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Welcome to Mrs Barrett's Classroom
I am excited to be teaching junior high science, health, eighth grade religion, and Christian Living. I look forward to a great year of learning together. I believe education is a partnership between the teacher, student, and home.
Religion and Christian Living:
The text that we use is The Catholic Connections Handbook for Middle Schoolers. We will cover the following topics:
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- God, Revelation, and Faith
- Jesus the Christ
- The Holy Spirit and the Church
- Liturgy and Sacraments
- Christian Morality and Justice
- Prayer
At Saints Peter and Paul, we look at the eighth graders as being the leaders in our school. They are the lectors and servers at most Friday Masses and work with their kindergarten buddies to build leadership. Students are required to complete 20 hours of community service.
To be successful in class students need to keep a clean, neat and complete journal. All warm-up activities, notes, and reflection activities must be entered in their religion journals. Students must participate in class and in Mass.
All eighth graders will be preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation, which may be received in May. The ultimate decision to receive the sacrament is a personal decision to be made by the student and their family.
Science:
At Saints Peter and Paul we have an integrated science program covering life, earth, and physical science. Through science, I strive to build not only their knowledge of scientific principles, but also critical thinking, problem solving and cooperative learning. Students work together in groups to question and solve problems yet report results independently.
Students are required to keep a science notebook. This will contain all notes, lab reports, and in class activities. Notebooks will be checked periodically throughout the quarter and graded quarterly. Their journals must be neat, organized, and complete. Students will also be completing a science fair project. This can be done with a partner. Requirements and due dates for this project have been sent home with students and can be found on RenWeb documents.
1st Quarter: Scientific Method Ecosystems Food Chains
2nd Quarter:
Plants
Bases of Life
3rd Quarter:
Human Body Systems
4th Quarter:
Rocks and Minerals
Earth in the Solar System
1st Quarter:
Inquiry Process
Chemistry of Matter
2nd Quarter:
Motion, Forces, and Energy
Physical Interactions
3rd Quarter:
Humans and Heredity
Ecology
4th Quarter:
Fossils and Stars
CIMI Prep
In eighth grade students have the opportunity to attend a four day field trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute. Students will participate in fund raisers throughout the year to assist in the cost of this educational trip.
Grading System:
Students will be graded on quizzes, projects, reports, in class assignments, exams, homework and their journals. Extra credit may be given out at various times throughout the quarter, but should not be counted on. All classes will be graded on a point based system. Every assignment will be given a point value and at the end of the quarter/semester the total value of assignments will be added up and used as the top value for the class. Then each individual student’s points will be added up and divided with the total class value to that point. Grades are always available on RenWeb. Individual assignments will be posted in a soon as possible. This year’s grading scale is as follows:
A+ 100-97
A 96-94
A- 93-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-84
B- 83-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-74
C- 73-70
D+ 69-68
D 67
D- 66-65
F 64 and below
Students are expected to record all daily homework assignments in their school planners. Assignments will also be posted daily on Renweb.
Late/Absent Work:
Late homework will not be accepted and will be given a zero. Long term projects will be accepted the following day only, with a reduction of points. Absent work will be accepted in accordance with the Parent/Student Handbook.
Cheating:
Any student that participates in cheating and/or cheating behaviors (copying, plagiarism, whispering, roving eyes, paper scraps, etc.) will receive a zero for that assignment and parents will be notified. Helping another student cheat, is engaging in cheating behavior. Students have a responsibility to notify me if someone is pressuring them to become involved in cheating.
Classroom Rules:
Students are expected to follow classroom rules at all times, in order to create a productive learning environment, for everyone.
- Be respectful at all times. Always give it and accept no less. Be Christ-like.
- Be punctual. Sit quietly once in the room and await directions.
- Be prepared to learn. Report to class with all need supplies.
- Be focused. Stay on task. Listen to all directions before starting task.
- Be responsible for your own behavior. Accept any consequences graciously.
Students that do not follow classroom rules will face corrective actions.
A chance to self-correct: coach, cue, seat change
Step 1: Student/Teacher conference: documented verbal correction
Step 2: Formal plan of Action: Parental Contact; written plan to resolve difficulty.
Step 3: Detention: Same day consequence; written plan to resolve difficulty.
Step 4: Conference with Assistant Principal: Disciplinary intervention.
God Bless
Mrs. Barrett
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