Pittsburgh CAPA 6 – 12
A Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School
111 9th Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15222 | Phone: 412- 338-6101 | Fax: 412-338-6143
Ms. Melissa A. Pearlman, Principal
Ms. Joan Murphy, Director
A 2009 Blue Ribbon School of
Distinction
www.pghboe.net/capa
Physics I
Mr. Finch
afinch1@pghboe.net
https://finchphysics.wikispaces.com/
Dear Parent/Guardian of
_____________________________
It is a privilege and pleasure to work with you while teaching your child physics this semester. This letter (containing the
grading policy, list of required materials, and basic classroom etiquette) and the attached physics syllabus were reviewed with
your child during class. Please review them with your child, and if either of you have questions, write or call me. Please
include your email address so I may occasionally update you on our class activities
This year I am working on a project that will require students to watch educational videos as part of their homework. These
videos will in part to replace some of the traditional in class lecture and place that task as homework. This will allow more
class time for hands-on activates and problem solving in school with support from their peers and myself. Our focus in class
then will be more on the assimilation of the information and how best to apply it. These videos will allow students to stop
and start the teacher to take notes, think about questions, rewind the teacher, and go back to something they need to review
individually. It will also be available if they are absent and help them to stay with the class.
For this project to be successful it will be vitally important for students to do the “homework” before coming to class. Since
they will be submitting assignments related to the video online, I will have record who has watched the video and who has
not.
The videos can be accessed from any computer, or smart phone and I encourage parents watch them also. I am learning the
technology and hope to improve the videos as the year progresses and I learn how to do things better. The video will typically
be around 10 minutes long and I am asking that they take notes, and submit answers to a few questions related to it. If your
child does not have access to a the Internet, he or she may view these at the library, in my classroom before school, or they
can be downloaded on a disk or thumb drive. This is my first year for completing this project so I am sure we will have some
technology and procedural issues to work through, and I thank you in advance for your support and patience as we do so. I
hope that students will also be creating some of these videos to demonstrate their knowledge of physics concepts and become
a tutor to others.
Once you have read and understood the policy and expectations, sign in the space provided following the policy.
Classroom Etiquette:
Upon entry into the classroom:
leave book bag and/or purse in common designated area
take class materials to your designated seat
review previous day’s lesson, start warm-up assignment, etc.
During class:
comply with the CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT delineated in the student handbook
contain cellular telephone and other non-class related items in book bag in designated area
NO CELL PHONES OR FOOD IN CLASS (they will be taken away and returned to your parent or guardian)
step outside the classroom space to take care of personal hygiene issues.
We are an equal rights and opportunity school district. | Parent Hotline: 412-622-7920 | www.pps.k12.pa.us
Pittsburgh CAPA 6 – 12
A Creative and Performing Arts Magnet School
111 9th Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15222 | Phone: 412- 338-6101 | Fax: 412-338-6143
Ms. Melissa A. Pearlman, Principal
Ms. Joan Murphy, Director
A 2009 Blue Ribbon School of
Distinction
www.pghboe.net/capa
Required Class Materials: to be brought to class daily. Due to the limited number of hardcopy textbooks an online access
key will be provided for students to access. Text books will then be used in class.
basic scientific calculator (sin, cos, tan, 1/x, x2 functions)
1.5” or larger 3-ring binder for physics only
blue or black pen
red pen
highlighter
pencils
protractor
metric ruler
loose leaf paper
student handbook
Grading Policy: Credit will be given for assignments turned in on time. (See CAPA Homework Procedures) Individual
concerns regarding homework due dates should be discussed with the teacher prior to the due date. The final grade is based
on the weighed average of all graded work in accordance with district policy as outlined below.
Assessments
Labs/notebooks
Coursework
Homework
30%
30%
30%
10%
A – 90-100 %
B – 80 - 89 %
C – 70 – 79 %
D - 60 – 69 %
E – below 59 %
Because the success of the class depends on consistency, I need your help to ensure that your child is present and prepared
every day. Every graded piece of work that your child does in this class will be promptly returned to her/him. It is to be
reworked and placed in her/his three-ring binder, notebook. Please refer to her/his notebook on a regular basis to monitor
her/his progress.
If you have an interest or related career to physics and are interested in sharing your knowledge and talents with the class,
please contact me so we can schedule a class presentation, volunteer opportunity or special activity.
______________________________________________________ telephone number__________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature indicating that you have reviewed the above
Parent e-mail address ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Student e-mail address_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Sincerely,
Allan Finch
Physics Teacher
afinch1@pghboe.net
We are an equal rights and opportunity school district. | Parent Hotline: 412-622-7920 | www.pps.k12.pa.us