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American Literature and
Composition Fall
Semester 2007 Room 214 Dear
Students of room 214 and their Parents/Guardians, Welcome
back to school. As always, the first week back after summer break is a little
crazy, but I wanted to send a short note home just to assure that we all start off the new school year on the same page. By now your student has probably become familiar with most of
my classroom policies, so if you have any questions concerning the content of
this letter please ask him/her. I have set up my classroom as a
non-threatening, academic environment. Students should not ever be afraid to
state their opinions or to ask questions. All students are
expected to be in the classroom when the bell rings. If a student is
not in the classroom then they will be marked as tardy. Please see more about
the South High tardy policy on page 13 of the student handbook. While in class, students will be expected to: -
listen to
and respect each other as well as myself. -
turn off
all electronic devices and place them out of sight for the duration of the
class (please see South’s cell phone policy on page 10 of the student
handbook.) -
listen to
and follow all directions the first time they are told. -
not use
foul language, or any other type of language that could be offensive to
anyone else in the room (in English or in Spanish.) Students who violate one or more of these
expectations will be given one warning, which will be recorded in Infinite Campus. If the
behavior persists, the student’s parent will be called
and finally the student will be given a referral to the Dean of Students.
(Please see more information on South’s behavior and referral policies on
page13-18 of the student handbook.) I trust that no students will ever need a
warning concerning these expectations, and I hope that if you do receive a
warning, you take it very seriously. Also, students
writing on the desks or otherwise defacing any other classroom property will
be given a referral immediately. My grading scale is as follows: 90 & above
=A, 80 & above=B, 70 & above=C, 60 & above =D Students will need to head every paper that
they turn in to me the same way: Name Course/Period Date The heading should always be in the upper right
hand corner of the paper. If you have any questions about this please refer
to the “School Writing Policy” on page 8 of your Student handbook. Students
will be required to save all of the
work that they do in my class in a folder or binder that is organized. I do
not prescribe how the binder should be organizedm,
but students should be able to find work quickly and efficiently if I ask
them for it. There will be several binder checks during the year in order to
assure that everyone is following this policy. American Literature is a graduation
requirement. If you fail it you will be taking it
over again. In accordance with the new EXCELerator
curriculum this year we will be studying various
examples of the short story, poetry, drama, media and the novel. We will be
doing in depth studies of Into the Wild,
The Crucible, Their Eyes Were Watching God and Smoke Signals. In addition, students will also be required to
find a silent reading book that they will be reading in class as well as on
their own time. Thank you for reviewing this letter. Should you
have any questions concerning my classroom policy, or district policy, please
check the student handbook, e-mail me at tracy_contreras@dpsk12.org, or
write me a note on the back of this letter. I hope that we all have a successful semester.
Thank you for your time. Tracy Contreras English Teacher My
student and I have read and understand the expectations and policies of this
letter. Student
Name____________________________ Student Signature_______________________ Parent/Guardian
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