11/19/05

All students receive a copy of the following syllabus when they join my class.

Dear Students (and Parents),

 Welcome to your eighth grade “journey through thought” in our classroom.  My name is Mrs. O’Rourke (pronounced Ō Rōrk) and I will be your Language Arts and Reading teacher for the 2005-2006 school year.   

 You probably have a few questions you want answered before your journey begins.  Let me take this opportunity to answer some of these.

 Because you are in my eighth grade class, which is preparation for high school, you are held to a higher standard in both behavior and academics.

 My goal for this year is very simple; I want you to succeed. 

Your goal should also be very simple- to succeed.

 We will be covering (at least) the following . . .                             

 Poetry                     Short stories                         Novels                                    Holocaust

Speech                  Research                              Roots                                     Suffixes

Prefixes                 Grammar                              FCAT prep                            Research

Creative Writing

Explanation of Grading Policy and Procedure:

Assignments do not hold equal weight. 

The more involved or time consuming an assignment is, the more it is worth. 

Each assignment is set at a certain amount of points.

Those points are then all added together.

Take the points received and divide by the points possible to get percentage.

Example:               100 points received                                            Grading Scale    

89.5-100                A

                                120 points possible                                                                             79.5-89.4              B

                                                                                                                 69.5-79.4              C

                                100 / 120 =  83%                                                                                 59.5-69.4              D

                                                                                                                                                 Below 59.4           F

There will be many opportunities during this class to enrich ourselves and in order to better achieve our goals of success, I feel we should keep in mind a few considerations.  We will go over in class what each of these rules cover and imply.

 1. Be courteous to classmates, the teacher, and your environment.

2. Do not cause interruption to the lesson.

3. No grooming in class.

 Explanation of Reading Policy:

If parents or guardians object to a book you want to read . . . DO NOT read it. There are plenty of entertaining, fascinating books that your parents will not object to and I will be happy to help you find them.

 Explanation of Homework Policy:  Two hour Reading Logs are due every Thursday. Students will receive forms and additional directions within the next few days.  Quizzes are on Fridays and I recommend students spend 5-10 minutes per night studying for them in order to get high scores.  Additional homework will be given during the week. 

Necessary Materials:

2 inch 3-ring binder.  Please do not get a binder under 2 inches.  This must be carried to school each day.

Dividers (set of 5)

Ø      Classwork / Homework

Ø      Notes

Ø      Vocabulary/ Grammar

Ø      Quizzes/ Tests

Ø      Miscellaneous

Ample notebook paper and pens (the following ink colors are acceptable: blue, black, and purple).

Pencils are fine but sharpen them before class begins

I do not allow white-out to be used in class unless it is for a correction on final drafts or projects.

 √ Please have all materials by Monday, August 8^th.  If there is a financial or transportation issue, please note your intended date for providing the materials on the parent student signature sheet under “comments or questions.”

 Please contact Mann at (813)744-8400 if you need to speak to me.  Leave a message with the best times to call you and I will try to return the call within 24 hours.  I will not leave the class to take phone calls so do try to give me a time in the evening that works for you.  My conference period is fifth block and I will be available for phone calls and conferences during this time or by appointment.  Additionally, please feel free to email me with questions at StephanieOrourke@sdhc.k12.fl.us.  Once you have read through this, please send back the attached slip signed by both the parent and the student.  Again, I am thrilled to be working with you and I have plans for a successful and enjoyable year.

 With these considerations in mind, this class should run smoothly and be enjoyable for all.

 I am sure this year will be amazing!  Here we go . . .

 Mrs. S. O’Rourke