Back to School Night

Back to School Night is Wednesday, September 15th. It is an opportunity for a parent to walk through his/her child's schedule, learn class expectations and meet teachers. I will be teaching parents to log into PowerSchool as well as CODE a short article. JHMS staff encourages ALL parents to attend.

Jackson Hole Middle School Course Expectations

6th Grade Language Arts and History

Wyoming LANGUAGE ARTS content and performance Standards:

      READING - Students use the reading process to demonstrate understanding of literary and informational texts.

      WRITING - Students use the writing process and use appropriate strategies to write a variety of expressive and expository pieces.

      SPEAKING AND LISTENING - Students use listening and speaking skills for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Wyoming SOCIAL STUDIES content and performance standards:

  CITIZENSHIP/ GOVERNMENT/ DEMOCRACY - Students demonstrate      how structures of power, authority, and governance have developed  historically and continue to evolve.

                        6th Grade Focus: the evolution, from ancient times to the present, of governments in different countries in the Eastern Hemisphere

      CULTURE/ CULTURAL DIVERSITY - Students demonstrate an understanding of different cultures and how these cultures have contributed and continue to contribute to the world in which they live.

                        6th Grade Focus: compare and contrast different cultures, geographic influences on culture, world religions

      PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND CONSUMPTION - Students demonstrate an understanding of economic principles and concepts and describe the influence of economic factors on individuals and societies.

                        6th Grade Focus: trade, specialization, isolation, globalization

      TIME, CONTINUITY AND CHANGE - Students demonstrate an understanding of the people, events, problems, ideas, and cultures that were significant in the history of our community, state, nation and world.

                        6th Grade Focus: link ancient cultures to current events

      PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS - Students demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships among people, places, and environments.

                        6th Grade Focus: river valley civilizations, Western influence in the Eastern Hemisphere

Course Grading Guidelines

Students in middle school are expected to use "Common Writing Expectations (CWE)" in ALL written work:

S – Sentences are complete;

C – Capitalization is correct;

O – Organization is accurate;

P – Paragraphing is precise;

E – End marks are exact.

Responsibility

Work is complete, on time, turned in.

Directions are followed. Student’s name is on all work.

Responsibility is 10% of LA grade and 10% of history grade.

A homework contract is written when work is consistently late or missing.

How grades are weighted in Language Arts~

      Reading Minutes (homework) - 10%

      Writing process - 10%

      Paragraph of the Week (POW) or  Essay of the Week (EOW) - 10%

      Class reading assignments - 25%

      Class writing assignments - 25%

      Skills - 10%

      Responsibility - 10%

How grades are weighted in history~

      Current Events or Information Connections - 20%

      Tests and quizzes - 25%

      Class work and projects - 50%

      Responsibility - 5%

 

Extra Credit?

      Twenty-five extra points for reading minutes can be earned each quarter. Five extra points per week are earned for reading over 120 minutes, up to a total of 25 extra points.

      Extra current events or information connections can be read, coded and turned in for 10 points each. These assignments need to be turned in by the end of the 7th week of the quarter, two weeks before the end of the quarter.

    Please do not count on extra credit to take the place of missing assignments!

       

GRADING SCALE:

97.5 -100% A+ 92.5 - 97.0 A 89.5 – 92% A-

87.5 – 89% B+ 82.5 – 87% B 79.5 – 82% B-

77.5 – 79% C+ 72.5 – 77% C 69.5 – 72% C-

67.5 – 69% D+ 62.5 – 67% D 59.5 – 62% D-

below - F

Make Up Procedures: Students are responsible for keeping track of and making up missed work. After an absence a student may request missed work before school, during 2nd Chance or after school. If students are ill, parents may request make-up work on the second day of the illness. Assignments can be picked up at our front office. For every day absent, a student has two days to make up the work.

Prearranged Absences: A student presents a note from her/his parents to the JHMS head secretary. She will give the student a pre-excused absence form for assignments from teachers. This should be completed at least 2 days prior to the absence. Students should make sure they are clear about the expectations and due dates.

Late Work: Late work is always accepted during the present unit of study. Late work will not be accepted after the unit is complete.

PowerSchool for Parents

All students will learn to use PowerSchool during TEAM. Just like you, they will have a username and password. Username and password will be sent home at the beginning of the year. Watch for them! We ask students to record them in a specific place so they can easily check PowerSchool. They should have this information with them at home every day. After teachers enter a few grades, students will check them once a week during advisory. Some families choose to do this at home, too.

Abbreviations:

      NHI (Not Handed In) and ABSENT are counted as a 0. (When papers are handed in, they are given a grade. Papers not handed in due to absences are given a 0 to motivate and remind students to make up the work! Full credit will be given when the work is turned in as long as it is turned in during the current unit of study. Late work impacts the “responsibility” part of a student’s grade.)

      EX (Excused), PARENTEX, SICK (if a student is sick for a prolonged period of time) are codes used when an assignment is excused and not counted in the grade.

IN is used to indicate the assignment has been turned in but is not yet graded.

When you are looking up your student’s grades on PowerSchool, any information that is in blue has additional information attached to it. Just click on the blue words or scores to access the information. For example: if your student’s score is 10/15 and the 10 is in blue, click on the 10 for more information about why your student earned that score. 

Supply List

Language Arts/History ONLY: Due FRIDAY, September 4th!!

1. 2 sets of notebook dividers (you will need 16 dividers)
   
2. 2-2 inch binders
   
3. 2 - 100 page spiral notebooks
   
4. 2 - loose-leaf paper packages
   
5. 1 glue stick
6. MANY pencils...50 or more (We have pencil issues at JHMS!)
   
7. red pens
   
8. highlighters (2 colors)
   

For use in all classes (kept in locker)

1. colored pencils
   
2. sharpies & thin markers
   

For Homebase

1. box of tissues... one first semester and one second semester