GEOMETRY (Regents)
Harpursville Sr. High School
Course Policies
2013-2014
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Mr. Nick Pianella
Room 301
(607) 693-8105 (school)
NPianella@hcs.stier.org
Office hours: During Collaborative Time before school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday or by
appointment during or after school.
Textbook: New York Geometry, The McGraw-Hill/Glencoe Company, 2009, ISBN #978-0-07888502-0.
Calculator: A graphing calculator is required and will be provided during class. The TI-84 graphing
calculator is recommended. If you are buying a calculator for this course, then a TI-84 Silver Edition
is suggested.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Integrated Algebra (Regents)
Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend classes. Attendance will be taken. Note that
exam questions are modeled on lecture and homework problems, so attending class is an important
ingredient in course success.
It will be your responsibility to make up work when absent from class. Please see me or a fellow
student for notes and assignments from the day you missed. Nothing can replace valuable class time
so try to keep a good attendance record. Please familiarize yourself with the HCS Comprehensive
Attendance Policy – Student Attendance and Grades section.
Late to Class Policy: Students are expected to be in their assigned seat when the bell rings to begin
class. If they are not, they will be marked tardy. After a student is tardy 5 times, a Referral will be
written and sent to the main office.
Class Structure: Material is presented in lecture, examples, and discussion format; homework is
assigned and gone over in detail in subsequent classes. Feel free to ask questions in class at any
time.
Assistance: Any time you are having difficulty understanding material, see the instructor. It is
useful to work together with other students as well. Organize a study group.
Course Objectives: Geometry is intended to be the second course in mathematics for high school
students. There is no other high school mathematics course that offers students the opportunity to act
as a mathematician. Within this course, the students will have the opportunity to make conjectures
about geometric situations and prove in a variety of ways, both formal and informal, that their
conclusion follows logically from their hypothesis.
I want to create a classroom environment that is safe and respectful for all and one that is conducive
to teaching and learning. Everyone’s cooperation is needed to make this happen. Let us all do our
part. We will have a productive and fun year exploring Geometry. My goal is for everyone to pass
the course and the regents. This will take work on all our parts and it is attainable.
Geometry (Regents)
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Supplies: You will need the following: pencils, 3 ring binder 2” or larger with 3 dividers, Loose leaf
paper – college rules, a 3 subject notebook, a composition notebook for journaling, index cards and a
compass.
Assessments: Assessment will be done regularly and frequently. If you ever have a question or
concern, please get with me so we can discuss. Assessments consist of warm up exercises, daily
closure activities for the lesson, quizzes, and unit exams. There will also be quarterly assessment
tests that are cumulative and you will have a final exam and a Regents exam in June 2014.
Quarterly Grades: Quarterly grades will be determined by a point system. Tests, Quizzes, Written
Assignments/Homework, and Professional Attitude/Preparedness cover 100% of your quarterly
grade.
Exams
Quizzes
Homework and Written Assignments
Professional Attitude/Preparedness
40%
40%
10%
10%
Exams: Exams given during the semester will be worth 40% of your grade. These exams will
assess your knowledge of the content from the unit as well as assess content from previous
taught units.
Quizzes: During the school year, you should expect to have a quiz every few days on the
content taught. You will be made aware when a quiz is planned.
Homework Assignments: Homework assignments are an integral part of the learning process
for this course and assists in ensuring you are prepared. They are given daily and are based on
the content presented that day. Each homework assignment is worth 10 points. Late
assignments will be accepted but penalized 2 points for each day late (not including Saturday
and Sunday) unless allowed under the attendance policy. All work must be shown for full
credit.
Homework assignments are not collected but checked for completeness daily during the
warm up exercise. Please have your homework on your desk at the start of class.
In addition, reading the textbook is an important part of your learning process. Each section
covered will require you to pre-read the section and complete notes in your Study Notebook
provided.
Written Assignments: Written assignments are also an integral part of the learning process.
You will be given problems from the book and workbook covering each section. Make sure
all written assignments have your name, date, and assignment listed at the top of the page. No
spiral edges on paper – please and thank you. These assignments must be handwritten, with
all answers documented and all work shown. You must explain your answers or solutions in
order to receive full credit. You may cooperate with others but you must submit a separate
homework and explain your answers or solutions in order to receive full credit. A correct
answer is worth 20% of the grade and the work/documentation counts for 80%. You may also
seek assistance from me as needed. Each assignment is worth 100 points. Late assignments
are penalized 10 points for each day late (weekends included).
Geometry (Regents)
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Professional Attitude/Preparedness: Professional Attitude takes into account your attendance,
class participation and behavior, and attitude towards fellow students, teacher, and school.
You must be prepared for each class as well.
Final Exam: A cumulative final exam will be given during the last month of the year at a time and
date to be determined. You will also take the Geometry Regents Examination in the latter part of
June 2014. Whichever grade is higher of the two will be counted towards you final exam grade for
the course.
Final Grade: Your final grade will be calculated using the average of your four quarterly grades
plus the average of your three quarterly assessments and the final exam or regents’ exam grade,
whichever is higher.
Statement of Harpursville Jr./Sr. High School Academic Honesty Parental/Student Agreement
Academic honesty and integrity lie at the heart of any educational enterprise. Students are expected
to do their own work and neither to give nor to receive assistance during quizzes, examination, or
other class exercises. One form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism. Plagiarism is intellectual
larceny: the theft of ides or their manner of expression. When in doubt about rules concerning
plagiarism, students are urged to consult individual faculty members. Because faculty and students
take academic honesty seriously, penalties for violations may be severe, depending upon the offense.
Staff members will gladly explain procedures for taking tests, writing papers, and completing other
course requiment5s so that students may understand fully their instructor’s expectations.
Student Responsibilities: Students have a responsibility to attend class, do their homework on time,
participate in classroom discussions, ask questions when they don’t understand, seek extra assistance
when they need it, and read the textbook as it is well written and easily understandable textbook that
will help you immensely.
Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to learning.
Students are asked not to engage in any form of distraction to assure all students have the
opportunity to gain from the time spent in class. Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated.
Appropriate action(s) will be taken immediately.
Courtesies: To promote a productive learning experience, please turn off all personal digital devices
during class. Eating and drinking in the room is prohibited.
Success in Geometry requires consistent attendance, class participation, completion of assigned work
on time, and seeking assistance when needed. This course outline is subject to change as the
instructor deems necessary. Any changes will be communicated during class time.
Good Luck and Best Wishes for a successful school year,
Mr. Pianella
Geometry (Regents)
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