Welcome to seventh grade at Tony Hillerman Middle School! I would like to welcome your child to my class and briefly explain my expectations. To create a classroom environment where learning can happen and respect is evident, I have developed the following rules:
1) Be on time to class.
2) Raise your hand and be called on to speak.
3) Remain seated unless you have permission to leave your seat.
4) Come prepared with all supplies and assignments.
5) Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself. lass.
6) Food, gum, and drinks are not allowed in class.
If your student fails to meet these expectations, the following actions will occur:
First Offense: Verbal warning.
Second Offense: Movement to a new location.
Third Offense: Students are isolated from the class. They will fill out a behavior assessment form. This will be signed by a parent and returned the next day. The school's accountability card will be signed noting the event.
Fourth Offense: Parents recieve a phone call. Students will have a second section of their accountability card filled out.
Fifth Offense: Student will be sent to the 7th grade administrator with a referral.
In every class, it is important to be organized to be successful. The following supplies are required from each student for my class:
-1 1/2 inch binder with clear view pockets on the outside. If a student's math binder from the previous year is in excellent condition it may be used again this year
-8 tab dividers for the binder
-A school-issued agenda book
-A highlighter
-1 ream of lined notebook paper
-1 box of #2 Pencils
-A red 3-prong folder with pockets
-1 package of red marking pencils or pens
-Your choice of either 1 box of tissues, 1 roll of paper towels, 1 container of disinfecting wipes or 1 ream of computer paper.
All supplies should be obtained by Monday, August 24 and are to be brought to class from then on.
Your child will have ten homework problems from the textbook four nights a week. They will leave the textbook at home. If homework is not turned in I will indicate so on the accountability card.
All assignments should be done in pencil in a neat manner. Students should attempt every question. Incomplete work will not be accepted. Late work will be accepted for half credit until the assignment’s test date. We have discussed this in class, and your child understands that half credit is a failing grade. After a homework assignment has been graded and returned, your child may rework missed items to improve their score.
Progress reports will be sent home every other Friday beginning September 11th. These will list your student's current grade and the grades of recent assignments. Missing assignments will be indicated with the code NC, standing for No Credit. Reports need to be signed and returned by the following Tuesday. The parents of students who do not return reports will be contacted.
Your student’s grade is based upon the following division of assignments and assessments:
20% Class Investigations
10% Tests
10% Quizzes
20% Projects
20% Homework
15% Participation
05% Progress Reports
Finally, I encourage you to check you child’s agenda book and accountability card on a daily basis. I will use the agenda frequently to communicate with you about your child’s behavior, assignments, and upcoming events. The agenda book should be kept clean and neat. It needs to be checked by a parent and signed once a week to show you have seen their work. I will check agendas on the last day of the week for parent signature. If you would like to send me a message, I suggest you use the agenda book as well. When your child shows me the message I will sign it to acknowledge that I have read it. If it is not signed, you can assume I have not seen the note.
If you wish to contact me I can be reached via e-mail at henrie@aps.edu, or by phone at 792-0698 extension 37538. Please check my website regularly at http://www.schoolnotes.com/87114/chenrie.html for homework assignments and announcements. I update it on a weekly basis. If you add your email address to the notify list a message will be sent to your account when I update it with informaion.
I have heard many good things about this incoming group of students and I have high expectations for them. I look forward to a successful year.
Oh what can you do in the summer time when all of New Mexico is green and brown? If you suggest learn to your kids I’m sure they will initially moan. Summer is their time to escape from school right? To escape from the structured environment of a classroom, yes but from learning, no. Year after year as a teacher of grades 2, 4, 7, and 8 I have seen that the old saying “If you don’t use it you lose it” rings true. I spend the first weeks of August teaching nothing but review of material students learned in the previous grade but forgot after 3 months of video-game marathons, vacations, bike riding with friends, and hours in front of the TV. I enjoyed these leisure time activities myself as a kid but am now glad my Mom provided opportunities to increase my brain’s capacity over the summer rather than forget what I’d learned. Here are some fun and useful tips, resources, and ideas I recommend you get a jump on before school is out to help preserve the achievements your child has made this school year and prepare them for next year.
Tip 1: Read, read, read!
During the last week of school, ask your child’s teacher what grade level they are currently reading at. They may have a list of books at or above this reading level or can recommend a website for you to reference to maintain or improve your child’s reading level this summer. Make sure you have a library card and designate a day of the week to visit the library. Be sure to pick out at least one non-fiction book each visit to increase your child’s knowledge of different people, places, and topics. Dion’s Restaurant, the famous Albuquerque Pizzeria, holds a summer book reading contest. If you sign up, after every so many books your child reads they get something free, such as a slice of pizza. My niece ended up winning the grand prize of a limo ride to a baseball game last summer for reading enough books to be entered into a drawing for it. The Dion’s prizes may be something your child can strive for if reading is not their favorite pastime.
Tip 2: Review math facts
There are websites available which can provide flashcards or free worksheets for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to keep the facts fresh in your child’s head. Five minutes of math fact review after breakfast is sufficient to maintain what they have learned last year. A good place to go for worksheets is www.math-drills.com, as it also provides the answer key. Other websites can teach new information once your child has proved they’ve mastered the basics. A good websites for math and more is www.321know.com. At the top of the screen topics are sorted by grade level and on the left they are sorted by subject. After an explanation and example of a topic, you have the option of using electronic flashcards to practice. This website has bonus practice for spelling, vocabulary, and US and world geography at the bottom left side of the screen.
Tip 3: Conduct crazy or worthwhile science experiments
Science can be a lot of fun. It is really just an exploration of the world. For some biology you could start an ant or bug farm. All you need is a bug, an empty jar, some dirt from your yard, an air hole, and some food and water for the free pet. For a chemistry experiment, make bread from scratch and watch the yeast rise. Or make a baking soda and vinegar volcano. Go on a rock search of your backyard and use a website to identify sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Make one day a week science day and do a little planning ahead of time by checking out Reeko’s Mad Scientist Lab located at www.spartechsoftware.com/reeko/ to really cook up some fun.
Tip 4: Get them moving
Summer is a perfect time to swim, ride a bike, walk around the park, or learn a new sport. Physical activity increases motivation to learn and endorphins increase self-esteem. Team sports may also provide social opportunities in a usually slow time of year for those. Make sure your child has plenty of sun-block and drinks lost of water on active days. The cities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho have summer activity programs for kids and teens, but keep in mind these cost more money than buying a summer swimming pass. For the economically disadvantaged, UNM's Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences provide a free summer sports program, National Youth Sports Program. For youth ages 9-14, this program provides participants with a free medical exam and at least one free meal a day along with quality instruction in swimming, basketball, volleyball, flag football, soccer, rugby, and tennis. Save some money getting your child to UNM every day by purchasing a summer youth bus pass to get them there and back. Call 277-5151 for more info.
Tip 5: Learn a new hobby
Some hobbies can be expensive, and some hobbies are cheap. Some hobbies can be time consuming, and some hobbies take only minutes each day. But all hobbies can provide your child an opportunity to develop a new talent and expand their self esteem. I remember the summer my younger sister sewed about 20 dolls and clothes for herself, siblings, cousins, and friends from dollar fabric at Wal-Mart. I learned to paint and decorate wedding cakes from once-a-week classes at Hobby Lobby and practiced on the skills I learned at class during the week. Shows on the new Create TV, free PBS digital channel 9.2, offer free ways to learn a new skill. I recommend you ask older children what they would like to learn how to do or give your kids a few options to choose from based on your budgeting or space allowances. Make a little time for the hobby every day or devote one day of the week to it to keep interest in the hobby alive.
When your child is asked at the beginning of next school year what they did over the summer I hope they will be able to say they had a great time reading, playing sports, making whatever, and learning lots of new stuff in a fun way. Summer doesn’t have to be boring, a waste of time, or a time for learning to be lost. Enjoy learning during the months of June, July, and August with your child!
It has been a good year and your students have learned many things. I appreciate the privledge of being your student's teacher and wish them a happy summer and success in 8th grade!
-Mrs. Henrie
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