Instructor:
Mr. Luke Vieira, M.Ed
Contact Information:
School Message Number – 503 – 653 – 3996
Email – [email protected]
School Hours:
7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Required Textbooks:
All required text books are provided by the school. These text books will be checked out to you. Each of these books has a number assigned to it and that is the number you should return at the end of the year. It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct book at all times and that the books remain in good shape.
Text books should be covered. There are commercial book covers available, but brown paper bags work as well if not better. If you are unsure how to go about this, please see me for assistance.
Assignment Format and Homework:
Students may expect approximately 1 ¼ hour of homework each night. This will include spelling, math, and Core Knowledge assignments. The 1 ¼ hour does not include reading or music rehearsal.
All students are expected to read for 30 minutes a night.
All assignments should be completed in ball point pen on lined paper. Final copies should be done in Italic cursive. In some instances, typing will be permitted. If the assignment outline does not indicate that typing is permitted, it is not! Please begin each assignment with the official CHPCS Middle School heading.
Grading Policy:
6th grade, like every other grade at CHPCS, will use an objectives based system to score students. Assignments will be scored using a rubric that shows how students performed in relation to the objectives for the assignment. A “3” is considered mastery. A “2” means the student has not fully met the objective. Students scoring a “1” have not shown adequate understanding of the subject and may be asked to redo the assignment, particularly large projects/papers/ or assessment pieces. A “4” is given for advanced application and is very rare.
Attendance Policy:
The full attendance policy may be found in the student handbook, located in the front of your planner. Students are expected to be in school ready to learn Monday – Thursday from 7:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and to attend all field trips.
If a student arrives at school after 8:00 a.m. a parent must check them in at the office. As soon as they have checked in, the student should get to class as quickly as possible. Upon entering the room the student is expected to stop inside the door and wait to be acknowledged. After being acknowledged, the student should apologize for being late and then quickly join the class. This procedure is designed to teach students how to enter a college class, business meeting, or other group politely.
Students who are absent for any reason are expected to complete all work assigned while they were out. All papers passed out during the absence will be found on the student’s desk when the student returns to school. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the teacher before school begins for any further information they may need. Students will have one day for each day they were absent to complete the work.
One of Cascade's best qualities is that in-class work is most often hands-on, interactive, and creative. It is difficult, if not impossible, to recreate these learning experiences for students who are absent or late. If a family goes on a week-long vacation during the school year and asks me for a work packet for their sixth grader, I can give them a packet of worksheets, or a small research project, but the quality of the learning pales in comparison to what is being missed in class, where we will be making artifacts, conducting research, and having discussions. Please keep this in mind.
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is essential to the success of the educational enterprise and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses against the academic community. Every member of that community bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld. Only through a genuine partnership among students, staff, and administrators will Cascade Heights be able to maintain the necessary commitment to academic integrity.
Various ways in which academic integrity can be violated are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not exhaust the scope of possible violations
A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Sometimes, plagiarism can be a subtle issue. Students should be encouraged to discuss any questions about what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.
D. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.
~ Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml (September 1, 2010)
Behavior Policy:
The full behavior policy may be found in the student handbook located in the student planner. Essentially, 8th graders are expected to manage their behavior and conduct themselves in a manner that supports their own learning and that of others. The classroom environment and course of study are designed to support this goal. If a student’s behavior infringes upon their own or others ability to learn they will be verbally reminded and the classroom behavior chart will be changed, moving them from green to yellow. If the student continues to be disruptive, they will be spoken to individually outside the classroom and the classroom behavior chart will be changed from yellow to orange. Orange is their official reminder and the last time they will be reminded without consequences.
If the behavior does not cease after these three reminders they will be asked to leave the room for a “time out”. Time out removes the student from the situation, provides an opportunity for written reflection, and time to formulate a plan for improvement.
After a time out, continued disruption results in a call home by the classroom teacher and a logical consequence related to the offense.
If none of these interventions are successful students will be sent to the office for a referral. Depending on the severity of the behavior, steps may be skipped.
Communication:
Daily:
Planners - Every day student planners will come home. This is where you will find homework assignments, upcoming events, and reminders. The bottom square will be colored in to indicate what color on the behavior chart your student ended the day on. Please sign this every evening. By signing it, you are confirming that you have seen the work and that is completed as expected. There is space for notes from you to me as well. You will also find uniform violation notices.
Weekly:
Falcon News – Falcon News is the school wide communication. It will include a letter from the principal, community news, and updates on school wide activities like the Harvest Festival, musicals, and the school auction. This year, like last year, Falcon News will be delivered directly in to your email box. Please make sure your email address is up to date so that you can get the latest information. If you do not have access to email, please see Mrs. Marlatt in the office so she can make other arrangements.
Blog – I will update the class blog a couple of times a week, as needed. This will tell you what’s been happening in the classroom and what’s coming up. These are full of useful information, so be sure to read them carefully. I try to give plenty of notice before special projects and will mention them in my blog weeks before they are due.. The URL is http://chpcs6thgrade.weebly.com
As Needed:
By Phone – You can call me at any time if you have questions or concerns. The school number is 503-653-3996.
By Email – I check my email often throughout the day and the evening. My email address is [email protected]
In Person – Formal conferences are scheduled for the end of October. Additional conferences can be scheduled at any time. I am available before 7:45 and after 4:00 by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by email or phone. (See above for pertinent numbers and addresses.)
Mr. Luke Vieira, M.Ed
Contact Information:
School Message Number – 503 – 653 – 3996
Email – [email protected]
School Hours:
7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Required Textbooks:
All required text books are provided by the school. These text books will be checked out to you. Each of these books has a number assigned to it and that is the number you should return at the end of the year. It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct book at all times and that the books remain in good shape.
Text books should be covered. There are commercial book covers available, but brown paper bags work as well if not better. If you are unsure how to go about this, please see me for assistance.
Assignment Format and Homework:
Students may expect approximately 1 ¼ hour of homework each night. This will include spelling, math, and Core Knowledge assignments. The 1 ¼ hour does not include reading or music rehearsal.
All students are expected to read for 30 minutes a night.
All assignments should be completed in ball point pen on lined paper. Final copies should be done in Italic cursive. In some instances, typing will be permitted. If the assignment outline does not indicate that typing is permitted, it is not! Please begin each assignment with the official CHPCS Middle School heading.
Grading Policy:
6th grade, like every other grade at CHPCS, will use an objectives based system to score students. Assignments will be scored using a rubric that shows how students performed in relation to the objectives for the assignment. A “3” is considered mastery. A “2” means the student has not fully met the objective. Students scoring a “1” have not shown adequate understanding of the subject and may be asked to redo the assignment, particularly large projects/papers/ or assessment pieces. A “4” is given for advanced application and is very rare.
Attendance Policy:
The full attendance policy may be found in the student handbook, located in the front of your planner. Students are expected to be in school ready to learn Monday – Thursday from 7:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and to attend all field trips.
If a student arrives at school after 8:00 a.m. a parent must check them in at the office. As soon as they have checked in, the student should get to class as quickly as possible. Upon entering the room the student is expected to stop inside the door and wait to be acknowledged. After being acknowledged, the student should apologize for being late and then quickly join the class. This procedure is designed to teach students how to enter a college class, business meeting, or other group politely.
Students who are absent for any reason are expected to complete all work assigned while they were out. All papers passed out during the absence will be found on the student’s desk when the student returns to school. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the teacher before school begins for any further information they may need. Students will have one day for each day they were absent to complete the work.
One of Cascade's best qualities is that in-class work is most often hands-on, interactive, and creative. It is difficult, if not impossible, to recreate these learning experiences for students who are absent or late. If a family goes on a week-long vacation during the school year and asks me for a work packet for their sixth grader, I can give them a packet of worksheets, or a small research project, but the quality of the learning pales in comparison to what is being missed in class, where we will be making artifacts, conducting research, and having discussions. Please keep this in mind.
Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is essential to the success of the educational enterprise and breaches of academic integrity constitute serious offenses against the academic community. Every member of that community bears a responsibility for ensuring that the highest standards of academic integrity are upheld. Only through a genuine partnership among students, staff, and administrators will Cascade Heights be able to maintain the necessary commitment to academic integrity.
Various ways in which academic integrity can be violated are described below. The comments and examples within each section provide explanations and illustrative material, but do not exhaust the scope of possible violations
A. Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others (including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them. Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit or honors more than once without prior approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
B. Fabrication
Fabrication is the falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic work. "Invented" information may not be used in any laboratory report or other academic work without authorization from the instructor. It is improper, for example, to analyze one sample in an experiment and "invent" data based on that single experiment for several more required analyses. Students must also acknowledge the actual source from which cited information was obtained. A student should not, for example, reproduce a quotation from a book review and claim that the quotation was obtained from the book itself.
C. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the bibliography. Sometimes, plagiarism can be a subtle issue. Students should be encouraged to discuss any questions about what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.
D. Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.
~ Academic Integrity Policy: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml (September 1, 2010)
Behavior Policy:
The full behavior policy may be found in the student handbook located in the student planner. Essentially, 8th graders are expected to manage their behavior and conduct themselves in a manner that supports their own learning and that of others. The classroom environment and course of study are designed to support this goal. If a student’s behavior infringes upon their own or others ability to learn they will be verbally reminded and the classroom behavior chart will be changed, moving them from green to yellow. If the student continues to be disruptive, they will be spoken to individually outside the classroom and the classroom behavior chart will be changed from yellow to orange. Orange is their official reminder and the last time they will be reminded without consequences.
If the behavior does not cease after these three reminders they will be asked to leave the room for a “time out”. Time out removes the student from the situation, provides an opportunity for written reflection, and time to formulate a plan for improvement.
After a time out, continued disruption results in a call home by the classroom teacher and a logical consequence related to the offense.
If none of these interventions are successful students will be sent to the office for a referral. Depending on the severity of the behavior, steps may be skipped.
Communication:
Daily:
Planners - Every day student planners will come home. This is where you will find homework assignments, upcoming events, and reminders. The bottom square will be colored in to indicate what color on the behavior chart your student ended the day on. Please sign this every evening. By signing it, you are confirming that you have seen the work and that is completed as expected. There is space for notes from you to me as well. You will also find uniform violation notices.
Weekly:
Falcon News – Falcon News is the school wide communication. It will include a letter from the principal, community news, and updates on school wide activities like the Harvest Festival, musicals, and the school auction. This year, like last year, Falcon News will be delivered directly in to your email box. Please make sure your email address is up to date so that you can get the latest information. If you do not have access to email, please see Mrs. Marlatt in the office so she can make other arrangements.
Blog – I will update the class blog a couple of times a week, as needed. This will tell you what’s been happening in the classroom and what’s coming up. These are full of useful information, so be sure to read them carefully. I try to give plenty of notice before special projects and will mention them in my blog weeks before they are due.. The URL is http://chpcs6thgrade.weebly.com
As Needed:
By Phone – You can call me at any time if you have questions or concerns. The school number is 503-653-3996.
By Email – I check my email often throughout the day and the evening. My email address is [email protected]
In Person – Formal conferences are scheduled for the end of October. Additional conferences can be scheduled at any time. I am available before 7:45 and after 4:00 by appointment only. Appointments can be scheduled by email or phone. (See above for pertinent numbers and addresses.)