Aloha from Lombardi Middle School!

My name is Mr. Andrus, and I am one of the English Language Arts teachers at Lombardi. Seventh grade can be a challenging year for students as they adjust to schedule changes (no more house system) and physical changes. However, it can also be an exciting year for students. Lombardi offers a variety of activities to enhance our students’ middle school education. I encourage parents and their children to explore all that Lombardi has to offer and find an activity that is a good fit. Each activity provides students with the opportunity to meet and work with one of Lombardi’s dedicated staff members.

As for English Language Arts, I have included some of the nuts and bolts in this letter to help students achieve success in our class. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Lombardi via phone (920-492-2625) or via email ([email protected]).

Supplies I’ve listed the main supplies that we will use in ELA this year. However, the biggest concern is that students come to class with the essentials: a pen, loose leaf paper, a folder, a Green Bay Public Schools student planner, and a reading book. ● pen (blue or black) ○ red, purple, or green pen for editing and revising ● loose leaf paper --- Yes, we still partake in “old fashioned” writing, despite the fact that a majority of our work will be done on the computer. **** If you do not own a computer, you can check one out from our LMC by completing the proper forms found in the main office. ● folder --- just for ELA to organize notes and assignments ● student planner ---- provided by the school district (replacement planners cost $5) ● reading book at child’s reading level ----- I will provide instruction regarding the choosing of a good book. I will also post these notes on the class website (home page: click on picture of book worm). I also provide opportunities to check out a good book from our school and classroom libraries. It is your child’s responsibility to bring the books to class. ● sticky notes ● highlighters ● facial tissue Last year my class ran out of facial tissue. I do offer scratchy, brown paper towels to fulfill our needs, but these are typically not received well by students. Carrying a box of tissue can be a cumbersome task, so you are welcome to provide a box at the beginning of the year for the entire class to use. I will store the boxes and provide them for class use as needed. ● earbuds --- We plan on watching a variety of videos this year, but we will not all be watching the same video at the same time. They will often be used as an individual learning reference tool. Therefore, it is recommended that students have earbuds (headphones). Without them, they will not be able to listen to the videos. ● FYI: I do NOT have a pencil sharpener in the classroom!

Curriculum The Green Bay School District’s Language Arts curriculum is based on the Common Core State Standards. Our school year in broken up into 4 separate units - called OEUs. Each OEU has either a fiction or nonfiction focus and also a writing component.

Grading Policy ○ 60% is based on Summative Assessments (examples: reading assessments, published writing, speaking and listening performances, etc.) ○ 30% is based on Benchmark Assessments (examples: close readings, annotations, discussions, etc.) ○ 10% is based on Formative Assignments (examples: practice work, writing samples, etc.) ○ Note: Please know that not every assignment that we do will end up in the grade book, but all work is purposeful. Formative assignments will always be used to guide my instruction. Students are able to correct MOST assignments that fall into the Summative or Benchmark categories for FULL- CREDIT. However, assignments that involve group work or discussion cannot usually be corrected. Directions for doing corrections are different for each assignment, and students will usually not be given in-class time to work on corrections. I will give students information about specific assignments as they come up. Doing corrections is the best way to improve a grade that is unsatisfactory. I will accept corrections on most Benchmark and Summative assessments until a few days before the end of each semester.

Green Bay School District Grading Scale 93-100 = A 90-92 = A- 87-89 = B+ 83-86 = B 80-82 = B- 77-79 = C+ 73-76 = C 70-72 = C- 67-69 = D+ 63-66 = D 60-62 = D- 50-59 = F Missing/Late Work Policy Formative Work (10% Category) - Formative work will only be accepted within the first week after the original due date. After that, it will be given half the point-value of the assignment in the grade book. Students should still complete these assignments, even after the one week grace period expires, in order to learn the information they will need for their Benchmark and Summative work. I do not have a late work basket, and I don’t take late work during class or passing time (the time in-between classes). Students need to turn in late work to me before school, during a lunch period (if I am available), or after school.

Benchmark Work (30% Category) and Summative Work (60% Category) - Work in these categories will be accepted late. Students need to turn in late work to me before school, during a lunch period (if I am available), or after school.

****Late work is graded late. I make every effort to grade current work first. I try to grade all late work; however, there is only so much time in a day and semester. At some point, I will reach a deadline to submit grades.

Classroom Etiquette I respect the individuality of students and their home values and expectations. On that note, some universal decorum must be followed to ensure an opportunity for all students to learn and achieve their goals. We are part of a team of learners. Therefore, we expect the following from teachers and students in our class:

★ Attentive, Respectful Listening: wait your turn to speak and follow directions (verbal and nonverbal) ★ Safety and Respect for Personal Property: keep objects and limbs to yourself and don’t touch the property of others without permission ★ Integrity: we value and expect honesty, courtesy, and respectful language toward others and their cultural and personal differences ★ Ownership and Responsibility: we are in command of our actions and words---- we work diligently to learn and achieve our goals--- we complete work in a timely manner and we accept consequences for our actions ★ Focus and Effort: we ask questions about our world and the ideas that we encounter --- we strive to improve our work and learning

Thank you for your time and support! Sincerely, Mr. Andrus