Below are several areas that I feel are important to know to help you succeed in my classroom. 

I am a firm believer that a student takes from school what he or she puts into it. To this end, I expect my students to take an active role in their learning process. The key to this success is to participate and be an active learner within the class. There are several ways to be an active learner, participating in class discussions, asking questions when needed, setting a purpose for reading an assignment before starting it and reflecting on ones learning process are all included in an active learners routine.

As with anything in my classroom, there are exceptions to the late work policy to accommodate extenuating circumstances. If there is a valid reason for something to be incomplete or late, a note from the parent is required to verify the reason. This would be best handled the day the assignment is due, rather than after the fact. In other words, the student should recognize a need to have a note from Mom or Dad before they leave for school that morning.

If a student is going to miss class due to a vacation or trip for another class (ex. a band trip to a show) they should get their homework completed ahead of time. This may not always be possible, depending on what we are doing in class. Students can let me know of these trips well in advance, but please understand that I cannot know for sure what we will be covering until a few days before their absence.

Absent work is handled a lot like late work. The most important thing is that the student check with me to see what they missed during their absence. This is their responsibility. Once they have the assignments, they are generally given the number of days they were absent plus an extra day to turn it in. For example, if they were gone two days, they would have three days to get the work in.

Late work, while not acceptable on a regular basis, is a fact of life.  If a student does not complete his or her work, the grade for that assignment will be a zero.  If the student has the assignment partially done, the work that is completed will be graded, the rest will be marked wrong and graded accordingly.  Students with missing work will be expected to report to the lab for the first 15 minutes of lunch until it is turned in.

Mr. Paltzer’s Class Policies

Greenville Middle School 8th Grade Science and Science and Beyond