Welcome to Sixth Grade,

I hope that our year together is educational, inspiring, and fun. You are in my class to learn and I am in your class to teach. Let's help one another do both of these things.

In sixth grade, we CARE about each other by being Careful, Appropriate, Respectful, and Excellent in all we do and say. Each student comes from a unique background. We will honor the different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives that make our classroom a rich and diverse learning environment.

I hope you find your classroom a safe, welcoming place where you can express yourself and learn from others. I have worked hard to create a nice place for you to grow, and I know you will help me make our class a happy spot to come to each day.

I expect you to be prepared for class. This means you will bring all your materials to class every day. You will be ready to learn by having a good attitude and by following the classroom expectations and procedures. I will be prepared with appropriate lessons that will make you a better student and learner.

I encourage you to talk to your parents every day about what we do in class. Your parents are welcome to come in and observe our class, or volunteer to help.

With this letter is a copy of our classroom expectations. Please read them with your parent/guardian and have them signed by both you and your parent/guardian. Please return them to me by Monday, September 13.

I look forward to getting to know you this year.

Sincerely,

Tracey Nicholas Orr (Mrs. Orr)

Mrs. Orr's Classroom Expectations

Welcome to Sixth Grade! Here are my classroom expectations:

Tardy or Late¡ªPlease be on time. If you have an unexcused tardy, our school rules state you will receive an automatic half-hour after school detention. If you are excused, you must provide a pass.

Agendas: You will be given an agenda at the beginning of the year. This agenda is extremely important. You will write down what we do each day, due dates for assignments, test dates, etc. for each class you take. In addition, your agenda is your hall pass. If I choose to send you to the library during class, for example, you will not be able to go without your agenda. If you lose your agenda, it is your responsibility to go to the office on your own time and purchase another.

Gum, Hats, and Cell Phones/Electronic Devices: Our school rules state that hats may not be worn in the building. If you are wearing a hat inside, it will be taken away and sent to the office for safekeeping. You may get it back after cleaning my room before or after school. Gum is not allowed. If you are caught with gum, you will receive a lunch detention. If you are caught repeatedly with gum, you will receive after school detention and a visit with the principal, who may decide a more serious consequence is needed. Cell phones/electronic devices are allowed, but must be kept in your locker from 7:45 am to 3:00 pm. If you are caught with them, your phone/electronic device will be taken to the office, your parent will be called, and you will receive an afterschool detention. Only your parent can pick up the cell phone from the office.

Lockers: Please use only the locker assigned to you. Do not give out your combination. Items have been stolen or vandalized because a student has given our their locker combination.

Food and Drink: Students may drink water only during class. I would suggest you have a water bottle. During my fifth period class, students may bring a small snack to eat. NO JUNK FOOD! Good snacks include granola bars, crackers, a piece of fruit, or a small sandwich.

Breaks during Class: You have five minutes between each class. This is your time to use the bathroom, go to the office, get a drink, sharpen your pencils, get supplies from your locker, talk with friends, etc. When the second bell rings, you are in your seat, ready to work. Class time is instruction time; do not expect to use that time for any other reason.

Supplies: You must come to class prepared, with paper, pen/pencil, binder, homework, and any other necessary items. We start working as soon as the second bell rings. You must have your supplies to work. If you cannot get school supplies, please speak to me privately and I will make certain you get what you need. I will be checking each student during the first week of school to see they have all the supplies from their supplies list.

Dismissal: I dismiss students, not the clock or bell. I will try very hard to give at least three minutes to clean up at the end of each activity. Paper, materials, books, etc. must be put away before anyone can leave. In our class, we are responsible for each other. Helping others clean up gets the job done quickly. All desks must be in their appropriate place and the floors clean.

Late Work and Absences: If you have an excused absence, you have three days for each day absent to make up your work before it is considered late. It is your responsibility to check the week's agenda on the whiteboard to see what you missed.

If you are late with an assignment, please turn it in. All late work is accepted until five days before the end of the quarter, with the exception of book reports. Ten points will be deducted from the final book report score for each day it is late, and book reports will not be accepted after five days past due.

Extra Credit: I expect you to complete and do your best on all your work. While I do not give you extra credit assignments, I do look for extra effort, original thought, or creativity, and may award extra points or recognition.

Substitutes: I expect students to treat any substitute teacher with respect. If your name is written down in the substitute's notes to me, for any negative reason, you will receive an after school detention and a phone call home. If you are repeatedly disrespectful to substitutes, a parent conference and further disciplinary action may be required.

Progress Reports: I encourage every parent and student to use their access to the Skyward program. This is our grading program, and when you have access to it, you can look inside my gradebook and see missing assignments, grades, etc. You will receive a password at the beginning of the school year. Printed progress reports will be sent home at parent request only. Please check the box at the end of this letter if this is your request.

Help with Assignments: I am here to help you succeed. If you want extra help, I am available at 7:30 a.m. before school (except late start Monday), and will be here until 3:30 p.m. after school. Some mornings or afternoons, I may have meetings already scheduled. If you know ahead of time that you want to meet me, please talk to me to arrange an appointment. If you find yourself confused over homework in the evening and want to talk to me in the morning, stop by. More often than not I will be in my room.

Also, please never feel embarrassed to tell me you don't understand. Perhaps I didn't explain the assignment clearly. Maybe what we are learning is more difficult for you to understand. It is important that you let me know so we can work together.

Contacting Mrs. Orr: If you wish to speak to me by phone, I ask that you call between 7:30 am ¨C 8:00 am, or between 3:00 pm ¨C 3:30 pm. Otherwise, you can email me at anytime. I try to check my email several times a day, so I will respond quickly.

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I have read and understand Mrs. Orr's rules and expectations. If I have questions, I may ask Mrs. Orr to explain, or call her at 826-8334, or email her at torr@omaksd.wednet.edu.

Signed: (Student)_________________________________________ Date ___________

(Parent) ___________________________________________ Date ___________