BIOLOGY T H E S T U D Y O F L I F E

I hope that you’re enjoying your time at open house, and I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your day to come and meet your student’s teachers! Below is a brief synopsis of our year, and also some pertinent information about the class that you may wish to know.

The Board of Regents of the State of New York sets forth the curriculum for our Biology class. The course focuses on a survey of life on earth, and understanding how all organisms function, and how they work together to make up an ecosystem. We will study the atoms and molecules that make up life, including carbohydrates, DNA, proteins, and lipids, and we will learn about the reactions that use and create these molecules. We’ll also see how organisms make or harness energy, how cells work, how species change over time, and how the various systems of the human body function. Our class will also touch upon genetics, both classical and modern, and a survey of ecology. This last part will include a section on conservation, and the importance of sustainable living. Your student’s grade is not curved, and is computed simply by dividing the number of points earned by the number of possible points. There is no extra credit. Labs and projects count for the largest majority of points, while tests, quizzes, homework, and classwork count for less. This does not mean that these categories should be ignored, however. Homework is to Bio what practice is to football. We would certainly not let students skip practice and then play on Friday night; by the same token, we should not let students take tests without appropriate preparation. Homework, it seems, should be desirable in this light, as it requires much less physical exertion and sweat than football practice. Please note that your student needs 1,200 minutes of lab time to qualify to take the Regents exam. A passing grade, not simply attendance, for each lab is necessary to count towards lab time. We have more than enough labs during the year, but students need to turn in quality work, or they may be barred from the exam. We will have six marking periods this year instead of four, and as a consequence, you will not be receiving five-week reports. You may, however, check your student’s grades, attendance, and assignments online! Simply follow the following procedures:

1. Go to www.mygradebook.com 2. Click on the login link under “parents and students” in the right-hand column. 3. Click the “single class login” button 4. Enter your student’s classword and password. You may record these in the space below.

CLASSWORD:

PASSWORD: You will be able to view different information using the tabs at the top of the screen. I would like to draw your attention to the “attendance” tab, which allows you to see your student’s attendance record, as well as the “calendar” tab, which shows due dates of current and upcoming assignments. You may wish to enter an e-mail address into the system for ease in communication, and you may do so under the “my account” tab. This is entirely optional, and I welcome phone calls, conferences, and letters or packages with large amounts of cash or candy at any time. My e-mail address is below if you’d like to contact me at any time with any questions, comments, concerns, or cheap shots. I’m so glad that you took the time to come and meet me and learn a little about your student’s life in Biology class. I’m looking forward to having a wonderful year, and it is my firm belief that education needs to be challenging, exciting, and above all, fun. I strive every day to make sure that your student is provided with a comfortable and secure atmosphere where he or she can experience biology to its fullest. I understand that biology is not the most important thing to many people, but I do know that to be a productive and successful citizen of the world, that basic biology concepts are necessary to know. This generation of students will grow up to vote on stem cells, cloning, genetic engineering, and a host of other bio-related items, and I hope to send them out into the world with the ability to make excellent judgments in the voting booth, as well as in life.

Yours,

Dave “Mister” Syracuse [email protected]