9 th Grade Parent Meeting Montgomery Blair HS March 2011

Monitoring Student’s Grades It is important that parents monitor their student’s grades. 1.Become familiar with how teachers use Edline 2.Print out grade reports at least once a week for subjects that have missing grades 3.Highlight any grades with “0” or Z’s 4.Help your child develop a plan to get grades resolved

Monitoring Student’s Grades Be aware of when grades are distributed Student receive grades every 4 weeks. First grade report sent home in the mail is the interim. The second grade report will be an official quarter report card given to the student in school. Twice a year students take exams at the end of the marking period. Students earn credit by semesters.

Monitoring Student’s Grades Understanding the Grading Policy Middle School Homework 10% Formative 60% Summative 30% High School HW for prac 10% Formative 50% Summative 40% In Middle School you were given much more time in school to complete formative assessments and many more opportunity to reassess. Few Formative or Summative Assessment were completed individually at home. In High School, All assessments and assignments under each grading category may come home for students to complete independently.

Monitoring Student’s Grades Understanding the Grading Policy Final grades are figured from the quarter grades and the final exam. Students earn credit by semesters. Student have two semester grades per year. –1 st quarter = 37.5%- 3 rd quarter = 37.5% –2 nd quarter = 37.5%-4 th quarter = 37.5% –Final exam = 25%-Final exam = 25% Examples B A B = BC B C = C D C C = CE C C = D

Monitoring Student’s Grades Attendance Attendance is a very important factor in student performance. Students are held accountable for all assignments Students take 6 of their 7 classes for 90 minutes every other day. When a student is absent from school one day, it is the equivalent of two class periods from that class. Students are responsible for making up all missed work unless the teacher decides that the student can be exempted or receive an alternate assignment Teachers do not provide instruction to students who were absent during class time Students are expected to initiate communication regarding an absence with the teacher.

Study Skills Strategies for High School Schedule a consistent time to complete independent work at home. Students should be studying/working independently on average 14 hours a week ( 2 hours a day for 7 days a week Working at home should be a daily routine

Study Skills Strategies High School Students should consult with their teacher regarding the best way to study Strategies for one class may not work for another Parents should be aware that each content teacher provides to students study strategies that the student might not be aware of In order to effectively study, students must interact with the information over multiple days in a variety of ways Students need to be aware that if a teacher gives an assignment or announces a test a week to two days prior, it is with the expectation that it will take them longer then a day to complete the assignment Students need to set priorities nightly and weekly to manage completing the work

Study Skills Strategies for High School Make time to take a break from studying Students have to ability to focus on one task for approx 20 minutes. After 20 minutes their mind will wonder and they should take a mental break 5 min.) They should not engage in a task of high interest. Students should not focus only on one subject in an evening. Before students begin work they should make sure they have recorded the assignments from the day. Before starting the assignments due the following day. Students usually have the ability to remember what happened in class and what was assigned on that day.

Resources For Students At Blair Counseling Office Career Center Academic Support Blair Sports Academy George B. Thomas Learning Academy Reading Classes Edline School Psychologists Pupil Personnel Worker Montgomery County Crisis Center YMCA Counseling Services Extra-Curricular Activities & Sports

Resources For Students At Blair Counseling Services Provided Individual Counseling Group Counseling Crisis Intervention Counseling Academic Counseling College & Career Advising Parent-Teacher Conferences Classroom Presentations To Students Consultation With Parents, Teachers, & Other Professionals Outside Counseling Referrals Registration & Scheduling Information For Special Programs & Outside Programs

Who Is My Student’s Counselor? Mr. Hollins 9 th /Teams: 3 & 4 Ms. Bray Teams: 1 & 2 Ms. Bailey Teams 5 & 6 ESOL Mr. Simms (A-M) Mr. Burwell (M-R) Ms. Taylor (S-Z) Magnet Ms. Ross (A-K) Ms. Taylor (L-Z) CAP Ms. Wilson

Contacting The Counseling Office Counselors Available 7:10-2:40 pm Counseling Office Phone For Addresses Go to