W. R. Smith Middle School
Subject: 6th Grade Math
Teacher: Mr. Simien
Room: A-12
Telephone: (409) 617-5825
Email: wsimien@bmtisd.com
Welcome back to the 2018-2019 school year. I am very excited about teaching
you and looking forward to working with you this year! Remember attendance is
important and you should always give your best and stay focused.
My job is to help you achieve success in the realm of academics and
socially. Your success in this class is vitally important to me. I want this class to
challenge you, to satisfy your intellectual curiosity, and to fulfill your academic
needs. You WILL have to work hard, but I can guarantee you that I will be working
even harder to see you meet your goals.
Let’s make this a great school year by working together toward the
common goals of academic success and maturity, because positive
student/teacher and parent involvement is always necessary to produce healthy,
intelligent citizens. I welcome comments and suggestions from my students and
their parents/guardians. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there’s something
you’d like to discuss. Again, I welcome you to the new Smith Middle School and
look forward to a most successful and rewarding school year.
Course Description:
This course is designed to build on basic math and algebraic concepts. It develops
basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of
decimals and fractions and algebraic skills one and two step equations. The
content of this course is important for students’ success in 7th and 8th grade math
and most importantly…Algebra I.
Class Procedures
Attendance:
I have very high expectations of my students and I expect them to have good
attendance and achieve academic success in class which can best be done by
coming to school on a daily basis. I expect all students to maintain good
attendance in class and ready to begin on time every day. If a student is absent
from class for ANY reason, it is the students responsibility to obtain the missed
assignments.
Entering Class:
Students must line up outside of the classroom door and wait for permission
before entering the classroom. Students must enter in a quiet and orderly
manner.
As you enter class:
1. Sharpen your pencil
If there is a need to sharpen pencils during class, use your own hand-held pencil
sharpener. You will not be allowed to walk the floor to sharpen pencils as this
causes disturbances, so be sure to sharpen your pencil upon entering the room.
2. Go to your class folder and get your warm-up
3. Sit in your assigned seat
4. Place any due homework to the side of your desk
5. Copy down any homework for tonight in your journal & wait for me
(teacher) to initial it.
6. Begin working
You will have a warm-up scheduled for everyday of the week. Immediately begin
on this assignment as soon as you are seated. You will only have five (5) to seven
(7) minutes to complete this activity. If completed before time, check over your
work and remain at your desk. I will check the assignment in class. There should
be no talking during this time, this is an independent activity. The attendance will
be checked silently while you are completing your warm-up.
Exiting Class:
When it is time to dismiss class, wait on my instructions. This means no “jumping
up and running out”. I will check to make sure your work area is clean and that
you have gathered your belongings. You are responsible for keeping your work
area clean.
Tardiness:
You are expected to be in your seat before the tardy bell rings. If you enter class
late, quietly sign the tardy log located at the front of the classroom and place your
tardy pass on the clip board under the clip then proceed to begin working. When
a student has been tardy to class three times, a documented phone contact will
be done with the parent.
General Conduct:
Always raise your hand to get permission to speak, comment, ask questions, leave
your desk etc. There should be no noise when the teacher is talking and/or
speaking. When announcements are made on the intercom, you will listen
carefully and do not talk. You may not get up during class to throw things in the
garbage can. You may do this on your way out the door at the END of class.
Vandalism will not be tolerated; please do not write on the desks or walls. We will
work from bell to bell in this class. In case of an emergency, remain quiet and
follow my lead. You should remain orderly and with the group so that I can check
roll quickly and accurately. If there is a visitor in the room (principal, teacher,
student, parent, etc.) unless we are having a class discussion, there will be no
talking. Respect will be given to all visitors in our classroom. When there is a
substitute teacher for this class, all classroom procedures, rules, consequences,
rewards are precisely enforced.
Supplies:
1. 1.5 inch Binder
2. 1 box of Kleenex
3. Loose leaf paper
6.
7.
8.
Scissors
4. Dry Erase markers
9.
5. Hand held pencil sharpener
Pencils
Colored Pencils
1 bottle of sanitizer
10.
11.
Crayons
Glue Stick
12.
5 Subject dividers
Assignments:
Each assignment should be properly labeled with the student’s name, date, class
period and title of the assignment. The day’s date can always be found in the
same place everyday: at the top left hand corner of the board. A list of the day’s
assignments will also be listed on the front board. The work should be neat,
legible and well organized with no ink pen or perforated edges. Always circle your
answer. You may choose to write on the back of your homework paper.
Remember if I cannot read it, I cannot grade it!
Homework:
Always copy your homework/upcoming test or quizzes in your planner/binder at
the beginning of class. Students will be given homework on a daily basis, whether
it is written or simply reviewing of their daily notes and vocabulary. Homework
will be collected on their due dates at before class begins. All work must always
be shown. Student work showing only the answers and no steps will not be
accepted for any reason. “I can do it in my head” will not be considered an
acceptable reason for doing an assignment showing only answers and no work.
There should never be a night when a student states that he/she does not have
homework. Review and study is a standing assignment for the year. A student
coming to class without homework will be given a zero for that assignment.
Late/Make-up Assignments:
Late assignments will only be accepted with an excused absence. Otherwise late
assignments will be accepted beginning with 30 points off. When you are absent,
you are expected to make-up any work you missed. On the day you return, during
independent practice work time, check the appropriate folder for any missed
work (this should not be done during instruction time). You will have three (3)
class days to return any make-up work. If you miss a test you will have five (5)
days from your return to make-up that exam. Extreme situations will be handled
on an individual case-by-case basis.
Grading: Student Average = (Daily grade x .40) + (Test average x .60)
The following assignments will be considered as daily grades and the average of
these grades will account for 40% of the student’s progress report and final report
card grade: notes, warm-ups, classwork, worksheets, homework, quizzes, and
class participation.
The following assignments will be considered as test grades and the average of
these grades will count as 60% of the student’s progress report and final report
card grade: unit test, six week test, projects.
Extra Practice & Extra Credit:
Extra practice can be found using the online website at www.my.hrw.com or by
using www.khanacademy.org. Extra credit points can be earned by students who
attend tutorial sessions only. Tutorial sessions will be held on Tuesdays and
Thursdays after school, because remember, practice makes perfect!
Retesting Policy:
In the event that a student did not demonstrate mastery on a critical learning
objective, by scoring below a 70, he/she will be given the opportunity to take a
retest (unless they received a zero for cheating). Before a student can retest, I will
require that they attend at least two tutorial session and complete test
corrections on a separate sheet of paper in tutorials only. After the retest is
scored and graded, the higher of the two grades will be recorded in the grade
book.
Parents will be notified by way of a failure letter that will be sent home by the
student. Retests must be completed within seven (7) days from the date of the
failure notice. The failure notice must be signed and returned to the teacher
before any student will be allowed for retesting. After the student has attended
the required tutorial sessions and returned the signed form, the student will then
be permitted to retest.
Participation:
All students are expected to participate in class and group discussions in a positive
and orderly manner.
Restroom Passes:
Students are expected to use the restroom between classes! No bathroom passes
(or any passes) will be issued during instructional time.
Students Needing to Leave Class:
Students will not be allowed to leave class to see the counselor, make a phone
call, or to visit with the principal. All of these requests will be denied, as
instruction time is of the upmost importance.
Plagiarism, Academic Dishonesty (cheating):
Plagiarism is the practice of copying words, sentences, images, or ideas for use in
written or oral assessments without giving proper credit to the source. Cheating is
defined as the giving or receiving of illegal help on anything that has been
determined by the teacher to be an individual effort. Cheating will not be
tolerated on tests or on any in/out of class assignment. All students are expected
to do their own work. Both are considered serious offenses and will significantly
affect your course grade. If dishonesty is detected or observed, then a grade of
zero will be given to the parties involved for that assignment. Please review the
student handbook for additional information.
Class Rules
Classroom Rules:
1. Bring all materials to class. (pencil, paper, notes, homework)
2. Be in class seated and ready to work WHEN THE BELL RINGS!
3. Raise your hand for permission to speak or leave your desk.
4. Students must be engaged, alert, and attentive at all times (no sleeping or
laying your head down).
5. No electronic devices are allowed in the classroom (cell phones, i-pads, ipods, mp3 players etc.) and there will be no excessive items on top of the
desk (work materials only).
Consequences:
STEP ONEVerbal warning
STEP TWORelocation of seating arrangement
STEP THREE- Teacher/Parent contact
STEP FOURTeam conference with student
STEP FIVETeacher/Student/Parent/Counselor conference
STEP SIXAdministrative intervention--- written referral
Note: certain behaviors will result in an immediate parent contact via phone
and/or office referral.
Possible Rewards:
1. Verbal praise
2. Parent contact
3. Homework pass
4. Classroom Helper
Parent/Teacher Contact:
Please call the teacher at (409) 617-5825 ext 3444 to arrange a face-to-face
conference.
