2018-2019
    Disclosure Document Survey
    Mrs. Ness 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 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 in chronological order. Students will be tested and held accountable for knowing all 10 state core Standards.  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 complete and return their assignments to the teacher within one week of the absence.  Willowcreek Jr. High 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.  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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    Electronic Devices: Technology can and should facilitate learning.  Students are encouraged to bring their own devise (BYOD) to support their classroom learning. If unable to supply their own ipod, smartphone, etc... one will be supplied for them for use in class.   When students BYOD, they are responsible for the care and storage of their devise. If devises become disruptive to student learning (texts, cyber bulling, messaging etc...) devices will be taken away and subsequently dropped off at the front office. As per school policy only the parent of the student whose device was taken may pick it up at the front office.  Items will not be released to the student.  Always ASK FIRST before using any electronic device.

    Make a Donation:  Please help us acquire learning materials for your student's use.

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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.  My hope is to help your child acquire and use technology skills that will help them succeed in the 21st Century world.  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 contact your employer to access matching funds for your child's education​

    Common Assessments:  Common Standards Based Assessments

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    All students will be expected to pass exams used to assess student comprehension of Utah’s State US History Standards. There will be approximately two/three exams per quarter.  Prior to all exams, optional review sessions will be available during Advisory.  All students are strongly advised to attend.  Students are expected to receive MASTERY grade 3/4.  See grading policy below.  Student who do poorly will complete additional learning activities to improve their grade and ensure learning of the content. 

    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 on the next school day. Additional late work can be turned in by completing the additional assignments listed for Mastery in the late work description in skyward. 
    • Students completing late work or redoing assignments can receive full 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
    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
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    Grading Policies:  Grades* will be assigned using the following criteria: 
    • 20% Projects (Activities completed both in and out of class over a longer period of time)
    • 30% Exams, Daily Quizzes and Common Standards Based Assessments 
    • 10% Homework
    • 10% Participation
    • 15% In Class Assignments
    • 15% Oral Reports
    Grade Scale 
    100-90= A   (Mastery)        89-79 = B (Approaching Mastery/ Adequate Understanding)     78-68 = C (Partial Mastery)       67-57 =D (Mastery attempted)      50 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) 
    • Ruled notebook paper
    • Colored pencils (no markers, or colored chalk)
    • Black or Blue ink pen              
    • Two Red grading pen                      
    • Two #2 pencils
    • U.S. History workbook (supplied)
    *    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.   Accommodations will be made for the students unable to use the internet. For those who do not have the internet at home, the following resources are available:  ​
    • Public Library
    • School Library :  7:45 am – 8:15 am and 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm/ During Lunch
    • In the Classroom: During Advisory and after school by appointment.

    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

    US History Students:
    Text @stnessh to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting @stnessh to (801) 701-1419.
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    US History Parents
    Text @nessh1819  to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting @nessh1819 to (801) 701-1419.
    ACAD History Students: 
    Text @acad2018-9 to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting@acad2018-9
    to (801) 701-1419.

    ACAD History Parents
    Text @acadpar18 to the number 81010.  You'll  receive a welcome text from Remind.
    If you have trouble with 81010, you can try texting@acadpar18
    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”, “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.

    * Please note: there are not sufficient copies available in the library for all students; as such, if your son/daughter needs additional time to read the novel both in and out of class, parents are encouraged to purchase a copy of the novel for their students to read.  This is particularly important if your son/daughter is a slow reader.  Used books can be purchased from many online retailers for less than $5.00.  

    Publication of Student Work

    Be advised that students may be asked to complete assignments in the form of websites, and/or student work may be included as part of classroom and school-sponsored websites.  Such websites may be published on the World Wide Web and will therefore be available to a potentially limitless global audience.    

    Parental/Guardian consent is required for the publication of all student work and/or for the publication of student pictures or images when such pictures or images clearly identify individuals.   Parental/Guardian consent is also required for student participation in providing online information for educational related classroom assignments.  (Students and parents are to use caution and good judgment when personally identifiable information appears on a website.)   
    Please check the Technology and Application Permission form to indicate your consent.  If you wish to provide consent only for the publication of your child’s work and not for the publication of his/her picture or image, or vice-versa, you may do so by checking the appropriate statement.  Please note only positive work will be published to highlight excellence in the content area. 

    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:  :  
    • Treats (rewards, small penny candies without peanuts individually wrapped)
    • Colored Pencils/ Pencils and Red Pens
    • Boxes of Kleenex and/or hand sanitzer

    ***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.