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Responsibilities

If you are absent from class, regardless of the reason….

• it is your responsibility to check the homework board/homework website to see what assignments you missed and what is due
• it is your responsibility to make up missed work and hand in what you owe in a timely fashion (see Ms. Tiboldo regarding due dates)
• it is your responsibility to collect any missed handouts that were placed in your class basket

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Science Work
 

1. Notebook:  Students should bring all current science work to class in a 3-ring binder.  A table of contents at the beginning of the binder will log all unit work that is to be brought to class each day, and then collected and graded upon unit exam time.  Mid-term and final exams suggest that each student keep non-current work at home in a folder for review (non-current = material that was already tested on).

2. Assignments:  All assignments will be submitted on loose-leaf paper.  I will not accept any assignment submitted on notebook paper with nubbies hanging off the side (nubbie = paper fringe).  All assignments will be headed in the following manner:
    

3. Tests/Quizzes:  Written assignments will be given to gage knowledge of a concept, chapter or unit.  Quizzes may be given as frequently as once a week, and may or may not be announced (unannounced quiz = “pop quiz”).  All tests will be announced ahead of time so each student may prepare adequately.

4. Laboratory/Activity work:  All students will be required to participate in and complete all labs and activities.

5. Projects:  Each unit will incorporate a project that should be completed with maximum effort.  Unit projects will be introduced at the beginning of the unit, and submitted by the given deadline.
6. Articles:  Students will be provided with weekly non-fiction non-text science articles to read and complete written work on.  Articles are distributed on Mondays, with associated work collected each Friday.  All work will be graded according to the provided rubric.

7. Textbook:  Each student will be given a textbook at the start of the year.  This book MUST be covered and remain covered for the entire school year.  Failure to do so will result in a 10-minute after-school detention.  Any damage incurred to the textbook will result in fines at the end of the school year.

8. Do Now questions:  Upon entering the classroom at the beginning of the period, directions will be posted on the board or on the projector and a half slip of paper with a science multiple choice question will be found in a basket at the front of the room.  Each student will have 5 minutes to complete the question and follow any other directions posted on the screen.  The questions used for Do Nows are usually higher level multiple choice questions that are intended to strengthen test taking skills. 
9. Before You Leave questions:  Found on the opposite side of the Do Now question, BYL questions are used for closure to allow the student to reflect on the material covered during the class period.  Completed within the last 3 minutes of class, these questions enable the teacher to determine the student's level of understanding and if a topic needs to be revisited during the subsequent class.
10. Extra credit:  Each student may submit one current science news article each Friday for one extra credit point toward his/her marking period grade.  The article must be attached to a sheet of printer or construction paper and include a typed summary/reaction.  Please see the link to the left for more information.

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Class Conduct:

1. Be courteous and respectful to others – in other words, treat others as you would like to be treated.  The common rules of courtesy apply everywhere that we are, and the classroom is no different.  I appreciate a joke as much as the next person, but not at the expense of another individual.  Please respect the feelings of everyone around you.

2. Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak – when possible, everyone will receive their turn to contribute to the class.  However, we must first respect those who are speaking, whether it is the teacher, an administrator or a classmate.
3. Be prepared for class – being prepared means having your completed homework, notebook, writing implement and textbook on your desk when the bell rings.
4. Stay in your seat unless you have permission to do otherwise – due to the size of the classroom and the number of students in each class, it is impossible for everyone to be out of their seats at the same time.  Only one student may be out of his/her seat at a time with permission from the teacher.  Please sharpen pencils and dispose of any trash before the bell rings.
5. Follow directions the first time they are given – no one likes to sound like a broken record, so please pay attention to all directions when they are first given.

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 Policies:

1. Lateness – Lateness to class will not be tolerated.  All students must be in the classroom when the bell rings to be considered on time.  Lateness to class will result in a ten-minute detention after-school.
2. School rules – All school policies will be enforced in the classroom.  This includes, but is not limited to, the policies regarding hats, dress code, cellular phones, music devices (MP3 players, CD players), gaming devices, gum, etc.  Hats that are collected during class will be returned following an afterschool detention.  Cell phones and electronic devices will be collected immediately and submitted to the assigned Vice Principal.  Please review the school policies outlined in your student planners. 
3. Gum chewing -  Gum chewing will not be tolerated in class since it inevitably winds up under tables and chairs, on the floor and inappropriately placed on other surfaces. 
4. Plagiarism -  Submitting any work that is not in your own words is considered to be plagiarism.  Copying homework, cheating on a test, and copying and pasting directly from the internet or a publication are acts that constitute this offense.  Any student who has been found to participate in any capacity in these activities will receive a zero on the assignment in question and a parent phone call.  Subsequent offenses will follow the Comet Code of Conduct guidelines and will be brought to the attention of the assigned Vice Principal.