Greetings, folks, and I hope this finds you well as always. :) Just popping in for a mid-week check in & some announcements---keep reading and see below for important information about grading and Incompletes. As we head into these last weeks of the semester, I’m going to get on my “soap box” for a moment here.
Firstly, I cannot say enough how impressed I am with the effort & persistence you have shown during the closure. You have taken ownership of your learning and pushed ahead despite these tough circumstances. I want to commend you again for the hard work, patience, and flexibility you have demonstrated. While it may be difficult to appreciate right now in this moment, making it through this time has caused you to grow in myriad ways that will serve you well, both now and in the future.
I also want to encourage you to continue to stay engaged as we close the semester. No doubt, it is more difficult with each passing day to focus our energy & effort on our work. That said, it is all the more reason (and important) to finish the year strong. Along with the practical reasons—such as seizing the opportunity to improve your grade above your Baseline, and further build up your knowledge & skills for your next history course—ending the year on a solid note will be a testament to the incredible growth & accomplishment of finishing this unprecedented school year. *steps off soap box*
Finally, here are some announcements regarding grades: Semester 2 Grading
Our deadline for missing work in World History is FRIDAY, JUNE 12.
Your overall Semester 2 grade is your grade as it stands at the end of the semester OR your Baseline grade---whichever is higher. Remember that this assumes you have attempted to engage with online learning---so make sure you are consistently active & completing work in Teams.
Semester grades will be letter grades A - D or an Incomplete. If a student earns an Incomplete for World History, then they must make up that credit in the future, as this is a core class.
RE: Incompletes I will be sending emails soon (required of me by ISD) to notify students who are at risk of earning an Incomplete. If you receive this email, this means that as of June 1st either:
You have not engaged in online learning at all (regardless of whether you were passing or failing before the closure)
You have a failing pre-closure grade AND you have not engaged enough to reach passing during the closure
**NOTE: As I continue to enter work in Skyward, it might be that you receive this email but your current Skyward grade is now passing—in which case, good job and keep it up for these next couple of weeks! (It is a district requirement for me to send these emails, and I have June 1st data/grading that I’m working with.)
If you are behind or at risk of an Incomplete, please don't hesitate to reach out for help (email, schedule a Meet in Teams, etc.) so that you can finish the semester strong and earn credit for our course. Hang in there and keep on fighting—you’ve got this!
Cheers, ~ Matzen