Massengill

The main focus of my class is to cover those objectives that students need in order to pass the GATEWAY English II tests. We concentrate on one new objective each week, in addition to incorporating those from previous weeks.

Students in my 9th and 11th grades focus on the elements of writing and grammar, while students in my 10th and 12th grades focus on the reading aspects of the test.

On a normal day, the class is divided into two mini lessons: reading/writing and computer, which cover the focused objective for the week.

This teaching method has been very successful for those students in my class who pay attention in class, do their assigned work, ask for help, and use their computer time wisely.

Click on the following link to go to the Gateway practice test site. This is really a great tool for students to use for practice and for parents to see what students are expected to know for the test.

FREE AFTER SCHOOL HELP AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS! Any student who is having trouble getting homework completed and turned in may stay after school for help. There is no cost for this service.

This year, students can only miss 5 days for the entire year. After those 5 days, students must have a doctor's excuse, a death in the family, or a principal's excuse. This is very different from our policy last year, so make sure students are in school every day. Please try to make dentist appointments and appointments for doctor's check-ups after school. Again, medical excuses do not count against the student's five absences, so make sure that you are getting doctor's notes when going to the doctor or dentist.

Students who are tardy to class and do not complete their writing assignment on time will be placed in in-school suspension until they finish.

2nd 6 weeks grading period ends November 9th, report cards go home on November 19th.

Thanksgiving Break is November 21 - 23; return to school on Monday, November 26th

Christmas Break begins on Wednesday, December 19th after completing semester exams. Students return on Monday, January 7th. Semester exams for periods 4,5,6 are on Tuesday, December 18th, during periods 4,5,6. Semester exams for periods 1,2,3 are on Wednesday, December 19thduring periods 1,2,3. School will be dismissed after the 3rd period test. Students who are exempt from a test do not have to come to school. They only have to be present for the periods for which they are taking exams.

Gateway tests for seniors and any other students who need to re-take a Gateway exam will be December 4, 5, 6, 2007. The make-up day will be December 7.

SEMESTER TEST EXEMPTION: Students who have missed no more than 3 days and have a cumulative passing average for all three six weeks periods will be exempt from semester tests. This is also true for second semester. Each teacher will be notifying students whether or not he or she is exempt for the class period. The classroom teacher's record of attendance will stand as the final determination of the number of absences.	Gateway Tests will be the first week of December.

The one

Happy Learning!