1. Conduct

Good student behavior contributes to a productive academic environment. Therefore, students must use language that is appropriate for the environment of the classroom. This includes avoiding cursing and discrimination. Body movement is part of communication, and students are expected to show respect through how they act (by avoiding loud sighs or yawns, eye rolling, etc.). A student’s conduct grade is based on a combination of behavior, tardies, and truancies.

 

II. Back Talk

            When the teacher asks you to change your behavior, do so and do not talk back or make excuses. If you feel that the teacher has treated you wrongly, then wait until after class to privately discuss the issue. Do not talk back in the moment or you may receive further discipline (example: you may receive a detention even though you were not going to at first).

 

III. Hand Raising

            In order to keep an orderly environment, the following hand-raising policy will be used. Quietly raise your hand if you have questions, concerns, or comments, and then wait to speak until the teacher calls on you. If your question or comment is not relevant to what the teacher or class is discussing (example: if you want to use the bathroom when the teacher is calling on people to give answers to a question), wait to raise your hand until the current discussion is over.

            Sometimes, the teacher will ask for the whole class to respond or for people to call out answers. To let you know that you do not have to raise your hand at that moment, she will tell you (example: saying “call out answers”) or she will hold her hand behind her ear and learn forward. If the teacher has not told you to call out, always raise your hand.

 

IV. Seating Policy

            To create the best learning environment possible, the teacher will assign students seats. Since time is limited, when you enter the classroom, you are to immediately go to your seat and get to work on the first activity on the agenda, even if the final bell has not finished ringing. During the class period, stay in your seat unless you have permission to do otherwise (raise your hand for permission to stand and sharpen your pencil, etc.). At the end of the period, the bell does not excuse you. Stay in your seat and do not stand to put on your backpack until the teacher excuses you.

            If you cannot see from where you are sitting, discuss this with the teacher after class.

 

V. Tardy Policy

            Students are expected to be on time to class. Tardiness represents a disruption to the learning environment of a classroom, a violation of school rules, and, ultimately, a defiance of the teacher’s expectation of punctuality. You are tardy when you are not inside the door when the tardy bell finishes ringing. The school’s tardy policy will be enforced!

 

VI. Make-Up Policy

            A student will be able to make-up all missed work for an excused absence. However, no make-up work will be allowed for a student who has missed class due to an unexcused absence. Absences must be cleared in the attendance office within 5 days to be considered excused. If the student does not clear the absence within 5 days, the make-up work will not be accepted.

            Make-up work must be done in a timely manner to keep up with the pace of the class. Students have the same number of days as they were out to make-up the work. (Example: If you have one excused absence, your make-up work is due the day after you return to school.) You can check what you missed at www.mrscardoza.com.

            A student on home suspension will not be able to make-up any missed work and will receive a zero on any assignments missed.

            No late work accepted!

VII. Electronic Devices

            To insure the productivity of all students and to protect personal property, all electronic devices are recommended to be kept at home. If an electronic device is used or disrupts the classroom environment (example: a cell phone rings), the teacher will confiscate it and turn it over to the vice principal.

 

IIX. Bathroom Policy

            Each student will receive 3 Bathroom Bucks per semester, and may therefore visit the bathroom 3 times per semester. Each bathroom break may be no longer than 5 minutes.

 

IX. Grading Policy

            A student’s academic grade will be based on a point system and is broken down approximately as follows:

 

Tests / Quizzes	35%
Essays / Quizzes / Quick Writes	35%
Notes  / Worksheets / Vocab Squares / Reading Logs	20%
Participation / Extra Credit / Bringing Your Materials	10%

 

A grade check will be given to the student or posted approximately every 3 weeks. Progress reports are mailed home about every 6 weeks. Students and parents can also check grades at www.mrscardoza.com.