8 th Advanced Courses: Get the Facts Parent Information

1. 8th Advanced Courses:Get the Facts Parent Information Fairhope Middle School 2019/2020

2. FMS 8th Grade Guidance Counselor Mrs. Kathryn Doyle, L.P.C.

3. From Mrs. Doyle • The advanced classes are an exciting opportunity to prepare students for higher level high school courses. • All advanced class students must have signed parent permission letters. There will be no summer assignments. A suggested summer reading list will be posted on the school website. • The commitment for Advanced classes is for the full school year. There will be no schedule changes. • A’s, B’s, and C’s are acceptable grades at Fairhope Middle School. Please do not ask for conferences with teachers if your student is making these grades. If your student is not meeting your expectations with these grades, please work with your student to determine how he/she may improve to your standards. • Please encourage your students to use their planners, and check them on a regular basis to see that they are writing down their assignments. • To stay updated on events, activities, and what’s going on at FMS, please check the school website at least weekly. The high school registration process begins in February each year, and the school website is the main source of information regarding this process.

4. Attendance and Advanced ClassesStudents should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation. Students with chronic absences, defined as 18 or more unexcused or excused absences per year, are at serious risk of falling behind in school.

5. TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL?Not feeling 100% is not on the list!Neither is “I just don’t feel good!” • Temperature over 101 • Vomiting two or more times in the previous 24 hours • Diarrhea or stools that contain blood or mucus • Blister-like lesions, especially if they develop crusted sores with irregular outlines • Swelling of glands in front and below ears and/or tenderness of the glands in the mouth • Coughing that is repeated and violent, that lasts for weeks and is often accompanied by thick mucus and vomiting after coughing • Skin rash with fluid filled bumps or that spreads from the face area to the trunk and limbs • White spots inside the mouth or back of the throat • Pink-eye                • Runny nose and congestion if nasal drainage is not clear in color

6. If your student missed more than 9 days in the previous grade, whether excused or not, please consider whether advanced classes are appropriate. • School attendance is indicative of a student’s work ethic. • Teachers are not responsible for teaching missed lessons to students who are absent, excused or not. It is up to the student to make up all missed work within 3 days. Students are responsible for the lesson missed. They may want to develop a “buddy” contact for missed notes. Assignments are posted on Moodle or teacher pages. • In other words, students who miss classes due to unexcused or excused absences, in essence, have to teach themselves the missed lessons. The pace of advanced classes is accelerated, so missing school days for any reason presents an academic challenge that may overwhelm the student. Again, please consider your student’s attendance record when considering any advanced class.

7. 8th Grade Advanced Course Teachers English: Crys Hatcher, Kelly Lanicek, and Justin Parmer Algebra 1: Donna Ferrill, Erica Lee, and Michelle Klemm Science: Angela Boyer, Jamie Jones, and Vickie Morris

8. What is the Advanced Curriculum? • All Advanced courses address the Alabama Course of Study as well as College and Career Readiness Standards. Each course curriculum is enriched through the use of A+ College Ready / Laying the Foundation practices.

9. How are the Advanced Courses Different? • Students will be learning the same material, but in greater depth and at a faster, more challenging pace. • Students will have extended academic responsibilities and expectations.

10. How are Advanced Courses Beneficial? • Participating in Advanced Courses in middle school will better prepare students for the content and expectations of Pre-AP/AP/IB courses when they transition to high school. • Students will have the opportunity to develop self-discipline and time management skills necessary for academic success.

11. Can My Student Get Additional Help? • Students should talk with their teachers if they need additional help. Many teachers offer help during break. • Encourage your child to advocate for themselves if they need help.

12. Khan Academy- Video tutorials; free resource for all students for Algebra1, 7th/8thMath; https://www.khanacademy.org/ Homework Alabama- Free online tutoring; http://webmini.apls.state.al.us/apls_web/apls/apls/homework/ Peer Tutoring is available during homeroom twice weekly in the cafeteria for students who complete an application to participate Study Skills Course on School Website- STUDENTS NEED TO USE THEIR FMS PLANNER/AGENDA!

13. Things to think about… • Grades may be lower than they were in regular classes, but it is better to adjust now. • Students will have increased independent/ outside of class assignments. • Students should take ownership of their learning and advocate for themselves. • Students involved in multiple extracurricular activities will need to purposefully schedule time to complete their assignments and to study.

14. How Many Advanced Classes At A Time? One, Two, Three, or None? Just because a student qualifies for all 3 advanced classes (English, Math, and Science) does not necessarily mean that he/she needs to take all three. Every student is different. The decision to take any Advanced class should not depend on whether the student qualifies. How willing is your student to put forth the required effort? How self-motivated is your student? Will your student have the time to enjoy and benefit from extra-curricular activities while taking one, two, or three Advanced classes? How has your student done in the past? Have you had to spend excessive time monitoring his/her academic performance? Did your student take Advanced classes in 7th grade? If so, how did that go? Talk to your student about what is best, and carefully consider this together.

15. Where are Assignments/Due Dates posted? • Each teacher posts Assignments/Due Dates in the classroom and students are responsible for copying them into their agenda. • Moodle (use your student’s log-in info) • FMS website • Remind (Text app)

16. How can you help at home? • Homework Time: • Provide a designated, quiet space that allows your student to focus • Limit cell phone, TV, and other distractions • Encourage self-advocacy skills • Support independent thinking • Emphasize the importance of time management & planning. • Have supportive academic expectations

17. Does Not Work For LearningThe brain can’t do two complex tasks at the same time Our brains need to focus in order to process and learn new information.Students need to “unplug” their distractionsNew research shows homework takes longer because of constantly re-familiarizing oneself with the taskMistakes are made due to mental fatigue caused by constantly dropping and picking up mental threadsMemory is impaired due to encoding interruptionsMedia multi-tasking is negatively associated with student’s grades The bottom line is that under most conditions, the brain simply cannot do two complex tasks at the same time. Being on Youtube, texting, Skyping, Instagram, Snapchats, FaceTime, are considered a complex task for the brain. There’s no getting around the fact that it’s far better to focus on one task from start to finish. Students need to turn off their cell phones, and eliminate all distractions (even tv) when they are doing homework and studying. If they are using their Chromebooks at home for school work/homework, only the screen that is their academic subject should be on display-no multiple screens- like Youtube, games, etc.Parents Need to Monitor! Multi-Tasking- Bad When It Comes To Learning! Parents Need to Monitor!

18. Important Reminders • Absences: • It is the student’s responsibility to ask for makeup assignments when absent • Teachers are not responsible for teaching students the information that they missed due to an absence. • Missed work/tests must be made up/turned in no later than 3 days after returning to school • Missed work/tests not made up in the required time will be counted as a ‘0’. • Teachers use an "I" in INOW to indicate that students need to make up work. The "I" averages as a "0" so students need to get their work completed within the 3 day period. The "I" is replaced with a grade after the work is made up, or stands as a "0" if the work is not made up.

19. Important Reminders • Assignments will not be accepted after the due date. • No partial credit for late work. • No extra credit assignments. • Plagiarism is cheating and will result in a ‘0’ and disciplinary action. • Homeroom time is more structured with required activities for homeroom teachers to conduct. Students should not plan on using this time to complete work that is due that day. FHS has a 5 minute homeroom, so 8th grade students should not become accustomed to relying on doing any homework or studying during this time. Also, there is no break time at FHS. We want our 8th grade students to be ready to successfully transition to high school.

20. NJHS Requirements • The National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) GPA requirement is a 3.5. • Advanced course grades in middle school are not weighted.

21. Important Reminders • Grade Categories in INow: • Assessments/Projects/Quizzes are worth a greater % of the total grade than Classwork/Homework • Teachers are communicating and working as a team to try to be sure that major tests and project due dates do not occur on the same day.

22. Advanced English • The curriculum moves at an accelerated pace with a more concentrated focus on independent reading, writing, analysis, and problem solving. • Opportunities are provided for students to develop questioning and research strategies that assist them in organizing and presenting information in oral, visual, and written formats. • Advanced English classes will have a dual focus; an in-depth approach to reading and interpreting literature in various genres and an emphasis on reading strategies to help master required skills, as well as a scaffold approach to the usage of grammar and mechanics through writing practices. • Students will have at home reading assignments.

23. 8th Algebra 1 • Algebra I is a formal, in-depth study of algebraic concepts and the real number system. In this course students develop a greater understanding of and appreciation for algebraic properties and operations. • The pace is fast with students expected to learn to solve problems within a minute framework for standardized testing. • Homework is assigned daily. Parents may choose for their student to take the Algebra 1 credit for high school at the end of the school year, or have the student re-take the course in high school. Algebra 1 is the only advanced course at FMS that can be transferred to the high school for credit. • Algebra 1 in 8th grade is now required for students to apply to the FHS Pre-IB Programme.

24. 8th Advanced Science • This science course is an inquiry-based program that enhances scientific literacy and prepares students for life in the 21st century. • 8th Grade Advanced Physical Science consists of 2 large subgroups -Physics and Chemistry. • We will explore Physics first focusing on kinetics, energy, and forces. • Chemistry’s main topics included atomic structure and interaction, molecular structures, and chemical elements. • Instructional strategies include hands on science investigations and the incorporation of technology in the classroom • The science curriculum consists of LTF (Laying the Foundation) infused lessons.

25. Advanced Physical Scienceand Algebra 1 • It is highly recommended that students who take Advanced Physical Science should also take Algebra 1 since an understanding of algebraic concepts is part of the content of the Advanced Physical Science curriculum.