Week 10 End

Hello Students,

I hope you are all well.  I definitely am missing your faces.

Today marks the last day of our first week of Social Distance Learning.  Thank you so much to those of you who have worked diligently through the week.  To those who haven't, please do your Future Self a favor and make sure you finish your work this week before Monday, when next week's work will be posted.  I definitely don't want you to get so far behind that you feel overwhelmed.  As we discussed in class, you should be spending about 30 minutes a day working on these assignments, so right now, you only have 2.5 hours of work.  Don't let it continue to pile up.  If you have any questions, you can reach out to Mrs. Harris (1st block) or me. 

World Lit and Honors World Lit have been finishing the poetry portion of the unit.  Early next week will do the final writing assignment, then transitioning to reading A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Honors, part of your work will include looking at other groups' Odyssey Projects.  Please try to get that turned in if you haven't already.  If you have life circumstances that make this difficult, please just let me know.

No extra work  will be assigned over the weekend, so if you're on top of your assignments, I hope you enjoy the break.  If you are not on top of your assignments, please use this time to catch up.  So that you are aware, part of your work next week will be to show your parents what you've accomplished.  Some of you are already ready; some of you aren't.  You know what you need to do.

Yearbook, today is the day.  Final checks and edits are happening and we're submitting the book today.  Thank you so much for your hard work this semester.  I'll be notifying you through the chat for what we need to do to finish this then updating grades of what you've done.  Most of you had a few, or many, spreads that were not done on time, so I'll be updating the make up work with grades you've earned.  I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to not doing Yearbook work this weekend.  Next week your assignments will be on Google Classroom. 

I know we're all getting a bit stir crazy, but we can get through this.  Happy Friday.

Week 10, 1st Week of Safe-distance Learning

Hello Students and Parents,

These are the important reminders and links now that we are moving to safe-distance learning starting Monday.

• Assignments will be posted on Google Classroom for each class.  The codes for my class are on My Login Page.
• Each assignment will tell you how to submit the assignment.  Usually either Google Classroom or Turnitin.com.
• All assignments for each day should not take you more than 30 minutes to complete, per county policy.  If an assignment takes more than 30 minutes, you may wish to ask yourself:  Are you trying to multitask?  Are you paying more attention to the music or video than the assignment?  Are you overthinking the assignment and going too detailed?  Do you need help?
• Ms. Harris and I, as well as the rest of your teachers, will be available during the hours of 10:30-12pm.  My phone number is listed in all of my messages on Synergy if you have an immediate and time sensitive question within that time period.  Please email questions if it does not need an immediate answer.  
• The expectation is that school is still in session.  We have been directed by administration to keep this expectation.  You ARE responsible for every assignment.  If you do not do the work while we are out of face-to-face school, then you will be expected to complete it upon returning to school.  That would be awful.  Do your future-self a favor and do it a little every day.  
• Links for all resources will still be on the Resources Page.
• The link to CTLS for quizzes and tests is: bit.ly/2NYTjhZ 
• Assessments, such as quizzes and tests, should be completed in the presence of your parent or guardian.  
• Students may use notes on quizzes and tests.  Students may not use the internet or other people on quizzes and tests. 
• If you have a technical difficulty during a test or quiz, the parent or guardian must be the one to email or text me to fix it.  
• If you have difficulty with your campbellhigh.net account, email: library [at] campbellhigh.net
• When communicating with your teacher, it is very important to make sure you tell me your name.  Parents, for ease of communication, please include the name of your student in each email/text.  
• The New York Times, usually a subscription only service, has made all information about the coronavirus free for all readers.  You can find the latest information here.
• If you are interested in what getting a coronavirus test is like, this is the video I mentioned in class that students requested I post.  It is the only one I saw that followed the reporter through the testing in Korea, instead of quick shots of people going through the process.  CW: that swab really does go all the way up the nose.  
• This is the list of products from the EPA that are known to kill the coronavirus, per student request.
• Several companies are offering free or reduces cable packages during this time.
• Comcast is offering free internet for the next two months for low income families.  
  https://www.internetessentials.com/
• AT&T is offering high-speed internet service for $5-$10 per month for low-income households.  https://www.att.com/shop/internet/access/#!/ or 855.220.5211.  At least one person of your household should receive SSI or SNAP benefits to be qualified.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free.

Week 9 -- Coronovirus Plans and Procedures

Hello Parents (and Students),

While we hope that the coronavirus will not disrupt any of our learning, we are aware that it is a possibility, especially with the temporary closure of Kincaid Elementary School within our county.  

To help prevent the spread of any illness, as of today, I have ceased accepting any physical work.  To practice this, today’s assignment (a TP-CASTT of a choice of 3 poems from our Poetry Packet) should be hand-written in students’ journals, then a picture of the work is to be turned in on Google Classroom.  Students will also need access to Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Slides. If there is a concern about the availability with technology, please let me know as soon as possible.  

In the event of a school closure, all new assignments will be communicated to students through Google Classroom (as students were asked to turn on notifications, so they’ll get an alert when a new assignment is posted).  You can find the join codes for the class on my original My Login Assignment, linked on the Resources Page.

Each assignment will explain in the instructions how to submit it for grading.  Assignments will be:

• Formative (classwork, first drafts, planning documents, annotations)-- turned in on Google Classroom
• Summative Assignments (essays, projects, etc.) -- turned in on Turnitin.com (as usual)
• Tests and Quizzes -- Turned in on CTLS: link bit.ly/2NYTjhZ (it is case sensitive)

During school days, all high school teachers will be available for electronic communication between the hours of 10:30am-12pm.  The expectation is that students will have an assignment every school day.

Depending on the needs of the class and the length of our potential quarantine, there will potentially be live streams or group chats for answering questions that would benefit the whole group.  Students may be asked to post videos of their projects on youtube using their @campbellhigh.net accounts (these do not have to be public--but must be shared with my @campbellhigh.net account).

Today I had students take home their Springboard Textbooks (just in case), we will be utilizing them starting next week.  They do not need to bring them back every day--just keep them at home. I also told them the next text we will read--which is available for free online, but if you would rather get a physical copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream, you can.   In the meantime, in class we will use online copies, where we have wifi.

As for yearbook, the final deadline for submission is the deadline for submission.  There is no more extra time. We discussed this in class today and made some hard choices.  We need to do our best to get everything done as well as we can. Pages that cannot get finished will receive a consequence, as outlined in the syllabus.

The main thing to remember with all of this is that we are being cautious and careful with our decisions concerning both learning and health.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free.  

Week 8 -- 48 Days Left

Hello Students (and Parents),

As of today, we have less than 50 school days left in the semester. Now is a good time to check your grades, think about how you are preparing for the big assignments, and make sure you're continuing to work towards the grade you want at the end of the semester.

Both On Level and Honors World Literature are working through a Poetry Prelude before we start to read Shakespeare.  In addition to that, Honors is also working on their Odyssey Group Projects.  The Projects are due by next Friday.  We have some time every day to work on it in class, but students also need to be in communication with their group members outside of school.

The Yearbook final deadline is approaching like a freight train. Students grades reflect how on top of their deadlines they are. Once final deadline is here, that's is. The book goes toto the printers. There is no other opportunities to do make up work.

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Happy Friday!

Week 6 -- 60 Days Left

Happy February Break!

Today was the last day of the grading period.  Over the break I'll be finalizing your first 6 weeks grades.  Please read the message for your class carefully so that you know what you can do to make your grade great.

1st Block On Level World Literature with Ms. Harris:

• All grades (with the exception of writing grades) are in the gradebook.  If you did turn it in, but I haven't graded it yet, in the gradebook it'll say "Not yet graded."  However, if you did not turn something in, there is a 0 in the gradebook.  Please turn in all missing work to turnitin.com before we return if you'd like a grade for that assignment.  At the end of the 6 weeks grading period, late work is no longer accepted.  
• If you are unhappy with your grade for any major, "Summative" assignments, you have 2 ways to bring up your grade:
• I can sign you up for a before school tutoring program that reteaches you the standard of the major assignment and tests you on your newly learned knowledge.  I need to sign students up by Monday to attend the session on Thursday at 7am in room 306.  If you would like me to sign you up for a session, or several sessions, let me know which assignment you'd like to relearn.  Using this program, you can earn up to 80 points as a replacement grade for each major assignment (limit 1 Socratic Seminar).  
• In addition to the Zero Period Tutoring Session, you can also use the time over the break to complete 4, 3, 2, 1, or none of the assignments on the Optional February Break Grade Recovery Assignment list.  These assignments are not required, but you can earn up to 20 points per assignment completed, showing that you have mastered the standard.  You can not earn over 100 on any assignment using this assignment.
• Yes, you can do both.  The point of the assignments, both classwork assigned the first time and these relearning opportunities, are to prove that you have met the standard and understand the knowledge you need to know to move on to the next grade level.  
• If you weren't comfortable with the work you did on the Creon Literary Analysis, I will give you the opportunity, over the break, to work on and resubmit it to Revision 1 on turntin.com.  

2nd Block Yearbook:

• I have graded the work that has been submitted based on completion and corrections.  If you have missing pages, then they have negatively affected your grade.  I streamlined the deadlines in eDesign so that you can search for the pages you are responsible for each deadline.
• As we said in class, there are a ton of pages due very quickly over the next 3 weeks.  Use your time outside of class to create a game-plan or to catch up.
• The book is really coming together, we are in the final stretch, but we have to keep working hard.
• Continue to use the groupchat to notify your editors when pages are ready to be proofed.  Editors, notify your editor-in-chief when pages are ready to be preflighted.  Editor-in-chief, notify me when your pages are ready to be finalized.  
• To help us get done, I'll take over the color corrections, y'all just need to get pictures and quotes on the pages.

4th Bock Honors World Lit:

• All grades (with the exception of writing grades) are in the gradebook.  If you did turn it in, but I haven't graded it yet, in the gradebook it'll say "Not yet graded."  However, if you did not turn something in, there is a 0 in the gradebook.  Please turn in all missing work to turnitin.com before we return if you'd like a grade for that assignment.  At the end of the 6 weeks grading period, late work is no longer accepted.  
• If you are unhappy with your grade for any major, "Summative" assignments, you have 2 ways to bring up your grade:
• I can sign you up for a before school tutoring program that reteaches you the standard of the major assignment and tests you on your newly learned knowledge.  I need to sign students up by Monday to attend the session on Thursday at 7am in room 306.  If you would like me to sign you up for a session, or several sessions, let me know which assignment you'd like to relearn.  Using this program, you can earn up to 80 points as a replacement grade for each major assignment (limit 1 Socratic Seminar and 1 Major Works Data Sheet).  
• In addition to the Zero Period Tutoring Session, you can also use the time over the break to complete 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or none of the assignments on the Optional February Break Grade Recovery Assignment list.  These assignments are not required, but you can earn up to 20 points per assignment completed, showing that you have mastered the standard.  You can not earn over 100 on any assignment using this assignment.
• Yes, you can do both.  The point of the assignments, both classwork assigned the first time and these relearning opportunities, are to prove that you have met the standard and understand the knowledge you need to know to move on to the next grade level.  
• If you weren't comfortable with the work you did on the Creon Literary Analysis, I will give you the opportunity, over the break, to work on and resubmit it to Revision 1 on turntin.com. 
• Don't forget to make sure you have been reading The Odyssey.  You'll begin working on your group project on Tuesday.  
• The next book we'll be reading outside of school is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.  As requested by students, it is a more modern story and will parallel nicely with our next unit.   Do not be intimidated by the amount of pages--you'll have time to read it and I am not assigning all of the "Books" (the sections of the books).  I have not officially assigned this book yet--this is just notification if you want to go ahead and find your copy.  

All students:

Please, do not hesitate to ask any questions.  No matter where your grade is right now, you have the time and opportunities to pull it up to an A.  Use your time wisely and as you need to.  I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing break, but if you need to do work to catch up, the opportunity is there.

Happy Friday.

Week 5 -- 65 Days to go

Hello All,

We have only 5 more school days to February Break.  I know some of you are looking forward to it.

World Lit & Honors World Lit:

Next week is a huge week as we're finishing the unit covering Oedipus and Antigone.

• Monday is a work/study day to prepare for the assessments for the week.
• Tuesday is Socratic Seminar
• Wednesday is the Timed In Class Writing
• Thursday is the Test (Major Works Data Sheet due for Honors)
• Friday is the Extension Activity

Honors, don't forget to continue to work on The Odyssey outside of class.

Yearbook:

Our next major deadline is next Friday.  Be prepared and when you're ready to get things graded, let me know.

Have a great weekend!

Week 2 -- 81 Days to Go

Hello Students (and Parents),

Things are starting to get heavy as we dig into the semester. 

Honors and On Level World Lit Classes are finishing up their Precourse Reading Assignments, due Friday on turnitin.com before midnight, getting ready for their Socratic Seminars on Tuesday, and their Unit Test on Wednesday. 

Yearbook Class has their first deadline of the semester this Friday.  Remember, your pages need to be in Proof before the end of the day.  Communicate which pages the editors need to check.

All students: looking forward to next week, we have no school on Monday (for MLK Day), and the rest of the week is college week.  On Thursday, make sure you dress for the job you want and bring your parents to Open House 6pm-7:30.

I'm looking forward to seeing your work over the last 2 weeks!

Have a great Thursday~!