To Contact Me:
Email: cbishop AT grsd.org
The easiest way to reach me is at home, evenings before 9PM or on weekends. The class website is
another useful source for information about this class, homework, handouts, and more.
CLASS PARTICIPATION GRADE
By school policy, class participation is 20% of your grade in my class. Beginning on the first day of
class, your class participation will count toward your grade. The expectations for full credit in class
participation are simply that each student show up with all their materials, homework done, ready
and willing to learn and to respect me and the other students in the class.
The total number of points available each week is 10, and class participation is a weekly grade. Each
time a student fails to meet one of their obligations in the classroom, they lose a point. If I need to
speak to them to remind them to be courteous or attentive, or to follow any of the other ordinary
rules in the classroom, that also costs them a point. Repeated problems—more than two in a single
class period—or serious offenses may result in a loss of all points, as well as an office referral.
The rules are as follows:
1. You must be in your seat when the bell rings.
2. You must have the proper materials (books, pencil, paper, etc.: see below)
and any assignments due with you at the start of class. Locker passes, when available, cost one
class participation point.
3. Maintain silence during silent work periods.
4. Listen attentively and politely to all speakersespecially other students!
5. Participate positively in all classroom work. Work on the assignment to get credit for
participation; refusal to work is not participation.
6. Language and manners should be classroom appropriate at all times.
7. No food or drink other than water in my classroom. Put it away or throw it
away when you enter.
8. You are expected to follow the school ID policy and the electronic devices policy in my room.
9. My class is not a locker room: do not apply personal care products in my room (makeup,
deodorants, hair care products, etc.). I will confiscate any such products as I see fit.
10. Classroom dismissal is by me. The bell is merely a reminder.
ABSENCES: Students must be in class to earn points. Journaling is an option for making up lost class
participation points—one page of journaling will win back one lost day of points.
TARDIES: Students who are tardy to my class without a pass will, in addition to losing a point of class
participation, be ineligible to leave my class on a pass during that period.
CLASS SUPPLIES
Students should come fully prepared with all of the following each day:
***AN ASSIGNMENT NOTEBOOK! This is your responsibility to keep up-to-date.
***Pencils and/or blue or black pens.
***Red pen for proofreading/self correcting.
***Loose leaf notebook with dividers or pocket folders; looseleaf paper. Spiral bound notebooks
are not recommended, as they will make organizing handouts much more difficult! If used, the
student should take particular care to organize and not to lose any homework, notes, and handouts
for my class.
***AN INDEPENDENT READING BOOK--have with you at all times.
***Student ID--absolutely necessary to check out library books, and required by school policy.
Strictly enforced!
Suggested--Post-It Notes for marking passages in readings for discussion and writing.
Also suggested: 3 hole punch, ruler, dictionary or thesaurus; laptop computer if available.
BATHROOM/WATER FOUNTAIN PASS POLICY
The hall pass is located at the front of the room. During periods of independent work, simply let me
know if you need to use the pass, and sign yourself out. Sign in when you return.
No passes will be granted before I have completed taking attendance, during whole-class
presentations (including moviesthere is always something I expect you to learn from the films we
see) or in the last ten minutes of any class period.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE IS ONLY ONE BATHROOM PASS FOR THIS CLASSROOM. In order to be
responsible about your own work AND considerate toward your classmates, do not take more than 35
minutes to use the bathroom.
Abuse of this system may result in a loss of your bathroom pass privilege or a disciplinary referral.
ABSENCES, LATE WORK, AND MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENTS
It is the responsibility of each student who misses class to find out what assignments they may have
missed, and to make them up in a timely fashion. The class web page is updated daily, and even if
you do not have access to a computer at home, you should be able to look up your own work when
you return to class.
No makeup or late assignments worth 10 points or less will be accepted after one weeks time.
Unless otherwise specified, ALL late assignments (large or small) will lose 2 points per day.
Assignments with predictable due dates will NOT normally receive extensions for absences of less
than three days; plan to hand them in as scheduled where physically possible.
Please consult the student handbook for school policies regarding extended absences and
attendance.
I do NOT accept late work of any kind during the last two weeks of a marking period, and I cannot
guarantee that late work handed in in the last two weeks before progress reports will be graded in
time to be reflected in those reports.
COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM
Computer use in my classroom is a privilege, not a right. Misuse of computersincluding accessing
inappropriate websites, Instant Messaging for any reason, using streaming media (video or audio)
during the school day, or any other uses that might distract from classis a violation of class rules.
You must complete and submit an Acceptable Use Policy in order to access the school network. It is
then your responsibility to get and keep safe your own password. NEVER allow another student to
log on using your password!
Do not customize classroom laptop computers with screen savers, or by hiding taskbars, changing
the wallpaper, or adding widgets. Though fun on an individuals laptop, customizing classroom
laptops may offend or confuse other students, and will eventually slow the processing speed of the
computer.
Please, please, please: save your work onto your own space on the network drive! Do not depend on
the laptops to keep your documents safe (or private). You may also want to buy a memory stick—
sometimes called a jump drive, flash drive, or thumb drive. These are quite inexpensive and make
terrific backup devices for bringing documents between school and home, or from computer to
computer.
I do not accept electronic submissions of your work, and I cannot grant extensions to assignments
due to computer or printer problems, at home or at school. I do have a printer available for your use
in my classroom, and printing for my assignments is always free. Please plan accordingly!
I will revoke the computer privileges of anyone who breaks class rules on computer use: first-time
offenders may receive a one-week suspension; repeated offenses will result in a permanent loss of
privileges.
Many assignments make considerable use of the computer. If you do not submit your Acceptable
Use Policy or if you lose your password, you will be unable to complete the work, and you may lose
credit for that assignment.
