Welcome to Texas History!

1. Welcome to Texas History! My name is Ms. Curtis~

2. Rules of the Classroom • Be Kind • Be respectful • No Cell Phones • Do your best

3. What happens when you break rules? • Verbal warning • Private conversation • Privilege(s) taken away • Parent contact • Office Referral This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

4. Entering the Class expectations • Students are to line up against the right side wall of Ms. Curtis classroom, one directly behind the other. • Once given permission students will walk quietly into the classroom and to their assigned seat. • Students with jobs will instead do their job before sitting down. • Once students are seated they will wait for their journal to be brought to them. Once they have their journal they are to work on the bell ringer question on the board or projector. • During this time students can whisper among themselves as they work or ask for a pencil from the teacher if they need one.

5. Exiting the Class Expectations • About 4 to 5 minuets before class is over students with jobs that handed anything out will be told to pick up the supplies they handed out earlier. • Students without jobs are to make sure their surrounding area is clean. If it is not they must clean it up or they will not be allowed to leave. Tardy passes will not be written. • By time the bell rings all trash and supplies should be put away, and every student should be silent in their seat.

6. MIA Binder • MIA = Missing in Action • This is my Absent work binder. • If you are absent then during your independent time you may walk over and grab any missing work. • Any work for you will be in your class period and have your name written on it in pen by me. These are NOT COPIES FOR LOST WORK. • You will have 3 school days to complete the work before it’s considered late for every day you were gone.

7. “I need a Pencil” • A student can only ask for a pencil at the beginning of class (bell ringer) or during independent work time. In other words NEVER while the teacher is teaching. • The student will first raise their hand and wait to be called on. • Their name will be put on the board, and the teacher or supply sergeant will provide the pencil. • When the journals are getting picked up, the student will raise the pencil in the air and the supply sergeant will pick up all borrowed pencils and erase the names off the board.

8. “Can I go to the bathroom?” • A student can only ask to go to the restroom during independent work time. Not when Ms. Curtis is teaching, not the first 10 minuets of class, not the last 10 minuets of class. • Raise hand and wait for teacher approval. • There will be a sign in and out sheet, but I will be keeping track of it. If you are gone an extended period of time (over 5 minuets) more then twice I will call home. • You get 3 passes per 9 weeks. • You must give your phone until the end of class to use the pass after you’ve used your 3 per 9 weeks for emergencies. • If there is no pass then do not ask. If the pass has been lost then no one can go until it is returned. Do not take another teachers pass I want MINE.

9. “Can I throw this away?” • Raise hand and wait for teacher approval. • Get up and put the trash in the trash • not throwing it like a basketball. • Not when teacher is talking.

10. “Can I borrow a ruler/glue?” • Supply sergeants will pass out all needed and allowed materials at the start of class. • They will also be responsible for picking these supplies back up. • If you want something other then what has been provided, then during independent work time you can raise your hand and ask the teacher for what you want. • If it is on the back bookshelf then you can get up and grab it. • Broken supplies: Let me know, I know accidents happen. • Disrespected supplies: Students who mishandle supplies (break them intentionally, throw them, ect.) will not be allowed to use them until they write a 5 sentence minimum apology stating what they did, that it won’t happen again, and what they learned, with a parent signature.

11. “Can I go…?” • Only during independent work time. 10/10 rule still applies • Raise your hand and wait for teacher approval. • Take the Hall Pass when you leave not the Girl/Boy bathroom pass. • If the pass is lost only passes I will write are emergencies (bleeding or worse) to the nurse, or emergencies to the counselor office, until it is returned. • IF I send you to the counselor I will email them and let them know you are coming, and to make sure you went • When you return from anywhere (attendance, nurse, counselors) you must have a pass with the time you left from them on it. If not I will send you back. If you do not return with one I will write you up for truancy.

12. Journal Rules • Only journal managers are allowed to pass out and pick up journals • Only journal managers (and textbook generals when told by teacher) are allowed behind the tapped off area around the journals. • If you are seen touching the journals without permission or toughing another classes journals you will lose points and/or privileges • Journal managers are responsible for picking up and passing out ALL journals neatly. • You can lose your job for refusing to give or take a students journal, for throwing the journals, or if on multiple occasions the journals aren’t stacked correctly.

13. Technology Rules • Cell phones • Not allowed to be out unless teacher directed • I will ask once (1) and you get it back at the end of class • IF I must ask twice (2) I will turn it into the office (parent must pick it up and pay $15) • IF I must ask a 3rd time I will call for an administrator or hall monitor to take it from you. • Chrome books • Stay on task (three (3) strikes and it will be taken from you.) • No food or drinks around them. • Do not hit them • Headphones/Game systems • Not allowed PERIOD. I see them I will confiscate them and turn them into the office.

14. Seating arrangements • You are currently in alphabetical order. I hold the right to put you where ever I see fit to make sure you have the best chance of having a good learning environment. • Do not always assume that because I’m moving you that you are in trouble. I have many reasons why I move you around. • Sometimes it is because you are being a distraction, sometimes it’s so you can not be around others who will distract you. Sometimes I can tell you work better when around certain students, or away from certain students so just for activities you will be moved. Sometimes I’ve had parental requests. Sometimes you are stronger in a topic, and I need you to be near someone who is weaker to help them. Sometimes I just need even groups for the assignment. • No matter the reason there is to be no arguments. It’s a waste of time, so please just move. • If you would like to be able to choose where you sit in this room I will give you the opportunity once you’ve shown me as a class you can handle yourselves and listen to my directions without a lot of hassle. Until then what I say goes~

15. Teachers Desk • Don’t touch anything without permission! • Don’t turn in papers on my desk. (especially if I’m not watching) • They should go in your journal! • If it’s a test it should go in the bin! • Otherwise it might disappear…. So don’t do that.

16. Lockdown’s and Fire drills • Stay quiet! I have to be able to hear what’s going on and where we need to go since it will possibly always be changing. • It’s HOT so please follow instructions so we can get out and back in as soon as possible. The more you play around, the longer we stand in the heat. • Also if I have to correct you 3 times, I’m calling home because you are being a safety hazard.

17. Late Work /Tutoring Guidelines • It is district policy: • Students have up to three (3) days past the deadline to turn in late work, afterwards it is at the teacher's digressions to accept, but does not have to. • If absent the student has three (3) days for every, one (1) day missed to turn in the missing work. The teacher does not have to accept past this. • Personal classroom policy: • Tutoring is offered twice (2) a week, but by appointments can be more. • If a student is being disruptive during tutoring, they will be asked to leave. • Tutoring is NOT for students who sleep, are overly disruptive in class, or refuse to do work in class. It is for students who need the extra time, or assistance.

18. Daily Work • All daily work will be placed in their journal. • NOT a bin. NOT my desk • If the work is not glued/stapled/or tapped into their journal I WILL NOT GRADE IT. • This eliminates students: • Stealing other student’s work. • loosing their work. • forgetting it at home. • Saying the teacher lost it.