Grade Notes

ENGLISH 12
Welcome! My name is Mrs. McCarthy. I am very
pleased to be your English instructor this semester.
It is an exciting time for each of you as you begin
your last year of high school. I am excited to be part
of your journey. I am looking forward to getting to
know each of you and discovering wonderful things
about literature, the craft of writing, and, yes, even
grammar!
This handout contains classroom guidelines and
expectations. As the days progress, we will be going
over the contents of this newsletter and classroom
procedures.

Supply List
Flash drive to save computer work!

There is no printing available in the Media Center

Pencils, Blue/Black Pens, Colored Pencils, Highlighters

Binder
Divide your binder tabs into the
following categories:
o Journals (include a packet of loose leaf

In this class, grading will be on a point system.

Please use Power School to keep track of your
grade. Your grade should not come as a surprise to
you at the end of the quarter. You can access your
grade daily if you wish! However, assignments take
time to grade well. Do not expect to see your grade
in Power School the day after you turn in your
assignment or absent work. Power School is also in
real time. This means your grade will change with
each and every entry! What does this mean for you?
It means your grade can change daily!!
93-99 = A
90-92 = A87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B-

77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C-

67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = D59-Below = F

There will be occasional extra credit

opportunities throughout the school year. All
extra credit assignments must be turned in on the
date specified. They will vary in point value.

Some assignments will be graded for completion

and others for accuracy. Please understand that
all of your work affects your overall grade.

paper in this section)

o Grammar
o Notes (include a packet of loose leaf
paper in this section)

o Reading
o Writing
Your ASSEMBLED binder with
written tabs and included paper will be
due on:
Tuesday, September 15, 2015.

60 pts.

Please see me if you have any issues

providing this assembled binder!!

Classroom Website:
www.mccarthyenglish.weebly.com

Class Expectations
It is expected that students will abide by the
Stevenson code of conduct and follow all school
rules in the classroom. Students are expected to
demonstrate personal responsibility. Each person in
this class will treat others with respect and courtesy.
It shows no respect or courtesy to others by
swearing, name calling, or making derogatory
comments. Such actions will not be tolerated in this
classroom. Consequences may be any of the
following: verbal warning, loss of participation
points, immediate removal from the classroom,
phone call/email home, Saturday school, and/or
suspension. Lets have a wonderful and productive
year; please assist me with your cooperation
regarding classroom procedures and expectations.

Arrival: Open your journal (Tuesday-Thursday),

bring your reading book (Monday and Friday),
obtain the Article of the Week (Wednesday), and
begin your warm up activity. You need to be in
your seat when the bell rings! It is essential that
you are on time to class in order to complete the
activity within the time allotted. If you are tardy,
(excused or unexcused) enter quietly and check in
with me. A tardy is defined as coming in after the
bell rings. The classroom door will be shut when the
final bell rings.

Dismissal: Stay in your seats. DO NOT line up at

the door. The class is dismissed by the teacher, not
the bell. The bell is a signal to notify the teacher that
instructional time has ended.

Attendance Policy: Attendance and

Cell Phones/MP3 players:

Cell phones/texting are not to be seen, heard, or used
during this class except for the last 5 minutes of
class. Consider this your warning. I will take cell
phones to the office to be picked up after school. I
am not responsible for any equipment that is taken
from you because of your misuse. Remember, it
isnt to be in the classroom.
MP3 players are allowed in school; HOWEVER,
MP3 players are NOT allowed in this classroom
unless otherwise stated or the last 5 minutes.

Classroom Procedures
ALL ENCOUNTERS IN THIS ROOM ARE BASED
ON MUTUAL RESPECT, COURTESY, AND
COOPERATION.

participation are very important in this class. If you

are not here, your viewpoints cannot be shared with
the class and we will be unable to learn from you.
Please remember that if you are absent it is your
responsibility to obtain your make-up work. The
Utica Community Schools attendance policy will
apply in this class. If your absence is unexcused,
you will not be able to make up any work or tests.

Missed Work: You will have one week to make

up a missed test. All tests will be made up after
school during or during lunch. Most missed tests
will be an essay. If your absence is excused, then
you will be able to make up the missed work. You
will be given two days for every day you were
absent to make up the missed work. Look on the
board for missing assignments and check the
assignment binder and classroom website for missed
work and handouts. Absent work and tests will not
be accepted after this time. Remember-it is YOUR
responsibility!
Currently, you are able to access absent work via the
assignment book and online. The website you need
to access for your daily work and missed
assignments is the following:

www.mccarthyenglish.weebly.com

Participation Points: Fifteen (15) points will be

given each week. However, points will be deducted
for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to,
the following: not having appropriate supplies such
as your reading book, sleeping/putting your head
down, talking out of turn, showing disrespect, not
using your time wisely, using cell phones/MP3
players.

Passes: Please ask for passes at the beginning or

end of class. Make sure you go where your pass
indicates. No detours! If you abuse the pass
privilege, you will lose it.

Special Note Regarding Reading Books

You are expected to bring your own library or
personal book each and every Monday and Friday.
Failure to do so will result in loss of credit on the
reading assignment and in participation points. In
addition, you will be required to read The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective Teens until you remember to bring
your book to class. We will make one trip to the
Media Center each quarter. After that, you will need
to renew your book or obtain a new book on your
own time.

Cheating/Plagiarism: If you are caught

cheating/plagiarizing, you will receive a zero on the
assignment/test. It is still considered
cheating/plagiarizing when you copy from a
friend.

Assignments: All assignments are due at the

beginning of class on the date required. All
assignments must have your name, date, and hour in
the upper right hand corner and stapled for full
credit. No name papers or illegible papers will
receive a deduction of one point for each
missing/illegible item. Finally, all work done in
English class is expected to be written in complete
sentences.
All graded assignments are placed in the file holders
at the back of the room. You are responsible to
collect your own work and put it in your binder.
Work left in the file folders will be put in the trash
and/or recycled periodically.

Special Note Regarding Journals

If you are absent, it is your choice whether or not
you wish to complete the missed journal. If you
choose not to complete a missed journal from an
absence you will receive a zero for that particular
journal date. If you choose to complete a missed
journal from an absence you need to do so in a
timely manner. Missed journals are always a
journal of choice.

Turn It In: Turnitin.com is a website that you

will be required to use when submitting any essay
paper for a grade. This website also checks for
plagiarism. I will be grading your papers online.
Also, you will be able to view comments and grades
online.
Therefore, it is imperative that you have access to a
computer. You are welcome to use your home
computer. You can always use the Media Center
computers during lunch and before or after school.
You can also use any public library computer to
access this website.
You will be required to register online at
Turnitin.com for a grade. You will need an email
account to register; this will become part of your

login.

eligible to receive 15 extra credit points.

I will be providing separate instructions on how to

register an account and when you must be registered.

Food/Drink: Sorry, new carpeting. No food is

allowed. Beverages with a twist top only. Thanks
for helping keep our classroom clean!

Remind 101

Remind 101 is a safe

way for teachers to
text message
students and keep in
touch with parents!
Instructions to
follow!

Binders/Folders: You will want to keep all of

your graded work. It will be of use when you study
for tests/exams. You will also need to be able to
show me graded work if I made an error in the grade
book. In addition, you will want a variety of graded
work from ALL classes to assist you in creating an
electronic portfolio for your Senior Project second
semester.

Late papers: No late papers will be accepted.

However, there will be opportunities to receive
Amnesty Passes which will allow certain
assignments to be turned in late. Certain large
assignments will be exempt from Amnesty Day.
Your Amnesty assignment must be with you on the
day they are collected. No locker passes will be
issued to collect the assignment. No late Amnesty
assignments will be accepted. There will be one
Amnesty assignment per each marking period. If
you have NO MISSING assignments, you are

The best way to contact me is by email!

cheryl.mccarthy@uticak12.org