Mater Academy Middle / High School



Mater Lakes Academy Middle/High School

A Miami Dade County Public Charter School

17300 NW 87th Avenue

Miami, FL 33018 (305) 512-3917

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Ms. Kathleen E. Wile

6th Grade Language Arts

Room 6

Syllabus/Parent Contract

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to Mater Lakes Academy! My name is Kathleen Wile and I am very excited to be your child’s 6th or 9th grade language arts teacher. This is my first year teaching at Mater Lakes Academy and I am thrilled to be here teaching your students this year. Prior to this point I taught in both Immokalee, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina. Since I was young, I have always loved reading and the English language. I was inspired by my senior English teacher in high school to share that love with others. I graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Education. Since then, I have enrolled in several classes in order to gain a specialization in both reading, and exceptional student education. I am currently certified to teach Secondary Education (grades 6-12).

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.

GENERAL PROCEDURES

In order to succeed in this class, each student should know what is expected of them. The following are responsibilities that will guarantee a great year. Each student must have PRIDE:

• Perseverance:

o Always try your hardest in class. This means coming prepared with all materials, never cheating, and never replying with "I don't know" as an answer. If you don't think you know an answer, take a guess. The worst you can be is wrong.

• Respect:

o Respect others and yourself. Keep your hands to yourself and away from others. Think before you speak. Racial slurs or bullying comments will not be tolerated in this class and will result in severe consequences.

• Involvement:

o Participation will be a grade that each student receives at the end of the year. Students are expected to listen and respond to the teacher and classmates at all times.

o During group assignments, students must share the work and will evaluate each other's performances.

• Discipline:

o Follow all school rules.

o Come dressed in uniform every day.

o No food or electronics will be allowed in class.

o No cheating is allowed! If you are caught cheating, you will receive a 0 on the assignment, a demerit, and a detention. You will also redo the assignment after school for no credit as a consequence.

• Enthusiasm:

o When Ms. Wile makes a request of you, you are to do it immediately.

o Be active in following all Ms. Wile's and the school rules.

TARDIES

Tardies 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. 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.

ABSENCES

All 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. 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.

UNEXCUSED LATE WORK

As a result of the transition students are making from elementary to middle school, I am aware that some students may take a while to adapt to this new environment. I have made the exception, in this case, to accept late work for only the first quarter of the academic year. Students who forget to submit an assignment on the specified due date are allowed to turn it in on a later date, but only for the first nine weeks. Students will be notified on the last day late work is going to be accepted in order for grades to be finalized in the gradebook. There will be a bin titled “late work” where students will be asked to place the late assignments. At the beginning of the second nine weeks (2nd quarter), no more 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.

HOME LEARNING

Homework will be given on a regular basis and it is expected to be placed in the “Inbox” 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 are encouraged to write down their homework in an agenda, but if they fail to do so, they can 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.

Remind 101:

For each of my classes, I will use an automated phone number to text reminders about important assignments/tests to students and parents. This is not my personal phone number. Please do not text back.

1. Find your class below.

2. Text the matching code to (207) 747-3459.

3. When you receive a text back, asking for your name, reply with your name. This will subscribe you to Ms. Wile's class.

Period 1- Honors Language Arts: @0fc82

Periods 2, 3, 4, 5- 6th Grade Language Arts: @ff854

Period 6-9th Grade Language Arts: @da64c

NO NAME WORK

Students 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 in a bin titled “no name work” until the ending of that particular quarter. If by the ending of the semester, no student claims their work, assignments will be discarded.

HALL PASSES

At the beginning of every quarter, every student will be given a set of hall passes (4 in total). These can be used to go to the restroom or drink water. When students want to exit the classroom, they must give me their pass and I will sign one off. They are only allowed to use the bathroom/drink water four times throughout the given quarter. Once students have used all four hall passes, they may borrow one from another classmate or use the restroom in another class/period, but they must have a pass available to exit my classroom. If students do not use a certain amount of passes, they can use them towards extra credit at the end of the quarter. I will announce the date hall passes must be submitted in order to receive the credit. Listed below are the extra credit opportunities students have with the passes:

-4 hall passes remaining (no passes used): Lowest test, quiz or project grade is brought up one letter grade.

-3 hall passes remaining (1 pass used): Lowest classwork, homework or journal grade brought up one letter grade.

-2 or 1 hall pass remaining: No extra credit opportunity.

SPRINGBOARD CURRICULUM

Mater 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 TEXTBOOK

At 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.

Lesson Essential Question

Every day, the students will see the "lesson essential question" or "LEQ" on the white board. These questions are created as higher order thinking questions to check student understanding of each day's lesson. At the end of class each day, as an exit slip, students will be required to answer the LEQ in their notebooks. These will be checked by Ms. Wile each Friday for 5% of the student's overall grade.

ASSESSMENTS

There 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 RULES

1. Enter class in complete uniform.

2. Be seated and ready to work when the bell rings.

3. Raise your hand and be acknowledged prior to speaking.

4. Bring all supplies daily.

5. Bring homework daily.

6. Treat teacher and fellow students with respect.

7. Cell phones are to be turned off at all times.

8. No gum, food, or drinks allowed in classroom.

CONSEQUENCES FOR BREAKING CLASSROOM RULES

1. Verbal Warning/ Teacher-student conference

2. PRIDE Paper

3. Parent contact

4. Detention

5. Referral

6. Indoor/outdoor suspension

REWARD

1. Verbal Praise

2. Parent contact

3. Good grades

CATEGORIES FOR GRADES

Homework: 10%

Classwork/Springboard work: 15%

Bell Ringers/ Lesson Essential Question Answers: 10%

Test: 30%

Quiz: 20%

Project: 15%

ACADEMIC GRADING SCALE

A: 3.5-4.0

B: 3.0-3.4

C: 2.5-2.9

D: 2.0-2.4

F: 0-1.9

CONDUCT GRADING SCALE

A: 0-2 warnings

B: 3-5 warnings

C: 6 warnings

D: 7-9 warnings

F: 10 or more warnings

EFFORT GRADING SCALE

1: Outstanding Effort

2: Satisfactory Effort

3: Insufficient Effort

MATERIALS REQUIRED

• (1) Folder with fasteners and pockets for homework

• (1) Spiral Notebook with holes (100 pages or less)

o Bell Ringers/LEQs

• (1) 2 inch binder

• (3) Notebook dividers- Vocabulary, Reading Response, Notes

• (3) Blue/ Black pens

• (2) Red pens

• (3) Highlighters

• Loose Leaf Paper

Syllabus- 6th Grade Honors and Regular Language Arts

*Honors students should expect the same texts with an increased level of difficulty in the assignments.

|1St Semester (Quarters 1 & 2) |2nd Semester (Quarters 3 & 4) |

|-Concept of Change-Essay |-Poetry Unit |

|-The Writing Process |*TWIST |

|-Who’s Who by: Judith Viorst |*TPCASTT |

|*Alliteration |*SOAPSTONE |

|*Rhyme Scheme |-Parts of a News Story |

|*Adjectives/Nouns |*TV Terms |

|-A Lion’s Narrative |-News Report Writing |

|*Point of View |-Greek Mythology |

|*Transitions |*Persephone by: Alice Low |

|*Sensory Details |-Persuasive Writing |

|-Narrative Writing |-Advertisements |

|-Kira-Kira |*Logos |

|*Predictions |*Pathos |

|*Verbs/Vivid Verbs |*Ethos |

|-My Superpowers |*Kairos |

|-Narrative Writing |-“The Mighty”-Film Analysis |

|-The Oldest Living Atlanta Gorilla Tells All |-Bad Boy |

|-How Fire Came to the Six Nations |-Excerpts from Holes |

|*Context Clues |*Character |

|-The Jacket |- Excerpts from Back to the Future |

|*Figurative Language |*Plot, Character, Drama, Tone |

|-The Mermaid Speaks |-APA Research Paper |

|*TWIST | |

|*Interjections | |

|-Expository Writing | |

|-Monologues | |

|-Eleven by: Sandra Cisneros | |

|-“The Lion King” | |

|*Plot | |

|-Short Stories | |

|*Dialogue | |

|*Conflict/Resolution | |

|-Excerpts of Anne of Green Gables | |

|Context Clues | |

|Setting | |

*These assignments are subject to change at any time depending on teacher discretion and time constraints*

Syllabus- 9th Grade Language Arts

|1St Semester (Quarters 1 & 2) |2nd Semester (Quarters 3 & 4) |

|-Coming of Age |-Research and Writing Unit |

|"My Name" | |

|"Why Couldn't I have been named Ashley?" |-Poetry and Drama Unit |

|*Rhetorical Appeals |Poetry selections |

|*Personal Narrative |*Poetic elements: Symbol, onomatopoeia, alliteration, rhyme, |

|*Voice |theme, anaphora, assonance, consonance, hyperbole, allusion, |

|To Kill a Mockingbird |tone, diction, connotation, and more. |

|*Setting |Romeo and Juliet |

|*Conflict |*Dramatic elements |

|*Characters | |

|*Historical context | |

|*Voice | |

| | |

|-Style Unit | |

|"The Cask of Amontillado" | |

|*Irony | |

|*Setting | |

|*Plot | |

|*Character | |

|*Theme | |

|Excerpts from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film and | |

|novel) | |

|*Style | |

|Excerpts from Edward Scissorhands (film) | |

|*Style in cinema | |

|Excerpts from Big Fish (film) | |

|*Style in cinema | |

I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. 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. My email will be on the school website. I am looking forward to working with you and your child. Remember, communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship.

Sincerely,

Ms. Kathleen Wile

Ms. Kathleen Wile

______________________________________________________________________________

*REMEMBER*

Please sign the attached form, stating that you have read and understand the terms of this letter/contract.

THANK YOU

I have read and understand the terms of this Welcome Letter/Parent Contract. I accept the responsibilities stated in this document.

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Student’s Name (PRINT)

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Student’s Signature

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Date

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I have read and understand the terms of this Welcome Letter. I am aware of my child’s responsibilities, which are stated in this document.

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Parent/Guardian’s Name (PRINT)

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Parent/Guardian’s Signature

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Child’s Name (PRINT)

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Date

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“Home of the Bears”

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