Procedures are a part of life. We follow procedures for using a telephone book, boarding an airplane, approaching a traffic light, and attending a wedding. The reason we have procedures in life is so that people can function in society knowing the acceptable and efficient ways other people do things.
There are also procedures in Room 317 (Miss Cleveland's room). Please read and know what they are:
Entering the classroom
When you enter the class, you will sit in your assigned seat and check the board for today’s activities.
When you are late
I wait five minutes after class begins before I take attendance. If you walk in after I have finished taking attendance, you are late. If you do not get a lateslip, you will be marked absent. Late slips belong in the bin by the door. For first period of the day and the period after lunch, you should be in class at the bell. I will take attendance as soon as the second bell rings at these times.
Leaving the classroom
Students are not permitted to leave the class under normal circumstances. If you need to use the washroom, come to me quickly before the bell and let me know where you are going. If you do have to go to the washroom during class, you can do so only at times when you are working on individual or group assignments and not when I am lecturing, during class discussions or when presentations are in progress. When you leave you must ask for permission. If you abuse the privilege of going to the washroom, you will no longer be permitted to go.
On a related note, if you have an appointment to go to and must leave class, you must have a note from your parent or guardian. Without a note, you will not be permitted to leave class. This is a school policy.
Remember if you are leaving the school for the day, or for an appointment that you must sign out of the office. The office needs to know who is in the building at all times in case of an emergency.
End-of-period class dismissal
Class is not over until I have said that it is over. If students are working well throughout the period, they may be given a few minutes at the end of class to talk and they may move to other seats, but they must be seated at all times. If it is the last period of the day, students are not permitted to leave the classroom until it is tidy and all the chairs have been put up.
Classroom Behaviour
Students should sit in their assigned seats and be respectful at all times. Please do not put your feet up on the desks because people often eat in the classroom during lunch hours. Nobody wants to eat where someone’s dirty shoes were! Gross! Students are reminded to only touch the things in the room that belong to them. Do not use things that belong to another student, a PSA or the teacher without asking for permission first. Please be kind and supportive of your classmates.
Asking a question
Questions are welcomed, and please, QUESTION EVERYTHING! However, the question must be related to the topic. Do not raise your hand to ask to use the bathroom during a lecture, class discussion or presentation. The answer will be no.
Listening to and responding to questions
Be respectful of each other’s thoughts. If someone is speaking, do not interrupt and wait until the person has finished their thought. Raising your hand is a good way to indicate that you want to add to the conversation.
Presentations
When your peers are giving presentations, or if there is a guest speaker, please listen respectfully. Do not get up and walk around the room. This is very rude.
When you need a pencil or paper
Pens and papers are items that will prevent you from doing any work if you don’t have them. You may borrow these items from me; the pens & pencils must be returned at the end of class and you are asked to add to the paper supply when you are able to.
Using other classroom supplies
You may ask to borrow any of the school supplies in my room if you need them. I do ask that you take care of any item you use and that you return it.
Sharpening your pencil
There is nothing more frustrating than constantly hearing people sharpening their pencils! You may NOT sharpen your pencil when I am speaking or during class discussions or presentations. This is just plain rude!
Throwing things in the garbage/recycling
Dispose of waste in the garbage can or the recycling bin and not in the desks or on the floor. Please do not throw items across the room to each other. This is a disruption to class.
Turning in papers/Assignments
All papers and assignments will be handed in directly to me. Marked assignments will be handed back to you when they are ready.
When you are absent
It is your responsibility to find out what you missed if you are absent. A pile of handouts distributed to the class will be on the table at the entrance to the room. You are responsible to go through the pile and find what you missed. You may ask for help with anything you don’t understand about them (of course!) Missed assignments will not be excused; you must complete any work you missed for credit.
Lost handouts
If you lose a handout, it is up to you to find someone else in the class who has the handout and make a copy of it. I will only make enough class sets for the number of students in each class and no extras.
When someone knocks
People will sometimes knock at the door. When this happens, there is no need for excitement or talking. Sit quietly and continue working while I answer the door.
If the phone should ring
If the phone rings, again, there is no need for excitement and especially for talking. Sit quietly and politely so I can hear the person on the other end. This is just common courtesy.
Working cooperatively
You are always encouraged to help each other with learning. You may ask each other QUIETLY for help with assignments. You will often also be working in groups, so always be courteous and respectful of each other’s ideas. Be kind and helpful to one another.
Changing groups
I will always choose groups for you. Changing groups is not permitted. In the workplace, you will often have to work with people you don’t like. You don’t get to choose who your coworkers will be. Group work is preparation for you to learn to get along with people. You may not always like everyone you work with, but you can learn strategies to get along with everyone.
An emergency alert
If there is a fire drill, follow the exit plan on the wall. Leave the room QUIETLY and quickly, and we will meet outside by the little shed where I will take attendance. I will be the last to leave and will check windows and doors.
When you need help or a conference
Extra help will be offered on Tuesdays at lunch (starting at 12 noon). (I will wait until 12:10 at the latest, and if no one shows up for extra help, I may leave to do other things.) If you want extra help or have personal concerns about the course or your grade, please stop by at this time. Sometimes I will do conferencing with you during class time and you can bring up concerns then. Other than that, please do not interrupt lessons with concerns about your individual mark.
Late assignments
If you hand your assignment in on time, you will have the opportunity to resubmit your work after I have given you feedback on it. If your assignment is late, you will not be allowed to resubmit it.
If you know in advance that you will not be able to get an assignment done on time, due to work or family commitments, you may ask for an extension in writing. Notes asking for an extension must be received one week in advance to the date the assignment is due. Notes will not be accepted for extensions after this time, as if you have left yourself only a week to complete a major assignment and do not complete it in time, this is due to poor time management. Late assignments will not receive priority when it comes to marking. If you don’t think it’s important enough to hand in on time, then I don’t think it’s important enough for me to return to you quickly.
Near the end of each term and semester a final date will be posted which will be the very last chance for you to hand in late assignments. If assignments are not handed in by that time, any incomplete work will change from an incomplete to a 0 and will reflect on your report card grade. This is because I have to have time to mark any late work before the final deadline I have for submitting marks.
DESIGN 11 STUDENTS ONLY: Deadlines for the yearbook are extremely important. If we don’t get things done, we won’t have a yearbook. Therefore, it is extremely important for you to meet deadlines.
If you miss an evaluation or test
Studies show that students who write tests at the scheduled time generally do better than students who miss test days and have to write at a later time. Another consequence of students who miss test days is that the rest of the class has to wait until all the tests have been marked to have their tests returned to them. Therefore, it is in your best interest to show up on a test day.
If you miss a test, you will write the test on the Tuesday after you return to school at lunch time during the time that Extra Help is offered.
Correct Usage of Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
Excessive spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes will result in your assignment being returned to you. I will not mark assignments that I cannot understand. You will have the option of correcting your mistakes and resubmitting your work for full value. However, as with late assignments, these assignments will go to the bottom of the marking pile.