ei Ea eo S 2) LAoe yet) er Cert nde earner Ra ‘August 19, 2010 Dear Parents/Guardians, Welcome to grade eight! We have an exciting year planned for your child, and we anticipate a positive year for everyone. We have spent the last week working together planning programs and activities, as well as determining a ‘common set of expectations so that there is continuity among all four grade eight classrooms. The classroom organization is as follows: 8.1 Mr. Kevin Sonico Math and Science 8.2 Miss Jaime Groeller Humanities 8.3 Mrs. Heather Rattai Math and Science 34 Mir. David Scott Humanities During the beginning weeks of school, please fee! welcome to come into our classrooms and introduce yourself either before or after classes. ‘GRADE EIGHT GUIDELINES ‘Asa grade eight team, we feel iti vital tothe learning and growth of teenagers to maintain a respectful and caring environment. We will do our utmost to model respectful behaviour and guide students in building and maintaining respect for themselves, thei peers, parents and teachers \We also believe that its important to foster an overall sense of responsibility in students. The organizational skills and study habits that begin to form in junior high are often the ones that will “stick with” students throughout their lives. tis mportant for students to develop strong skls in these areas and take responsibilty for thir learning and actions. With these two items in mind we have come up with a common set of guidelines that will help us create a productive learning environment. 1. Punctuality and Preparedness itis important for students to be punctual. Notwithstanding bus delays, itis expected that students arrive to class in a timely manner. When students are late, they often miss important instructions for that day's lessons. Should a student be chronically late, we will contact you to discuss the matter. Students wil be provided with all equired classroom supplies and textbooks at the beginning ofthe school year. Itis Important that students arrive to class with their appropriate binders, pens/pencils, paper and textbooks each day. As the school year progresses, and students have used up all of thelr schoo} issued pens, pencils and paper itis important for you to replace these items to ensure that they are prepared for class 1, Student Absences We understand that at times, students willbe absent from class due to liness or appointments. It is important for students to remember that itis the thei responsibilty to find out what material and/or assignments were missed. If you know beforehand of any extended absences due to vacations, please inform us well in advance, so that we can Provide your child with any materials/assignments they willbe missing. We can then forward thisinformation to the office to confirm your child's absence. IM, Agenda Usage We will not be providing your child with an agenda, however we expect that a system for keeping track of their assignments will be developed early inthe year. Of course we will assist them with this, bt its recommended that ‘you and your child talk about this together to ensure success. IV, Handing in Assignments ‘Throughout the year, students will hand in a variety of assignments. I is important that ALL assignments are handed in on time. Should there be circumstances ilness, extended absences, etc.) that prevent a student from completing an assignment, please remind them to talk to us about the assignment when they return to school. Alternate arrangements willbe made for students to hand in their assignments. If students do not come and discuss their absence with us, we will assume that they will be handing in their assignment with the rest ofthe class. We do understand that students lead very busy ives outside of school, and i is understandable that on occasion they may require an extension on an assignment. Extensions will be granted by the teacher on a case-by-case basisV. Extra Help I you are concerned that your child is struggling with the concepts or assignment expectations, please encourage them to come and see us immediately so that we can clarify any difficulties or problems, We are here to guide your child in their learning, Furthermore, this help may be obtained during the “Learning Strategies” class that has been instituted this year. VI. Homework and Study Time ‘Students will have homework some evenings and weekends. However, provided that students stay on task in class the amount of time required for homework will be very reasonable. We will do our best to not overlap major due dates between the core subjects so that the homework load remains manageable. Seyond homework, we encourage students to organize a weekly study schedule. Students are strongly encouraged to read on a regular basis. Also, by reviewing core subject material on a regular basis, they will have greater success with assignments and tests Vil. One-to-One Laptop Program We are excited to continue with the one-to-one program. Rules and expectations regarding appropriate laptop use willbe in accordance with our schoo! laptop policy. Please remind your son or daughter that laptops are school property and their use will be restricted to meeting curriculum objectives. Laptops are not to be used during morning ‘or lunch recess and other non-instructional times when laptops are being charged. Appropriate and respectful use of the laptops will be emphasized Vill. Communication ‘We believe that maintaining open lines of communication is key to creating a strong partnership between home and school. By maintaining strong lines of communication between parents and teachers, we are best able to give students a positive educational experience. We will be keeping in contact through email, phone, our class website, ‘and the monthly Spectrum. Contacting Us Should you have any concerns or questions regarding your child, or our programs, please feel free to contact us. We generally check our e-mail throughout the day, so this is a good way in which to contact us. Our e-mail addresses are all listed below. Mr. Sonico (8.1) kevin s@calgarysclenceschool.com Miss Groeller (8.2) jaime g@calgaryscienceshool.com Mrs. Rattai (8.3) heather.r@calgaryscienceschool.com (Mr. Scott (8.4) david. s@calgaryscienceschool.com We also have a Grade 8 website which can be found at http://essgrade8. blogspot.com. From there you can navigate to each individual teacher's blog, 1X. Cell Phone Use ‘We understand the importance of cell phones as a means for communication. However, cell phones are only to be used outside of schoo! hours. if you need to get in touch with your child, we ask that you contact the office or email his/her respective homeroom teacher and we will promptly relay the message to them, QUTDOOR EDUCATION AND FIELD TRIPS ‘As you know, the Calgary Science School maintains an extensive outdoor education program. We are planning 3 number of outdoor experiences and field trips for students this year. The success of these trips is reliant on parent volunteers, so we hope we can count on your support. Extended Outdoor Education ‘The following trips will involve overnight stays: + Camp sweet September 13 ~ 15 (8.3 &8.4) September 15-17 (8.1&8.2) + Circle Tour May 24~27, 2011, ‘We hope this letter has clarified @ number of items for you pertaining to your child’s year in grade eight. We look forward to working with you and your child Sincerely, ‘The Grade 8 Team