Also on the Web at: https://mrtrester.tripod.com/

Email: tresterx@pwcs.edu
2006-2007

Welcome to a brand new school year!

I hope you enjoyed your summer vacation, I know I did. It's time to file those memories away for a while and prepare to embark on a journey filled with scientific exploration  and inquiry. I am here to help you succeed on your journey or at least point you in the right direction. Welcome to our class and I hope this new year peaks your interest and expands your minds.

Code of Behavior

The Code of Behavior is a booklet containing the rules and regulations set forth by Prince William County Public Schools. It is important that you understand these rules as they will be enforced in this class. If you have any questions about what these rules are, please read the booklet or ask your teacher.

In addition to these rules, I believe it is necessary to establish guidelines of my own for this class. From past experience, I believe that these rules will create an atmosphere where learning can take place. Please read below:

Students must respect themselves and others
Students must understand that people come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors and that the person sitting next to you is different in many ways. We shall respect each other and embrace these differences. 
Students are expected to come to class dressed properly. Students are not permitted to wear hats, bandanas, gang related wear, or sexually explicit clothing in school (this includes clothing that displays images or words referring to sexual material: (i.e. "Playboy", "I'm hot!", "Booty- Licious", "I'm Sexy" etc.) In addition, I do not allow belts or jewelry displaying sexual words, or negative statements of any kind.I strictly enforce this rule.
Students are not permitted to deface school property, this includes writing in textbooks and on desks. Students found in violation of this rule will be referred to the office for disciplinary action.



Code of Conduct in this Class 

Be prepared!
o You must come to class with the proper tools to do your work. This includes: paper, pencils, pens, notebooks, books and most importantly, your brain! 

Students must have a 3-ring notebook complete with 4-5 dividers and loose-leaf paper. 

Textbooks: Students will be issued a textbook for this class which will be issued during the first 2 weeks of school. Please make sure this book is covered and kept at home, not in your locker. It is the student's responsibility to take care of this book throughout the school year. Students will be asked to bring their textbook several times throughout the year for a textbook check. This will be counted in the student's participation grade. At the end of the year, students will be expected to return the textbook. Parents will be responsible for any damage or loss of the textbook. The textbook replacement cost is $60.00. 

Keeping Quiet
o The one thing that bothers me more than any thing else is students who talk while I am talking. Students are expected to come into the classroom quietly and take their seats. Talking will NOT be tolerated. The proper procedure to ask a question or contribute to the classroom discussion is to RAISE YOUR HAND and wait for me to acknowledge you. There are approximately 25 students to every one teacher; please be patient! 

Be On Time!
o It is important to be on time for many things. Let's say you want to go to the movies and the movie starts at 8:00 p.m. and you arrive at 8:15 p.m. What do you think you have missed? Considering that the most important part of the movie is the first 15 minutes, you've probably missed a lot. The same is true by being late to class. Students have 5 minutes between classes to go to their lockers, use the restroom, say hello to Sally AND be on time to class.

This rule is simple: TO BE ON TIME YOU MUST BE IN YOUR SEAT WHEN THE BELL RINGS; UNLESS YOU HAVE A WRITTEN, VALID EXCUSE.

STUDENTS WHO ARE LATE TO CLASS ANY TWO TIMES WILL BE SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION INCLUDING DETENTION, A PHONE CALL HOME AND/OR A REFERRAL.




HOMEWORK, CLASSWORK, TESTS, AND QUIZZES

Homework and class work are assigned regularly in this class. Students are expected to complete homework assignments on-time and to the best of their ability. 

Late homework/class work: students are expected to turn in their assignments ON-TIME! I realize that things happen which may prevent you from doing your homework or class work, however, you must be prepared for class. Students will be allowed to turn in assignments one-day late with a 20 point penalty ( a grade of C); students who turn in assignments after this will receive a grade of F. When turning in late assignments, please make sure you write the date that you turned the assingment in. NOT WRITING THE DATE ON THE ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC "NHI" FOR THE ASSIGNMENT. There are no exceptions to this rule.

 Attendance: Students who are absent from school are responsible for obtaining any missed work or making up missed tests or quizzes. Students who have an unexcused absence on a test day will not be permitted to make-up the exam and will receive a grade of F. Again, it is the student's responsibility to obtain missed work while absent from school. Students who have an excused absence will be allowed as many days absent to makeup any missed work. This may be handled on an individual basis between the teacher and student. If you are absent from school or you have missed the homework assignment for that particular day, you may call the Hornet Hotline for information about homework assignments and other important announcements.



NHI- Not Handed In, students who do not turn in homework, class work, and any other assignment will receive a grade of NHI. According to Prince William County, students who do not complete at least 65% of all work will receive an automatic F for the quarter.

 

Saturday School: Students who fail to complete 3 homework assignments in any quarter will be assigned Saturday School. Please make sure you keep up with your work as the year progresses.

Quizzes are usually taken every Friday. The quiz will usually cover material we have discussed during the preceding week as well as any material we have covered in the past. I have been known to assign a POP-Quiz at any time; BE PREPARED! With this in mind, I will drop your lowest quiz grade each quarter. 

CMS Test- the CMS test is a county mandated exam that covers the Standard of Learning (SOL) we have been studying. Consider this to be the official end of unit exam, which is equivalent to one big test. 
Midterm and Final Exams- in an effort to prepare students for the 8th grade SOL, students will take a midterm and final exam. These exams will cover material studied throughout the year. The midterm and final exam will be weighed more heavily in the final grade. It is important that students prepare for these exams.
o The Midterm Exam will be given sometime toward the end of the 2nd quarter.
o The Final Exam will be given toward the end of the 4th quarter during end of year testing.

Laboratory assignments are an important part of any science class. We will do many labs throughout the year. Students will be expected to pass the laboratory safety exam with an 80% or better before they will be allowed to participate in laboratories. Students must conduct themselves with care while working with laboratory equipment. Students who disregard the rules of the lab will be banned from any and all future laboratories for the rest of the year and will be assigned an alternative assignment outside of the classroom. It is important that students observe any and all safety protocol for lab assignments.

 

Cheating:  Cheating on assignments and/or exams will not be tolerated. Please refer to the Code of Behavior for the rules about cheating.  



Grades and Grading of Assignments

The grading scale is as follows:
93-100 = A
90-92 = B+
84-89 = B
81-83 = C+
74-80 = C
71-73 = D+
65-70 = D
0 - 64 = F

Homework/Classwork: 35%
Quizzes/Pop Quizzes/CMS Test: 30%
Laboratories: 25%
Participation: 10%

The 7th grade grading scale uses a point system instead of a % system to tabulate the final quarter grade. The grade scale is as follows:

A= 4.0
B+= 3.4
B= 3.0
C+= 2.4
C= 2.0
D+= 1.5
D= 1.0
F= 0.0

You can use this scale while accessing the online gradebook- EduLink, at the Fred Lynn Middle School website. This will provide you with an accurate account of your grade.