Daphne Middle School’s Open House 2013

Welcome to Mrs. Law’s 8th Grade Language Arts & Enrichment Class.

Mrs. Phyllis Law

“Not only do I teach at DMS, but my children are products of the school system in Daphne.”

Experience: 22 years of teaching experience in the Baldwin County School System.

•Undergraduate degree in English and language arts from the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama• Graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

English/Language Arts class

• Consists of the following:*Daily response journal writing (will be collected

and graded every 4 weeks; and count 30%).*Assignments from literature book (class set).

Students can access the online book at home over Wifi. Students can take “screen shots” to finish work at home without having internet access.

*Vocabulary (learn 10 new words per week through practice and repetition; and tested weekly).

Reading/literature

• Selections will be read and analyzed from a variety of genres.

• Students are required to read 1 book per quarter on their own. For assessment purposes, students will complete a book report or book project on each book.

• The whole class, with teacher as facilitator, will read at least 2 selections from the 8th grade supplemental reading list per quarter (9 weeks).

How are grades calculated?

• Grades in the language arts classes (English and literature) will be computed as follows:

*Assessments (tests, projects, quizzes) count 60% toward the overall class grade.

*Inside class-work (assignments completed in class with teacher’s assistance) will count 30% toward the class grade.

*Outside class-work (homework) will count 10%.

How can a parent stay informed?

• By accessing grades, homework, discipline record, absences, etc. through the Information Now website (obtain student log-in username and password from the school office).

• Visit daphnemiddleschool.com. Click on the teacher’s name (Phyllis Law) for class info and to complete a parent/guardian survey.

• Email teacher from the school website or use this email address (plaw@bcbe.org).

• Call during teacher’s planning time (626-2845 between 1:15 PM and 1:50 PM).

Syllabus Information

The following were sent home during the first week of school:

• Syllabus• Classroom procedures and rules• Discipline plan along with parent letter

requesting that parents read the forms, discuss them with their children, sign them, and return them to the teacher.

Important Information

1. $3.00 per quarter, $6.00 per semester, or $12.00 for the entire year for purchasing class sets of novels.2. Two composition notebooks.3. Facial tissue4. Hand sanitizer

Please check the daphnemiddleschool.com website often. Please initiate an email regarding your child’s progress, and I will respond as soon as possible. List your full name, your relationship to the student, and the student’s full name on all correspondence.

Thank you so much for coming to DMS’ Open House.