7th Grade Parent OrientationWelcome to Shepherd!

Administrators: Eileen Cahoon, PrincipalScott Eshman, Team Leader

(Asst. Principal)

Counselors: Netina Bodine, 7th grade counselor Eva Dwight, 8th grade counselor

Daily Schedule

PERIOD TIME BLOCK MA/ENG TIME

Block 1A 9:05 - 10:17

Period 1 9:05 - 9:52 Block 2A 10:21 - 11:33

Period 2 9:56 -10:44 Block 1B 9:56 - 11:08

Period 3 10:48 - 11:33 Block 2B 11:12 - 12:24

Lunch A 11:33 - 12:03

Period 4a 11:37 - 12:24 Lunch A 11:33 - 12:03

Lunch B 12:24 - 12:54 Lunch B 12:24 - 12:54

Period 4b 12:07 - 12:54

Period 5 12:58 - 1:45 Block 1C 12:07 - 1:20

Period 6 1:49 - 2:36 Block 2C 1:24 - 2:36

Period 7 2:40 - 3:27 Block 1D 12:58 - 2:10

Block 2D 2:14 - 3:27

INTERVENTION 3:27 - 3:50 INTERVENTION 3:27 - 3:50

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.

Handbook:

It’s a TOOL for SUCCESS!It’s a TOOL for SUCCESS!

2009-2010

How to use it:

Write in it every hour of the day.

A HOUR

1st PERIOD

2nd PERIOD

3RD PERIOD

4TH PERIOD

5TH PERIOD

6TH 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

questionsHW

Contracted Students:

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

1st HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

2nd HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

4th HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

5th HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

6th HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

AppropriateBehavior

Yes No

Missing Assignment

Yes No

MissingTest/Quiz

Yes No

3rd HOUR

Contact Teacher (472-_____)

Parent Signature line:

A HOUR

1st PERIOD

2nd PERIOD

3RD PERIOD

4TH PERIOD

5TH PERIOD

6TH PERIOD

Parent Signature

Friday

Student Name:____________

Keeping up with homework: Use the planner to establish what

needs to be done. 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.

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)

My MPS Parent PortalQuickTime™ and a

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•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.

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:

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

Junior High seems big and scary!

Encourage your child to ask for help when needed.

CounselorsTeachers

Principals Secretaries

Security guardWe’re all here to support your child…

and you!THEY’LL BE FINE!...and so will you!

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/shepherdEasier 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

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.

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.

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

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

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 ifthey are required to stay that day, and their Intervention teacher will walk them to the Media Center after school sothey can get help with the assignment they missed.

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.

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.

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.

Career Guidance at School:Kuder Career Awareness Program7th 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!

8th graders also take an inventory and continue exploring the Kuder website through Counseling units.

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.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.