1. Mrs. O’Brien’s Class Swansboro Middle School 2017-2018 School Year
ENGLISH Language Arts
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Suess 
Class Rules
1. Be on time, on-task and prepared to learn.
2. Electronics are for educational purposes only.
*No personal electronic devices (cell phones, iPods, portable gaming systems, etc.)
3. Be responsible for your own learning.
4. Respect yourself, the teacher, the classroom and other students.
5. Clean up after yourself.
*No gum or candy allowed   
 Class Expectations
Be in seat when tardy bell rings.
Put proper heading on all papers.
Do not use electronic devices in class without teacher permission.
Use restroom during passing breaks.
Maintain a clean and orderly work area.
Bring all of your supplies to class daily.
Complete all of your work and turn it in on time.
All SBMS rules and policies shall be observed within the classroom.
**Students will be issued laptops to be used for in-class and at-home work that is assigned daily. Students need to bring laptops FULLY CHARGED to school daily. Your help with ensuring that these requirements are met and policies are reinforced is greatly appreciated.
Course Description
Welcome to Language Arts! Our focus this school year will be learning and developing our skills as critical thinkers, readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. The development and mastery of these important literary skills not only is important to achieving success in the Language Arts classroom, it is a critical component of achieving success in other school subjects, building strong relationships with others, and attaining a flourishing career as an adult. Basically, the quality of life you experience now thorough adulthood will depend a lot on how hard you strive to become a better reader, writer and learn to communicate with others.
What do I get if I follow class rules?
Your appropriate behavior in class assures everyone of an environment conducive to learning. Some possible rewards for continuous appropriate behavior are: intrinsic value (satisfaction of learning), improved skills, verbal praise, positive note to parents, tangible trinkets, and special class activities / privileges.
What are the consequences if I don’t follow class rules? We will be following SBMS’ schoolwide punch card system. Please refer to the SBMS Handbook.
1. Warning: the teacher provides a verbal reprimand/reminder to student
2. Student-teacher conference: student and teacher will discuss misconduct or inappropriate behavior
3. Chill out or Silent lunch: student will be sent to “chill out” or report to silent lunch to contemplate conduct
4. Referral to Administration and Parent Contact: student will be immediately referred to administration for severe behavior problems and parent will be contacted
Where do I go to find agendas and assignments?
Office 365 and Microsoft Teams will be used frequently. Microsoft Team will be our online digital notebook. You may find class assignments, discussions, and notes and you will turn in many assignments and collaborate with other students on our class page. These websites will house the weekly agendas, assignment due dates, PDF copies of class handouts, important announcements, and more. Students will also keep a student agenda in which they will write down daily assignments and use as a hall pass. Please bookmark the sites and check them daily.
What happens if I turn in an assignment late?
Work not completed and turned in by the assigned date is considered late. If a student is absent on the date work is due, the assignment is due one day after the student returns to school. COMPLETED LATE WORK will only receive partial credit (10 point deduction for each day not turned in, not to exceed five days). INCOMPLETE LATE WORK will not be graded after five days per SBMS grading policy and will result in a zero for the assignment.

2. Mrs. O’Brien’s Class Swansboro Middle School 2017-2018 School Year
Mrs. O’Brien’s Class Swansboro Middle School School Year
Grade Scale
How will I check my grade in class?
Progress reports will be sent home every three weeks via student. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to check the Parent Portal (Power School) on a weekly basis to view the most current grades for EVERY class. A = B = C = D = F =
What do I do if I am absent?
Always check Microsoft Teams for agendas, handouts, and assignment due dates. A student has three extra days to turn in any work assigned on a day a student was absent. If a quiz was administered on a day a student was absent, the quiz must be made up on the first day the student returns. If previously assigned work was due on the day of the absence, the work is due on the first day the student returns otherwise it is considered late (10 point deduction for each day not to exceed five days per SBMS grading policy).
Grade Breakdown
Tests / Quizzes = %
(vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, noredink.com assignments)
Interactive Notebook /
Classwork = 30%
(graded on completeness & creativity)
Writing = 30%
(Weekly writing & process papers completed throughout the year)
Benchmarks = 10%
(quarterly district tests)
Do I have to read outside of class?
All students will be expected to read independently on a daily basis. Students are welcome to bring a book from home to read during free or allotted independent reading time at school or they may check out a book from the Media Center or class library.
*A book project or one-pager will be due each quarter (1 per 18 weeks) and must be completed on an independently read book the student finished that quarter.*
What types of writing will I do this year?
Contact Information
Sacred Writing Time refers to the daily creative writing students will complete as a daily warm up/bell ringer. The Sacred Writing Time assignments will be posted in Microsoft Teams weekly.
Writing Pieces refer to pieces that students will complete in their Office 365 One Drive account. Numerous writing pieces will be completed throughout the year (at least one per nine weeks). Even though the process pieces will be worked on and stored in the student’s One Drive, the completed piece must be printed off and turned in to the teacher on the DUE DATE.
Mrs. O’Brien:
School: (910)
Supplies
What is an Interactive Student Notebook?
One portable mouse for 1:1 device (recommended)
One pair of earbuds
Two college-ruled composition (spiral or marble) notebooks
One (three or four) pack glue sticks
College-ruled filler paper
Multiple #2 pencils
One set of 12 or more colored pencils
One set of four or more highlighters
**The following would be greatly appreciated for class donations:
#2 pencils, Kleenex tissues, hand sanitizer, Expo markers, your time as a volunteer 
The Interactive Student Notebook (ISN) is a portfolio of student work. The notebook is organized in a left-side and right-side format. Every left-side of the notebook will house teacher directed notes / activities, while right-side assignments will showcase student understanding of left-side material in a creative and unique manner.
A spiral or composition book will be used for the notebook. 30% of the ELA grade is based on the ISN. The majority of classwork, notes, study guides, AND vocabulary, will be completed in the ISN, so it is imperative that it be complete and up to date.
Let’s have a fantastic year!
I am excited to begin this school year and I encourage you to be actively involved in your child’s education at Swansboro Middle School. I look forward to working with you and working together to ensure that your child has the best education possible.

3. Mrs. O’Brien’s Class Swansboro Middle School 2017-2018 School Year
Please Read the course information, sign, and return this sheet to mrs. O’Brien.
Students:
Please sign below to signify that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. O’Brien’s class, will keep it in your folder, and will be responsible for the information throughout the year, and will check Power School at least twice per week at school or at home.
_______________________________ _____________________________________________
Student printed name Student signature
Parents/Guardians:
Please sign below to indicate that you have read the course sheet for Mrs. O’Brien’s class and that you will help your student be accountable for the information. If you have questions about the course or your student’s work, please do not hesitate to contact me; is the best way to reach me quickly. Please see contact information on this sheet for my address.
______________________________________ _____________________________________________
Parent/Guardian printed name Parent/Guardian signature
______________________________________ ______________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Parent/Guardian daytime phone number
(please print)
Parents and guardians, please CIRCLE the best way for me to contact you:
phone
Check all the statements that apply to how you would like to communicate with Mrs. O’Brien about your student’s progress. I will, of course, call for major concerns or accomplishments, but with numerous classes, I like to know how you’d prefer to communicate.
_____ I/We have internet access at home, so we will check Parent Portal at least twice per week to check on my/our student’s progress. I/We will contact Mrs. O’Brien about any concerns we have.
_____ I/We plan to Mrs. O’Brien for an update.
_____ I/We do not have internet access at home, but I/we would like to have regular contact with Mrs. O’Brien. I/We will call for an update on a regular basis.
_____ Other: ____________________________________________________________________________
Phone: (910)