Dear Parent(s) and Students,
The Curriculum Assistance Program has been designed to provide support with academics and the remediation of basic skills. We will provide instruction of test-taking strategies, study skills, organization, self-determination, building positive relationships with students, and assisting students with assignments required by general education teachers. In addition to academic support, general Curriculum Assistance classes provide small group and individual instruction in organizational, time management and study skills.
We recommend students and parents review and become familiar with school-wide and Wake County rules and policies stated in The Student Handbook. Please find time to review this handbook, many policies and rules have been changed or updated. You will also find the North Carolina Course of Study for various subjects on-line. The website ishttp://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/common-core/ for information on Common Core and http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-standards / for Essential Standards . Please check the Athens Drive website under the Special Programs link for information about the Curriculum Assistance classroom and individual teacher web links as they develop.
In order to ensure an environment that is conducive to learning, expectations and guidelines for Curriculum Assistance classes have been outlined below. All students are expected to comply fully with these guidelines.
- Arrive to class on time. The tardy policy will be strictly enforced.
- Come to class prepared to work.
- Be respectful of all persons.
- Electronic devices have been banned in the classrooms. (Unless it is a book on tape)
- Cell phones are not to be seen, used or heard in any classroom.
- Bottled water only. No other food or drink permitted.
- Computers are for academic use only.
- Assignment book
- 3-ring notebook or folders (per teacher request) and plenty of paper
- Pens and pencils
- Highlighters in various colors
- Copy paper
- Tissues
- Notebook paper
- Germ-X hand sanitizer
Curriculum Resources students should be using throughout the school year include:
Success Series: This is a resource from WCPSS offering lessons in various academic areas. These are videos of master teachers in WCPSS presenting lessons aligned with the NC Standards.
Make the Grade Resource Center: Provided to WCPSS students to prepare for EOCs. The url is http://www.wcpss.net/curriculum-instruction/make_the_grade/Contactinformation
Study Island: Available to all students at Athens (Passwords will be distributed through homeroom).
PSAT and ACT Support:
Practice tests for the ACT are at http://www.actstudent.org/testprep/
Work Keys at http://act.org/workkeys/practice/
SAT and PSAT at http://www.collegeboard.com
Early Release Days for the Fall semester are September 4th, October 16th, December 18th, January 15th.
Athens Drive continues to implement SMART Lunch which provides opportunities for open tutorial sessions on designated days for each subject area. Students required to attend tutorials during SMART Lunch for Special Programs are on Tuesday, B lunch, and Wednesday, B lunch. Students who have an A, B, or C in class will be required to attend 2 tutorials per quarter. Students whose grades are a D or F will be required to attend 3 tutorial sessions. Students who need additional help or who have missing work will be assigned tutorials. Students will receive a grade for attending tutorials. There is a complete explanation of SMART Lunch and a schedule for Tutorials on the Athens Drive web site at athensdrivehs.com.
Due to the structure of Curriculum Assistance classes, students’ grades will largely be based upon journal goal reflections, agenda, PowerSchool’s grade sheet, Common assessments, CA activity, Notebook checks, Participation and tutorial attendance. There will also be a project and several tests. Students will have a final exam for Curriculum Assistance. Students in Curriculum Assistance will be graded based on the following criteria:
Curriculum Assistance Averages
- Formative Assessment (Common Assessments)…………………………………………………… 40%
- Academic Readiness (Agenda, grade sheet, notebook checks)……………………………….10%
- CA Activity……………………….. 20%
- Daily Reflect……………………… 30%
The Wake County grading scale and a breakdown of averages is provided below.
Wake County Grading Scale A 100-90
B 89-80
C 79-70
D 69-60
F 59-below
Daily attendance is imperative for student success. It is difficult to obtain information, keep up with assignments, and acquire knowledge without being present in the classroom. The student is solely responsible for obtaining, completing, and submitting missed assignments in compliance with the attendance policy outlined in The Student Handbook.
Athens Drive High School teachers, students and administrators value academic integrity, and this has always been the case. What’s different this year is that with the collaboration among a group of teachers, students, parents, and administrators we now have a clearly defined academic integrity policy. As part of this policy, teachers and students will follow a code of conduct which deals with issues such as cheating and plagiarism. Students at Athens Drive are expected to uphold the Athens Drive Honor Code. In cases where a violation of the honor code is suspected, the student(s) will be invited to meet privately with the instructor, the behavior discussed and necessary paperwork will be submitted according to ADHS Academic Integrity Violation Procedures. Please see the Athens Drive web site at http://tinyurl.com/mq3tedt to learn more about our Academic Integrity Policy.
You will have the opportunity to agree to this in writing upon several occasions by including and signing the ADHS Honor Pledge on each exam and assignment:
“I pledge to be honest and fair.
I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or assignment” _______________________
In our class, we will adhere to the following guidelines to promote integrity:
- Study and work in an honest and respectable manner.
- You must complete and submit your own work.
- You are encouraged to work with others only under prescribed circumstances.
- Do not copy someone else’s answers in or out of the classroom.
- Do not seek unauthorized help from those outside the classroom.
- Cite all sources.
- Quizzes and tests are to be completed without assistance from any outside source.
- Keep your eyes on your own paper during quizzes and exams.
- Protect your answers.
- Cell phones and other electronic devices are to be turned off and put away before each class.
Each Special Education student is assigned a Case Manager responsible for monitoring student progress. The case manager will answer questions and arrange meetings regarding your student’s needs and educational program. Feel free to contact this person any time at the e-mail address listed below or by phone at 919-233-4049. Starting this school year, students will receive a Wake County email address in which they must use for all correspondence with their teachers. Teachers can only respond to a student via the Wake County email address. Teachers will be able to respond to parents via the parents personal email address.
Please sign and return the last page no later than September 2nd.
Respectfully,
The Curriculum Assistance Team