1. Welcome To Junior high Parent night

2. Miss Knefelkamp Music and Spanish

3. Spanish Rules/Procedures Come in quietly Respect classmates, teacher, and materials. Participate and do your personal best Be an active listener

4. Spanish General goals Acquaint students with everyday Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. Provide opportunities for language practice and cultural awareness. Assessments Performance-based assessments Oral assessments Written assessments Project based assessments

5. music The expectations when students enter into the music room are the following: 1. Come in quietly 2. Respect classmates, teacher, and instruments 3.Participate and do your personal best 4. Listen and Have fun!

6. Music Some of the topics we will cover this year… Music theory Music styles and cultures Composers Careers in music Performance

7. Music Students will receive grades based on the following Written assignments Quizzes Projects Participation

8. Mrs. forbes P.E. & Art in Junior High

9. P.E. Requirements Students should have the required gym outfit and clean gym shoes everyday for class. ( Mon. & Wed.) They are required to change every PE class, with very few exceptions. If they choose not to dress, their grade will reflect that.

10. RULES Respect others, yourself and the gym equipment. When the whistle blows, you STOP whatever you are doing and listen for instruction. Complaining about an activity will not be tolerated. Follow all instructions the first time they are given. Play fairly and honestly all the time. Show good sportsmanship. Candy and gum are not allowed. Rules & Consequences in P.E. CONSEQUENCES Verbal warning Time out of class/ parent contact Detention- before or after school Severe Clause: Principal’s Office.

11. Grading in P.E. Do you have your PEA’s in a row? Participation Effort Attitude Sportsmanship If a student does not have PE attire, and/or an unexcused reason for not participating, they will receive a “0” for the day. If your child has been ill or hurt, please send either a note from you or the Dr. explaining just that. Then it will be considered an “excused” non participating day. Second trimester, students will receive grades during their health time which will be factored into their overall grade.

12. Junior High Units Presidential FitnessBasketball VolleyballStick Unit BadmintonBowling April 2012 AerobicsDance

13. Art Classes Art is on TUESDAY mornings, once a week. Students were required to have a few certain art supplies this year. In the event that they forget, there is always extra here. Art is graded on Participation and Effort. There will be minimal homework for art class, usually due the following week. There is one paper assigned, as a requirement of the Joliet Diocese assessment. If your student does not complete an assignment during class, it will need to be finished for homework however.

14. Junior high math April Langelett Diocesan standards: NO Math textbooks being used, in order to follow the standards. All notes/HW can be assessed on my website. Notes can be pulled up at home or at school For 6th & 7th Grade, some HW assignments can also be accessed on the website and can be completed on their laptops with their stylus. Aleks (15% of math grade) : Most of the ALEKS time can be completed in study hall (20 minutes per day) but a total of 2 hours is required on a normal week. Some time might need to be spent on ALEKS at home. ALEKS can be completed on the students’ laptops, home computers or even IPADs. Reinforces old concepts & challenges the students as well.

15. Homework:(15% of math grade) : Homework is given on a nearly daily basis (not a lot of problems, but enough to reinforce the concepts.) It is usually graded on a participation grade type of system (PRACTICE for the quiz on FRIDAY.) Sometimes HW is collected, can always be corrected. Quizzes: (40% of math grade) Quizzes are given nearly every Friday. Quizzes mainly cover the concepts learned that week, but also continue to review past material. Tests: (30% of math grade) Tests aren’t given as often, but will cover larger amounts of information.

16. Availability: I am available on MOST days before or after school for math help. I’d much rather the kids come to see me for help, than feel frustrated at home. Math is much more enjoyable if it is understood!

17. Language Arts Mrs. Gaca

18. Changes in Language Arts Focus on Diocesan Learning Standards Interdisciplinary nonfiction /fiction at higher levels with deeper meaning Combination of English and literature Literature Vocabulary/Word Choice Writing Grammar/Mechanics Free choice reading opportunities

19. Language Arts Curriculum Reading of fiction and nonfiction Novels and short stories of various genres Determining tone, mood, theme Studying author’s craft Predicting, inferring, analyzing, evaluating text and vocabulary Citing evidence Speaking and listening Use of compound/complex sentence structure Improvement of word choice and use of figurative language Expository, Narrative, and Argumentative Writing Use of APA and MLA,citations Use of complex parts of speech such as gerunds, participles, and infinitives Revising and editing

20. Illinois Literary Speech Contest Save the date: Saturday, November 15, 2014 Aquinas Catholic Academy Time: 8:00 -12:00 Student attendance is mandatory Speeches should be memorized by Oct. 1 st Practice done in class, but may need additional help at home Speeches should last a minimum of 8 minutes from first spoken word Everyone leaves with a 1 st, 2 nd, or 3 rd place rating Awards distributed during school day at a later date All students must be passing subjects to participate (IESA regulation)

21. Grading Scale Assignments posted daily on website calendar Extra help before school and after school- open door policy Book donations for classroom library are always accepted Tests = 40% Classwork = 30% Homework = 15% Quizzes = 15%

22. Science Curriculum 6 th Life Science, Physics/Energy, Earth/Space science Science Plus – Science Fair Preparation (2 nd Trimester) 7 th Earth Science, Ecosystems, Physics/Matter Science Plus – Science Fair Preparation (1stTrimester) 8 th Chemistry, Life Science, Physics/Forces Science Plus – Simple machines/CO 2 Cars (3 rd Trimester) ALL – scientific method, experiments, lab reports, research, models, dissection, science fair

23. MRS. SMITH’S WEBSITE www.mbvm.org (Assignments are attached to calendar) 1) Assignments - 90% typed on computer 2) Assignment grading - electronic grading 3) Remind Students to ASK QUESTIONS ?????? 4) Extra Help/Appointments: 7:15 – 7:45 AM or 2:40 – 3:15 PM 5) Parent Communication Homework

24. Science Grading Policy Check website for grades Homework 15% Content Area - Science Reading & Writing15% Class/Lab Assignments 30% Quiz/Tests/Science Fair 40%

25. Co-Teaching in the Science Classroom Daily classes – Mrs. Darling/Mrs. Smith in class Lab Days – ½ class in science room with Mrs. Smith ½ class in LA room with Mrs. Darling MBVM GOAL: Students will understand the connection between Language Arts skills as they apply them to science topics.

26. Science Fair Schedule AUGUST: Complete Experiment Organization SEPTEMBER OCTOBER: Experiment Conducted (Home) Background Research Completed (LA/Home) NOVEMBER: Experiment (Graphs, Analysis, Conclusion) Final Science Fair Paper Completed DECEMBER: Backboard(8 th )/Power point(7 th )/Note cards JANUARY: Oral Presentations APRIL/MAY: Choosing topic; Research; Experiment Design

27. Mrs. Bassett Junior High Religion and Social Studies

28. Religion in Jr. High Goals To know and understand the basic teachings of the Catholic Church as revealed through Sacred Scripture. To know, reflect on appreciate the importance of Liturgy and of the Sacraments To understand the importance of the Old and New Testament and to bring the messages from the Bible into our daily lives. To live out Jesus’ example of service and love, by serving others in our community, school and home. To engage in personal and communal Catholic forms of prayer that deepen one’s spiritual life.

29. Grading Percentage Breakdown 40% Tests and Assessments 30% Classwork/Group Projects 15% Homework 15% Participation/Service

30. Social Studies in Jr. High Goals 6 th Grade – To learn about the physical and human geography of the continents. To gain an understanding of the cultures, traditions, economies and religions of many countries around the world and then make a connection as to why it is important to us. 7 th Grade – To learn about the early American history and how our country was formed by our founders. We will begin with Colonial America, study and take the Constitution test, Westward Expansion. 8 th Grade - To begin with the great expansion of the West, Civil War and Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, World War I and II and then finally ending with our modern American history and how it has shaped our country over the past 50 years.

31. Grading Percentage Breakdown 40% Tests and Assessments 30% Classwork/Projects 15% Homework 15% Content Area Reading & Writing

32. Content Area Reading and Writing Strengthen reading and writing skills in the areas of science and social studies Diocesan Standards Focused English Language Arts Reading Informational Text Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure Integration of Knowledge and Ideas English Language Arts Writing Production and Distribution of Writing Research to Build and Present Knowledge

33. Content Area Reading and Writing Vocabulary Academic vs. Technical Understanding etymology for vocabulary troubleshooting Writing activities presented in different forms RAFT: Role, Audience, Format, Topic Research Background Knowledge Reading strategies Guided reading activities for independent practice Nonfiction reading to supplement the textbook Study skills Specific study skills for both science and social studies Studying vocabulary Reviewing notes and organizing all materials for reviewing

34. Teacher contact information Stacie Knefelkamp: sknefelkamp@mbvm.orgsknefelkamp@mbvm.org Amy Forbes: aforbes@mbvm.orgaforbes@mbvm.org Erin Darling: edarling@mbvm.orgedarling@mbvm.org April Langelett: alangelett@mbvm.orgalangelett@mbvm.org Cheryl Gaca: cgaca@mbvm.orgcgaca@mbvm.org Bridget Bassett: bbassett@mbvm.orgbbassett@mbvm.org Rhonda Smith: rsmith@mbvm.orgrsmith@mbvm.org