WELCOME TO
MR. DEGAETANO’S SOCIAL STUDIES CLASS
Dear students and parents,
Welcome to my social studies class. I am looking forward to
getting to know each of you better throughout the year and hope you will do the
same of me. I truly believe that the experiences each person gains through life
are worth sharing with others and that is what makes life great. In addition to
studying social studies content this year, we will also work on other lifelong skills
such as reading comprehension, organization, proper social skills, among other
things. With regards to social studies, I promise to not make you memorize
facts and dates but instead will concentrate on teaching the “big picture” and
the stories that make history, geography, and culture come alive. I realize
that no two students are alike and because of this I will use a variety of
assignments and assessments to create an engaging and balanced class for
everyone. Now that I have briefly introduced the class to you lets go into some
of the specifics.
I. SUPPLIES
- A
3-ring binder exclusively for my class
- A
folder with 3 holes exclusively for my class
- A 5
subject notebook
- Pens
or pencils
- Colored
pencils
- Flash
drive
II. RESPONSIBILITIES
- Follow
school and class rules
- Put
forth your best effort
III. ATTENDANCE/ABSENCES/MAKE
UP WORK
- You
must be in class on time and prepared everyday to do your very best
- If you
miss a class due to sickness or other circumstances you will be able to
make up missed work but it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
to find out what you missed and what you need to make up. TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR EDUCATION
IV. EXTRA HELP
- I am
available after school and before school for extra help. You just let me
know what works best for you and I will do my best to accommodate your
needs.
- Remember,
my job is to teach you and your job is to learn. So… you need to tell me
if you do not understand or need extra help.
- Asking
for help is a mature step in the right direction if you are struggling.
V. COMMUNICATION
- I
welcome my parents to come by and see me to talk about any concerns that
you may have.
- You
can also call the school or email me at jdegaetano@.k12.wv.us to reach me.
VI. CLASS RULES
- RESPECT
me. RESPECT others. RESPECT yourself. And RESPECT our school.
- New
FHS rules this year include:
1. No
cell phones in class or they will be taken and given to administration
2. No
food or drinks (including water) are allowed in classrooms
3. No
Ipods or MP3 players in classrooms at all
- I will
deal with discipline on an individual basis. That means if you never give
me any problems in my class and are generally not a behavior problem, I
will ignore or dismiss something minor such as talking when you are not
suppose to . BUT, if you happen to be someone who is always breaking the
rules and I’ve had to deal with you before then I will be unlikely to give
you a warning and instead jump right into getting parents and principals
involved.
Please review this letter with your parents and keep it in
your binder throughout the year so that you have it need be. Once again I look
forward to a great year with you guys.
Sincerely,
Mr.
DeGaetano
