PreCalculus
BB&N
2015-2016
Instructor: Mariah Napeñas
Contact Information:
mnapenas@bbns.org
Office: 243
My Free Blocks for Extra Help: A, B, C, and sometimes X
You are welcome to come visit my office for extra help anytime! Please don’t hesitate to ask for help if
you are having any difficulty with the material. The longer you wait to clear up any confusion you may
have, the further behind you will find yourself. Do not hold all of your questions until the day before a
test!
Preparation & Attendance: I require every student to be on time and prepared for class. In order to
be properly prepared for class, you must have the following items with you daily: a writing utensil, a
working TI-Nspire calculator, and a notebook for math only. If you are absent from class for any
reason, you must take the initiative in making up missed work – get notes from a classmate and complete
that night’s homework assignment to the best of your ability. If you are absent on the day before a test
(review day), then you will take the test with your class as scheduled. If you are absent on the day of a
test, then you will take the make-up test on the following day when you return to school. Please contact
me as soon as possible to set up a time to take that make-up test. If you have no free period, you will take
the test during our class period. If your absence is unexcused, then you will not be allowed to make up
the work missed.
Any student who is absent from 20% of his/her classes in any trimester may be dropped from the
class and receive a W/A (withdrawal absence) on his/her transcript. This standard does not apply to
absences because of school-related programs, religious holidays, medical situations, or exceptional
programs.
Homework: See separate handout.
Test & Quizzes: Tests and quizzes will be given on a regular basis; you should expect some sort of
graded assignment roughly once a week. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. Tests are
announced at least a week in advance. Please do contact me at least three days prior to a test if you have
three tests/major papers due on that particular day, and I will work with you to rearrange things. Unless
you are officially approved for extra time, the time limit will be strictly enforced. The ability to work
efficiently is a good indicator of how well you understand the material. If you are officially approved for
extra time, please arrange your use of this accommodation before the test day. ALWAYS show all of
your work on tests and quizzes! I care far more about the process by which you came to a particular
answer than about the answer itself.
Grade: Your end-of-year grade is weighted over the three trimesters 40%-30%-30%.
Your trimester grade consists of two parts:
1) Daily grades: tests, quizzes, projects, homework, class participation, effort (80%)
2) Trimester exam (20%)
Daily grades consist of:
1) Tests, quizzes, projects (90%)
2) Homework, class participation, effort (10%)
Academic Honesty: There comes a time in each of our lives when we struggle with a written
assignment – whether it be a test, a quiz, or simply a homework assignment. This struggle can bring on
feelings of desperation and the temptation to cheat. Be strong! Resist the temptation! Bad grades
happen from time to time; they are much easier to deal with than the consequences of cheating. I can
tolerate bad grades (that we can work on together), but I will not tolerate cheating in any way! This
includes copying homework from a friend, copying homework from the answers in the back of the book,
or cheating on tests/quizzes (wandering eyes, cheat sheets, etc.). In addition, I do teach more than one
Precalculus class; the content of tests and quizzes should not be discussed with the members of any other
Precalculus class.
Cheating is the willful giving or taking of information to or from another student, or communication
with another student in any way during or about a test, exam, or homework assignment.
One Final Note: I expect and enjoy an active classroom that encourages open questioning and positive
interaction; you should feel comfortable to ask questions, take guesses, and make mistakes. I will not
tolerate, however, a negative attitude toward me, your classmates, the material, etc. Any misbehavior
that is not modified after a stern warning could result in a detention and/or an immediate dismissal from
the day's class. All I ask is that you work hard, be positive, and respect each and every person in my
classroom – I want everyone in this classroom to be happy and feel comfortable. In addition, I do like to
have fun and chit-chat with you from time to time; but, you need to be aware when enough is enough.
When I am in my serious teaching mode, you should be in your serious learning mode.
Let’s have a fun and productive year! 