Student Name: __________________________________ Hour: ______
Dear Student and Parents/Guardians,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to science at Rhodes Junior High. The state and district
curriculum focuses on inquiry process, life science, physics, chemistry, and biology for 8th grade. The
following outlines helpful information that will ensure your child’s success in my classroom.
Safety Contract – Must be signed by guardian and student in order to complete labs in class.
To ensure a safe science classroom, a list of rules and guidelines has been developed and provided to you in this
Safety Contract. The rules contained here MUST be followed at ALL TIMES while in class. The agreement must be
signed by students and parents/guardians before any student may participate in a lab activity.
1. Conduct yourself in a responsible manner at all times in the laboratory.
2. There is NO GUM ALLOWED in RHODES JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE LABORATORIES AT ANY
TIME! There are consequences associated with gum chewing including but not limited to: detention, loss of
points, etc. This policy is to protect each student in our classrooms
3. Do not eat food or drink beverages in class or laboratory setting.
4. Students must know the location of all safety equipment. This includes the fire extinguisher and the eye wash
station/ safety shower.
5. Follow all written and verbal instructions carefully. If you do not understand an instruction – ALWAYS ask for
help from your instructor before proceeding.
6. DO NOT work alone. No student may work without an instructor present.
7. When entering a class or laboratory, do not touch equipment, chemicals, or any other lab materials until you are
instructed to do so.
8. Perform only the experiments that are approved by your teacher. Never do anything in the lab that is not called
for in the procedures or by the instructor. Carefully follow all directions, both written and verbal. Any
unauthorized experiments are prohibited.
9. Be prepared for lab work. Carefully read all procedures before starting the lab.
10. No horseplay and/or “fooling around” in the lab. Most accidents happen this way. Practical jokes and pranks are
DANGEROUS and prohibited.
11. Work area must be kept clean and organized at all times. Bring only your instructions, worksheets or reports to
the lab area. All other things (backpacks, purses, books, etc.) MUST be left at your table.
12. Proceed with caution at all times. Immediately notify the instructor of ANY unsafe conditions.
13. All chemicals must be disposed of properly. Never mix chemicals in the sin. Check with your instructor if you
are unsure of how to dispose of a material.
14. Read all labels carefully. Chemicals and equipment must be used properly. Set up and tear down must approved
by the instructor.
15. Before leaving the lab areas wash your hands with warm water and soap. Lab areas must be cleaned using the
approved substances and dried before leaving. Return all equipment as you found it.
16. Experiments must be monitored. Do not leave your experiment for any reason.
17. Do not enter the teacher prep area without permission.
18. Know what to do in case of a fire drill. All containers must be sealed, electrical equipment turned off and burners
extinguished.
19. Use caution when using sharp instruments. Always carry them with tips or points pointing away from you or
others. Grasp sharp objects only by the handles. Do not try to catch falling sharp objects.
CLOTHING
20. Any time chemicals or a heat source are used, students will wear goggles while in the lab area. The lab area is
designated by the teacher. There is no exception to this rule.
21. Lab aprons are available to use on request. Please protect your clothing!
22. Long hair must be tied back at all times in the laboratory. If you have long hair (male or female) you must keep
with you at ALL TIMES a method of pulling your hair back: Elastic Band, etc.
Accidents and Injuries
23. Report ANY incident: spills (even water), breakage, etc. or ANY injury to the instructor immediately.
24. If a chemical splashes in your eye, IMMEDIATELY rinse your eyes for at least 20 minutes in the eyes wash.
You or your partner must notify the instructor immediately.
Handling Chemicals
25. NEVER BRING ANY CHEMICALS FROM HOME UNLESS ASKED TO DO SO!!
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This includes but is not limited to: Isopropynol/Ethanol, cleaning chemicals, bleach, mercury/quicksilver, and
any chemical not approved by the district or state to be in our classroom and schools
26. All chemicals should be considered dangerous. Do NOT touch, taste or smell any chemicals unless instructed to
do so. The proper method for smelling chemicals will be demonstrated by the instructor.
27. Always check the label at least twice before removing a chemical from its container.
28. Only take as much as you need. Your result will not be the same if you use too much. LESS is MORE.
Remember to be conservative. Excess chemicals are to be disposed of properly.
29. NEVER return unused chemicals to the supply container.
30. When transferring chemicals between containers, keep the containers away from your body.
31. When transferring containers to a new location, hold securely and walk S L O W L Y.
32. Never remove chemicals from the laboratory area.
33. Acids must be handled with extreme care. You will receive specific instructions as needed.
Handling Glassware and Equipment
34. Never touch broken glassware with your hands. Because broken glassware must be disposed of in an approved
container, please ask your instructor to clean up broken glassware.
35. Examine glassware before EACH use. Do not use it if there are cracks, chips or if it is dirty.
36. Report damaged equipment immediately.
37. If you do not understand how to use a piece of equipment, ask for help from the instructor.
38. Do NOT immerse/submerge hot glassware in water. It may shatter!
I have read and agree to follow all of the safety rules in the “Safety Contract for Rhodes Junior High School.” I realize
these rules and expectations have been established by the school to ensure my safety and the safety of my fellow students
and instructors.
 I will operate to the fullest extent with my instructor and fellow students in order to maintain a safe environment
 I will closely follow the verbal and written instructions from my instructor
I understand that ANY VIOLATION of any portion of this safety agreement may result in the following:


Removal from Lab; Therefore, earning 0% for that particular Lab
Detention
Required/Recommended Materials
 Required
 2 composition notebooks
o One for each semester
o Be aware that you want to be able to fit a ½ sheet of paper inside the composition book
o No spiral bound notebooks (they will fall apart)
 Expo marker
 Pencil
 Eraser
 Colored pencils or something else that can provide color to the composition book


Recommended
Ruler, highlighter, and tape dispenser/glue stick
 Most of these items can be purchased in the Bookstore but it is not mandatory that they are
purchased there. Please communicate with me if there is a financial concern regarding the required
materials needed for class in order for me to help find a solution.
Expectations in the Classroom
 Respect – Students need to demonstrate respect for themselves, teachers, other students, and all
equipment.
 Responsibility – Students need to be responsible for their actions.
 Positive Effort – Students will always try their best and keep negative comments to themselves. It is
important to have a safe and positive classroom environment to in order to foster learning.
Consequences
 All consequences are followed implementing the PBIS model
 1st offense – Non-verbal and/or verbal warning
 2nd offense – Incident Report for the offense
 3rd offense – Contact home and a 2nd Incident Report
 4th offense – Referral to the office
 All offenses are subject to logical consequences to be determined by the teacher
Make-ups – Your child is responsible for all missed work when absent. This includes excused absences,
sickness, school related absences, vacation, and ALC (In School Suspension). Most test that are missed can be
made up upon their return to class. If the time provided in class is not enough it will be up to the student to
make arrangements with the teacher to test at a different time. Additional information regarding work
completed in class can be found on my school website, http://www.mpsaz.org/rhodes/staff/kakemmis/hwcalendar/. I would recommend visiting my website regarding any concerns when it comes to missing work.
Grading Policies - The percentages below are an estimation of how grades will be broken down.
 Participation (10%) - Overall participation in class, ability to follow classroom norms, and ability to
complete classwork.

Classwork Assignments (10%) - Lab reports, writing projects, inquiry assessments, etc. need to be
completed and submitted by the assigned date.

Vocab Quizzes (10%) - Vocab quizzes will be given roughly every other week and sometimes weekly
depending on the unit to assess for basic understanding of science vocabulary.

Quizzes (15%) - Quizzes will range from 10 – 20 multiple-choice questions to assess knowledge at
different points in each unit.

Unit Test (25%) - Test will be given at the end of each unit to assess for overall understanding.
Notebooks (30%) – This is an organizational tool that tracks and documents work completed in class.
The notebook is graded roughly every 30 pages and each page is worth 3 points. It is important that
work is complete, fairly accurate, and demonstrated in an organized manner.
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
 Student portals will have the most up-to-date grades. Please note, that if your child is absent, any
assignments missed that day will be inputted as a zero until the assignment is made up. In addition,
every student will have multiple opportunities to raise their grade by properly completing the
enrichment activities provided in class.
Contacting the Teacher
Please feel free to contact at 480-472-2254 or e-mail me at kkemmis@mpsaz.org if you have any
questions or concerns. Your continued support of your child’s education, my expectations, and the school wide
policies are greatly appreciated. Please sign below to acknowledge that you have seen this document and
provide the best contract information possible in case that I need to reach you. It would be appreciated if you
could answer the questions below in order to help provide me with the best learning environment for your child.
Please print your name
Student Name ____________________________________________________________________________
Parent Name ______________________________________________________________________________
Parent Phone Number ______________________________________________________________________
Parent E-mail _____________________________________________________________________________
1. Is there anything that you would like me to be aware of that would help me best instruct your
child? Please explain.
2. Do you have any seating preferences for your child? These can be due to personal preference,
hearing, poor sight, colorblind, etc. Please explain?