August 14, 2019
Hello Parents,
Welcome to a new school year. I would like to explain Porter’s grading policy, provide you with information that is unique to my class, and let you know how to best help your child this school year. I have also highlighted answers to the most asked questions by parents.
Grades
I give quizzes, tests, and project grades. Many of the practice assignments are also posted in the grade book, to inform parents, but they are not part of their final grade. Their grades are made up of 20% formative assignments and 80% summative.
Late Work
I accept late work for full credit as long as the student has come to me beforehand to set a new due date for the project or practice.
Extra Credit
I do not give extra credit.
How to Improve your Grade
Students who receive a "C" or lower on a test will be given remediation and allowed a retake. Students may only retake tests for a grade change. A retake is no longer a replacement grade; a student's first test and the retake are averaged to create the new grade. If the retake is not going to improve a student's grade, I don't change the grade, so they can't get a lower grade than they started with.
What to Bring
I ask each student to bring his or her agenda, pencils, and math binder. Students will be assigned lockers to store their supplies. The only item that is shared is donated tissue.
Prince William Homework Policy
The Prince William District has asked teachers to give no more than 10 minutes of homework for each grade level and 20 minutes of reading. So, our students could receive up to an hour and twenty minutes of practice in the 6th grade.
For math, I ask them to practice the concepts that we are working on using IXL. This takes an average of 20 minutes a night. This homework assignment does not change; so, you never need to ask them if they have math homework. They do!
If they get home and have forgotten how to do the problems, have them review on my Google website, Mathcamp. It is an online math notebook with video links. If they are still stuck, they may e-mail me and I will help them with it during lunch.
Projects
For math, the students are given time and materials to complete these projects in class. We will be starting the year off with Fantasy Football. This project lasts throughout the football season. Students may wish to watch football games at home but it is not required. I give them the box scores at school every Tuesday.
Study Guides
Study guides for each unit are completed in school and every question is reviewed with the students. Blank copies will be provided for you on my messenger page with the answer keys. These will be found under the “Files and Documents” section on the left of the page. Feel free to print out a copy and have them take it again before the test.
Messenger Page
Each week, I post the math standards that we are working on. Each student has been given an IXL account to practice what they have learned. IXL is aligned to the Virginia standards and is used as the textbook for this class. It's found at IXL.com.
Contact Information
My Porter e-mail is the fastest way to contact me. It is on my phone, so I an able to see that there is a new notification. nelsonka@pwcs.edu
Best wishes,
Mrs. Nelson