It's as simple as ABC: Always Be Cooperating...and remember, tough love is still love!

We all have the right to work and learn in a safe, pleasant environment. Please help maintain an academic environment in which teachers can work and students can learn.

Be Responsible.

Please be responsible for yourself, and do not put YOUR responsibilities on the teacher. This includes everything from bringing a pen to class to keeping track of what is due, when it is due, and if you have turned it in. Assignments will not be accepted more than 2 days late. Major assignments are usually posted online. However, you're still accountable for what is assigned in class on the board or verbally. The "Download Documents" page often has directions & handouts.

Please do not rely on extra credit. There are a few extra credit opportunities, but if you devote your energy to earning credit, and you won’t need extra credit. If you didn’t have the time or energy to do the original assignments—or if you did not put forth the effort to do a quality job—chances are that you don’t have the time or energy to do extra credit. It would just distract you from keeping up with the current assignments. Your grade reflects your progress during a 10-week marking term--not just the last week. Think of it this way: Someone who lives on Doritos and soda all year can't expect to eat nothing but celery the week before prom and suddenly fit into her dress or his tuxedo. We all wish it were that easy

ASSIGNMENT POLICIES (including TurnItIn.com, Late Work, and Technology Excuses)

TurnItIn.com Policy

Follow ALL directions for turning in your assignments, including using the plagiarism-detection site www.TurnItIn.com for major assignments, such as essays, or at any time your teacher instructs you to do so. The definition of turning in an assignment on time is as follows: By the time you submit the hard copy of your assignment (the physical paper) in class on the due date, you have already uploaded a soft copy to www.TurnItIn.com. This is your responsibility. If you have completed only half of this by the deadline, then the assignment has not been fully turned in and is late. Please note that you should place your assignment on your desk for collection ONLY if it has been already uploaded to TurnItIn. To be clear, this means that you may not hand in a paper during your class period and then ask if you can upload it to TurnItIn by the end of the day. Nor can you arrive in class and say that the assignment is on TurnItIn but you have no hard copy to submit until later in the day. The assignment is late either way. Staple your receipt to the top of your essay, and save the copy that TurnItIn e-mails to you If your teacher says he/she did not see your assignment in the TurnItIndatabase, that receipt is the only acceptable evidence that you submitted your assignment on time or at all. Save your receipt, and give yourself peace of mind.

Late Policy

Late assignments lose 10 points per day, and major assignments will not be accepted more than 2 days late. Assignments are not accepted after 3-day weekends or school vacations. If you're having trouble uploading to TurnItIn at home, I suggest that you e-mail your work to a trusted friend and ask him/her to upload it for you. Alternatively, you could put the work on a disk/memory stick/jump/flash drive and upload it in the Media Center before Period 1. Please do not arrive in class and ask to print or upload your essay; you will not be permitted to do so. I'm sure you understand that to be fair, if I were to allow one student do it I  would have to let them all do it, and that just isn't possible.

Technology Excuses

You are responsible for turning in a hard copy of your assignment on time. No submissions of work via e-mail, computer disk, or CD. Assignments are accepted in hard copy (paper) only, regardless of problems with computers, printers, papers, or ink. Please do not wave a flash drive and ask to print your paper in class. If teachers were to make an exception for you, they would have to make an exception for every student who asked, and that is not possible. Do not bring an excuse note from your parents. NO EXCEPTIONS. College is just around the corner, and your professors are not going to accept excuses. Students are expected to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Stock up on ink cartridges and paper. Learn how to install new ink cartridges. Don't wait until midnight the night before to print your assignment. I'm happy to write you a pass to the computer lab; just make sure you give yourself ample time to complete the assignment. It is always better to turn in a neatly handwritten assignment and lose some points rather than not turn in the assignment at all. At least I can see that you completed it. If you are in school at any time during the day, it is your responsibility to get your assignment to your teacher. For example, if you have an assembly or field trip, turn in your assignment to me beforehand. My schedule is online, outside my door, and my mailbox is in B-House office.

Policy on Food/Drink:
Please maintain a clean and academic atmosphere. Classtime is not mealtime or snacktime. School policy states that with the exception of water, all food and beverages should be consumed in the cafeteria and not carried out to any other part of the building. Although the school sells snacks, do NOT bring them to class. The classroom is not Starbucks. Do not chew gum in class.

Policy on Electronic Devices:
Please do not use cell phones during school hours, especially not during fire drills. Teachers must confiscate cell phones if they are used during school hours. For example, you may NOT go outside on the sidewalk and use your phone during school hours. Outside is still "during school hours." Parents, in the event of a true emergency, please call the school and have your child paged.

Please show you are paying attention and being respectful by not wearing earphones during class, even if the sound is off. Put away your iPod/MP3/Walkman. These devices will be confiscated and brought to the house office. Some students may not realize it, but it is rude to walk up to your teachers and begin talking to them--expecting them to attentively reply to your question--while you have headphones obstructing your eardrums. Also, please show you are paying attention and being respectful by remaining seated and waiting until the end of class to pack up and get ready to leave. When I say, "Good job! You can pack up now," then class is over.

Academic Honesty Policy:
In short, please be honest. Do not use Spark Notes, Cliff’s Notes, or any similar study guide. In most cases, all you need is your book and your brain, not the Internet. No plagiarizing, copying, or cheating. Students who cheat will get a zero, no opportunity to redo the assignment, detention, and the offense will be documented and reported to the house office. Click here to view the complete Trumbull High School Academic Honesty Handbook. Don't cheat--your're better than that!

Celebrate diversity.

No bullying, harassment, or use of pejorative language. Be part of a class in which every student feels welcome. Students are expected to show respect for their teacher, classmates, and themselves. We're a learning community in which everyone is equal and respected--regardless of race, gender, creed, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or any other factor. Remember, what's "just a joke" to you may offend someone else.

Your cooperation with these guidelines makes school a better place for everyone! Thank you!