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Mr. Polk’s Classroom Expectations, Rules, Procedures

and Consequences The expectations, rules, procedures and consequences of my

classroom are intended to keep the classroom environment

safe, orderly, and productive. Please respect the rules so that

we can maximize learning time together. The rules are not

hard to follow, nor are any of them “out of the

ordinary.” They are simply expected behaviors for high

school students in this classroom. If you have any questions

about any of these rules, or why they are in place, you have

the right to find out – please ask me as soon as

possible. There should never be a rule that does not have a

purpose! Thank you for your cooperation!

CLASS EXPECTATIONS

1. Respect yourself, the teacher &others

Show respect for the teacher, yourself and others at all times.

Respect others’ property. Avoid touching or writing on anything that does not

belong to you (including desks, textbooks, teacher’s belongings, walls,

chalkboard, etc.). Don't expect that others will clean-up your messes. Please

pick-up after yourself.

Access to any equipment in room is by permission only

Respect yourself and the rest of us by using appropriate language and wearing

appropriate dress-code clothing.

Be a kind person.

2. Put forth your best effort at all times

Always do your own best work.

Put learning ahead of getting good grades.

Put quality ahead of just getting it done.

3. Be prepared for class each day

Come prepared with all materials necessary:

An organized 3-ring notebook with 5-tabs containing all necessary

materials and handouts

Manuscript paper, pencils and erasers.

A red or purple pen for grading in class or underlining important elements

in note taking

Highlighters for emphasizing important text

A planner to help keep you organized - the most successful students are

organized.

4. Follow directions when given

When directions are given, do your best to follow them the first time. If you are

confused or have questions, ask. I would rather have you stop class to clarify than

be off task while everyone else is working.

5. Pay attention, participate and ask questions

Engage in what is going on in the classroom. If you have a question, ask

it! Otherwise, I might not know until the test that you didn’t understand

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something. There are no stupid questions, and chances are, if you are wondering

about it, someone else in the class is to. Be proactive about your learning and

don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you feel most comfortable waiting until after

class, that is okay, too, but do keep communication open between us.

6. Preserve a positive learning environment

Student actions that interfere with teaching or learning in the classroom will NOT

be tolerated.

Use class time to learn Music Theory. Please do not spend your time grooming,

sleeping, talking, writing notes, playing cards, listening to your iPod, text-

messaging friends, or doing work for other classes.

Minimize classroom interruptions by arriving to class on time and not leaving the

classroom during the hour.

7. Take responsibility for your actions

If you are confronted about a rule infraction, own up to it. Don’t deny it, lie about

it, or blame someone else.

Take responsibility for missed assignments.

Take responsibility for not understanding class material. Ask questions. Attend

tutorials. If someone else in class does not understand that is not a valid excuse

for you not trying to understand class material.

All handbook rules will be enforced. Please read your handbook. Students that

choose to break these rules, choose to have points taken away from their learning

readiness grade, and face the possibility of additional consequences.

CLASS RULES

1. Turn off cell phones & electronic devices

Electronic devices (CD players, IPods, handheld games, mini-TVs or personal

DVD players, cell phones, etc.) are NOT permitted in my classroom.

Cell Phones should be turned off and invisible during the class period. If I see or

hear your phone it will be taken away and given to an administrator, according to

cell phone policy outlined in the SAA handbook. Refusal to turn over the cell

phone will be treated as insubordinate behavior.

Cell phones will be placed in cell-phone bag at beginning of class.

Cell phone charging is not allowed in class.

Cell phones should be turned in at the beginning of class.

2. No food or drink, except water

You may drink bottled water in the classroom. If a spill occurs, please clean it up

immediately and inform the teacher.

No other food or beverage is permitted without a doctor’s note.

3. Arrive to class on time & ready to learn. There is a specific way I want you to enter

the classroom. I expect you to follow these procedures:

You are not to stand or wait around in the hallway or classroom

Enter the classroom quietly without running or pushing.

Take your assigned seat.

Copy the Bell-work assignment from the board in your notebook

Work quietly and by yourself.

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Be “physically” and “mentally” present in the classroom.

Wait for further instructions from the teacher

4. Never line up at the door before dismissal

Please remain in your seat until I have dismissed you. Never line up at the door

before dismissal. Remember, I dismiss you, not the bell.

5. Do not cheat, plagiarize, or copy work

Cheating is completely unacceptable. If I see you cheating on any assignment…

even for another class… I will give you a zero and report the incident to the other

teacher as well as your assistant principal and parents.

Plagiarism (copying work from the board, another source without giving proper

credit) is completely unacceptable. If you copy or plagiarize on any assignment

you will earn a “0” on that assignment with no opportunity to re-do the work for

credit.

6. Use polite and appropriate language

Offensive, derogatory, and profane terms are not tolerated. In order to have a safe

classroom environment where all students feel comfortable, no put downs, swear

words, or slang words with demeaning connotations will be accepted. Remember,

if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say it at all!

7. Do your best work & turn it in on time

Remember that the work that you turn-in is a reflection of your effort on the

assignment. Think about the following expectations when you are preparing an

assignment that I will review:

Write your full name and period number on all assignments.

All work must be neatly done and legible in order to receive credit. If you

print, capitalize properly (do not write using all capital letters).

Assignments that are bunched up, crinkled, illegible, sloppy, or contain

stains or holes are unacceptable.

8. Music Video ‘Movie Day’

On the rare occasions that we watch a movie, it will be music-themed, and we

will follow these rules:

Remain in your assigned desk, do not change seats

During the viewing of the movie, the ‘gift of silence’ is expected and

required. Talking is prohibited.

o If you cannot respect the ‘gift of silence’ you will lose future

movie privileges.

If you are behind on class-work or home-work you must complete that

work in the hallway.

Unless the movie has a report or project assignment you may do other

class work at your desk during the movie, otherwise clear your desk of all

items

Cell phones and electronic devices are not allowed.

CLASS PROCEDURES

1. Turn in homework to the proper bin/ and LATEWORK:

Homework is due at the beginning of the period when you come to class.

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Turn in your homework to your period bin or I will collect it.

Turn in absent work into your period bin.

I will not accept work completed once class begins and if an assignment is turned

in after it is collected that work will be considered late.

o Remember that you get 3 late homework coupon passes for the semester.

o The pass allows you only one additional class period to turn in your late

work. If late work is turned in after the 1-class grace period, you lose your

pass and the work will be counted late.

It is unacceptable to copy homework from the board once we review it; copied

work will result in a zero and is a violation of the SAA and district Honor Code.

I reserve the right to not accept late work without a coupon, but you should turn

it in anyway.

Late work without a ‘late homework pass coupon’ will receive a maximum

score of 70%.

2. If you are absent from class:

It is your responsibility to check Weebly for daily homework assignments and

homework worksheets before returning to class.

o Simply click on the homework worksheet, print it, and complete it.

Here is the link to my website on Weebly (check it often!):

o http://teacherweb.com/GA/SavannahArtsAcademy/Polk

It is your responsibility to contact your Study Buddy to see what we did in class

before returning to class.

o Ask your Study Buddy to send you a picture of the homework assignment

and class notes

o Make sure you have contact info for your Study Buddy

It is your responsibility to check Weebly for class-notes before returning to class.

It is your responsibility to see me the day after you are absent, if you have

questions about class-work or homework.

It is your responsibility to come to my weekly tutorial sessions:

o Every Wednesday from 6:50am – 7:30am in room 329

Please keep up with your work!

3. How to ‘keep up with work’ and prepare for quizzes:

Complete and keep up with all homework assignments on a timely basis.

o Ask if you have any questions about the homework.

o Turn homework assignments in on time.

Complete homework assignments before class and see me before class if you

have questions.

Remember that it is your responsibility to write your homework assignment in

your planner before you leave class.

o I will always remind the class to write homework assignments in their

planners and I expect you to do this on a daily basis.

If you are absent from class, see procedure #2, above.

Be conscientious about taking class-notes on manuscript paper in class on a daily

basis and review them for the quiz or test

Remember that I post all test days beforehand. If you miss a test that has been

posted, you must make it up immediately upon returning to school.

Read every lesson in our Essentials of Music Theory (EMT) textbook for the unit

we’re working on.

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Study the current unit lessons in the EMT textbook before the quiz or test, and see

me before the test if you have questions.

Study the posted class-notes on Weebly to prepare for unit quizzes/tests.

4. If You Are Late:

You are late to class if you are not inside the classroom when the bell rings. If you are

late to class you must:

Walk in quietly making as little noise as possible

If you have a pass, give it to Mr. Polk.

Take your assigned seat

Join the activity in progress. If you don’t know what the class is doing raise your

hand until the teacher sees you.

Continue working (waiting) quietly until I get to your desk.

If you are tardy, follow the tardy policy outlined in your student handbook.

Excessive tardies will affect your learning readiness grade and have other

consequences, such as detentions, etc

5. Pick up after yourself before you leave

Take all of your belongings, pick up any scrap papers around you, and put your

desk back in line before you leave each day.

6. Get missed work from Weebly, talk to your study buddy, then ask the teacher

Attendance is essential for optimal learning. Being on time and present in class

physically and mentally will be part of your overall grade. You may not be

excused from my class by another teacher without first seeking my permission.

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to obtain any missed classwork before

you return to class. Begin by looking on Weebly and texting you study-partner.

Follow-up with the teacher if necessary.

Make arrangements to take quizzes and tests immediately. It is your responsibility to

make these arrangements; I will not and cannot track you down. If you do not make-

up quizzes in a timely manner (before graded quizzes are returned to the students who

were present), you will earn a “zero” on the quiz or test.

UNEXCUSED absences on the day of an assignment, test, quiz, project, presentation,

paper, etc. will result in a zero.

7. Follow protocol for study center use

If you have a resource room teacher and need to take test in another setting, please

remind me the day prior to the test so that I can get your test to your resource

room teacher ahead of time.

8. Sight-Singing Procedures. You are expected to:

Participate and try your best in class!

Take the Sight-Singing packet home and practice each example we’ve sung in

class

Sing with your natural voice in your register. Do not sing falsetto.

Sing with correct solfeggio syllables

Tap the big beat with your foot, and the eighth-note with your hand

Engage and sing during the 30 second practice period to master both pitch &

rhythm

9. Use your coupons for hall passes & late work

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At the beginning of each 9-week marking period, I will issue three "coupons" to

each student for passes for the bathroom, etc. These passes are only valid when

used at appropriate times to be determined by the teacher. Each student has the

opportunity to retain these "coupons" for extra credit points at the end of the 9-

week marking period.

Remember the school-wide bathroom 20/20 policy. No bathroom visits the first or

last 20 minutes of class.

At the beginning of each semester, I also issue three "late homework passes" to

each student for emergency situations when homework cannot be completed by

the due date. These passes do not excuse a student from the assignment entirely;

they only allow a student ONE extra day to complete the assignment.

Assignments must be 25 points or less in order to use a late pass on them. Each

student has the opportunity to retain these "coupons" for extra credit points at the

end of the semester. Each coupon will be worth 5 test points or 10 homework

points. It is your responsibility to turn in the passes 1 week before the end of the

marking period. The teacher will not remind you to turn in the passes.

If a student does not follow Class Procedure rule #2, late homework passes will

be invalid.

CLASS CONSEQUENCES

1. Verbal warning

2. Call or email home

3. Detention

4. Referral to assistant principal