2022-2023
    ​Disclosure Document Survey
    Mrs. Ness Spanish I
    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 Spanish I Students!!  These six elements will be included within each Unit, then are necessary skills for successfully learning a secondary language. I.   Listening,  II    Reading
    III.  Person-to-Person Interaction,  IV.  Speaking, V.   Writing, VI. Culture. Spanish I covers Reading, writing, speaking, listening and understanding common greetings, expressions, date/ time, introductions, asking and answering questions, age, origin, and phone number, personality and physical characteristics, noun and adjective agreement correctly, uses of ser (to be) and tener (to have), subject pronouns,  Students will be tested and held accountable for knowing all 5 state and district core Standards. Additional content will be covered as time permits.

    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 Canvas, and complete and submit the work online.  Willowcreek Middle School attendance policy will be applied. 
     
    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.  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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    Willowcreek 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.​
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    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 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.  Students who violate this policy will lose daily participation points. 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: Help purchase materials to ensure best learning

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    The Alpine Foundation is a tax deductible foundation that allows you to help with special projects in your son/daughter’s classroom.  Make a donation by clinking on the "Donate Now!" link on the left. Follow the instructions below.  It will only take a few minutes.  Be sure to keep a copy of your receipt for a tax deduction come tax season AND 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. Students should turn in late work prior to the unit exam corresponding to the assignment. Additional late work can be turned in by completing the additional assignments listed for the late work in skyward. 
    • Students completing late work or redoing assignments can receive partial credit for their late work by completing the work indicated in skyward, and or completing the original assignment with a late pass.
    • 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
    Mastery Grading
    All learning activities homework and assessments posted in skyward will reflect one of four levels of Mastery, i.e. 4= Mastery: Expectations Met,  3= Approaching 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
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    Grading Policies:  Grades* will be assigned using the following criteria:
    • 25%  Listening Comprehension (including listening journals) posted as RST or Related Standard in Skyward
    • 20% Assessment (Including Daily Quizzes and Common Standards Based Assessments) 
    • 25%  Speaking (Including in class and out of class activities posted as Oral Speaking Skills in Skyward.)
    • 25%  Reading & writing (Iincluding in class and out of class activities, posted as Reading in Skyward)
    • 5% Participation (Including daily participation points- see explanation of grade, and daily activities)

    Grade Scale 
    100-90= A   (Mastery)       
    89-79= 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)  

    Mastery Grading

    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)
    • Large three ring binder pouch to hold vocabulary cards (see pic).
    • Ruled notebook paper preferably reinforced​
    • Black or Blue ink pen              
    • 2 Red grading pen                      
    • Two #2 pencil​
    • Colored pencils
    *    If financial realities 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

    ParticipationLanguage and Language acquistion are 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.

    If you have question about this policy please indicate in the form box below.

    E-mail updates and Text Messages

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    Remind 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 skyward 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 81010m send the message that reflects who you are, i.e student @spanness or parent @spannesspa  to receive text reminders of homework, exams and important information to help you succeed in Spanish.  PLEASE NOTE IF YOU POSTED YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER ABOVE AND INDICATED YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES. THE INSTRUCTOR WILL SIGN YOU UP TO RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES.

    Text Messages: Parents

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

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

    Additional Information

    It would be greatly appreciated if you are able or willing to donate to the classroom, Students can receive an extra late pass for donations:  
    • Treats (rewards, small penny candies without peanuts individually wrapped)
    • Colored Pencils/ Pencils and Red Pens
    • Boxes of Kleenex and/or hand sanitzer
    • Ziplock snack size bags (for storing flashcards)

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

    ** Teachers are not available on early out Mondays, or Wednesday mornings due to  pre-scheduled House and Department meetings.

    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, and a copy of your responses will be sent to the email you provided (school provided email will be unable to receive this message). 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.
Another reasons to learn a second language: It’s obvious that knowing more than one language can make certain things easier — like traveling or watching movies without subtitles. But are there other advantages to having a bilingual (or multilingual) brain? Mia Nacamulli details the three types of bilingual brains and shows how knowing more than one language keeps your brain healthy, complex and actively engaged.