This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- How can I reach Mrs. Hammond outside of class?
- What will each student be responsible for?
- How are the grades figured?
- What about quizzes, tests, and exams?
- What supplies do I need for class?
- How should I set up my notebook?
- What are the CLASS RULES, and what happens if I break them?
- What about extra-credit projects and special projects?
- When can I meet with Mrs. Hammond outside of class, if I need to?
- What about homework?
- What is Mrs. Hammond's schedule?
- Where can I get extra help if I need it?
How can I reach Mrs. Hammond outside of class?
Email is the best way to reach me, and parents and students are
ALWAYS welcome to email me with questions or problems at
khammond@gwa.com, or my personal email: wksbhammond@yahoo.com.
I will be emailing parents when there is news or something that
needs discussion.
If your email address changes during the year, please email me
promptly and tell me your new address.
You can also click on "Email" on this website and send
me a message.
What will each student be responsible for?
MRS. HAMMOND WILL GO OVER CLASS PROCEDURES AND RULES ON THE FIRST
DAY OF CLASS. I HOPE THAT PARENTS WILL TAKE A MINUTE AND BECOME
FAMILIAR WITH EVERYTHING HERE, AS WELL AS MY STUDENTS.
To summarize these rules & procedures, students are responsible
for:
1. PAYING ATTENTION AND BEING RESPECTFUL IN CLASS
-All students are expected to take their notes in class,
while Mrs. Hammond is teaching.
-DON'T take your notes ahead of time or after class at home
from the Powerpoints, because you will miss the additional
information that Mrs. Hammond adds in class.
2. BEING ON TIME FOR CLASS EVERY DAY
-Restroom breaks are for BETWEEN classes!
-When bell rings, be sitting down, books open, ready to work
3. DOING YOUR HOMEWORK EVERY NIGHT AND KEEPING YOUR NOTEBOOK
NEAT AND ORGANIZED
4. BRINGING EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO CLASS EVERY DAY:
-Textbook
-Pens/Pencils/non-programmable Calculator(Chemistry only)
-Notebook & Lab Book
-Completed homework
5. IF YOU ARE ABSENT, it is YOUR responsibility to get the
day's notes and assignment BEFORE YOUR NEXT CLASS with Mrs.
Hammond.
****--->If you missed a test or quiz, you must see Mrs. Hammond
BEFORE YOUR NEXT CLASS, and arrange an appointment when
you will make up that test or quiz
**************If you miss your appointment without a good
reason, your grade for that make-up
test or quiz will be ZERO.
****--->IF YOU WERE SICK, you have the same amount of days to
make something as you were absent (ex. 3 days absent, 3
days when you come back to make everything up)
*****--->IF YOU WERE ABSENT DUE TO ANY EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITY,
SPORTS, OR PERSONAL TRAVELING, ETC., THEN ALL ASSIGNMENTS
AND TESTS ARE DUE THE MOMENT YOU GET BACK TO SCHOOL ---
THERE ARE NO "GRACE" DAYS unless IT IS A SCHOOL-
SANCTIONED TRIP/OUTING
*****--->YOU MUST CHECK THIS WEBSITE AND KEEP UP WHILE YOU ARE
ABSENT.
6. ALL STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING MRS. HAMMOND'S
WEBSITE REGULARLY
****--->if you need notes that you missed, click on
"Powerpoints" and take the notes at home (be SURE to get
notes from the textbook, ALSO!)
DON'T JUST PRINT OUT THE POWERPOINTS - they will NOT
COUNT as your notes when we do our quarterly notebook
check.
-You must also check to see when tests and other special
events are scheduled
7. All students are responsible for keeping your TEXTBOOK with
you, and RETURNING YOUR TEXTBOOK in GOOD CONDITION at the end
of the school year
----->PARENTS: JUST FYI, A TEXTBOOK CAN COST UP TO $100. TO
REPLACE AT THE END OF THE YEAR IF YOUR CHILD
LOSES OR DAMAGES THE ONE THEY ARE GIVEN
If Mrs. Hammond finds your textbook in the classroom
regularly, you will receive a zero for your Daily Grade.
Students must turn in their textbook, or money to replace it,
before they can take their final exam in May.
How are the grades figured?
Your grade will consist of:
10% DAILY GRADE - that means you must do ALL of these things,
and missing any ONE of them can give you a ZERO
for a daily grade:
-Be on time, sitting in your seat when the bell rings
-Having everything you are supposed to have in class when
the bell rings: book, notebook, calculator, pencil, paper
-No talking or misbehaving in class
-Completing homework, if assigned
30% quizzes & lab reports
40% regular tests
20% quarterly exams
Mrs. Hammond does not calculate your averages. Like all the
teachers at GWA, she enters your individual grades into a
software program and it calculates your grade average.
For Homework, you will be graded on putting forth
effort----if you have a wrong answer, but you attempted the work,
you will receive full credit. SORRY, NO PARTIAL CREDIT FOR ONLY
DOING PART OF THE HOMEWORK....IT'S ALL OR NOTHING FOR A HOMEWORK
GRADE.
For Labs (experiments), you will be graded on whether you
attempted to follow all the instructions carefully, and wrote up
a good Lab Report, following the Scientific Method (see the
Grading Rubric for Lab Books). IF THE EXPERIMENT DID NOT WORK,
IT IS NOT NECESSARILY A BAD GRADE.
For Tests and Quizzes, you will be graded on whether you have
the correct answer.
Occasionally, we will review by playing "Jeopardy", and you will
have the chance to earn a few "Buxx"---credits that can be
applied to your test or quiz grade.
What about quizzes, tests, and exams?
-Test & exam dates will be listed on this website under
"ASSIGNMENTS", and also on the big test calendar in the main
building
-Cellphones will be taken up before tests or quizzes, and only
non-programmable calculators (NOT the TI-83/84/89 models)will be
permitted
-All quizzes are open-notes (ONLY your hand-written notes),
closed-book and will almost always be a "pop" quiz. (this is to
encourage good note-taking!)
-All tests are closed-notes, closed-book (occasionally reference
material, such as a Periodic Table, will be provided by the
teacher)
-No snacks or drinks of any kind, including water, on the
student's desk or nearby counter during quizzes and tests.
-All quarterly exams will be closed-notes, closed book, and will
be given using "Scantron" forms
-Final exam for Biology class will be a 2-hour dissection of a
fetal pig, and a lab report.
What supplies do I need for class?
-To help us clean up after experiments, we ask that each student
bring, on the first day of school, the following:
1 roll of paper towels
-Each student will need this year:
-A loose-leaf 3-ring binder, 2 inches thick, with a clear
plastic cover front and back, so that you can insert a
piece of paper and have it show on the covers.
-Mechanical or old-fashioned pencils (no pens, please)
-Colored pencils for making Lab Book diagrams and charts
-a Composition Book for a Lab Book (keep it inside the main
notebook pocket)
-Calculator - non-programmable - TI-83/84/89 calculators
are NOT permitted, because unfortunately some students
enter lots of notes into the calculator's memory
(Chemistry students only, Biology students don't need
a calculator at all).
-Chemistry students only need to have the following
functions on their calculator:
1. Addition/subtraction/multiplication/division
2. Powers & roots
3. Parenthesis
4. Logarithms
-No iPhones are permitted to be used as your
calculator, because, again unfortunately, some
students then do such things as access the Web,
text, and take photos of tests.
How should I set up my notebook?
-Write these things on the SPINE:
-student name
-school year
-the subject
-class period
-teacher name
-You will use the front and back clear plastic covers to hold
important reference materials for Biology and Chemistry
-Put all papers in the right place, in order, in notebook RIGHT
AWAY
-Put the date on everything that goes into the notebook
-Put all papers in order by date
-Review notebook every night:
Re-read notes & clean up any messy note-taking
Add your own thoughts, summaries, diagrams, & questions to
notes
Look over the day's Powerpoints and get anything you missed
in class
**********-Notebooks will be checked 4 times per year,
while students are taking quarter exams (this counts
for a test grade each time!).
-A "perfect notebook" will be complete, in order, very
readable, and neat. (the exact order is up to the
student, Mrs. Hammond just wants to see some sort of order)
-Do NOT just print out the Powerpoints, or copy them word-for
word; your notes must be your own handwritten
summaries of the information
-Students should clean out notebooks after each quarter exam, BUT
DON'T THROW OUT THE NOTES, YOU MAY NEED TO REFER TO THEM
LATER.
-LAB NOTEBOOKS WILL *NEVER* GET THROWN OUT, AND WILL BE WITH YOU
ALL YEAR.
What are the CLASS RULES, and what happens if I break them?
1. COME TO CLASS ON TIME, WITH EVERYTHING YOU ARE
SUPPOSED TO HAVE.
-When the bell rings, be sitting down, book and notebook
open, not talking, ready to go to work.
ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE TURNED IN LATE WILL HAVE 20 POINTS
PER DAY DEDUCTED FROM THE GRADE.
Have your homework completed, out, and ready to check.
Chemistry students be sure to have your calculator
every day. Mrs. Hammond has "loaners", but too
much borrowing will mean that you haven't bothered
to bring your own, and this will result in a zero
for a Daily Grade.
-You must use a non-programmable calculator---no
TI-83/84/89 models permitted
-Take care of personal business between classes.
Go to your locker, the restroom, talk to another
student or another teacher on your own time, not
class time.
-Be in the correct school uniform---check the school's
website if you're not sure.
2. NO "MESSING AROUND" DURING SCIENCE LABS
-We take lab safety seriously, and all students (and their
parents)will be asked to sign a Safety Contract at
the beginning of the school year. Any student who
misbehaves during a lab will be asked to sit down,
and will receive a zero for that lab, AND a
zero Daily Grade.
3. NO CELL-PHONES, iPODS, OR OTHER ELECTRONICS (EXCEPT
CALCULATORS) IN CLASS.
-For TESTS and QUIZZES, you must drop your cell phone
off on your way into class, and pick them up
on your way out of class
-During regular class days, any cell phone seen on a
student in class means the cell phone is confiscated and
turned into the office for pick-up at the end of the
day , AND you get a zero for a Daily Grade.
-Sorry, school rules: no iPods can be seen from 8am to
3pm on the school grounds.
4. USE POLITE AND ATTENTIVE SPEECH AND BODY LANGUAGE IN CLASS
-No teasing or impolite talking to other students or
teachers; let's all treat each other with courtesy.
-No impolite gestures to anyone.
-Don't put your head down or sleep in class.
If you do put your head down or sleep,
Mrs. Hammond will EMAIL YOUR MOTHER, on the
theory that you're not getting enough sleep
and she needs to know that.
-Talk only when permitted in class.
If you need something or to ask a question,
raise your hand. Any talking without permission,
especially off the topic we're studying, will
cause you to receive a zero for a Daily Grade.
There will be times when Mrs. Hammond wants the
class to discuss something together, then
talking, but only on the topic, is fine.
Also, when Mrs. Hammond asks you to begin your
homework in class, you may talk quietly with
your friends as you work, but again the talking
has to be mostly on the topic we are studying.
-Remain in your assigned seat in class unless you
have been given special permission.
When Mrs. Hammond asks you to begin homework
assignments in class, or other special
projects, you may move your desks into
groups or change desks, but only then.
-No throwing things at the trashcan, or anyone
else in the classroom.
If you have trash, keep it with you until the
end of class, or raise your hand and ask
permission to walk to the trashcan and throw it away.
5. NO EATING or DRINKING IN CLASS
-Students are welcome to bring a bottle of water
to class, but that's all.
-No drinks at all, including water, on your desk
or the counters during quizzes or tests, or during
labs (experiments)
6. NO CHEATING OR PLAGIARISM
-If you are caught cheating, you will be sent to the
office and your parents will be notified, and you
will receive a zero for your work, and a zero for a
Daily Grade.
-One complete sentence copied counts as major plagiarism,
and you will receive a zero for your work and the office
will be notified.
-Phrases within a sentence count as minor plagiarism,
and 10 points will be deducted for each one.
-You will also receive a zero for a Daily Grade, and
your parents will be notified.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU BREAK THE RULES?
MRS. HAMMOND REALLY DOES UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES STUDENTS JUST
ACCIDENTALLY "MESS UP", AND SOMETIMES HAVE A BAD DAY. IF YOU FEEL
THAT YOU HAVE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES, TALK TO MRS. HAMMOND
***AFTER CLASS**** AND EXPLAIN THE SITUATION, AND IF IT IS
JUSTIFIED, MRS. HAMMOND *MIGHT* NOT GIVE YOU A ZERO FOR YOUR D.G.
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BELOW IS THE CONSEQUENCES IF YOU, AS A
STUDENT, JUST PLAIN DECIDE TO BREAK THE RULES:
1st time:
-you are spoken to by Mrs. Hammond
-you will get a zero for a Daily Grade
2nd time:
-you will have detention with Mrs. Hammond during break.
-you will receive a zero for a Daily Grade
-your parents get an email
3rd time:
-you go see Mr. Whitley
-your parents get an email and possibly a meeting with
Mrs. Hammond
**All this doesn't apply to cheating & plagiarism; we go straight
to step 3 for those situations
What about extra-credit projects and special projects?
-Each class will have at least 3 required special projects during
the year:
1. a biography of a famous scientist
2. a model-building project
3. For Biology, a "Scientific Opinion" paper
on the facts concerning the Evolution vs. Creation
controversy.
For Chemistry, a presentation as an "Element
Salesperson"
-In addition, extra-credit projects will be assigned
occasionally. Students who do not choose to do the
extra-credit project will not have their grade affected
in any way.
When can I meet with Mrs. Hammond outside of class, if I need to?
The answer to that: Mrs. Hammond is flexible. Send an email or
stop by and see me, and we'll figure out a time together that
will fit both our schedules.
I have met with students before school, during break
or lunch, during my planning period, and after school.
What about homework?
There's no way around this: there will be a LOT of homework for
Mrs. Hammond's classes. In both Biology and Chemistry class, we
have a LOT of material to cover, and the only way that students
have a chance of remembering and understanding all that material
is to practice with it every night, by doing homework.
******IF TIME PERMITS, WE WILL SPEND THE LAST FEW MINUTES OF MANY
CLASSES BEGINNING THE HOMEWORK, AND THIS IS **NOT**
OPTIONAL, BECAUSE MRS. HAMMOND WANTS TO WATCH YOU WORK A
PROBLEM AND SEE IF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS TAUGHT THAT DAY.
Homework will appear on the Powerpoint slides at the end of each
section, and you can find it listed on the "Assignments"
sections of this website. (and, you can often find Helpful Hints
to help you with the homework, too!)
Biology classes: Biology involves a LOT of memorization, and
students will be expected to spend time every night cleaning up
their notes that day, plus reading & taking notes on the material
covered in the book, plus answering questions on the
material. MAKE FLASH CARDS FOR YOURSELF TO MEMORIZE TERMS AND
DEFINITIONS, BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A LOT OF THEM!
Chemistry classes: some memorization is required, but Chemistry
is more about understanding processes and being able to work
problems related to the ideas. We will work sample problems in
class, and students will need to read & take notes on the
material covered that day in their textbook that night,
clean up their notes, and work related problems.
What is Mrs. Hammond's schedule?
1st Period - planning
2nd Period - Chemistry
3rd Period - Biology
4th Period - Biology
5th Period - Chemistry
6th Period - Chemistry
Where can I get extra help if I need it?
First, try clicking on the "Helpful/Interesting Links"
on this website, and trying some of those websites, especially
the Glencoe website.
Second, arrange to spend some time outside of class with Mrs.
Hammond---before or after school, during Mrs. Hammond's planning
period if you have a class you can afford to miss once in a
while, or at break.
Third, contact the school's tutors, Ms. Cuelho and Mrs. Gregg,
and see if they can help you or arrange for help.