August 21, 2014 Dear Parents:

1. August 21, 2014 Dear Parents: Welcome to my classroom! I am looking forward to teaching your child and anticipate a year full of growth. Expectations are high for the students this year, and their responsibilities will increase. Students must be organized; complete a more difficult & extensive curriculum and workload; use time management skills to get assignments done; and work to solve problems on their own. At the same time, they will also participate in creative learning activities and engage in learning mathematics in exciting ways. Welcome Information The welcome information that I’ve sent home with your child acquaints you with expectations about the classroom. Please take time to read and discuss this information with your child. There is also a form that needs to be signed and returned. Please do so by August 29th. Curriculum This year in 6th grade math and/or social studies, we will study problem-solving strategies to work through real life math situations. We will use journal writing as a tool to explain deep thinking of critical grade-level concepts. We will engage in mini lessons and workshop sessions, participate in scavenger hunts, create mad libs, projects, and student interactive notebooks, track our mastery learning for each standard. Above all else, we will encourage each other to continue improving. This classroom has one goal… Every One Improves! You may visit Ohio’s Department of Education’s web site to view the sixth grade math and social studies standards, benchmarks, and indicators. You may also visit the Common Core State Standards Web site for additional information. Parent Support I look forward to working with you toward the goal of providing the best educational experience for your child. At home, one good way to review the day’s lessons is to ask your child to tell you about what he or she did in class. Please encourage your child to practice, practice, practice and then explain to you his/her thoughts behind the work. In addition, reinforcing organization and time management skills goes a long way toward achieving the best educational experience possible. Classroom Communication I will communicate classroom news through our middle school website, which is our class Web site. If you would like to contact me with questions or concerns, please contact me at school via telephone at 937/667-8454 or via e-mail at jhiestand@tippcity.k12.oh.us. Again, I welcome you to another school year, and I look forward to working with you and your child to make it a fantastic one! Your partner in education, Mrs. Hiestand

2. Grading Policy Grading Scale Grading Process Students will have different opportunities to show what they have learned. Grades are determined using points. Point values for each assignment depend on the type of assignment. At the end of the grading period, all points will be averaged to determine the final grade. Types of Assessments Homework • In-class work • Writing • Tests/Quizzes • Journal checks Late Work Students are expected to turn in completed assignments at the time they are due. Assignments are due at the student’s daily class time. Students are given one day to make up work per day of absence. Make up work for extended absences will be determined on a case by case basis. If incomplete work is turned in, I will return it to the student to complete, and partial credit may be earned. Corrections and Re-takes There is a great deal of learning that happens throughout the process of correcting prior mistakes that have been made. Because of this, students are given the opportunity to fully master concepts by making corrections to quizzes and re-taking tests. Students are given one opportunity to correct any quiz during that same quarter. Tests are given to determine if mastery has been achieved. If mastery has not yet been achieved, tests may be retaken as many times as necessary, within the quarter, until the student achieves 80% mastery or higher. As with all corrections and retakes, students need to notify me 24 hours in advance and must complete the corrections or retake the assessment outside of class time, such as during study hall, lunch, or after school. Cheating Cheating will result in a zero for the assignment or test. Examples of cheating are copying answers from another student, plagiarism, and turning in work completed by someone else as one’s own. Extra Credit Extra credit is not offered under any circumstance. See corrections and re-takes. Absence Work Policy When a student is absent, he or she is responsible for obtaining, completing, & turning in missed work according to the absence policy. Students have one day per day absent to complete missed work. For example, if a student misses school on Monday and returns Tuesday, he or she has until Wednesday to turn in Monday’s missed work in addition to any assignments from Tuesday. Once students get materials for missed assignments, it is the students’ responsibility to ask me any questions that they have about missed assignments BEFORE they leave for the day.