August 17, 2020
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Grace Rivers, and this is my third year to teach at Holliday High School. This is my 24th year of teaching, including 5 years at Zundy Jr. High, 1 year at Wichita Falls High School, 4 years at Electra High School, and 11 years at Petrolia High School. I am excited to be here and proud to be an Eagle!
In my position this year, I will teach all Algebra I classes, one section of Algebra II, and College Algebra. I look forward to working with your child this year. In addition to being a teacher, I am a wife and mother. I have an 11th grader this year, Sarah, and my husband, Eli, works for Iowa Park CISD in the transportation department.
Being a mom, I understand that parents want to know what is happening at school and like to be informed of their child’s progress during the year. Hopefully, this letter will serve as a first step in continued, effective communication throughout the year. In this letter, and in the attached documents, you will find information you and your child need to know in order for all of us to have a successful year. Please take the time to read through the documents and discuss them with your child. Then, sign and date the Classroom Contract and return the packet with your child by Friday, August 21st.
If you have any questions, please contact me at school by phone or email. My contact information is provided below. Also, you will be able to find all of this information on my webpage.
The following documents are attached to this letter:
Rivers’s Rules of Order (Short and Long versions)
Consequences for Violating Class Rules
Grading, Homework, and Late Work Policy
Supplies for Success
Remind Sign-up Instructions and Class Codes
Classroom Contract
Here’s to another great year soaring with the Eagles,
Mrs. Rivers
(940) 586-1624
RIVERS’S RULES OF ORDER
(THE SHORT VERSION)
1. BE ON TIME
2. BE PREPARED
3. BE RESPECTFUL
4. BE ON TASK
Rivers’s Rules of Order
(The Long Version)
1. Be in class, in your seat, and working on your warmup when the tardy bell rings. Tardies will be
recorded and turned into the office. You will be given a tardy whenever you enter my classroom
after the tardy bell rings, unless you have a written pass signed by an authorized staff member.
Each tardy will result in a 5-point deduction on your participation guide.
2. Bring all needed materials to class. See Supplies for Success in this packet.
PENCILS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL WORK. WORK DONE IN PEN WILL BE
RETURNED TO THE STUDENT TO BE RE-DONE IN PENCIL.
3. Be respectful of others at all times. Do not talk while I am teaching/talking or
while another student is talking/asking a question. Wait your turn.
4. Take care of your area. Do not write on the furniture or chair covers. Keep aisles clear of
backpacks, books, purses, and trash.
5. Cell phones and Smart watches must be turned off or on silent and placed in your assigned
calculator pouch when you enter the room. Cell phones/Smart watches are not to be used in class
unless we are using them for a specific classroom activity. The District policy on
cell phones will be STRICTLY enforced in this classroom.
6. No candy, gum, food, or drinks (except clear bottled water) are allowed in the
classroom. A trash can is provided at the door for you to discard any food or
beverage items when you enter the room. If you bring bottled drinks or food, it
needs to remain in your backpack during class time or outside the door.
7. Class time is precious. Don’t waste it! You are in this class 45ish minutes. Get
a drink and go to the bathroom between classes. You will receive an Eagle Pass
each six weeks which will be good for 3 passes during the six weeks. These
passes can be used to go to the restroom, get a drink, or go to the office.
However, once you use the three passes, you will not be allowed to leave the
classroom. At the end of the six weeks, unused passes may be turned in for
extra credit. The extra credit you receive will be at my discretion. I will do
whatever will help you the most. For example, I may add it to your six weeks
average (not to exceed 100), drop a low grade, add points to a test, etc.
8. Stay on task. Work from bell to bell. At the end of class, stay in your seat until I dismiss you. If I
am giving instruction and the bell rings, DO NOT just get up and walk out of the classroom. Remain
seated until you are dismissed. DO NOT congregate at the door waiting for the bell to ring.
9. Ask for help when you need it. I am here to help you be successful. If you are
having trouble understanding a concept, ask for assistance. Raise your hand or
make eye contact with me.
10. In addition, students are responsible for following all policies outlined in the
Student Code of Conduct and Student Handbook.
11. Due to the fact that it will not be possible to social distance in the classroom, all students
will be required to wear face coverings at all times while in the classroom. Thank you for
your attention to and compliance with this new rule that is necessary to implement this year.
Consequences for Violating Classroom Rules
Verbal Warning and Redirection
Teacher/Student Conference
Teacher D-Hall and Contact with parents
Contact with parents and trip to the Principal’s Office.
SERIOUS OFFENSES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, BLATANT DISRESPECT, FIGHTING, CHEATING, VANDALISM, AND PROFANITY, WILL RESULT IN AN IMMEDIATE OFFICE REFERRAL.
GRADING, HOMEWORK, LATE WORK POLICY
Grading Policy
All math classes at Holliday High School follow the same grading categories and percentages.
Tests (at least two per six weeks) - 40%
Daily Work (Warmups, participation, homework, classwork, binder) - 30%
Quizzes - 30%
Homework
Homework will be assigned on at least four out of the five days per week. All homework will be graded the next day in class and grades will be recorded in the grade book. Students will be given time in class to start homework and sometimes even finish it. It is important that you utilize time given in class wisely.
Learning math takes practice. Normal homework assignments will consist of 10-20 problems over the concepts covered in class that day. It is important that homework is completed in a timely manner. We grade homework in class so that you will have immediate feedback and can ask questions for problems you struggled with or may have gotten incorrect. If you do not have your homework done on a consistent basis, you will quickly fall behind, and it is difficult to catch back up.
Late Work
Late work will be accepted as follows:
1 day late - highest grade possible is a 70
> 1 day late - highest grade possible is a 50
> papers returned to students - grade will be a zero
If you are absent due to illness or gone due to an extracurricular activity, BUT were present the day the concept was covered in class, any homework assigned while you were in class is due the day you return to class.
If you are absent when new work is presented, the procedure is to follow the Student Handbook policy and you will have the number of days gone to complete the missing assignments. I videotape my lessons each day so that if you do miss class, you can watch them and be prepared when you come back to class. You are expected to watch the videos and attempt any assignments before returning to class.
Mrs. Rivers
Algebra I, Algebra II
Supplies for Success
Composition Notebook
Pencils
Colored pens for grading
Notebook Paper
2 pocket plastic folder (with or without brads)
Graphing Calculator Information for Algebra I students:
All Algebra I students will be issued a TI-84 graphing calculator. If you have your own graphing calculator and do not wish to have the school check one out to you, you will need to bring it with you every day. This will function just like a textbook - if the student loses or damages the calculator, he/she will have to pay to have it replaced. Students and parents will be required to sign a Calculator Contract in order to be issued a graphing calculator. Some homework can be done with a regular 4-function calculator, but a lot of it will require the use of a graphing calculator. Classroom calculators will NOT be available for Algebra I students.
Graphing Calculator Information for Algebra II and College Algebra students:
A TI-84 graphing calculator will be available for classroom use. Mrs. Weathersbee (Librarian) has some extra calculators that can be checked out for home use. Some homework can be done with a regular 4-function calculator, but a lot of it will require the use of a graphing calculator. The best graphing calculator app available for i-phones and i-pads is Taculator. There is a free version and a pro version. The pro version is $3,99 a month, 14.99 a year, or $29.99 for a lifetime subscription. The best graphing calculator app for for Apple or Android users is Desmos Graphing Calculator. It is completely free and very helpful. This is way less expensive than having to purchase a calculator, which runs about $120. I realize that graphing calculators are expensive; however, some Algebra II concepts that we cover will be much easier to comprehend and complete with the use of a graphing calculator.
Remind Class Codes
I use Remind to help students remember their assignments and to help parents be aware of assignments the students have. I encourage you and your child to sign up for Remind using the app, through text message, or through email.
There are two ways to sign up for important updates from Mrs. Rivers:
If you have a smartphone, get push notifications. Go to rmd.at/(type your class code). Once there, follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to download the mobile app.
B. If you don’t have a smartphone, or would rather
not download the app, get text notifications.
Text the class code below to the number 81010.
If you have trouble with 81010, try texting the
code to (210)714-1390.
Here are the class codes:
1st Period - College Algebra - @f2d92c
3rd Period - Algebra I - @hag9c48
4th Period - Algebra II - @3dhgac
5th Period - Algebra I - @a8d764k
6th Period - Algebra I - @f7ehdd
7th Period - Algebra I - @46a39f
8th Period - Algebra I - @92gda2
Mrs. Rivers’s
Classroom Contract
I have read the Rivers’s Rules of Order, Consequence for Violating Class Rules, Supplies for Success, Grading, Homework, and Late Work Policy, and Remind 101 Sign-up instructions. I agree to abide by all rules and policies in Mrs. Rivers’s room during the 2020-2021 school year.
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Student Name (Print)
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Student Signature
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Parent Name (Print)
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Parent Signature
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Date Signed
