A NOTE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to a new and exciting year in the life of your child. Watching a child grow and learn is perhaps one of God’s greatest earthly rewards to us. You and your child will share in a great adventure this year – one filled with physical, spiritual, academic, and social growth; one filled with the ups and downs of adolescence; one filled with, hopefully, the joys of discovery and learning.

I am very excited to be sharing in your child’s growth this year. I hope that I will be able to provide a comfortable and secure environment over the next school year, so that you and your child will be happy and satisfied with his or her academic career. The following is a statement of my beliefs about how your child can achieve the greatest success. Of course, every child is different and it is important to remember my only expectation (as is yours) is that every child do the very best that he or she can – nothing more and nothing less.

Homework is a vital part of education. The state of Connecticut has a set standards that St. Catherine's attempts to adhere to. If a child is not doing the minimum amount of homework required, it might be a good idea to have a parent / student talk to make sure he or she is not falling behind.

Sixth through eighth graders are given some long term assignments that require learning how to "budget" time. No matter how tempting it is to finish one project before beginning another, it is good "life" training for students to set aside time to work on several projects over a specified period of time.

Every child is different; his or her abilities, comprehension, attention span, etc., are unique to the individual. If a child is doing his or her best and is being frustrated by an assignment after what you feel is a proper amount of time (twenty minutes or so), a parent should write a note explaining the situation and requesting help in school. This does not excuse a child from trying to do the assignment, but makes the teacher aware that the student needs help. The student should bring in his/her attempts to do the work, so the teacher can determine where the problem lies.

Sixth graders should spend at least one and a half to two hours a day on homework; seventh graders, two to two and a half; and eighth graders, two and a half to three hours. Remember that this includes study and reading time as well as written work. Weekends might be a good time to work on research and long term projects, especially since weekdays are so often full with sports and other activities.

To keep you apprised of the student's responsibilities, I am including a basic homework schedule and an explanation of certain activities for English class. Since impromptu projects can be exciting, this is NOT the final word on language arts assignments, but it is enough to help parent and child schedule homework into the day.

Specific homework assignments will be placed on the blackboard at the beginning of each week. The responsibility to copy and do each assignment is up to the student. ABSENSES ARE NOT AN EXCUSE. Call the school for the assignment or call another student. Students should have a "study buddy" that they can rely on for assignments or even help with homework.

Whether homework is written or studied, every school subject should be touched upon each evening. It need not be done all at one sitting, but fifteen to twenty minutes of concentrated work several times in an afternoon or evening should make the student's accomplishments that much greater. Short bursts of study with short breaks in between have proven to be more effective. NO TIME IS ALLOWED IN SCHOOL FOR HOMEWORK, and if a rainy day recess is used, it is only for a very small portion of the total time that should be spent on the work. Studying takes concentration and the job of student doesn't end after five school hours.

Grammar and language usage basically make up the course of study for English this year. There are writing assignments every two weeks or so. Homework must be done in order to ensure good understanding of each topic. Generally all assignments will be due the following day, except writing assignments which will usually be due on the dates printed on the writing syllabus. Writing is meant to be done over a period of time using a process and should not be left to the last minute. Students should be spending 20 minutes a day on a writing assignment. Be aware that shortened weeks and special assignments may affect this schedule occasionally.

Knowledge of grammatical rules and proper usage lead to better speaking and writing skills, as well as better reading and comprehension. I can't stress enough how important it is that a child takes his study of language arts seriously. Knowing how to use properly one's

language leads to success on many levels.

Some weeks will be spent concentrating on different types of and aspects of writing. Proper writing skills are vital for survival in today's competitive world. Concentration in the beginning will be on freedom of expression, with more emphasis later on utilizing language skills for better expression. Share compositions by reading them ALOUD. Parents should help a student with revision, but be sure to let the expression be the child's. Writing style is personal and needs to be developed at a personal rate. Offer advice and praise, never criticism. As long as the process is being used and the writing is being done to the best of the student’s ability, then praise is the only thing needed! (Sometimes there are children who also need a daily reminder to spend their 20 minutes on composition!)

All compositions and reports grades will be based on two aspects of writing. The first part of the grade is based on skill abilities: sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, correct grammar usage, etc. The second part of the grade is more subjective and is based on creative style, originality of expression, and completeness of topic. Thus the more structurally oriented but less creative student is as equally rewarded as the more imaginative one.

Free writing will take place in school and at home. Revision and evaluation are an extremely important part of writing, and all work must show signs of revision. Revision is the most important aspect of writing. Don’t skip this important step! Each student will have a working folder for compositions in progress. Final drafts will be placed in a classroom portfolio for grading. Each student's final compositions will be kept on file in school in a permanent folder until graduation. No grading occurs until the final draft. There should be NO spelling, punctuation, or structural errors in a final draft. This draft does not have to be typed, but if a student wishes to type or use a printer, it is permissible. NEAT PAPERS ALWAYS RECEIVE HIGHER GRADES.

Students are responsible for several research style reports this year. Each report will have approximately a three to four week preparation period. All days of the prep period should be used for researching a topic, taking notes, planning an outline, writing a rough draft, editing, and writing a final draft. There is usually no other writing assignment other than journaling assigned during this time.

Our text books have an excellent chapter on report writing and students will be "guided" through the first paper and have notes on "how to" for home use. Topics for papers must be approved, and, in most cases, will be assigned. Contest entries and research work from other classes will be graded in English class as well so students are rewarded doubly for all efforts.

This can be an enriching, rewarding and enjoyable experience for a student if approached by everyone with enthusiasm and proper scheduling. Don't put off a research paper until the last minute. A few minutes each day will lead to less frustration (for everyone!) and better results. This is fun! Don't panic!

In order to help expose students to various literary forms, to increase reading abilities, and to improve reading skills, students are encouraged to read often and from various genres. Many children are avid readers, but like most of us, they tend to read more of one writing style than another. Exposure to autobiography, biography, drama, non-fiction, poetry, historical fiction, etc., guarantees a well-rounded student who may discover a new side to him or herself. We will be reading in class as part of our reading class but this should not take the place of other reading..

BOOKS SELECTED SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN READ BEFORE. The idea behind a reading program is to encourage new reading. Students should choose what they would like to read and upon completion, they can write something up in a reader's journal or they can make an appointment and discuss the book with the teacher. This is EXTRA CREDIT work this year, but because I firmly believe that reading directly correlates with academic success, I hope that students will take advantage of the opportunity to read as much as possible.

Should a student choose to keep a READER'S JOURNAL, they should use a "marble" notebook to list everything that they read - novels, comic books, school assignments (if he or she wants), magazine articles, etc. Each item entered should be listed as follows:

TITLE

AUTHOR

PUBLISHER

PUBLISHING DATE

NUMBER OF PAGES

DATE READ

PARENT'S SIGNATURE

RESPONSE:

In this journal the student should respond to the writing in a short paragraph, telling what they liked or didn't like, a short summary, etc. An extra credit grade in English will be given for each book equivalent: one hundred pages for sixth grade; one hundred fifty pages for seventh grade; and two hundred for eighth grade.

In order to make writing a freer and less frustrating endeavor, students learn ease of writing by keeping a DAILY literary journal. While the length and style of writing are up to the student, at least ten original lines of normal writing on any one topic are required each day. While journals are not corrected for grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, an effort should be made to follow the rules of good writing. The main emphasis, however, should be upon creative expression and freedom in writing. Writing is a very personal experience and each student's style has its own merit. Students should not be inhibited by structure nor afraid to use it if they desire.

While this journal is meant to be literary, many students use it to express their very personal feelings; therefore, it should only be read by others with permission. I do try to stress that this is not a diary, but a warm up to writing. A hint sheet will be handed out on how to choose topics.

I will collect journals each month to check for completeness and a good faith attempt at writing. Each day's entry should be DATED, be at least ten lines (five sentences) in length and be on one topic. It is not a journal of daily events. It is literary: take one topic and write in detail using the free writing technique used in class.

Stitched notebooks (marble) are required so pages are NEVER torn out These can be purchased at school. All completed notebooks are to be saved.

SEVENTH GRADE: 5 spiral notebooks: religion English

spelling/Vocal Science

4 pocket folders: religion Composition

spelling/Vocab special papers

A writer's journal (required

A reader's journal (optional)

Loose-leaf paper in a folder or binder**

A Bible

2 red pens 2 blue pens 2 pencils

A ruler A yellow highlighter crayons

A pencil box or container

A school assignment pad

**There is not a lot of room for storage of a three hole binder and this should be taken into consideration when purchasing supplies. Buy STURDY folders.

Note: wide rule spiral notebooks and looseleaf are better suited to students at this level than college rule. Keep this in mind when purchasing notebooks.SIXTH and EIGHTH: 1 spiral notebook 2 pocket folders A writer's journal (required) A reader' journal (optional) Loose-leaf in a binder or folder 2 blue pens 2 red pens 2 pencils A ruler A yellow highlighter A pencil case

SEVENTH GRADE READING: 1 spiral notebook

1 Pocket folder

2 red pens 2 blue pens

Assigned trade books (TBA)