Requirements, Expectations & Policies

Requirements, Expectations, & Policies

Proper Mindset

Students should have habits of mindset. All of your student's course work for 8th grade requires organizational & time management skills. Students need to ask questions for clarification and participate in class on a regular basis - including completing in-class and homework as needed.  

Technology Access

Students should be comfortable working with a computer, navigating a website, and downloading/uploading documents.  If additional help is needed, please let me know.

Communications

Students must check their school email and Canvas In Box daily. It is the students’ responsibility to contact the teacher should there be difficulties completing the coursework. Parents should contact the teacher with concerns with the course or learning problems.

Online Work Ethics

Students working online are always expected to complete and submit their own work. All school/district guideline regarding plagiarism will be followed in the online/blended classroom.

Classroom and Online Etiquette

When interacting with your teacher and classmates in this course or in other online environments we may be using (e.g. making online discussion postings; collaborating on wikis), please remember that you are posting and replying to your classmates in a written manner in which those receiving the posts cannot see your body mannerisms. In other words, be careful in what you say and how you say it. We are all here to learn and are not here to insult or hurt other people’s feelings, whether intended or not, by posting disparaging, belittling, or sarcastic remarks. When making online posts, please keep in mind the tone you use, especially when replying to your classmates. This is important to remember not only in this class, but also in your everyday correspondence with others around you. Please realize, it is OK to disagree with one of your peers; however, make sure to discuss the disagreement and not make it a personal issue. Always try to maintain a positive tone and use academic language in all your course-related interactions. Inappropriate responses and harsh language will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and can impact not only your grade, but also your standing in class. Serious breaches in online etiquette will also result in additional consequences, including administrative referral.

Furthermore, anything you put on the web now belongs to the web, and you cannot possibly get it back. In other words, don’t send or share any material to the internet that you, your parents, teachers, administrators, future college admissions officers, or future employers...anyone...would consider inappropriate or of a highly personal nature, because once it is out there, it’s out there forever. That includes personal or inappropriate pictures and video, threatening text, verbal assaults, highly personal correspondence...again, anything questionable that you do not want the world to see. If you have doubts about anything that you want to put on the internet, ask your parents, me, or your other teachers for their opinion and guidance.

Also, please be aware that anything you share directly with me (email/text correspondence, journals, essays, or in person) is never shared with your classmates. However, it is not strictly confidential. I am under obligation to report to appropriate school authorities anything you share with me that suggestions potential situations/circumstances that pose a threat to you or others, or suggest you are engaged in inappropriate or dangerous activity/behavior.

The Panther L.I.F.E. (Learning, Integrity, Friendship, and Excellence) is an important part of our school culture. It is one of Shivela's shared goals to integrate L.I.F.E. values into all aspects of our everyday interactions with others. The Shivela Middle School Discipline Policy is outlined in the student handbook and posted in the classroom.

Homework Policy

Assignments for the week will be posted on every Sunday evening for Monday morning retrieval. Monthly calendars, listing homework, quizzes, tests, projects, and due dates are located on Canvas. (See the POLICIES tab for more details)

Absences Policy

When a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to make up any work that was missed during their absence. Students have one school day for each day missed to make-up any work. All quizzes and/or tests will be taken upon the “return” of the student to class. If the student will be absent for a prolonged period of time, please contact the school to make proper arrangements.  All needed information regarding assignments will be posted on Canvas.  Please check Canvas for missing work. (See the POLICIES tab for more details)

Grading Policy

Students will receive grades based on the following:

Homework/Classwork (Practice) 20% (Practice)

Quizzes/Projects/Labs/Tests (Assessment) 80% (Assessment) (Quizzes/Tests)

Up-to-date student grades will be located on Canvas.  Parents and/or guardians can access their student’s grades 24/7 through Canvas.  Parents can add themselves to their student's Canvas as an observer.  As an observer, when your student is notified of missing work, you can also be notified.  Official 6-week, 12-week, and semester grades will be posted in AERIES.NET (on-line grade notification system used by MVUSD) - these are the official grades for each time period. (See the POLICIES tab for more details)