Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to Flat Rock Middle School and Team Summit.  We are eager to get started, and are looking forward to a fantastic year!  Getting students organized is one of the keys to success, and the right materials will ensure that students get off to a good start. Therefore, students on our team will be required to have the following "camping gear" as soon as possible:

•  One 3-ring (2 to 3 inch) binder with dividers
  • Loose-leaf notebook paper (a couple packs for school and a couple packs for home)
  • One spiral composition notebook
  • One 5 subject spiral notebook
  • Many #2 pencils (turn in one pack at school)
  • One package of non-erasable red pens (for checking class work and noting homework)
  • Four folders with fasteners
  • Colored pencils (a set for school and one for home)
  • Glue sticks (one stick for school and another for home)
  • One pack of graph paper
  • 2 packs of Dry erase markers
  • One pack of highlighters

  ·       Two boxes of tissues

  • (Optional) TI-34 II or TI-34 Multi-View calculator
  • Two handheld personal sharpeners
  • One pencil pouch with 3 holes to place in 3-ring binder
  • One bottle of hand sanitizer
  • One pack of erasers

Donations of the following materials are needed for the classroom and will be greatly appreciated!  Please try to send in some of these.

Ø      Candy for incentive rewards

Ø      Non edible incentive rewards

Ø      Hand sanitizer

Ø      Clorox wipes

Ø      Baby wipes

Classroom Expectations

We firmly believe that all students can behave appropriately; therefore, we will not tolerate any behavior that will prevent us from teaching and/or the students from learning.  We feel strongly that, with a concerted effort, all students can be successful, and we pledge ourselves to help each of our students to achieve to the best of his or her ability. 

Our team rules are as follows:

·        Arrive on time

·        Bring all materials

·        Complete all assignments

·        Raise your hand to speak & before leaving your seat

·        Chewing gum is not permitted

·        Treat school, teachers, other students and personal property with respect

Our discipline procedure includes 5 steps:

·        Warning/conference with teacher

·        Sign the Behavior Book

·        Silent lunch/Working lunch

·        Parent contact by phone or note

·        Office referral (D1 slip)

(Note: Any of the above steps may be skipped depending upon the severity or repetition of the offense.)

Mrs. Perryman, Mrs. Barker,  and Mrs. Huff are available for parent teacher conferences during your child's encore period. Please contact our guidance office to schedule an appointment.  We look forward to your input and support this year. 

Assignments

We expect all assignments to be completed on time. If assignments are not completed, 10 points will be deducted each day the assignment remains missing.

Absences

Students are expected to bring a written excuse and to make up missed work for every absence.  Students have the same amount of time to complete work as the amount of time theyre absent. (Example 2 days absent = 2 days to make up work before the work is late.)  The exception is when a student is absent on the due date for a major project. The project is due the students first day back.

Team Packs       

We believe that communication between home and school is vital. We will send home our Team Packs every Wednesday.  These packets will include important school information, upcoming events, and progress reports as noted on the signature schedule.  It is the students responsibility to take these packets home to parents, and to return these signed each week.  Please make sure you see this packet weekly, and sign and return by Friday.  Progress Reports will need to be signed by Fridays of the weeks they are printed.  Mrs. Huff will have the students turn in all core progress reports and a homework grade will be recorded for language arts, social studies, science, and math.  We recommend using Parent Assist with your personal username and password whenever you want to check student progress between the reporting dates. 

Classroom Guidelines/Behavior Expectations

·        Enter the room quietly and quickly sit down ready to work.

·        Raise your hand before speaking.

·        Respect each others personal space.

·        Minimize movement around the room, and ask before moving.

·        Come prepared for class.  (Keep cell phones turned off and in your book bag.)       

·        Follow instructions.

·        Ask questions at appropriate times.

·        A novel for independent reading is required to be with the student at all times.

·        Leave your area clean and take all your belongings with you.

Class Discussions

·        One person speaks at a time!

·         Respect one anothers opinions. (There are polite ways to express disagreement.)

·        Encourage everyone to participate.

·        Stay focused on the topic at hand.

Labs/Cooperative Groups

·        Your work place should be returned to the condition in which it was found!

·        Everyone should clean up after himself or herself.

·        All students in a group must participate.

·        Safety should be the #1 concern at all times.

·        Follow all procedural steps.

·        Answer all questions in the activity.

·        If you finish early, begin working on your conclusion.

·        Students may not participate in lab activities until a safety contract is signed & returned.

Student Shelves

·        Student shelves and floors are not trashcans.  Use the trashcans.

·        Do not accumulate trash or food in your spaces. (Roaches quickly make a new home!)

·        Encourage and help your classmates keep our room neat and organized.  

Lunchroom/Hallway Travel

·        Refrain from speaking, making noises or gestures during your walk to and from your classroom to a designated site. (Lunchroom, media center, computer lab, auditorium, gym, etc.)  Other classes are in session!

·        Walk single file on the right-hand side of the hall.

·        You may go through the lunchroom lines only once.

·        Once you have obtained your food and drink, remain seated until dismissed.

·        Classroom assistants will supervise the cleanup including wiping tables and sweeping, but they are not responsible for cleaning up your mess!  Remind your neighbors to pick up after themselves.

·        Classroom assistants have the authority to ask you to clean up.

Throwing of food or violation of any of the above will result in 3 days of silent lunch or worse.

Language Arts Syllabus

I.                    Writing prompts throughout the year will fulfill the requirements of the writing portfolio.

II.                 Literature studies following the NC Standard Course of Study will prepare for the End of Grade Reading Test.

A.                 Novels will be utilized.

            B.        Literature will be the core of the Language Arts program.

1.                  Genre covered will include short stories, dramas, plays, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, mythology and folklore.

2.                  Comprehension and vocabulary assignments will accompany the literature studies.

III.               Language study will include the following.

A.        Basic grammar skills, sentence and paragraph construction will be covered.

B.                 Daily grammar exercises will review and extend concepts.

IV.              Vocabulary study will include the following.

A.                 Students will receive a weekly vocabulary list and activities.

B.                 Tests will be given for vocabulary and grammar activities. 

Math Syllabus

Math studies following the North Carolina Standard Course of Study will prepare students for the End of Grade Test.  We will follow the WSFCS pacing guide for the math curriculum, below is a basic outline of what we will cover each quarter.

First Quarter           Second Quarter            Third Quarter                 Fourth Quarter

ProblemSolving                 Fractions              Equations                                   Geometry

Prefractionconcepts          Integers                Fractions/Decimals/Percents  Volume

OrderofOperations             Properties           Probability                           EOG Review

Equations                                                          Area and Measurement

Statistics

Decimals

Perimeter/circumference

            Math instruction will include the use of several strategies.

·        Computer assisted instruction 

·        Manipulative materials

·        Textbook/worksheets

·        Literature

Special Activities will enrich math instruction.

·        Weekly Essentials

Science Syllabus

Learners will study natural and technological systems. All goals focus on the unifying concepts of science defined by the National Science Education Standards: Systems, Order, and Organization; Evidence, Models, and Explanation; Constancy, Change, and Measurement; Evolution and Equilibrium; and Form and Function. The skills of inquiry and technological design are targeted for mastery. The concepts for which in-depth studies designed at sixth grade level include: Scientific Inquiry, Technological Design, Lithosphere, Cycling of Matter, Solar System, Energy Transfer/Transformation, and Population Dynamics.

Specific Units will include:

Social Studies Syllabus

The NC Standard Course of Study will be followed and linked with the language objectives.

Specific Units will include:

Geography & Map Skills                                                      Russian Empire        

Middle Ages                                                                          World War II

Age of Exploration                                                                Modern Europe

South America                                                                       Russia Today

Assignments will incorporate a variety of materials.

·        Textbooks

·        Supplementary reading materials

·        Worksheet handouts

·        Research materials

·        Novels

·        Internet and Video

As most of the reading selections on the EOG Reading Test are content area (nonfiction) selections, we will be reading many selections in Science and Social Studies with that format in mind.

Daily Homework Assignments

Your child will have homework nightly in Math and Language Arts and often in Science and Social Studies.  To see if your child has homework you may:

·        Access the teachers web page through the FRMS Website or

·        Check your childs agenda.  It is the students responsibility to copy homework assignments daily from the board.