September 1 to 3, 2010

Dear Parents and Students,

I am looking forward to the coming school year. It is always a joy for me to work with students to discover and rediscover new ideas and the fundamental knowledge necessary to understand our world. Our endeavor to understand the world, it's people and the building blocks of nature reminds me of my youth and friends. We were in awe of our place in the universe, nature and the people in it. We constantly asked each other questions and attempted to answer them in order to understand our environment. There are so many stories to tell.

Of course, we are required to grade the knowledge and efforts of our students. You may be curious of the structure that I use for grading. Simply, class work and homework account for 20% of a quarter grade. Since I place great value on retention, tests account for 80% of the grade. However, all tests may be re-taken during times other than class time in an effort to improve and learn. Of course, this is subject to current school policy.

My goal this week will be to use power point presentations and worksheets to determine the knowledge base of my students. With this in mind, there will not be graded class work or home work. Please view my blog Friday night or the weekend to see the plans for next week. I will up date the plans each Friday for the week that follows.

Thank You,
Mr. Ellis