St.

Joseph School Middle School Math Course 1

Expectations 2013-2014

Welcome to Course 1! Students Code of Conduct

You will be responsible. You will respect yourself and others. You will choose to learn and allow others to learn. You will allow the teachers to teach. You will do your personal best

YOU WILL NEED TO

Come to class with your paper, pencil, red pen, journal and planner in your school binder, and your textbook. Your teacher will instruct you to bring ruler, graph paper, protractor, compass, and calculator. This material will be staying at home for you to use when the homework requires it. Cover your textbook. These textbooks are expensive so please help us to make them last. Keep those books covered and dont write on them. A cheap and good way to cover them is with a grocery bag (you can decorate it as you want). Complete homework the night it is assigned. Exceptions are illness, family emergency, etc Soccer practice for example, does not count as a family emergency. Remember, the student who does not complete an assignment on time usually is confused during the next days lesson and will receive a homework notification.

Course Work We will continue using the Glencoe series of Mathematics

Applications and Concepts. Course 1 book has 6 units, with 2-3 chapters each. Some of what we will cover this year is: Unit 1: Whole Numbers, Algebra, and Statistics Unit 2: Decimals Unit 3: Fractions Unit 4: Algebra Unit 5: Ratios and Proportions Unit 6: Geometry and measurement You will have a quiz every two or three sections of a chapter. At the end of the chapter you will have a test. These will never be a surprise. For the quizzes you will have 1 or 2 days notice and 5 days notice for larger tests. At the end of the year you will have a final exam covering the whole year. All homework, quizzes, and tests will also be announced on my webpage.

Homework Expect a homework assignment every night. This should take between 15
and 40 minutes to complete. Always use pencil to do your work. You will be able to find news and check homework assignments by going to the school webpage: www.sjsissaquah.org Click on Class and Homework Pages on the lower left side of the page, it will take your directly to my School home page.

Vocabulary Journal Every day you will learn new vocabulary words. As part of your
homework you have to write these words with their definitions in this journal. Also, this journal will be use to take notes during class, this journal will comprise a major part of your participation grade.

Proper Homework Headings A proper heading is required for every homework

assignment. Example: Chapter 2 Section 3 Pg. 35 (1-30) 9-3-2013

Sending Papers Home All quizzes and exams are sent home via the weekly Friday
folder. This folder originates in your childs homeroom class. Homework is returned directly to the student since it will be on the homework journal. I expect the students to keep all their homework in a combined notebook and their quizzes and test in their binders or in a folder at home.

Grading Grades for Course 1 are weighted as follows:

Tests/Quizzes Homework & Computation Vocabulary Journal & Notes Problem Solvers 40% 30% 20% 10%

Everybody stumbles when they are learning. Sometimes things just dont go well for lots of different reasons. You will be expected to turn in a corrected version of homework. If you receive a D or lower on a quiz or chapter test you will need to get a parent signature on the Orange Slip, to ensure that parents have seen it. Then you will be given the opportunity correct the errors and resubmit the test for partial credit. F.A.Q.'s Is Homework Graded? Yes, if all the work is completed neatly, you have shown your work, and tried all the problems you will receive full credit. You must show your work and every problem must be attempted. Merely writing down the problem or writing a ? next to the problem number will not count as an attempt. If there are errors on homework I expect them to be corrected before turning in the assignment. Failure to do so will result in loss of points on the assignment.

Yes, the question should be written down first! It is also not appropriate to simply write the answer. Whenever a process with more than one step is required you need to write down the steps in the process. We will go through the homework at the beginning of each class and look at any areas of confusion. How can I get help? First, look at your notes. Second, take a look at the textbook. The chapter we are working on will have worked out examples and these may help to jog your memory. If this does not help you can try a reliable classmate, or ask at home. I am available before school every day. If a big problem does occur come see me in the morning. You will receive partial credit if you come to class with incomplete work, no matter the reason. Can Students Work Together? Yes! It always helps to discuss the problems together, but it is also important for each student to go through the process of working the problems out on their own. Late Work? In general late work will be accepted according to the Middle School late assignment policy handout that the students have already received from their homeroom teachers. A homework notification will be sent home for your parent to sign. One day late is credi. No credit will be given to homework received two or more days later than the due date. Absent Work? If you are absent you can get your homework assignment from the school web as mention earlier. For each day that you are absent, you have one day to get the homework assignment in. For instance: you miss Monday and Tuesday, on Wednesday the HW from the prior Friday is due, on Thursday HW from Monday and Wednesday are due, and on Friday HW from Tuesday and Thursday are due-you are caught up. It is your responsibility to bring make-up work to me to get stamped. If you miss a test or a quiz, there will be designated days after school to make up the missing quiz or test

Conferencing You will receive a progress report in the middle of each trimester, or
more often if I feel your child would benefit from a greater frequency. Of course, you (or your child) can request a progress report any time! At the end of each trimester you will receive a report card. If you have any concerns or questions regarding your childs placement or progress in my class, please email me. We can set up a meeting anytime you feel it is needed. I am always eager to discuss your childs math needs. However, please do not come into my class before school or between classes for an unscheduled meeting. School rules prohibit using email for serious discussions regarding students. But, we can use email for daily contact about issues we are working on, simple questions, or to set up meetings. Thank you, Cheryl Cericola ccericola@sjsissaquah.org

I have read the middle school math-Course 1 expectations with my parent. Student Name: ________________________________Date_____________ Student Signature______________________________________________ Parent Signature________________________________________________