ALGRBRA 1
MS. SHAW’S CLASSROOM POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
cshaw@psdschools.org – (970) 488 - 6425
Materials Needed: You are responsible for bringing these to class every day
A composition notebook used for math notes ONLY
A binder to keep handouts and homework in
A PENCIL and a different colored pen/marker for grading
A graphing calculator (TI-83 or TI-84)
Your covered textbook
Class Expectations/Rules:
RESPECT others at all times
You will be in your seat and ready to work when the bell rings
There will be no food or drink allowed in the classroom!
At the end of the class period, pick up all trash and leave when dismissed
Always have a good attitude, a strong work ethic, and the motivation to put in your absolute-without-adoubt best effort!
Participation will be expected at all times
Grading Policy:
15% - Homework and class participation
25% - Graded work and quizzes
40% - Tests
20% - Final Exam
Class Description:
The course is designed to introduce you to algebra and its application in life while enhancing your problem
solving abilities. You will participate in daily homework, class lectures, quizzes, test, and group activities in this
quest for algebraic knowledge. Be prepared to work hard, and commit time every night to this class.
Participation:
Participation is a HUGE part of math class and you are expected to contribute at all times to the academic
classroom atmosphere. This means taking notes, being on task at all times, coming to class prepared
EVERYDAY, and being on time to class. You will be awarded up to 20 points each day based on your
participation in class.
Tardies:
Tardies will not be tolerated at Fossil Ridge and in this class. If you are not in your seat, ready to work (that
means all materials out, not socializing) when the bell rings then you are tardy. If you are tardy to class, you
will receive a detention slip. You will serve a 25 minute detention within one week after your tardy. If you fail to
do so, you will be assigned an hour of community service.
Attendance Bonus:
If at the end of each semester you have no unexcused absences or tardies, no more than 3 excused tardies,
and no more than 5 excused absences (school excused absences don’t count), you will have the option of
using your final exam grade to replace your lowest test score from that semester.
Homework/Assignments:
ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE DONE IN PENCIL!!!
Expect homework to be assigned and collected on a daily basis in this class. Homework assignments will be
checked for effort and completeness, rather than correctness, and are worth 5 points. Full credit will be
awarded for each homework that shows evidence of quality work and of a reasonable attempt to try every
problem (NO WORK = NO CREDIT!) Assignments done in pen will not be accepted for a grade.
 Homework Quizzes: Each day there will be a homework quiz made up of 2-4 questions at the
beginning of each class period. You may use your homework to complete these quizzes. If you are
absent, these quizzes cannot be made up. If you have an excused absence, you may drop the 0 for
homework quiz. If you have an unexcused absence, you will receive a 0 for that day’s quiz.
 Quality of Work: I expect each student to submit quality work that they are proud of in order to receive
full credit.
o Show ALL of your work
o Skip lines between each problem
o Write out the original problem
o DO NOT work from left to right
o Number every problem
o Corrections must be done for each incorrect problem and done in ink (not pencil!). Original work
will be written on the left side of the paper and corrections done on the right.
Online Textbook:
There will be an online textbook available for you to use at home. You can find the textbook at
www.pearsonsuccessnet.com or using the link on our Blackboard page. Both the username and password to
access the book is Algeb1 (case sensitive).
Every lesson in the book has an online video tutorial. These videos can be found at www.phschool.com or
using the link on our Blackboard page. I suggest watching these online videos for extra help on your
homework, especially for the homework on days you may have been absent from class.
For more information on using the online resources see page xxiii in your textbook.
Notebook Checks:
You will be required to take all notes in your composition notebook. I will have periodic notebook checks to
make sure that you are using your notebooks to show your work and to take notes in class. There will also be
notebook quizzes given throughout the semester.
Missing Class Procedure:
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Any student who has an excused absence will be allowed make up missed work for full credit up until
the day of the unit test. If you have an unexcused absence you can make up the assignment for up to
60% of credit until the day of the unit test. I am not responsible for any lost homework assignments
that were not turned into the correct place, so please make sure that the assignments are handed
directly to me, not just put on my desk.
You will be responsible for getting the missed notes so that you have them on the day of a notebook
quiz. Notes must hand-written and copied exactly from the notebook of a classmate.
All assignments given out on the day you missed can be found on blackboard.
If you have an excused absence on the day of the test you will be given a make-up test outside of
class time for full credit. If you have an unexcused absence, you will be given a make-up test outside
of class time for only 60% of what you earn. Make-up tests will be different than the original test unless
you make arrangements to make-up the test prior to the test day.
Late Work:
Unless you are absent, late-work will not be accepted.
Cell Pone/iPods:
NO CELL PHONES AT ANYTIME. The first time your phone is taken I will keep in until the end of the class
period. The second time your phone is taken, you will need to pick it up from the dean’s office after 3:00pm.
The third time, you will not be able to have your cell phone back until you and your parent has a conference
with one of the deans.
iPods will only be allowed at certain times. If your iPod is out at a time when I did not say they could be out I
will keep it until 3:30pm that day.
Bathroom/Hall Privileges:
Only one person at a time will be allowed to leave the room. You must ask permission to leave at appropriate
times (during work-time only). Please sign out on the bathroom sign out sheet after you’ve gotten permission
to go and sign back in when you return. If you are gone longer than 10 minutes you will be counted absent.
Each person will receive 9 bathroom/hall passes per semester. You must turn in a pass to leave the room
(this includes using the bathroom, going to your locker, etc). Use your passes wisely!
I look forward to working with each and every one of you this semester. I expect my classroom to be a
positive learning environment for all of us to treat each other with respect. When working with others,
you must value each member of the group, share ideas, listen actively, and accept each others
differences and strengths. Everybody learns math at a different pace and in a different way. Be patient
with yourself, ask a lot of questions, and be proud of your accomplishments. If we all work together,
we can all be successful!
PLEASE BRING THIS LAST PAGE BACK TO SCHOOL SIGNED BY BOTH YOU
AND YOUR PARENTS. THIS WILL COUNT AS PART OF YOUR FIRST HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENT!!
PARENTS: FEEL FREE TO MAKE A COPY OF THE RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR FUTURE
REFERENCE THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER!
STATEMENT OF AGREEMENT:
I have read the expectations for Ms. Shaw’s class and I understand and agree to my responsibilities. I have
also read the Fossil Ridge Code of Conduct and the PSD Student Rights & Code of Conduct booklet which is
available online at www.psdschools.org. I understand all of the policies and procedures for this class and
understand there will be consequences if they are not followed appropriately.
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Student Name (Print)
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Parent/Guardian Signature
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Student Signature
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Class Period