Monday, August 29, 2016

Monday, August 29th

Happy First Day Back!  I hope you had a good day and that your first day in Middle School went smoothly.  I apologize for some of our technology glitches today with Ebackpack, so I hope that this helps out!

Here is our Course syllabus below.  Please get your Parent signature form signed and turned in by Friday.  I will be handing out paper copies to all students and reminding you all week to read through the syllabus and discuss with parents expectations in science.  Your composition books that we will use for Science class are due by Wednesday, please have those in class on Wednesday along with other school supplies.

Thanks for a great back to School and I look forward to a great year!  Mrs. Sanchez

Description: http://www.frog-clip-art.com/free_frog_clipart/clip_art_illustration_of_a_cute_frog_sitting_down_smiling_0521-1102-1611-3035_SMU.jpg
Welcome to 6th Grade Science!
Teacher:  Mrs. Sanchez                                                                     Room: 222
Contact info:  tsanchez@mbsud.org                                                  310-545-4878 x3322
Regular updates and assignments: www.sanchezsciencemb.blogspot.com, messages can also be given via Edmodo student accounts!

Dear Students and Parents,
Hello!  My name is Mrs. Sanchez and I will be your guide into the wonderful world of 6th grade Science!  I am excited to be at MBMS this year, as it is my tenth year at MBUSD.  This is my 18th year teaching and I have previously taught Biology and Anatomy high school courses as well as recently worked as a K – 5 Science specialist at Grand View and Pacific Elementary.  I look forward to a successful, fun, and challenging course to help you learn more about life on Earth, how things work, and to help you become better scientists. I would like you to keep this course description for your reference during the class so please put this in a safe place.  Attendance is key to your success, when you miss class you miss out on our class discussions, activities, experiments and reviews which enhance the learning experience.  Please be on time and ready to learn, if we only have 44 minutes together let’s make every minute count!
Guidelines:  All MBMS school rules will be followed in the classroom.  Your student handbook goes over all school policies in detail, and you will be accountable to them.  I have a few guidelines to keep you on track and to assist you with your success.  In the Classroom you will see the Class Rules posted as a “Simple 5”:  Be Respectful. Be Prepared. Follow Directions. Be a Team Member.  Be a Scientist!
Some tips to a successful year are described in more detail below:
·        Respect others and all property, personal and school.
·       Be on time and in your seat when the bell rings so you are ready to learn!
·       Finish all food and drinks outside and throw out gum before class starts.
·       Use break times and passing periods to use the restroom and to attend to other personal matters. 
·       Be on task so that you use your time wisely, don’t give yourself more homework!
·       Cell phones must be on silent and concealed; iPads should be utilized with the approved educational APPS and social media during class time should be turned off.  Distracting yourself or someone else from learning is not okay.
·       iPads are required daily as the textbook is digital and they need to be used in an appropriate manner as well as in an academically honest way.  (We will talk about authentic work as well as digital citizenship and plagiarism!)
Classroom Etiquette:  The classroom is a community, I want to provide a safe place for all to feel comfortable to share ideas and thoughts, and all members should be treated respectfully.  We will build our classroom community and I hope you will enjoy your time with the group.  Building an atmosphere of respect is extremely important to me, and I have no doubts that we will all be mature and supportive classmates to each other. 
Always use good judgment and please exhibit good decision making skills.  The following consequences for misbehavior are typically as follows:
1.     Warning
2.     Parent contact/phone conference
3.     Parent/Teacher/Administrator conference
Materials:  For this class you will need to be prepared with the following items:
1.     Pens (blue or black ink, no other color is accepted for assignments)
2.     Pencils
3.     Notebook paper
4.     Three ring binder or folder, or binder with a science section
5.     iPad for daily use
6.     Colored pencils and highlighter.
7.     A composition notebook that is bound, not a spiral, for lab work, notes, and other daily activities, observations and bellwork questions.  This is your science notebook for taking a majority of the data and it is graded! J
Bathroom Policy:  Emergency only!  The policy is to ask for permission, sign out on the QRcode, take the hall pass, and sign back in when you return.  Bathroom use is one student at a time, do not wander campus, someone may need to go after you and it would be inconsiderate to them if you take a long time.

Grading:  Grading is based on the following three major categories:
Assessments (performance tasks, quizzes and exams)
Classwork (projects, lab reports, activities, daily work, science notebooks)
and Homework (Concept checks, science fieldwork, and any other work that needs completion beyond the time in the classroom).
Generally this breaks down into:  Assessments = 45%, Classwork = 45%,
Homework/Fieldwork = 10%

Late work:  If you are absent you will have one day to return to school, gather all the assignments you missed and turn in the missed work the following day.  For example, I miss Monday, return Tuesday and get make up work, all work is turned in on Wednesday.  If there is an extended absence you will need to talk with me about the due date for all missing assignments.  Quizzes will be assigned 24 hours after the student returns to class, however tests will be given when the student returns to class, unless there has been an extended absence from school.  Please be ready for the missed quiz or test.  Lab work or Group activities cannot be made up, assignments will need to be altered for make-up work and you will need to discuss this assignment .  Check our class blog for the schedule reminders and calendar, it is your responsibility to organize your time and to be aware of classroom due dates or test days.
What I expect from you:  I want to cultivate a positive learning environment, and I want my students to learn science by participating in hands on, inquiry based activities.  Be curious, ask questions, discuss topics, and get help when needed.  If you put your mind to setting a goal, you can and will succeed in reaching that goal with something called hard work!  Challenge yourself and remember that we are understanding science and our world more and more each day. I don’t have every answer to every questions ever asked, but together we can discover, wonder, and learn together.   A lot of science is still being discovered so this year will truly be an adventure!

All the Best on your 6th Grade year!  Mrs. Sanchez






No comments:

Post a Comment