Letter to My Students

Welcome to seventh grade English. This is my eighteen

th year teaching English at Benicia Middle School. Even though I have been teaching for twenty-five years, I learn new things all the time. That‚s one of the best things about teaching -- being able to share what I learn with my students.

In my class, effort leads to success. Every day in class is a new day-- a new chance to do your best and learn all that you can. this web site I hope you‚ll visit throughout the year. You will find the daily agendas, links to your grades, worksheets and hand-outs, vocabulary words, and lots more. If you have any questions about your class work or your grades or any other concerns, you can send me an e-mail at: karen@mrshatzi.com OR khatzigeorgiou@beniciaunified.org. I am looking forward to an enjoyable, productive, and challenging year with you. Please don‚t hesitate to ask me for help anytime.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Hatzigeorgiou

Grades

All assignments receive points. The points are converted to percentages.

• 100 - 90% = A
• 89 - 80% = B
• 79 - 70% = C
• 69 - 60% = D
• 59% - below = F

Grades are weighted into five categories:

• Reading - 25%
• Writing - 25%
• Grammar - 20%
• Vocabulary/Spelling - 20%
• Independent Reading - 10%

Grades can be accessed 24 hours a day on the internet through Power School. Grades are updated by Tuesday evening every week. It is your responsibility to keep track of your grade and contact me with any concerns or questions. All daily work is returned to you within a week. I strongly suggest that you save all your work so that you can show it to me if you encounter any grading errors.

Daily Work / Papers & Projects

Students have English homework Monday - Thursday nights for 30 minutes. In addition, you are expected to read independently for at least 15 minutes a day. Homework is usually started in class and due the following day although long term papers and projects are also assigned.

Assignments are given because they relate to concepts being dealt with in class. The assignments help reinforce ideas discussed or skills being developed. If you choose not to do an assignment on time, you miss an opportunity to interact with the teacher and classmates about the material being covered. Since 90% of the assignments we do are corrected and reviewed by you in class, if you don’t have your work, you miss the chance to receive feedback on what you've done, as well as a step in the sequence of learning. In addition, completed homework is one of the best ways of assessing your progress and mastery of the standards. It's a way for me to determine if you're understanding what you're supposed to be learning in class.

Daily Work: Students who do not have an assignment completed when it’s corrected in class will lose 40% for the assignment being late.
Projects & Papers: Students who do not have a project or paper completed on the day it’s due may lose 10% for each day it’s late.
Make-Up Academy: Students who are missing assignments may be assigned to after school Make-Up Academy or lunchtime Academic Assistance Academy (Triple A) to complete their work.

School Supplies

• lined 3-hole paper
• colored pens for correcting and editing
• highlighters
• blue or black pens
• #2 pencils
• a set of sharpened colored pencils
• a spiral bound composition notebook just for English class
• an Independent Reading book
• a student planner
• a binder with a section for English

Minimum Standards

All student work must meet minimum standards or it will be returned with an RD (Re-Do). No credit will be given for the assignment unless it is done in an acceptable manner and turned in for re-grading.

• A complete heading must appear in the upper right corner of the paper.
• The title of the paper or assignment must be written on the top line.
• Paragraphs must be indented.
• Proper end punctuation must appear at the end of all sentences.
• A capital letter must appear at the beginning of all sentences.
• Papers must be neat & legible.
• Directions must be followed accurately.
• A reasonable amount of thought and effort must be apparent.

Independent Reading

Research has shown that children who read regularly do better in all aspects of learning. As part of your reading grade, you are expected to read 600 pages from grade appropriate books each quarter. After finishing a book, you need to enter the title and other information in an Independent Reading Log that will be turned in at the end of each quarter.

There are lots of books available for check-out in my classroom, as well as at the school and public libraries.

Absent Work

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed in class and to make-up any missing assignments or tests. You should:

• Call a classmate for information or look on the web site at http://mrshatzi.com/agendas.
• See me to get your missing work.
• Arrange to make-up tests and quizzes.
• Turn in make-up work as soon as possible to the black tray on the teacher’s desk.
• All absent work is due by the end of the grading period.

Extra Help

I am available to help students before and after school Tuesday through Friday, except when I have yard duty or a meeting to attend. It's a good idea to check with me ahead of time.

"Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb over it, go through it, or work around it." ~ Michael Jordan

 

Writing Guidelines

Two of the main goals of 7th grade English are to write a confident, well-organized essay in several genres and to prepare for the STAR writing test in the spring. This is a timed test which must be handwritten. Because of that, all essays must be handwritten and use the following format:

• heading in upper right hand corner: first and last name, date, period
• dark blue or black ink
• writing on every other line
• writing on one side of paper only
• title on the top line
• 1” margins on both sides of paper
• legible cursive or printing

"If you can dream it, you can do it." ~Walt Disney

 

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Mrs. Hatzigeorgiou