2022-2023
    ​Disclosure Document Survey
    Mrs. Ness ACAD United States History
    Classroom Policies & Procedures    

    Contact Information and Period

    Please read the following procedures, rules and guidelines and identify the answer that best applies to your understanding and/or acceptance of each policy.  Submit your responses once you have completed the entire survey.

    Course Description & Objectives
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    Welcome 8th Graders. The Content taught in ACAD United States History for 8th grade covers events and issues from the Age of Exploration through post Civil War Reconstruction and the western movement, emphasizing those periods through the 16th and 19th centuries.  Units covered will include:  physical and political geography of the United States; Native American Cultures, Political and Physical Geography,  Government (Origins and Practices) and the Causes, the Courses, and Consequences of Conflict.  History will be taught thematically, though generally in  chronological order. Additional content may be covered as time permits; particularly when relating to the present.  The skills and dispositions taught in US History are listed on the US History Title Page.

    Attendance, Tardy & Discipline Policies

    Attendance, Tardy & Discipline Policy:  Attendance:  Many projects are completed in class.   As such, regular attendance and active participation are important.  If a student misses class, it will be his or her responsibility to check objectives and assignments on the website@ nesshistory.org, and/or in Canvas and complete and return their assignments to the teacher within two of the absence.*  Willowcreek Jr. High attendance policy will be applied. 
     
    This an accelerated course.  Behavioral & disciplinary problems will not be tolerated!
    Discipline policy:  This course will support the school’s R³ policy, i.e., respect yourself, respect others, respect the school. If disruptive or negative behavior occurs, the following steps will be followed:  
    • * Verbal warning and/or name on the board. 
    • ** Sent to a different seat in the classroom or staying after class. 
    • *** Sent to another classroom for the period with assignment. 
    • If a student has been sent to another classroom a second time, he/she will need to complete a behavior contract with the teacher, parents will be contacted 
    When a student has been sent out of the classroom three times, the student will be reassigned to a different class period. 

    Fighting, harassment, challenging teacher authority, or using profane language will result in immediate removal from class and will be dealt with according to district policy and may result in reassignment to a different class. 

    Tardy Policy:   The school’s tardy policy will be followed.  Warm-ups, quizzes or self-starters cannot be made up due to tardies.  Citizenship grades will be dropped after the third tardy. A student is considered tardy if they are not in their seat when the bell rings, even if they are in the room. 

    Electronic Devices

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    Willowschool Middle School will provide access to a laptop for all students.  In general student work will be completed online. Student's must bring their laptop to class daily, they are responsible for charging their device prior to attending class. ​
    iPods, cell phones and other similar devices ARE NOT ALLOWED IN CLASS they are  a distraction and make student learning difficult. Parents, if you need to contact your student please do so during their class breaks. ​The use of earbuds/headsets, not associated with student learning, during class is prohibited.  Work not completed because of the use of earbuds during instructional time will NOT be accepted.  Earbuds and cell phones used during class will be collected and will not be returned to the students.  Parents are responsible for collecting ear buds and cell phones from the front office that are used without permission. 

    ​*Students who must have access to a cellular device for medical reasons should notify the teacher in advance.

    Make a Donation:  Please help us acquire materials to ensure best learning.

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    ACAD courses are designed to let students dig into and experience history. Field trips, projects, novels etc.. are costly. The Alpine Foundation is a tax deductible foundation that allows you to help purchase supplies and experiences for your son/daughter’s classroom.   Make a donation by clinking on the "Donate Now!" link on the left. 
    ​It will only take a few minutes.  Be sure to keep a copy of your receipt for a tax deduction come tax season AND while you're at it contact your employer to access matching funds for your child's education

    Late Work & Grading Policies

    Late work   
    Work is considered late if the student is present in class and does not hand in the assignment on the due date, or as the teacher collects it.
    • Completion of all late work for students not in attendance on the due date is the responsibility of the student. All work is available in Canvas. Students should turn in late work on the next school day. 
    • It is the responsibility of the student to come in after school or during Pridetime to evaluate, grade and post late work.  Late work will not be accepted during instructional time.
    • Late work will not be accepted the last week of the term
    All learning activities homework and assessments posted in skyward will reflect one of four levels of Mastery, i.e. 4= Mastery: Expectations Met,  3= Adequate Mastery, and/or Adequate understanding,  2= Partial Mastery, 1-= Below Mastery and 0= No effort: Mastery not attempted. 

    To ensure both students and parents understand their progress, or lack thereof, each assignment within skyward will be given an abbreviated title focused on a specific goal or objective to be mastered by the student.  Students should strive for mastery for each specific goal or objective.  Once a student has mastered the skill being practice or accessed they will receive a “4” on the assignment in skyward. To ensure all students have an opportunity to learn and master foundational concepts, additional learning opportunities and activities will be provided under the description of the assignment within Skyward. Once the new activities have been completed and the student has demonstrated mastery of the skill or objective being assessed, the grade for the learning activity will be changed to reflect their improved mastery of the content
    ​

    Mastery Grading
    Grading Policies:  Grades* will be assigned using the following criteria: 
    • 20% Projects (Activities & Oral Reports completed both in and out of class over a longer period of time)
    • 20% Exams, Daily Quizzes and Common Standards Based Assessments 
    • 20% Homework
    • 10% Participation
    • 15% Reading (including term novels)
    • 15% In class Assignments
    Grade Scale 
    100-90= A   (Mastery)       
    89.99-79 = B (Approaching Mastery/ Adequate Understanding)     
    78.99-68 = C (Partial Mastery)       
    67.99-50 =D (Mastery attempted)     
    ​49.99 and Below = F (Mastery not attempted)  ​
    Use of Canvas & Skyward 
    All work will be posted on CANVAS.  Students will need to bring their computer to class daily.  Canvas is a content platform.  Assignments, readings, lectures and daily activities will be posted daily on Canvas.  Completed work is graded within Canvas and then synced nightly to Skyward.  Some assignments and learning acitivities may take longer to grade that other work; however in general work is graded daily.   Skyward is a grading and communication platform. Grades generated and visible in Skyward reflect the most current student grade.   Please note late work will be graded and posted prior to the end of the term.  

    Class Materials and Internet Use

    Class Materials:   Students will need to bring the following materials to class DAILY
    • 1/2 inch or one inch 3-ring binder (you may share this binder with other classes; however if sharing your binder you will need a larger binder and must commit to having it in class daily) 
    • Ruled notebook paper
    • Colored pencils (no markers, or colored chalk)
    • Black or Blue ink pen              
    • Two Red grading pen                      
    • Two #2 pencils*  
    *If financial realities will make it difficult for you to supply your child with the required materials, please  indicate below, and I will do what I can do to ensure your son/daughter is prepared for class. 

    Internet Use: Parents, please note that students will be required to use the internet for this class. Prior to doing so parents must update their student's information in skyward and ensure their students have the right to use the internet.  

    Participation

    Learning is s participatory activities.  Students are expected to attend and actively participate in order to succeed. Participation points will be earned daily reflecting student's active participation in class.  Students who are disruptive, nonparticipatory or violate the classroom electronics policy (use of non-approved electronics, cell phones/ earbuds) will be deducted participation points.  A notacion will be made within skyward including the date and violation when/ if participatory points are deducted.  Absent students will be excused from participation points (excused lost points will neither help nor hurt student grades). Lost participation points cannot be excused. 

    E-mail updates and Text Messages

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    Emails:
    Regular updates will be sent via e-mail to parents and students via skyward.  To ensure you receive these messages be sure to post (and or update) both the parent and student email information in skyward under the "Account info" tab on the upper right hand corner of the skyward family page @ https://skyward.alpinedistrict.org/.  Grades are updated daily and weekly within skyward. To receive weekly skyeard email of your student's progress, you may request an email notification within the "Family Access" page under the "General Information" in skyward. Teachers are not given access to the student's skyward account password; however if you have lost the password, the front office secretaries can help you access this information

    Text Messages
    Enter the phone number on the right for the appropriate class (Regular Ed. or GT) and  text the message in the message box to receive text reminders of homework, WalkAways and important information to help you succeed in U.S. History.  PLEASE NOTE IF YOU POSTED YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER AND INDICATED YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES. THE INSTRUCTOR WILL SIGN YOU UP TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES.

    Text Messages: Social Studies

    ACAD History Students: 
    Text @ACADUS22 to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting@ACADUS22
    to (801) 701-1419.

    ACAD History Parents
    Text @ACADPAR22 to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting@ACADPAR22
    to (801) 701-1419.

    Semester Novels

    Students who learn historical empathy are more likely to exhibit empathy and understanding of themselves and others in the present. As such, all students will have the opportunity to read and complete a project associated with the historical novel during terms 1, 3 & 4.  Term 1 students will read one of six historical novel “Blood on the River” “Weetamoo”, "Copper Sun", “The Journal of Jonathan Jasper Pierce” Serafina's Stories, or “The Journal of Remember Patience Whipple”,or  "Constance".  Term 2 students will choose a novel from a list related to their chosen research area (these lists will be supplied well in advance of the due date and are currently available online in the “Conflict” link on the class website), the novel will be graded term 3.  Term 4 students will chose one of the following four novels, “Dragons Gate”, “So Far From Home”, “Slave Dancer”, or “Across Five Aprils”. *There are class room copies of each novels as well as copies available within the school library.  In addition, many of the novels have been podcast on the class website to assist readers with the text. Due dates for all novels will be given in class, late novels will not be accepted.

    Additional Information

    It would be greatly appreciated if you are able or willing to donate to the classroom, Students can receive free mastery on an assignment for donations:  :  
    • SANITIZER & WIPES
    • Treats (rewards, small penny candies without peanuts individually wrapped)​
    • Boxes of Kleenex 

    ***Please feel free to email your student’s teacher at the following address [email protected], to arrange a meeting before or after school.

    ** Teacher is not available on early out Mondays, or Tuesday afternoons due to  pre-scheduled Department meetings and collegiate courses.

    Feedback & Submission

    Prior to submission please check to ensure you reviewed and checked your response on each portion of the Disclosure Document Survey.   

    A message will appear on the screen when you have submitted the Disclosure Document correctly.  If your form does not sumbit it is an indication that one or more of the required responses has not been recorded.  Review the form to ensure all responses were provided.