1. 7th Grade Parent Orientation Welcome to Shepherd! Administrators: Eileen Cahoon, Principal Scott Eshman, Team Leader (Asst. Principal) Counselors: Netina Bodine, 7th grade counselor Eva Dwight, 8th grade counselor

2. Daily Schedule

3. Early Release Wednesdays See your child’s handbook for the schedule. Classes are 5 minutes shorter and we release at 3:20. This allows teachers weekly meeting times to discuss curriculum, students’ progress, etc.

4. Handbook: It’s a TOOL for SUCCESS! 2009-2010

5. How to use it:  Write in it every hour of the day. A HOUR 1 st PERIOD 2 nd PERIOD 3 RD PERIOD 4 TH PERIOD 5 TH PERIOD 6 TH PERIOD worksheet A-1 adding fractions HW read ch. 2 Esperanza Rising answer questions 1-10 ch. 3 Rev. War write paragraph HW swimming lab experiment finish lab summary HW reading comprehension questions HW

6. Contracted Students: Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 1st HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____) Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 2nd HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____) Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 4th HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____) Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 5th HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____) Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 6th HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____) Appropriate Behavior YesNo Missing Assignment YesNo Missing Test/Quiz YesNo 3rd HOUR Contact Teacher (472-_____)

7. Parent Signature line: A HOUR 1 st PERIOD 2 nd PERIOD 3 RD PERIOD 4 TH PERIOD 5 TH PERIOD 6 TH PERIOD Parent Signature Friday Student Name:____________

8. Keeping up with homework: UUse the planner to establish what needs to be done. EEstablish a specific time for homework each day. -- as soon as your child gets home or -- right after supper or -- at a specific time daily that gives them enough …. time, whether they have a little or a lot to do.

9. Keeping up with homework…  Stay organized -- keep separate folders for each class -- organize at the end of the day or at least at the end of the week -- keep a folder at home for “old assignments,” just in case you might need them  Do long-term projects a little at a time  Ask for help as soon as you don’t understand something  Use the Shepherd website to check assignments or contact teachers if you’re absent (www.mpsaz.org/shepherd)

10. My MPS Parent Portal Check your child’s grades online daily, with your child. See what assignments he/she is missing or needs to re-do for a better grade. See your child’s schedule, health records, etc. See progress reports and report cards before they arrive home in the mail. If you are new to Mesa, your child will be given a user name and an access code during the first or second week of school; he/she will set up his/her own password. Parents can obtain their own access code from a counselor or the registrar, and set up their own user name and password. If your child went to 6th grade at a Mesa elementary school, he/she should have set up a user name and password during registration. Your child’s counselor can help him/her locate the password if he/she no longer remembers it.

11. Academic Resources:  Extended Day Program: Monday – Friday 3:50 - 4:45 p.m. (begins Monday, Aug. 22nd) This is a study hall, supervised by teachers who can help your child with homework. (3:20 - 4:15 Wednesday) A late bus will be available for students who normally ride the bus.  Talk to your child’s teachers! Ask them for help before or after school, or during Intervention Period.  Teachers’ phone #’s and emails are available on Shepherd’s website www.mpsaz.org/shepherd  Private tutoring (for a fee) available through the Mesa Education Association (MEA); see your child’s counselor for details  On-line resources and free tutoring available through the Mesa Public Library:

12. Academic Support Groups  once/week, during either P.E. or elective class (usually Thursdays) for one semester  beginning the third week of school  work on self-management skills  weekly grade checks and parent contact  weekly behavior goals to work on to improve performance at school  Please speak to your child’s counselor if you are interested in signing your child up for Group.

13. Clubs & Activities  Computer  National Academic League (NAL)  National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)  Off-the-shelf Book Club  SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)  Spanish  Student Council  Yearbook

14. Could my child’s schedule change after the first day of school? It might, for several reasons: Sometimes, the computer makes mistakes that we have to fix. There could be too many people in one class and not enough in another. There could be not enough students to make a class, so we have to cancel it and move those students to other classes.

15. Yikes! That makes my child nervous! We know that it can be scary to change, once students have figured out their schedules. We will make sure they know where to go and we will notify their teachers that they have been changed to a different hour or a different teacher. After they’ve gone to their new schedule for a day or two, it’ll be no big deal!

16. What if my child doesn’t have friends at lunch? This is a great opportunity to make new friends! Students will eat with their 3rd hour class. Your child can find someone who looks nice and ask to sit with them… …or look around the cafeteria and find someone they “kind of know” and sit with them… …or sit with someone new each day.

17. Junior High seems big and scary! Encourage your child to ask for help when needed. Counselors Teachers Principals Secretaries Security guard We’re all here to support your child…and you! THEY’LL BE FINE!...and so will you!

18. Contacting Teachers  Parent Portal: There is a link next to each teacher’s name on your child’s schedule for sending that teacher an email.  /www2.mpsaz.org/shepherd Easier email access: on the Shepherd website… …click Departments …click the name of the department you need …click the name of the teacher you are trying to reach …the teacher’s email and phone number will be at the top of their page

19. When to contact teachers: *when your child needs an appointment for extra help *if your child comes home with a detention slip *if you need more information about an assignment or about your child’s progress in class *if your child has been absent or will be absent for 3 or more days **Please give teachers 24 hours to send homework to the counseling office or email/fax you an assignment **The Counseling office is a central location for drop off/pick up, but counselors will not request work for your child. You need to contact teachers directly. **The office will be open from 8:15 AM – 4:15 PM so that you may come by and pick up your child’s work.

20. When to contact counselors: *when your child is struggling in school, you’ve discussed problems with the teachers, and you’re not sure what else to do *when your child has a scheduling issue *when you need information about graduation requirements, class level placement, AIMS scores, etc. *when you want to schedule a parent/teacher conference with several teachers *when your child has personal issues that you need us to be aware of **We can help you strategize and troubleshoot. **We can refer you to outside counseling services. **We can refer to you drug intervention facilities. **We can be there for your child if personal issues present themselves at school and they need immediate intervention.

21. Building a College Going Culture The jobs of the future WILL require education beyond high school. Your child needs to see high school as a stepping off point, not as a finish point. College can = *2 year Associate’s Degree from a community college or technical training school *4 year Bachelor’s Degree *Bachelor’s Degree + Graduate School

22. Building a college going culture: Preparing for college MUST = *hard work in junior high and high school *grades of at least C’s or higher in academic subjects *taking AA and AP classes in high school in every area possible *ongoing discussion at home about the importance of education and where children plan to go to college

23. Extended Day Program  3:50 - 4:45 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday  3:20 - 4:15 Wednesdays  Teachers will be there to assist students with assignments from academic classes. Students may attend voluntarily any day of the week. Students who are missing an assignment will be required to stay. Teachers will stamp your child’s planner in the Z hour box if they are required to stay that day, and their Intervention teacher will walk them to the Media Center after school so they can get help with the assignment they missed.

24. Daily EDP Procedures *Students who need help with work and wish to attend voluntarily may go to the Media Center and sign in by 3:55 (3:25 on Wednesdays). Students who do not have an assignment when it is due will follow the these procedures: --The teacher will stamp their planner in the class period box, indicating they will need to report to that teacher for Intervention to complete the assignment. --If they finish the assignment during Intervention, the teacher will collect it and the student may go home. --If they do not finish during Intervention, the teacher will either have them call a parent, or call the parent himself, to let them know that the student has until the following day to finish the assignment. If it is not ready to turn in when they come to class, the teacher will stamp their planner in the Z hour box and their Intervention teacher will walk them to the Media Center right after school.

25. EDP Procedures, continued… Students who are required to go to EDP will sit at the “have-to be here” tables and the EDP teachers will collect thier assignment when it is completed, and return it to the assigning teacher. Once the assignment is complete, the student may either call a parent and get permission to leave early, or wait until the end of EDP and continue to work on other assignments. Any student at EDP who needs to ride the bus home will need to remain in EDP for the entire hour. Students who were required to go to EDP but did not, will be referred to the Assistant Principal, Mr. Eshman, and be assigned to ALC for one day. Students who are frequently required to go to EDP more than once/week or assigned ALC for not attending EDP more than once/month, will be referred to their counselor. Their counselor will set up a parent/teacher conference to determine what other strategies we may need to use to help your child make sure they understand the material and get their work done.

26. Why do we think getting students to do their work is sooooo important? Last year, we reduced the number of students who failed an academic class by half, just by providing them with Intervention period to get help with their work. One student failing a class is TOO MANY! We want your children to learn skills and be successful in school…and in life! Practicing daily skills by doing homework will lead to improved test scores, higher grades, and--most importantly--higher learning. There is a direct correlation between students who pass their classes and students who pass the AIMS. All students must pass AIMS in high school in math, reading, and writing, and also take a science AIMS that is not required for graduation. We want students to pass AIMS in high school, and graduate with the skills they need to be successful in college and in life. That means they need to learn junior high skills and good study habits.

27. Career Guidance at School: Kuder Career Awareness Program 7 th graders will take an interest inventory on the computer later this year and register on the Kuder website. This allows them access to Kuder throughout high school and into adulthood. They can explore careers, colleges, training programs, scholarships and other financial aide, and more…as much as they want! 8 th graders also take an inventory and continue exploring the Kuder website through Counseling units.

28. Need more help or information?  Counselors are available from 8:15 AM – 4:15 PM  Mrs. Bodine (7th grade counselor)  Mrs. Dwight (8th grade counselor)  472.1816 **Please remember that we have no secretary, and student aides will frequently be answering the phone. If your child’s counselor is unavailable, please just leave your name and number and the name of your child, without sharing too much personal information. We will return your call as soon as possible.