WELCOME – MRS. ALVARENGA’S CLASSRules and Procedures – day one

ATTENDANCE RULES

Alabama law requires that you submit a written parent or physicians excuse note within three days of an absence, check in, or check out in order for the absence to be excused.

Turn these notes in directly to Mrs. McQueen in the front office.

Students with excessive unexcused absences may be referred to the truancy officer.

See student handbook page 10 for acceptable absence excuses.

Please check the class website for makeup work. I will arrange a time with you to make up missed tests.

SCHOOL PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF

Students who are dropped off by parents may not enter the building before 7:30. please wait at the side door nearest your homeroom.

Buses will stop behind the lunchroom. Late buses may drop off behind the school buildings.

All school behavior policies are enforced at the bus stop, on the bus, and while waiting to enter the school.

Car riders must wait until they are called for dismissal, then are to go the front of the school building to wait to be picked up.

Bus riders will be called by bus load.

Athletics students must wait until after second bus load is called to walk up to Stanhope.

TEXTBOOKS

In order to be assigned Textbooks: You must return a signed Textbook Release form

pay for any missing or damaged books from the previous school year

You will not use your science textbook in the classroom. Take it home and leave it there. You will use it to complete homework assignments.

You will keep up with a science notebook instead of using a textbook on a daily basis.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Elmore County permits the use of Electronic Devices during non-instructional time, and at the discretion of teachers.

My classroom policy Students may not play on their phones or listen to music during direct

instruction.

Students may listen to music while working on individual assignments other than tests.

County policy prohibits students from video taping and taking photos during the school day without permission.

Students assume all liability for lost, damaged, and stolen devices.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Students are expected to complete their own work. students who complete any assignments dishonestly will

receive a zero for the assignments Use of unauthorized assistance

Using electronic devices to take or view pictures of assignments

Copying or allowing others to copy work.

DRESS CODE

Clothing should be conducive and respectful of the learning environment

Clothing should cover shoulders, cleavage, abdomen, back, and undergarments.

Pants should be worn at the waistline

Skirts and shorts should be no more than two inches above the knee.

Shoes should e appropriate to the activity

Please see the student handbook page 39 for a complete dress code

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR

Raise your hand to be recognized to speak or get out of your desk.

Do not leave the room without a signed pass in your planner.

Follow the aforementioned electronics policy.

No food or drinks are allowed in the classroom

Come to class prepared.

RESTROOM PASS POLICY

Students will be given a pass to tape into their planners

It will consist of three passes each grading period.

Students may “roll over” unused passed from the previous grading periods, but they may not exceed the number available for the current grading period.

Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis.

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Classwork – 50% will consist of the following:

1 averaged homework grade

1 averaged bell work grade

1 writing assignment

2 – 3 notebook check grades

4 – 5 worksheet grades

Test grades – 50% 2-3 unit test grades

≥1 lab grade

≥ 1 project grade

HOMEWORK

Students have been instructed to take their textbooks home and to leave them there to use to complete homework assignments. They will not need them in the classroom

Homework will be assigned on Monday or Tuesday each week.

Assignments are typically section assessment questions and vocabulary or practice problems.

Assignments will be due on Friday. Assignments turned in late will have 10 points deducted

per day late.

INTERACTIVE SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS

Students should use 100 page composition notebooks. No spiral notebooks or 3 ring binders.

Try find the kind with stitched bindings, rather than glued or perforated bindings. These will fall apart before the year is over.

Students should decorate the cover to personalize it. They may cut pictures and words from magazines, use photos, stickers, scrapbook paper, etc.

Students first and last name, and class period should be on the front cover of their notebooks.

Students will be given several reference items to paste or stick inside the front cover of their notebooks.

INTERACTIVE SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS

Students will be given a title page to paste onto the first page of their notebook.

Fill in first and last name and class period.

Reserve the next 2 – 3 pages for the table of contents.

A title and activity number should be written at the beginning of each entry.

Pages are not numbered consecutively – every page of the activity should be labeled with the activity number.

Record the title, activity number, and date completed on the table of contents page.

CLASS WEBPAGE

Alvarengascience.weebly.com

Scientific method, graphing, lab safety, and metrics are listed on a drop down tab under Mrs. Alvarenga’s classes.

I will keep a blog for both physical science and life science classes. I will post daily activities and PDF files of PowerPoints, notes, handouts,

worksheets, and homework assignments.

The assignment calendar will show what should be on the calendar in the student notebook

Table of contents will show accurate listing of activity titles, numbers, and completion dates.

LAB ACTIVITIES

$15 lab donation covers the cost of: Physical science:

MRS. ALVARENGA

I graduated from Winterboro High School in Talladega county, and hold a B.S. degree in Biology from Judson College in Marion Alabama. I taught at an environmental Education Camp in Tennessee for one year before I began teaching, taught High school science in Montgomery county for 7 years. This is my third year teaching at Millbrook middle school.

MRS. ALVARENGA

I am married, and do not have any children, however I have a LOT of pets.