Chemistry
Mr. Robert Strawn
Room D5003
Welcome to a new school year at Americas High School. I look forward to having your child in my Chemistry
class this year. Chemistry is not considered an easy class by most students, but students who cooperate with the
teacher and follow the teacher's direction generally earn higher grades than other students. To be successful in
Chemistry class a student must be self disciplined and be willing to work hard when it is necessary. There are
concepts that we study that can be difficult but not impossible to learn for students. Other concepts are build on
concepts taught earlier in the Chemistry class. Math skills are also important in determining how well a student
does academically in Chemistry class. Successful students study at least 30 minutes a day looking over their
notes, doing practice problems, and homework or studying for test. Successful students also ask question in
class when they do not understand a concept or problem. They keep up with their work and turn assignments in
on time. I want your child to be successful in my class, so we need to work together to insure that your child can
achieve to his or her highest potential.
TEACHER INFORMATION:
 Robert Strawn
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Rm #: D5003
Phone: 937-2800
Email: rstraw@sisd.net More information available on the Americas HS
Website under Faculty, Strawn, Robert
TEACHER WEBSITE: http://www.sisd.net/Domain/1057
On my website you will be able to find the following:
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Class Schedule
Classroom Policies and Procedures Handouts and Notes to Parents
Chemistry Resources- Handouts, Website links, Power-points, Notes, and Video Links
Chemistry (Projects, Assignments, and Reviews for Tests) by Nine Weeks
Class Calendar
CLASS EXPECTATIONS:
 Students MUST come to class with the necessary materials to participate in class.
 All class information given comes from the teacher notes, videos, handouts, etc. If you
miss a class, you the student are responsible for acquiring the necessary information.
 Eating and drinking are strictly prohibited.( you can have bottled water only)
 The use of electronic devices is strictly prohibited unless allowed by me for instructional
purposes only.
 Every student Must have a valid Americas High School Student ID. in order to leave the
classroom during class..
 All students are expected to be in class on time. Students must be seated and ready with
the necessary materials by the time the tardy bell rings.
Class Rules:
1. Be on time and seated before the tardy bell rings.
2. Be prepared to learn and have all materials needed for the day.
3. Respect other’s rights to learn and the teacher’s right to teach.
4. Take proper care of all materials and equipment.
5. Follow all school rules and district policies
Consequences for following the classroom rules and procedures:
1. Positive note or telephone call home
2. Certificate of appreciation
3. Special Privileges
4. Student may be honored as student of the week
Consequences for not following rules and procedures:
1. Warning, and student may be moved to another seat
2. Student – Teacher conference and student may be moved to another seat or be given a time-out.
3. Note or telephone call to parents or legal guardians along with all or some of the previously mentioned
consequences which are up to the discretion of the Teacher,
4. Parent- Teacher- Student conference along with previously mentioned consequences (Parents may
recommend consequences to use at school and at home.
5. Referral to an Assistant Principal (Assistant Principle may recommend consequences for behavior)
6. All students who take time away from the class by disrupting the lesson and stopping the teacher’s instruction
to the class will be assigned 30 minutes of detention after school on the next school day after the incident.
Sometimes arrangements can be made for the student to serve detention on another day that is more
convenient for the student and teacher. Students who do not report to Mr. Strawn’s classroom for detention
at the designated time and day will receive an office referral to the appropriate Assistant Principal. Their
detention time will also be doubled. Students who habitually interfere with the teacher's instruction and
the other students' learning will be considered to be severe disruptors and may be sent to an Assistant
Principal.
Any severe disruptions or infractions of the student code of conduct may be referred
immediately to an Assistant Principal. Any behavior that results in diminished safety for
the student or others will result in immediate removal from the classroom.
Grades:
Daily Work (Classwork, Quizzes, and Laboratory Reports) are worth 50% of the total grade
Major Grades (Test, and Some Major Projects) are worth 30% of the total grade
Nine Weeks Test is worth 20% of the total grade
Academic Dishonesty -Cheating:
Academic honesty is of extreme importance. The guiding principle of academic integrity shall be that a
student’s submitted work, examinations, reports, and projects must be that of the student’s own work.
Borrowing or loaning a paper, a computer disk, or any other type of an assignment will result in a ZERO!
Tests are independent activities and any talking during a test or help given or taken from other students will be
considered to be cheating. Students caught cheating on a test will receive a grade of zero. Students who
have cellular telephones, ipods, i-phones, or other electronic recording devices out of their backpacks or pockets
during a test will also be assumed to be cheating. Any assignments that are not partner assignments, group
assignments or whole class assignments that are found to be copied will result in a zero.
Borrowing or loaning a paper, a computer disk, or any other type of an assignment will result in a ZERO!
There will be no chance to make up any assignments or test where the grade of zero is the result of
cheating. A re-test will be offered but the highest grade average that a student can earn is a 50 because
the original test grade of zero will be averaged with the make- up or re-test grade.
Attendance:
Students must be in attendance 90% of the days that school is in session.
Students lose credit for a class after 9 absences the first semester. They can lose credit after 9 absences
the second semester. Students who loose credit because of absences must talk to the Assistant Principal in
charge of attendance.
If a student is absent from my class, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain and make up the missed
assignments. The student can copy the title of the missed assignments from another student’s Assignment page.
The student must not interrupt the class, but may talk to the teacher before class or after class about the
assignments. Usually, I leave the copies of the previous day’s handouts on the small table in front of my desk.
The student will have one day for each day that he or she was absent from my class to turn in the work. If the
student missed a test, but was told that a test would be administered, the student must take the test the day the
student returns to class even if he or she missed a class review of the material the day of the absence.
Rest Room Breaks:
All students will be required to present their current Student ID. in order to go to the restroom. Students will be
allowed a total of 8 restroom breaks each nine weeks for emergencies only. Each break can take no longer than
5 minutes or the student may lose the privaledge for the rest of the current nine weeks. Students can also loose
their rest room privaledges for going somewhere other than the restroom or just walking around, or loitering
waiting for another student to meet them.
Tardy Policy:
Students who are late to my class will be asked to call their parents and notify them each time that they are late.
After accumulating a fourth tardy, the student will be assigned 20 minutes of after school detention to be served
the day after their 4rd tardy, in classroom D5003. Students who do not attend detention will receive an office
referral.. It is the student's responsibility to notify parents or legal guardians when they are assigned detention
and arrange transportation if they normally ride the bus home each day. If the student accumulates a eighth
tardy, the student will again be assigned 20 more minutes of after school detention. Students who are late to
class will not be allowed to use a rest- room break that same day. If the student refuses to call his or her
parents to notify them of the tardy, the teacher will call the student's parents at his convenience, or give the
student a note to take home to get a parent or legal guardian's signature. Also, if students are tardy and a bellringer is assigned for that day, the tardy students will not be given extra time to do the bell-ringer.
Thank you for caring about your child’s education. Working together we can help
Your child be successful and experience a quality education.
Sincerely,
Mr. Robert Strawn, Chemistry Teacher at Americas High School
Telephone Number 937- 2800
E-mail rstraw@sisd.net
Chemistry Teacher- Mr. Robert Strawn
Class Period _______Date ____________ Student Roster # ____________
Letter to Parents about Mr. Strawn’s Chemistry Class
Student’s Full Name
Last Name
First Name
Middle
Name Initial
__________________________________ _______________________________ _______
I have read the information in Mr. Strawn’s letter concerning his Chemistry Class.
Student’s _____________________________________________________Date ___________
Signature
Parent or ____________________________________________________________________
Legal Guardian’s Printed Name
Parent or ______________________________________________________Date ___________
Legal Guardian’s Signature
Parent or Legal Guardian’s
Home Telephone Number _________________________________________________
Emergency Phone Number ________________________________________________
Parent’s or Legal Guardian’s E- mail address _______________________________________