Mr. Enowitz

Rm. 704

Fall 2019

 

 

Dear Parents and Students,

 

Welcome back to another school year.  Your son or daughter is enrolled in my Principles of American Democracy class at Grant High School.  It is a one semester course focusing on topics that include the origins and history of the U.S. Government, The Constitution and Bill of Rights, the three branches of the U.S. government, and federalism.  The class will follow the California State History and Social Science Academic Standards for Principles of American Democracy.

 

Grading will be based on a point system.  Each Assignment or test will have a point value.  The percentage of the total points a student earns will determine his or her letter grade in the class.  The Grading Scale will be as follows:

 

                                               90-100%  = A

                                               77-89%    = B

                                               65-76%    = C

                                               52-64%    = D

                                                 0-51%    = F

 

The Work Habits Grade will be based on the number of missing assignments.  Students can miss 0-3 assignments and still get an E in Work Habits.  They can miss 4-6 Assignments and still get an S in Work Habits.  Students with seven or more missing assignments will get a U in Work Habits.

 

The Cooperation Grade will be based on the number of tardies and the student's behavior.  A student with good behavior who has 0-3 tardies will get an E in Cooperation.  A student with good behavior who has 4-6 tardies will get an S in Cooperation.  A student with 7 or more tardies (8 or more tardies in Period 1) will get a U in Cooperation.  Also, if a student misbehaves, he or she will be warned first, which will be followed by me moving his or her seat if the behavior continues.  If the negative behavior still persists, I will call the student's parents to discuss the behavior.  If problems continue after the call home, the student will receive a U in Cooperation.

 

The Classroom Rules are as follows:

 

1. Respect Yourself and Others.

2. Be in your seat, ready to work when the bell rings, and remain in your seat until the bell to dismiss rings.

3. Bring all required materials to class, including textbook, pen and paper.

4. Do not get up or walk around, or talk, while the teacher or another student is talking or the class is working.

5. All school rules apply in this classroom

6. Use the restroom and take care of anything else you need to before class.

7. Clear all absences.

 

Students will receive a daily grade of five points for following the rules.  They will get a five out of five if they follow the rules for the entire period, and a zero out of five for violating the rules during the class period.  They can also earn negative points for repeatedly breaking the rules.  Uncleared absences and truancies will count against students for this grade.  This daily grade may positively or negatively affect the student's letter grade.

 

If a student is absent, it is up to him or her to go to the teacher and ask for the assignments missed, or to get them from my webpage on granths.org, where all of the assignments will be posted.  If a student fails to make up work from an absence, he or she will receive a grade of zero on that assignment.  Students will have the same number of days as the absence to make up the work.  Late work will be accepted, but students will only get half credit for work that is not turned in on time.  Students will not get credit for make up work until I can see on MISIS that the absence has been cleared.  They cannot make up work for truancies.

 

Homework will usually be given two to three times a week.  It must be COMPLETELY DONE AT THE TIME THAT IT IS DUE.  If it is not complete at the time it is due, it will be considered incomplete, and the student will get half credit on the assignment.  Work must also be done in COMPLETE SENTENCES.  If it is not done in complete sentences, the student will get no more than half credit.  If a student does not understand part or all of the work, it is up to him or her to ask me for help, and I will be glad to provide it.  Work that is not finished because the student failed to ask for help will be considered incomplete, and the student will get no more than half credit.

 

Tests will be given periodically to assess what the students have learned.  They will be correctable True/False Tests, with the students having to explain why the false statements are incorrect.  Students can use notes on the test, but if they choose to do so, they cannot get a score higher than 70% on the test.  If they want to get a score higher than 70%, they must take the test without notes.

 

If a student is caught cheating, he or she will receive a grade of zero on that Assignment or Test.  Cheating includes copying work off of a cell phone, giving an assignment to another student to copy, copying from another student's paper, using notes or any other study aid on the test without informing the teacher, looking at another student's test, talking or communicating with another student or students in any way during a test, or the use of any kind of electronic device during a test.

 

I hope this will be a rewarding school year for everybody involved.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at school at (818) 756-2700, or email me at [email protected].

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

David Enowitz