Lanier Middle School
“An International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme School”
MATHEMATICS – 6th Grade
M. Bordelon
mbordelo@houstonisd.org
Dear Parents and Students:
I would like to welcome you to Lanier, and introduce you to my Math class. Included in this
packet are explanations of my grading policy, conduct/responsibility system, and course syllabus. If
you have any questions feel free to send an email (mbordelo@houstonisd.org).
GRADES:
Averages are based on student performance on quizzes, homework, and an end of 9 weeks test.
 Quizzes are worth 100 points each and we will experience 9 - 10 of these each 9 weeks. For
1
better or worse, about of these quizzes are of the take-home variety.
3
 Homework is assigned twice each week, it is to be completed and checked for
reasonableness at home, then discussed in class. All of this homework each 9 weeks will
equal 2 to 3 quiz scores.
 Math Journals & Student Planners are checked each 9 weeks and will equal 1 quiz score.
 At the end of each 9 weeks we will experience a test worth 3 quiz scores.
What about homework? Well, in Math we have homework twice a week (approx 2 total hours of
HW is assigned each week). Homework is a completion/effort grade, therefore students are
encouraged to take risks and explore new ideas, concepts and strategies. Basically, students are
assigned homework to be completed outside of class. This practice is then checked and discussed
the following class period, at which time it is the student’s responsibility to communicate/share
ideas and ask any necessary questions. Since this is practice I am looking for each student’s best
effort, along with proper Algebraic format. After discussing the practice and starting corrections,
students record a “+” for effort/completion or a “-“ if practice is incomplete or unacceptable. At
Progress Report and Report Card time we compute the % of homework completed and convert it
to a quiz grade. So this practice is equal to 2 or 3 quiz scores.
Don’t forget to monitor your child’s progress on Gradespeed (HISD portal) & Math Grade Sheet,
which you can expect to sign a total of 3 times every 9 weeks; you will also be able to see your
child’s current math average and homework /Responsibility record. I encourage you to ask to see
your child’s Grade Sheet on a weekly basis as well as checking the HISD Gradespeed portal
regularly.
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Lanier Middle School, 2600 Woodhead, Houston Texas 77098 Phone 713-942-1900
CONDUCT/ RESPONSIBILITY:
We feel that responsibility is an important trait to nourish in our 6th graders. In Math class
students will be responsible for coming to class prepared, following proper format for completing
homework (heading, title, Algebraic format, neat, in pencil, problems written down & all necessary
work shown), having gradesheets, progress reports, & report cards signed in a timely manner, and
following class procedures. Infractions will affect student conduct grades as follows:
0-3 infractions = excellent responsibility/conduct
4-6 infractions = satisfactory responsibility/conduct
7+ infractions = poor responsibility/conduct
Each infraction will be recorded on your child’s grade sheet, and we start at zero each 9 weeks.
Parents will be notified if their child earns 6 responsibility marks; 7 responsibility marks will result
in a half-hour detention before school.
In addition, students with 0 infractions will be awarded 2 points on their final average (report card
grade). Again, if your child has 0-3 infractions, you can assume he/she is very responsible in my
class. Please congratulate your child and reinforce the importance of responsibility and that it leads
to great success in daily life.
I would also like to introduce you to some of our IBMYP Approaches to Learning (ATLs).
 Communication Skills – both oral and written, including proper mathematical language,
symbols, and notation.
 Knowledge-Acquisition Skills – a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas.
 Problem Solving Skills – a mastery of a variety of strategies to solve problems.
 Reflection Skills – the ability to evaluate one’s own work and to determine the
reasonableness of solutions.
 Organizational & Study Skills – how to be successful at this level and beyond, both in and
out of school. This also involves quality of effort and work.
Sincerely,
Mike Bordelon
MBordelo@houstonisd.org
Lanier Middle School, 2600 Woodhead, Houston Texas 77098 Phone 713-942-1900