August 27, 2007

 

Dear Students and Parents,

 

Welcome to US History at Athens Drive High School!  I know it will be an outstanding semester for all of us.  Together we will use the events in American history to develop better critical thinking skills and make connections between the past and the present, in the hope that we will better understand the world we live in.

 

We will have fun this semester!  However, the required elements for US History in North Carolina make this an intense course.  We have the next four months to learn about everything from George Washington to George W. Bush before we are faced with taking the challenging NC End of Course test in US History.  If you would like more information on the Standard Course of Study for this course, as well as the EOC, please visit http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/. 

 

Below, please find information on our classroom policies:

 

Expectations:

• Behavior: You will respect everyone in our classroom.  This includes your peers, all teachers, and any guests we may have.  This means that you will treat every person and their possessions the way that you want to be treated.  If I observe inappropriate behavior I will not hesitate to call a conference with the student, parent, and/or administrator.
• Academic: You will contribute to the learning environment by taking a positive role in all classroom activities.  Participation is not optional.  You will bring all necessary materials with you to class everyday.  These materials include your textbook, a writing utensil, and a spiral-bound notebook or a 3-ring binder with loose leaf paper.

 

Tardy Policy:

This year, ADHS has a new tardy policy.  Students now have six minutes to change classes.  Because of the extended time, a student is now considered tardy if they are not in their seat when the bell rings.  In addition, students who are more than 10 minutes late to class will receive a referral to administration for skipping.  I will follow this tardy policy.

 

Make-up Policy:

I will administer make-up work and tests on Wednesday afternoons from 2:18-4:30 pm only.  You may pick up missed assignments from me any day of the week.  These assignments must be turned in by the following Wednesday.  Any missed quizzes or tests may be made up on the Wednesday following your absence.  Unless you have had an extended, excused absence from school and we have made prior arrangements, you cannot turn in or make up missed assignments after the Wednesday following your absence. 

For example:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Week 1	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 1	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 2	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 2	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 2	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 2
Week 2	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 2	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 3	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 3	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 3	make up missed work on Wed. of Week 3

 

Textbook:

 

Peiser, A. & M. Serber (Ed.). (2001). Reviewing U.S. history and government. New York, NY: Amsco School Publications.

 

Each student will be issued a copy of this textbook.  They will be responsible for returning this textbook in good condition at the end of the semester.  They will also be responsible for bringing this textbook to class everyday.

 

Grading Scale:

 

Type of Assignment	Percentage of Overall Grade
Homework	15%
Quizzes	25%
Tests	60%

 

*** The NC US History EOC will count for 25% of the students’ final grade in the course.***

 

Important Dates:

 

·  Fall Open House is September 11, 2007 at 6:30 pm

·  Interim (progress reports) will be issued the weeks of September 25-28 and December 3-7.

·  Final exams will be administered from January 14-17.

·  Report cards for fall semester will be issued on January 25.

 

I look forward to an awesome semester with all of you!