Dear Parent/Guardian:
Because ____________________________________ appears on my class list for Advanced
Placement United States Government and Politics, I want to take this opportunity to
acquaint you with the course's expectations. The school district and the state of Texas
require for graduation a one- semester course in government. The AP Government class
is one way of meeting that requirement. Due to the new law passed by the State
Legislature, any student achieving a score of 3 or higher can get college credit for the
class I a state college or university.
The AP class is designed to prepare students to score well on the national AP United
States Government and Politics Exam given in May. It is a district requirement that all
students who take an AP course should take the AP exam. It is certainly my hope that all
students who take this course at Socorro High School will also wish to take this exam and
that they will score well, however considerable student preparation will be necessary.
Students will be expected to do extensive textbook reading and note taking, along with
problem-solving and written assignments. I sincerely believe that the successful student
will require outside preparation time.
In addition, the students will be writing essays and taking exams on each of the
chapters/units covered. Grades will be computed as per district policy. A more detailed
syllabus is available online.
This class is designed to be fast-paced and analytical in nature. Because the course
materials are designed for college-level students, class attendance is crucial. A student
must attend a minimum of 90% of the class meetings to receive credit for the class. If
your student has a history of attendance problems, he/she may find AP Government
difficult.
In order to help students having difficulty with the material or needing to make up
missed assignments, I will be available to offer support for students on Tuesday and
Thursday mornings from 8:00-8:30, and Friday’s in the afternoon from 4:15 to 6:00 if
there are no track or cross country meets scheduled in those cases it will be by
appointment.
I look forward to a productive and successful semester with AP Government. I have
enclosed a copy of the course syllabus for your information. If you have any questions,
please contact me at 915-937-2000 extension 2088. My 7th period conference is 2:45 3:30. Your time and consideration are greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Felipe Rosales
Instructor, Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics
Please return signed, this letter can be found on my website page.
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