Classroom+Expectations

By the time students get to high school, they have had quite a bit of school experience, and they know how to behave in a classroom situation. They should have developed the ability to self-monitor and control their actions to a large extent, and they will be expected to do so in my class.

The biggest rules that you are required to adhere to are: **Be polite and respectul, come to class ready to work with all the required materials, be positive, and be on time!** That's it! Not so bad, is it? We can have a lot of fun in class if we can stick to these basic rules. Otherwise, it's going to be a looong semester.

Always remember: when in doubt, ask yourself "Is what I'm doing right now appropriate? Would my mom/dad/grandma/grandpa/priest/counsellor/person I respect approve of this?." If the answer is "no," then you should stop.

Work Habits
Students are expected to be prepared and ready for class each day. When a student forgets something or has no supplies, class time must be taken to find the things the student doesn't have. It just gets annoying when the same student is unprepared every day. It's also no fun for the student that everyone is now annoyed with. When you come to class you should always be prepared to: =Cell Phones= School policy dictates that the use of cell phones are not allowed to be used in the classroom or library. You can use your phone in the hallway and during non-class times. The best thing to do, really, is leave your phone in your locker. If you absolutely have to have it with you in class, it must be off or on silent (and NOT on vibrate!) and in your backpack or pocket. If you are caught texting/playing games/"checking the time" (there is a clock in the room, you know)/"using the calculator" (it's English....you don't need a calculator) - here's what will happen:
 * have an adequate supply of loose-leaf and pens/pencils
 * have an organized binder!! Seperate your binder into sections by class. Date EVERYTHING that you work on and recieve in class, and make sure it's all in order. It's no fun scrambling to find your work during class!
 * take care of all textbooks and novels issued to you on a short-term basis by me. If books are damaged or not returned, you will be charged a replacement fee.
 * to have your homework done. I frequently do **__//HOMEWORK CHECKS//__**, which are worth 5 marks each, and I do them unannounced. 5 marks my not sound like much, but after 30 homework checks in a semester, it can add up (or not add up) pretty quickly.
 * **A note on homework checks:** I do homework checks as a way to ensure that you, in fact, //do// your homework. Usually homework checks are performed before we take up the assignment as a class. As such, at the point of a homework check, you are either done, or you are not. You cannot ask to show me that you've completed the work the next day and expect full marks for writing the answers down as we took them in class.
 * **1st offense** - I will confiscate the phone from you for the rest of the period. You may retrieve it after class is dismissed.
 * **2nd offense** - I will confiscate the phone from you for the rest of the day. You may retrieve it after school is over for the day. If you are in period 4 or 5, I may choose to keep your phone until noon the following day if I feel it is necessary.
 * **3rd offense** - I will confiscate it and not return it to you. To retrieve your phone, your parents/guardians will have to come and pick it up when it is convenient for them.

Look, I'm not trying to be a hag here, but it's quite distracting to hear a phone go off during a lesson or work period. You might also miss out on something if you're too busy focusing on a text message that the girl in the desk beside you just sent. I love technology just as much as anyone else - but I know when it's appropriate and when it's not appropriate to have it around. You should too :)

=**Lates and Absences**= Attendance and punctuality are prerequisites to effective learning. As such, you are expected to come to class regularly and promptly in order to achieve success. At Walter Murray, the policy is fairly straight forward. As a student, **__//YOU//__** are responsible to your teachers for attendance. Also, parents and guardians should ensure that the student attends classes, and inform the school of any absences.

If you have to be absent for whatever reason (including illness), it is **__//YOUR//__** responsibility to make up for missed work. I have 100+ students, so tracking you down to catch you up on the three days that you missed is not always a possibility. I will do my best to remind or encourage you to catch up, but in the end, it's up to you. (hint - this site is your friend - you can access it from home and see what you've missed, AND download any documents I upload onto it.) Extra handouts and documents can be found in the trays at the back of the class.


 * If you know you are going to be away, try to inform me as soon as you can. I can possibly provide you with the necessary materials and instructions so that you can do the work. Also, if you are going on vacation for a week (you lucky kid, you), please come and see me far in advance to find out what you will be missing. I cannot collect everything for you if you tell me a day or two before you leave.

Students with uncleared absences and are marked as "absent" in the attendance system will recieve an automated phone call to the home phone of the student's residence. If I have marked you absent in error - it is __//YOUR//__ job to come to me and clear it so that I can have the error fixed.

Here's how it works in my class:


 * Absences:**
 * After 5 uncleared absences, I will contact home via phone call or e-mail voicing my concerns
 * After 10 uncleared absences, I will contact home again, and send a referral to student services
 * After 12 - 13 uncleared absences, I will contact home again and communicate that removal from the class may be imminent, as well as send another referral to student services.
 * After 15 uncleared absences, a student risks being removed from the class, and possibly the school if it is common in the rest of his or her classes.


 * The consequenses of skipping:**
 * Skipping is not cool. It's just not cool. So don't do it. If you are skipping class, and found in the building, you may recieve a suspension for what we call an "in-school skip." Refer to the student handbook for more information.
 * You miss out on valuable in-class work and discussion, as well as the opportunity to seek help where needed.
 * Your mark could go down, especially...
 * **__//If you choose to skip the day of a scheduled exam (meaning you have an uncleared absence), you will automatically recieve a 0% for that exam without a chance to make it up.//__**
 * Even if you feel unprepared for a test, come any way and do your best. Not only may you surprise yourself, it's better to get a 25% on a test than a 0%. Trust me.
 * I will be very disappointed in you :(

In the real world, if you are frequently late for work, you will probably get fired after a while. Same kind of thing here. When you come late, not only might you miss out on some crucial intsructions or directions and not know what's going on, you also disrupt the students who are trying to learn. When that second bell goes, you should be in your desk with your materials ready to go. Here's the deal with lates:
 * Lates**
 * Two lates = one unexcused absence. Therefore, after 30 lates, you risk being removed from class if you cannot break such a negative pattern.
 * If you have to be late due to a guidance appointment, finishing a test in another class, etc., you need to have a late slip or note from a counsellor or teacher prior to coming to my class.
 * Classes are 60 minutes long at Walter Murray - if you come to class 30+ minutes late, you will be marked as "absent" in the attendance system. Same thing applies to shortened periods of 45 minutes - after 22 minutes, you are no longer considered "late," but "absent."
 * If you are late for whatever reason, please quietly come into class, sit down, and get your materials out to work. Barging into the room, stopping to talk to friends on the way to your seat, loudly stating why you were late, trampling about, etc. are very annoying and distracting things to do. So don't :)

Basically what I'm getting at here is: come to class as often as you can, and come on time. That way, you're happy, I'm happy, and no one has to deal with anything but positive consequenses.