Welcome to 8th Grade!

Welcome to 8th Grade!

Over the past few years, the 8th grade staff has made some changes that allow us to better communicate as a team and be more consistent. We'd like to take this opportunity to share our common practices and let you know what to expect for your child's last year at Mountview!

Homework Policy We recognize that the first question for most parents and, of course, entering 8th graders is what to expect for homework. As a team, we respect that children these days are often involved in outside activities and may have very busy schedules, but also try to balance that against the high expectations of the state and the rigor that our community has come to expect of Mountview.

While we will endeavor to allow students class time to complete assignments, there are some activities that students will need to finish at home in order to be fully prepared for class, be able to perform their best on MCAS, and be ready for the expectations of the high school. Students should still expect to finish the following at home:

Math practice Foreign language practice Studying

Finishing/ revising essays and labs Note taking Reading

The goal is for all students (who are present and working diligently) to complete all assignments for all subjects within 80 minutes each night-- this is in line with district expectations and current research-- but most nights should not even require that much time for the average student.

Independent Reading While there will be less emphasis on homework, that does not mean that learning ends as students leave the building. Research shows that the greatest impact on children's academic success is from how much they read. Therefore, we will expect that all students have an independent reading book that they take daily to every class. They will be expected to complete assignments using this book in ELA. Students are encouraged to find reading materials that pique their interest-- so, if they have trouble finding a book they'd like to read, they should see their ELA teacher or visit Mrs. Rooke in the media center during activity period.

Communication This year is the last opportunity that we have for all the teachers to collaborate as a team to best support your 8th grade children-- and we can only do that with effective communication between school and home. Many of the 8th grade teachers utilize the following tools: web pages, Google Classroom, and PowerSchool as a means of communication, in addition to individual emails.

Please take an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the newly updated Mountview website-- it has been streamlined to make it easier for parents and students to access teacher webpages. Additionally, through Google Classroom, guardians can receive weekly updates once their email has been added to Classroom. PowerSchool is also a great place for parents to get an update on student success on a regular basis. Please feel free to communicate with any one of us via email-- no problem is too small. We want to work together to give your child a great 8th grade year!

Thank you! Team 8 Mountview

***Please note: Individual IEP and 504 plan accommodations take precedence over stated classroom policies where applicable.

Table of Contents

(Click subject heading to go to that page directly)

Directory of Teacher Email

3

Mathematics -Ms. Creagh

4

Mathematics - Ms. Tooley

5

Science - Mrs. Petit & Mr. Tyler

7

English Language Arts - Ms. Ramian & Mrs. Tellier

9

World History - Ms. Mudge & Mr Smith

10

Spanish - Se?ora Hanley & Se?ora Bradshaw

11

French - Madame Boisselle

12

Visual Art - Mrs. Aliskevicz

13

Engineering & Technology - Ms. Lane

15

Band ? Mr. Day

17

Chorus - Mrs. Puleo

17

String Orchestra - Mr. Sabourin

18

Physical Education - Ms. LeBlanc & Mr. LaMontagne

20

Directory of Teacher Email

We all encourage you to use the school's parent access system, and please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Our email addresses are listed below; however, the school's phone number is 508-829-5577 if you would prefer to leave a message with the front office for any of us.

Alison_Aliskevicz@ Carolyn_Boisselle@ Emily_Bradshaw@

Richard_Day@ Lynn_Hanley@ James_LaMontagne@ Marie_Lane@ Ashley_Leblanc@ Deb_Mudge@

Elizabeth_Puleo@ Marybeth_Petit@ Caroline_Ramian@ Stefanie_Creagh@ Joshua_Sabourin@ Michael_Smith@ Jennifer_Tellier@ Melissa_Tooley@

Jason_Tyler@

Mathematics - Ms. Creagh

8th Grade Math/Algebra

Room A323

Extra Help: before school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and after school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays

Grading Policy: Participation: 5% Homework: 25% Quizzes: 30% Tests: 40% Mid-term & Final: worth 5% each towards student's final grade Final Grade: Q1-22.5%, Q2 ? 22.5%, Mid-Term-5%, Q3-22.5%, Q4-22.5%, Final-5% Homework: Homework will be assigned almost nightly to reinforce class material and prepare for assessments. Students must show ALL work to receive full credit. On most days, students will have the opportunity to start homework at the end of class. After every 5 homework assignments, the grades will be averaged together for a homework completion grade. Homework will be graded using the following scale:

+ = 100% for completed homework = 65% (more than 50% of work shown) - = 25% (less than 50% of work shown) 0 = homework not done or work not shown If a student does not do a homework assignment or forgot it at home, they have 1 day to make it up. The student will only receive partial credit(). Quizzes: Will be either announced or unannounced. Students will be able to use their homework assignments and notes while taking ONLY unannounced quizzes. Tests: Will always be announced. Students will receive a weeks notice before a test will be given. Students who receive below a 70 on a test have the opportunity to make corrections. They need to correct all of the incorrect problems on their test in order to boost their grade to a 70. All of the work needs to be completed on the template, which can be found on my website as well as printed copies in my classroom. Corrections and original test need to be stapled and passed in by the due date to receive credit. Textbooks: Algebra: students are able to sign out a copy of the book if they would like to keep at home to use as a reference. 8th Grade Math: students are able to sign out a copy of the book if they would like. Students have online access to the book at Make-up Work: It is the student's responsibility to make up work when they are not at school. They should check my website to see what they missed, especially notes and homework. Students are responsible for passing in any work due on the day they were absent the following day they return to school. If you are absent the day of a test or announced quiz, be prepared to take the test or quiz during class the NEXT day you are in school. Helpful Links: Students will be using during the school year. Google Classroom will also be used for certain assignments.

melissa_tooley@

Mathematics - Ms. Tooley

8th Grade Math

Rm. A325

Welcome to 8th Grade Math! This year your students will be focusing on three critical areas: (1) formulating and reasoning about expressions and equations, including modeling an association in bivariate (two variable) data with a linear equation, and solving linear equations and systems of linear equations; (2) grasping the concept of a function and using functions to describe quantitative relationships; (3) analyzing two- and three-dimensional space and figures(triangles, parallelograms, cubes, prisms, pyramids) using distance, angle, similarity, and congruence, and understanding and applying the Pythagorean Theorem.

Policies and Procedures

Expectations: It is expected that students will arrive to class on time with all necessary materials. They should come to class every day with a pencil, a non-black pen, a calculator, math binder with filler paper, and their agenda.

Attendance: If a student is absent, he/she is responsible for all homework due and assigned on that day. You will have as many days as you were absent to make up the work starting on your first day back to school. If you are absent on the day before or the day of a test you will be expected to take the test on the day that you come back to school. If they are absent in the days leading up to the test they will be given 1 week to make up the test and any other missed work.

Grading Scale: Participation-5%, Homework-25%, Quizzes-30%, Tests-40%

Homework: All homework, which is given almost every night, will be completed and all work (when appropriate) will be shown on a separate piece of paper. Homework will be checked for completion every day. It will be scored as follows:

+ =100 will be given for completed homework = 60 for partially completed (>50% complete) - = 50 for less than 50% completed 0 for homework not completed or no work shown.

If homework is not done the student has 1 day to make it up. Late homework (1 day) will receive a (60). Homework after that will be given a zero. After three missed homework assignments students will be given a classroom detention.

After every 5 homework assignments, the grades will be averaged together and a homework completion grade will be given. Approximately once a week a homework assignment will be collected to be graded for accuracy. Prior notice will not necessarily be given as to which homework will be collected.

Homework should take approximately 20 minutes when given. If a student spends more than 45 minutes on homework and is struggling students should not continue. However, they need to have a parent/guardian to sign the homework indicating that you know the student was working on it but was struggling in order to receive credit.

Quizzes/Tests: Quizzes will be announced at least 2 days in advance. At least five days notice of an upcoming test will be given. If a student receives a grade below 70 it will be necessary to get the quiz or test signed by a parent and/or guardian and returned to me the next day.

Students who receive below a 70 on a test (not quizzes) have the opportunity to make corrections to improve their grade to a maximum of a 70. In order to do this they must:

Have missed no more than 1 homework assignment in the week before the test. They must make corrections to all of the problems that they got wrong ? not just enough to get a 70. They must show all work on a separate sheet of paper including an explanation of what they did wrong

on the test. (I have posted a template that they can use on my website) They have 1 week from the day the test was given back (the due date will be given in class and posted)

to complete the corrections. They must hand in the original test with the corrections stapled to the front.

Extra Help: I am available during the standard academic activity periods during the week as well as before school on Wednesday and Thursday after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If for some reason these times do not work please let me know and we can arrange a mutually acceptable time.

Resources: You can find homework and other resources on the class website: .

We will also be using the following websites for practice and homework. Students will be given usernames and passwords in class.

(online textbook)

Communication: With Students: Homework assignments are posted in the classroom. Most times homework assignments are posted on my website and in Google Classroom but this is not always possible and should not be the primary source. Students are always encouraged to speak to me directly with any questions or concerns.

With Parents: If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. The best method to contact me is by email (melissa_tooley@). However, you can always call the school at 508-829-5577 and leave a message and I will get back to as soon as possible.

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