Royal Spring Middle School
7th Grade English/Language Arts
Endeavor Community
2013-2014 Class Syllabus
Mr. Charles “Chase” Rains
charles.rains@scott.kyschools.us
Dear Students:
Welcome to 7th Grade English/Language Arts here at Royal Spring Middle School! My name
is Charles Rains, but you can call me Mr. Chase or Mr. Rains. I am very excited to be working
with each of you and I know that this will be a great year for all of us. This is my first year at
Royal Spring, so there will be times where I will look to you to answer some of my
questions since you have been in this building longer than I have.
As your teacher, I have the highest of expectations for each of you. I expect you to come to
class and give me your 110% best effort every day, and I promise that I will do the same for
you. With that being said, you will be expected to work on a variety of tasks that at times
will seem very difficult, but I will work with each of you to make those difficult tasks easier
to understand and accomplish.
In this classroom, we are going to work together as a team – a team that supports each
other and strives for the highest level we can possibly reach. With that being said, we are
only as strong as our weakest link, so it is very important that we support each other in
every way. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION! If a member of our team struggles, then it is
everyone’s responsibility to lift them up and help them achieve their goals, because that is
what being a part of a team is about. How else do you think the University of Louisville or
the University of Kentucky won their Final Four Championships?
In closing, I am very excited to be here at Royal Spring Middle School and being a part of
your education. It is my hope that you leave me at the end of the year proud of what you
have accomplished, filled with great middle school memories, and ready to take on the next
grade level.
Sincerely,
Mr. Chase
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were going to live forever.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
What You Need:
 One Inch Three Ring Binder
 Six Tab Dividers
 College Ruled Loose Leaf Paper
 Three Prong Plastic Folder




Making the Grade:
 A: 92-100%
 B: 84-91%
 C: 76-83%
 D: 68-75%
 F: 1-67%
 I: 0%
Pencils or Black/Blue Ink Pens
Highlighters
Disinfectant Wipes
Kleenexes
How You Earn the Grade:
 Learning Target Activities: 20%
o Assignments that you will complete in class or at home.
 Short-Cycle Assessments: 30%
o Mid-Unit Exams (CIITS) & MAP Assessments.
 Summative Assessments: 50%
o Unit Tests, Final Exams, Major Writings, & Projects.
What Students Can Expect from Mr. Chase:
 To treat you with care and respect at ALL times.
 To provide you with an orderly, positive classroom environment.
 To provide the necessary discipline.
 To provide get you prepared for high school level assignments & projects.
 To teach you the content of the English/Language Arts.
Our Classroom Rules:
 Treat everyone (classmates, faculty, staff, visitors, and substitutes) with RESPECT.
 Be on time and bring appropriate materials to class and be seated before class begins.
 Follow all designated CHAMPS Procedures for each class activity.
 Listen to the recognized speaker and wait to be recognized before speaking.
 Take care of your own desk, locker, and property.
 Use appropriate language and manners at all times.
 Leave all unnecessary items at homes.
 Be sure to leave all backpacks/purses and cellular phones/iPods in your locker.
 Gum, Candy, Food, or Drinks are not allowed in the hallways and in our classroom.
 Take care of all personal needs during community restroom/locker breaks.
 Make QUALITY WORK your ultimate goal in all activities and assignments.
 Show your TITAN PRIDE at all times! Be proud of your school and your work.
What You Can Earn For QUALITY WORK & EXCEPTIONAL BEHAVIOR:
 Homework Pass
 Technology Time – Computer/iPad
 Assessment Re-Take Ticket
 Fast-Food Lunch – Healthy Options Only
 Independent Free Time
 Gift Cards
What You Don’t Want To Earn:
1. Verbal Warning w/ Isolated Lunch
2. Parent Notification
3. Parent/Teacher/Team/Principal
Conference
4. After-School Detention
5. In-School Suspension
6. Exclusion from Participating in SchoolWide Activities
Entering & Exiting:
 Students may not leave the room during the first and the last fifteen minutes of class, or at
anytime while I am in front of the class teaching. This means you can only leave the room
during work time. Students MAY NOT leave the room during an assessment.
 Students are allowed FOUR Restroom/Locker passes per nine weeks. That’s all. Once they are
gone; they are gone. You will give these to Mr. Rains upon your leaving of the classroom.
 If students need to use the restroom, get a drink, or make a locker visit, they must sign their
INITIALS beside their name to indicate their leaving of the classroom. Failure to do this will
result in the loss of all leaving the room privileges.
 Students must also have their planner signed and completely filled out by Mr. Rains prior to
leaving the classroom.
 Once you leave the classroom, hurry back! 
How Much Homework?
 Homework will be given on regular basis and the amount will vary based on the topics
currently being studied.
 I will do my best to keep all homework assignments at an amount that is reasonable, because I
know that students’ and their family’s lives are busy and quality time is invaluable.
 All weekly homework will be due at the end of class EVERY FRIDAY. The only time where
homework will be due the next day is when it is assigned on a Thursday, and I will do my best to
structure my class in a way that the larger workloads are assigned on Monday, Tuesday, &
Wednesday. However, any assignments given on a Friday will be due at the beginning of class
on the following Monday.
 The Exception: If students are assigned to work on major writings or projects for homework in
preparation for the next day, then students are expected to have those tasks completed by the
due date.
What Did I Miss?
 When you come back from being absent, you are responsible for gathering all of the missed
class notes, assignments, and assessments from Mr. Rains. This information can be found in the
multi-colored folders on your grade level’s designated bulletin board.
 All needed documents will be stored there for no more than TWO WEEKS; after two weeks
those documents will be placed into the recycling bin.
 Once students have gathered all necessary materials, Mr. Rains will provide them with the
necessary instruction in order to successfully complete the missed assignments.
 All missed assignments and assessments must be submitted into Mr. Rains’ hands, LITERALLY,
in order for credit to be given to students within ONE WEEK of the absence. Mr. Rains will not
ask for these missed assignments, as it is the job of the student to submit their missed work in a
timely manner.
Say NO to Late Work:
 Late or incomplete assignments & assessments are NOT ACCEPTED in our classroom. It is the
responsibility of the student to turn in all work completed to the best of their ability and on
time. There are no exceptions to this policy unless extenuating circumstances occur. Moreover,
extra-curricular activities are not acceptable excuses for assignments not to be completed and
turned in on the dates they are due.
 The reason for this Late Work Policy is because of the designated homework policy previously
discussed in the syllabus.
What You Need For Class! 
Item
Photo:
Supply
Type:
1 Inch Three Ring
Binder
College Ruled
Loose Leaf Paper
Three Prong
Plastic Folder
Pencils
Black/Blue Ink Pens
Multi-Colored
Highlighters
White Out
Correction Fluid
Disinfectant Wipes
No Specific Brand
Kleenexes
No Specific Brand
Awareness Statement:
By signing below, students and parents understand the following:
What supplies students need for class.
How each child will be graded and assessed.
What students can expect from Mr. Rains.
What Mr. Rains expects from his students.
The type of rewards students can earn for good work and behavior.
The consequences that will be given for poor choices.
The polices for homework, late work, and incomplete assignments.
This document will remain on file for the 2013-2014 academic school year.
X
Parent/Guardian
X
Student