I hope everyone had a wonderful summer vacation and is excited for the 2019-20 school year. I hope you read my blog, it’s a way I try to help stay in contact with parents and students. The following is a list of goals I hope to blog about:
- Assignments- I will try to have added instructions as well as worksheets for you and your child. If your child is absent, check here for the assignments.
- Important dates- Dates can range from parent/teacher conferences to school dances. I will try to keep you updated with our school calendar.
- Updated Grades- It has always been my goal to have grades updated on Friday by 5 p.m. I will send out a short message for you to check home access when grades are updated.
- Important to note: in my grade book, I have codes that help me know if students turned their work in on time or not. The following codes include:
.1%- If you see a .1 next to the grade you will know your child turned the assignment in late. Example: 76.1% would indicate a late assignment.
.2%- If you see a .2 next to the assignment you will know your child resubmitted the assignment. Sometimes we don’t always turn in our best work, or maybe we didn’t understand the assignment. If your child gets 69% or below, they can resubmit the assignment. Example 82.2% would indicate your child resubmitted the assignment.
.3%- A .3 indicates your child turned in the assignment, but missed all the answers. I could give them a zero, but I want you to know they at least took the time and made an effort to do the assignment. If you ever see a 0.3% please encourage your child to resubmit the assignment.
0.0%- Indicates your child did not turn in the assignment. Please encourage them to turn in the assignment.
I will always take late work, as long as it comes in before the deadline dates. For example , your child has one week after progress reports to turn in missing assignments for the first half of the quarter. After progress reports we will focus on the second half of the quarter. Your son or daughter will have until the end of the quarter to turn in missing work for that time period, I will not accept work from the first half of the quarter. Simply put, I have a deadline date at progress reports and at the end of the quarter.
A blank grade means the assignment has been turned in but I’m in the middle of grading the assignment. As soon as I grade the assignment I will enter the grade into the grade book. Some assignments take me longer to grade than others, for example essays take me longer to grade than a simple worksheet. I will try my best to grade the assignments in a timely manner, but as you can imagine grading and commenting on essays take a little more time. Thank you for being patience when you see a blank grade.
- Major assignments- I will always try to post instructions for major assignments and the due date.
I am sure there are more categories I can blog about, but these are just a few that come to mind. I hope this becomes a useful tool for you and your child. Also remember to check home access on a regular basis.
I’m excited about teaching 6th and 8th grade language arts. I guarantee your student will enjoy this class and make large gains in their abilities if they give their best effort and follow classroom expectations. If you have any questions or concerns at any point during the school year feel free to contact me. I believe strong communication between teacher, student, and parents is a vital part of this class.
Eighth grade parents please remember that students performance during their 8th grade year can be a strong indicator on how they will do in high school, stay on top of them and help them become successful.
I’m looking forward to teaching your son or daughter, as well as interacting with you.
Sincerely,
Brad Davis
P.S. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at bdavis@fernridge.k12.or.us , or call me at (541) 935-8230 ext. 4118.