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Introduction to Literature & Composition X Fall
Semester 2007 Room 214:
Ms.
Contreras 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 This class is a graduation requirement. Any
freshman that fails this class will be required to do a course forgiveness
class after school and pay the required tuition. Students will no longer be
able to take this class later on in their academic careers to make up for the
credit that they initially missed. 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 organized 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. 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 Romeo and Juliet
as well as To Kill a Mockingbird.
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. This book
must deal with the theme of “Coming of Age.” This theme will
be discussed in depth in class so that students will have a good idea
of what type of book to choose. Since this is an advanced freshman class, I
will be setting very high expectations for these students. There will be more
reading and writing in this class than in other Intro to Lit classes and the
students will really have to push themselves to
succeed. Eventually I will have to recommend which students should move on
with the X level classes and when this time comes, it is my hope that I will
be recommending everyone in this class. 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
Name_____________________Parent/Guardian
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