Mater Lakes Academy Middle / High



“Home of the Bears”A Miami Dade County Public Charter School17300 NW 87th Avenue Miami, FL 33018 (305) 512-3917______________________________________________________________________________________Ms. Cecilia Garcia9th Grade Language Arts Room 132Welcome Letter/Parent ContractDear 8th Grade Language Arts Family,My name is Cecilia Garcia and I will be teaching 8th and 9th grade English Language Arts this year. I am currently certified to teach Secondary English Education 6-12. I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a minor in Education and I received my masters in Curriculum and Instruction in English Education at Florida International University. I am excited for this year, to spark or increase a love for writing in every single student. It is important for parents and students to sit down together and read and discuss the information provided in this document. Please sign and date the attached form and return it back to me as soon as possible. TARDIESTardies will result in a lower conduct/academic grade. If students are tardy in my class, it is their responsibility to either speak with me or another responsible classmate to obtain any missed assignments or notes. Copies of all handouts will be kept in the front of the room and updated each week. After an excessive amount of tardies in my class, there will be a call home, a responsibility paper or if applicable, a detention may be assigned. ABSENCESAll assignments are expected to be handed in and completed ON TIME, however, if you miss school for an excused reason, you must obtain a pass from the main office and make sure that all your teachers sign it in the designated area. Once that official pass is received, you will be expected to catch up on all assignments missed while you were out. Students are to go to the student center where there will be a binder with make-up work. Make-up work should be completed no later than a week after the absence occurred. A “Z” or an “F” will appear on the grade book until I have received the assignment. Students have 48 hours from the time they return to school from their absence to “excuse” their absence with the main office. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence and in this case, students are not allowed to make up the work. It is imperative you understand the importance in being present in class at all time, because as noted, it directly affects your grade not only in my class, but in all other courses as well. *Please look to the Parent Contract for information on the school’s policies regarding “excused” and “unexcused” absences and tardies, along with any additional rules or details that may be of interest to you.HOME LEARNINGHomework will be given on a regular basis and is expected to be placed in the “HOMEWORK BIN” the next time the class meets, at the very beginning of class. Any homework turned in after class has begun will be considered late. Homework is always thoroughly explained and clearly written on the “homework board” at the very front of the classroom. Students must write their homework down on an agenda. They can also always view the homework on our website, . Homework is updated on a daily basis and at times, students will be required to print out certain handouts from the site in order to complete an assignment. Class or school announcements along with important parent/student information will also be posted on the website. I encourage parents and students to access the website routinely as it is a great tool to use. NO NAME WORKStudents who turn in assignments (homework/classwork/quiz/test) and fail to write their name will not be given credit for their work. All “no name” assignments will be placed on the “No Name” board by the student station until the ending of that particular quarter. If by the ending of the semester, no student claims their work, assignments will be discarded. UNEXCUSED LATE WORKAt the beginning of the school, no late work will be allowed up until the ending of the academic year. Students will receive a “Z” in the grade book for every missed assignment in my class. Students may be asked to stay after school to do missed assignments. SPRINGBOARD CURRICULUMMater Lakes Academy is continuing our commitment to college and career readiness through a partnership with the CollegeBoard. As a component of this partnership, students will be using the “Official Pre-AP Program” known as SpringBoard in their Language Arts classroom. SpringBoard offers engaging and relevant lessons that teach students proven learning strategies that emphasize higher-order thinking skills, challenging them to aim higher and achieve more. I encourage you to take an active role in your child’s participation in SpringBoard so that you can support and monitor his/her progress along the way. You will see your child grow in his/her ability to apply and communicate concepts - qualities that are transferable to other subject areas and to real-world situations. With both SpringBoard and your support, your child has the potential to realize a very bright future.SPRINBGOARD TEXTBOOKAt the beginning of the academic year, Springboard books will be distributed to students during class time. Upon distribution, students will be asked to sign a sheet verifying that they received their book and their names will be clearly written on the margin of the book. It is the child’s responsibility to bring their books to class EVERYDAY, unless noted otherwise. Book checks will be done on a regular basis for a grade to ensure students are prepared for class at all times. Book are consumable, so students are allowed to write on them and at the ending of the year, they keep their books. If the child’s book is lost/stolen, they must see me and I will provide them with a financial obligation form. That form indicates that the student lost or misplaced a school resource and I am authorizing them to purchase another one. They must purchase a new Springboard book at the school library for $15.00. Failure to purchase a new book will impact their academic performance in my class. ASSESSMENTSThere will be a variety of assessment tools that will be used throughout the year, which include teacher observations, conferencing, projects, quizzes and tests. Projects, quizzes and tests are important to use in the classroom setting because it allows me as the teacher to see what are my students’ strengths and weaknesses. These form of assessments will be assigned on a regular basis and students will be given ample time to prepare. At times, however, I may assign students a pop quiz to ensure that they have understood the material and are well prepared for class. Announcements concerning projects, quizzes or tests will be available on our homework board and on our website, .CLASSROOM RULESBeside the rules in the student handbook, students must also follow these rules in class:Follow directions the first time they are given and thereafter Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak Stay in your seat unless you have permission to do otherwiseKeep hands, feet, and objects to yourselfRespect everyone, at all times. No cursing, no teasing, etc. No sugar is allowed in the classroom in any form (candies, sodas, juices, etc.)CONSEQUENCES FOR BREAKING CLASSROOM RULESVerbal Warning/ Teacher-student conferenceParent contactDetentionReferralIndoor/outdoor suspension *NOTE: I WILL NOT sign Field Trip forms for those students who have received more than 2 detentions with me per quarter or have a grade below a “C.”Consequences are the result of a person’s CHOSEN actionREWARDSTickets and praise (daily) for good work and behavior Positive note home (random)Whole-class free time (weekly)1 Homework Pass (every 10 tickets) CATEGORIES FOR GRADESAssessments: 50%Test (x2)Quizzes (x1)Projects (x2-3)Homework: 25%Classwork: 25%CONDUCT GRADING SCALEA: 0-2 warningsB: 3-5 warningsC: 6 warningsD: 7-9 warningsF: 10 or more warnings ACADEMIC GRADING SCALEA: 90%-100% 4B: 80%-89% 3C: 70%-79% 2D: 60%-69% 1F: 59%-0% 0EFFORT GRADING SCALE1: Outstanding Effort2: Satisfactory Effort3: Insufficient EffortMATERIALS REQUIRED1duotang folder (any color)2 Composition Notebook (any color) MANY blue/black PENSHighlighters (different colors) Loose Leaf Paper- College RuledIndex Cards Cleaning supplies such as tissues and/or copy paper. (I will give tickets for these types of supplies.) CONTACTCommunication is one of the keys to success in the classroom. Feel free to call our main office at 305-512-3917 or you can also e-mail, which is the most effective way to get in contact with me, at cgarcia@ or C.Garcia@. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you, and in the words of the great F. Scott Fitzgerald, “You don’t write because you want to say something. You write because you have something to say.”Sincerely,Ms. Cecilia Garcia*REMEMBER*Please print out and sign this form stating that you and your child have read and understand the terms of this letter/contract. This will be your child's first homework grade in my class. THANK YOUI have read and understand the terms of this Welcome Letter/Parent Contract. I accept the responsibilities stated in this document.______________________________________Student’s Name (PRINT)______________________________________Parent/Guardian’s Name (PRINT) ___________________________________Student’s Signature______________________________________Parent/Guardian’s Signature___________________________________________________DateWISH LISTI give tickets to students that bring the following items:?Tissues Pencils?Pens?Glade Plug-Ins refills?Lined paperWhite board cleaner?White copy paper?Hand sanitizer THANK YOU!!!! Any contribution you can make for your child’s classroom goes a long way. ................
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