steps:

1. Fill out the Assessment Reflection Form found in GC *after* you request a reassessment from your teacher.  If this step is not completed within two days of requesting the assessment, you will forfeit your chance to reassess.  Email the teacher to indicate you have completed the form.

2. Make corrections or edit the original test or writing piece in red font, if requested by one of the teachers to do so.  

3. Wait for the teacher to contact you. You may be asked to attend an extra help session or confer with the teacher prior to the re-take.

Note: if a student does not complete an assigned study guide or the requested study tools (e.g. flashcards, graphic organizers) before the original assessment, I may decline a student’s request for reassessment. 

 
Absence Due to Vacation or Sickness:
As per our school policy, we do not provide work for students prior to a vacation. When a student misses class because of sickness or vacation, they must check our Daily Agenda (found on Google Classroom) to see what lessons and assignments were missed while away. Upon return to school, the student should also see one of the teachers to obtain any handouts (if applicable).
 
If an absent student feels able, she may work on assignments posted in Google Classroom. If the assignment is confusing or there are any questions, students should wait until they return to school to confer with the teacher.
 
 
High School Recommendations:
I would be happy to help any student apply to a private high school or special program. If you request a recommendation, please allow at least 10 school/business days to complete the paperwork. The student seeking a recommendation should make the request for the recommendation in person.  If there is actual paperwork to be completed and mailed, please submit it to me with a stamped envelope with the address of the institution to which you wish me to send the recommendation.
 
Recommendation paperwork left in my mailbox or sent digitally without a request from the student will not be filled out. 
 
I will not be able to write a recommendation before the end of the first trimester at the earliest, so please do not make requests before then. If needed prior to that, you may wish to contact your 7th grade ELA teacher.
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