Mandarin Chinese 中文
Dobson High/Mesa Public Schools
2015-2016
MS. KOU
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
Welcome to Ms. Kou’s Mandarin 中文 classes in Mesa Public Schools
The increasing globalization and interlink of 21st century absolutely bring us more responsibility and
freedom than ever before encountered. I am excited, honored and privileged to contribute to student
success in life. I hope the students have a cooperative and triumphant time with me. I am confident that
this excellent MPS and its superb staff can help the teenagers experience a positive passage through
another very rewarding school year.
I would like to share my goals and let you know what to expect. In this class the students will be
doing a lot of thinking, speaking, listening, reading, writing, and working in cooperative learning groups. I
consider myself as a partner of parents to participate in your child’s growth and development of higher
level problem solving abilities.
I believe that lifelong success begins with taking responsibility for one’s actions. I have developed
a Classroom Discipline Plan that allows all the students the opportunity to manage their own attitude and
behavior. Your child deserves the most positive learning environment possible; therefore, this plan will be
in effect at all times with the school’s Discipline Policy being enforced unconditionally.
CLASS GUIDELINES:
 TRUTH - Being honest and responsible for your choices and decisions.
 TRUST - Contributing to an atmosphere of safety and security.
 RESPECT - Being considerate of others, all property, and ourselves.
 ACTIVE PARTICIPATION – Involving self positively in the class and school programs.
 PERSONAL BEST - Always striving for continuous improvement.
CLASSROOM RULES:
1. Be seated, prepared before the bell rings, and stay in seat.
2. No eating or drinking (gum, candy, soda, any type of food or drink) without permission.
3. Raise hand to get permission before speaking.
4. Treat others and their property with respects (keep hands, feet and other objects to self).
5. Respect the teacher’s right to teach and the students’ right to learn.
CONSEQUENCES FOR BREAKING THE CLASS RULES:
1. losing positive class participation points;
2. serving detentions;
3. parents’ conference (parents will be contacted);
4. referrals to administration
Severe disruptions will not be tolerated and students will be sent immediately to the administration.
GRADING POLICY –Grades are earned by each student through participation and completion of the
following ON TIME. On progress reports, students that have missing work will be marked D’s or F’s.
Tests and quizzes (50%) - Tests will be announced in advance; quizzes will not. Any misbehaving during
a test will result in ZERO for that test. There are NO retakes.
Homework and/or Assignments (20%) - Students are required to have homework and assignments
completed with the best quality by the DUE TIME (neat and legible in #2 pencils, black, or blue ink).
Late work will receive 50% of its credit.
Class positive participation (30%) – Students are expected to have positive attitude to participate actively
and to support class activities by following the class procedures.
Grading scale:
A = 90% and above
B = 89% - 80%
C = 79% - 70%
D = 69% - 60%
F = 59% and below
Semester and year grades will be derived by averaging the quarters’ percentages.
MAKE UP WORK: It is the student’s responsibility to find out what is missed and what needs to be turned
in before or after absence. Please check the ASSIGNMENTS in Gradebook, with classmates or me. The
excused time is the equivalent of the absence.
EXTRA HELP: I offer tutoring after school 3:00-3:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursday if there isn’t any school
event, or by appointment at other times.
In order to help students have a sense of respect and conscientiousness, and efficient learning time,
students should use the restroom, drinking fountain, and pencil sharpener before/after classes. In each
quarter, each student has three passes. In order to use our resource effectively, if a student loses her/his
handouts, this student is responsible for getting another copy out of her/his own cost.
I highly appreciate your year-round support. If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me at
dkou@mpsaz.org or (480) 472-3167.
Thank you for everything you’ve constructively done to prepare the student for the future college
education and employment.
Sincerely and educationally,
Ms. Kou