Spiceworld

Well students and parents, term one is now complete and we have accomplished so much. Today I sent out the term grades for science, social, LA, and math with the students. These reports are the same type that were sent out about two weeks ago and will hopefully explain how the student’s mark was calculated. For the most part, I found that students who ended up with lower marks also had trouble meeting deadlines or completing assignments. Those that were very successful used their time wisely and did their best every assignment and should be congratulated for their efforts. If you have questions about the report card and how to read it, please ask your child or refer to the previous posts.

Today, I also sent out the parent-teacher-student interview schedule. Because your child is integral to our educational team, it is important that you plan to have your child present at the interview. In the coming days, students will be creating plans for success in term 2 and will need your help and guidance. At the interview, we will share these plans and learn from the mistakes of term 1 (which is now over and done with) so that term 2 is more successful. Unfortunately, due to the number of students I have this year, my schedule is not very flexible on those days but I am willing to meet on an alternate day right after school.

How do the yearly grades work?
Each term is like a mini school year and each students starts with a clean slate. The final grade is calculated by averaging the three terms so it is important that students do their best in each of the three terms (or mini years).

-MS

First off, my goal was to have these out earlier but technology doesn’t always work out as planned. I’ve given up on our new software and went back to my old DOS program (the kids get a kick out of seeing a laptop that is older than they are) for this term. I assume that if you are reading this – you have some questions, so here are some answers:

What does this mean?
The report is a snapshot of what your child has done this term to date. It is not their final term grade. It is meant to inform the parents of what the child is doing well and what they need to improve on. There is still time to improve the marks if needed.

Why are the marks so high/low?
If the marks are high, your child is doing their job consistently. They are meeting deadlines, listening to instructions and following the directions. They are coming in for extra help if needed and use their time in class effectively. Math and LA are classes that we have everyday so there are lots of assignments and grades to report. Therefore, if a student does poorly on one assignment, there are lots of other assignments to carry the mark. Science and Social are classes we have every other day. There will be less assignments and that means that every assignment must be a winner to get a high average for the class. It is similar to the NFL season vs the NHL season. Every game in the NFL could determine whether you make the playoffs or not. In the NHL there are so many games that you can have a big slump for two weeks and still sqeak in to the playoffs. Most students who have lower marks obviously don’t do the same things the successful students do. If the marks are lower than expected, the first places to look are assignment completion, late assignments, following instructions, using class time effectively, time on task, and asking questions when they don’t get it. If they are doing their job as a student and still getting low marks, we may need to look at other ideas like study habits and learning styles.

How do I read the report?
Most parents want to see the bottom line or what their average is. This can be found under the main box beside “Student Summary Grade”. If report cards went out tomorrow, this would be their grade. Above the grade is the task box which shows each assignment taken in for marks and their mark on the assignment.

The task type column tells you where if fits in the overall evaluation – for most classes, it is a minor (or daily) assignment or a major (exam or project) assignment. These have different weightings as explained on the class outline given out to the students at the beginning of the year.

Score – the raw grade (ie: I got 7 right)
Out of – how many questions on the assignment (ie: 20 questions)
Percentage – the percent for the assignment if calculated out ( 7 out of 20 is 35%)
Percent of Spread – this is how much the assignment is worth in relation to the other assignments (assignments tht are done in 5 minutes are worth less than larger ones tht take several days to complete…the higher the value here – the more important the assignment or the more class time spent on it)

Wierd Grade Scores:
If you see an “A”, this means the student was absent for the assignment and it is “excused” – it does not count for him or against him but it will increase the importance of the other assignments by increasing the percent of spread.
If you see “NHI” this means the student did not hand in the assignment. Until the student submits the assignment, a score of zero is entered.

Missing Task Section:
This section (which will not be on all student’s reports) lists assignments that were either not handed in or that received a zero. It also explains the percentage that is missing because of these incomplete assignments. This allows the parents and the student to see how important each assignment was. If the student would have completed the assignments, the mark could have been that much higher.

Yellow Highlighting:
From time to time, I will highlight the assignments that were handed in late or incomplete. It is hard to meet every deadline but students must work hard to complete assignments on time so they don’t fall behind. If a student does not hand in an assignment on time or is incomplete, the student must write a note to the parent in the agenda and have it signed by the parent. If a student does not do this, they are not being honest with you or me and this may need to be addressed. Generally, students who hand in assignments late are penalized 10% or more depending on the assignment.

If you have further questions about the report, please email them to me at mike.spicer@pvsd.ca

Please sign and return the report by the date on the sheet. As with other signatures, I often give a mark out of 3 or 5 for this task. If they return it on time, they will get full marks. Each day late is a one point deduction.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions and I plan to have more frequent reports in the future.

M. Spicer

While we’ve improved in a lot of things over the last month, I find that missing and late assignments continues to be the bane of my existence. I know that students these days are busier than ever as the parents car pool them from hockey to dance to soccer to scouts to music lessons and balancing school with these activities is tougher for some kids than others. That being said, I think you will all agree that meeting a deadline or being on time is extremely important.

As a teacher, I do my best to help students meet the objectives in a timely manner by reminding them of assignments, using agendas, and Spiceworld. I also explain to the students that by meeting the deadlines, I am able to do my work and return graded assignments within 24 hours almost every time. If they meet their deadlines, I can too. When an assignment is late, I am unable to accurately assess their progress and it actually slows down the class as well as creates more work for me while I chase down the missing asignments instead of helping students achieve their full potential through lessons. Students who meet deadlines also find better self esteem.

Students who use their time to the best of their ability and bring supplies to class find they have less work to complete at home. As a parent, you can help students to meet their deadlines by checking their agendas, looking on Spiceworld, and asking if they have completed all the assignments and if they are handed in. If a student does not meet a deadline, I will have them write a note in their agenda that they need to show you. This will promote honesty and responsibility. Please sign the note and help the student complete the missing assignment. Encourage them to work ahead – especially if they lead busy lives.

If a student does not hand in an assignment on time, he or she can now expect to lose marks for being late. With your help, we can eliminate missing assignments and our class will learn more as a result.

Thanks for the help. Together we can help each child reach his or her potential. I welcome your comments.

Well, September has blown by and we’re already half-way into October. We’ve accomplished a lot in a short period of time – Two math units, routines and procedures, classroom expectations, and one full thermometer (which means a PARTY!).

We’ve also finished one monthly novel and I was proud of the fact that almost all of the students correctly managed their time, paced the assignment perfectly, and finished on time. The students who completed on time should be proud of themselves. This is a difficult task as most students find that procrastination leads to the assasination of motivation. I look forward to this month’s novel project which is part of our Saskatchewan Unit. Each student must read a novel that is by a Saskatchewan Author or set in Saskatchewan. Students are already part way into their books and will have to pace themselves to meet the deadline for the project at the end of the month. It will be posted again like last month.

Parents will find that grade seven will be busier every 4-5 weeks. This is the time it usually takes to finish a unit and since we started them at the same time…they usually end at the same time. I usually try to give the students ample time to work ahead on larger projects so they don’t pile up but sometimes I miss projects that happen in other classes and they might conflict.

Right now, I see that it is a busy time. We have a math test tomorrow, a science test on Monday, a health test today (which I heard from a few students that they bombed because they didn’t study which contrasts the perfect and near perfect tests I saw as some students proudly displayed their “A’s”) and a field trip on Friday. It seems that when it rains…it pours. This is very tough for kids and they will need your help in balancing their school and home lives.

All in all, I see a great class that can only get better. Almost all have made the transition to grade 7 smoothly with only a few bumps. They have adjusted to the high expectations and do their best to remember everything that is asked of them. I’m proud of where they are headed. We’re going to do some pretty cool things and have already had some cool opportunities. Grade 7′s, I’d like you to post what was cool so far and what is coming up so your parents can be more informed.

That’s it for now…I’ll keep you posted as the year progresses.

Mike Spicer

This is the new and improved website of 7S. Again, 7S shows that it is on the cutting edge of technology. This site is a BLOG which means that people can post information and add to discussion items. You will find several topics on the site.

First, you will find a Homework discussion area. Feel free to check for assignments or ask questions about assignments.  Parents should post a quick “hello” to subscribe to the BLOG.  This will then send you the homework as the students post it.  This is the ultimate communication tool.

Second, you will find my links that include my hotlists - a favorites list of websites commonly used by 7S.

Thirdly, you will find the major project pages near the top right. In this section, people can post questions and responses to help each other out on major assignments like Science Fair or Monthly Novel Projects.

On a final note, this is my first attempt at this so please make suggestions on other things you would like to have on this site and I’ll see what I can do.

M. Spicer - 7S – PBS

Vice President – SMYA