Welcome to English 9


English 9 Policies and Expectations

The mission statement of Mountain Heights Academy emphasizes 21st-century technology, flexibility, and personal responsibility.  

Mountain Heights Academy is putting the focus where it should be – on the student. Our mission is to facilitate lifelong success by meeting the needs of the 21st-century learner through individualized, student-centered instruction, innovative technology, service learning, and personal responsibility.

It is my job as your Language Arts 9 teacher to provide excellent and individualized instruction. It is your job as a student to take personal responsibility in your education. The following Language Arts 9 policies will help us both to meet these goals.

 

Late Work Policy


All work for each week is due at 6:00 pm on Friday (with the exception of noted due dates in your courses).


Missed work. If you miss an assignment and would like to make it up OR would like to redo an assignment past the deadline, fill out the form located at the top of each course. Your teacher will respond within two business days.


Work that is turned in past the 6:00 pm deadline will receive 80% of the total earned points. For example, if you receive 88/100 on the assignment, but it is late, you would receive 80% of the 88 points, for a total of 70.4 points.


Certain assignments will not be eligible for make-up.


School-excused Absences


Late work will be accepted for school-excused absences for full credit for one week after the absence occurred. After one week, late work will receive 80% of the total earned points. If you qualify for a school-excused absence, contact your guidance counselor in advance. School excused absences are defined as:


  1. Tournament or competition - when a student is participating in an intensive event such as a sports or arts tournament or competition lasting more than two school days, they may qualify for a school-excused absence to be requested in advance. Students are encouraged to work ahead prior to the event.


  1. Trauma/grief - when a student experiences a traumatic life event or grief, the student or parent contacts the school counselor and the counselor facilitates communication between teachers, students and parents, and office staff.


  1. Extended Illness - If you are in the hospital, having surgery, or have an acute and extended illness, inform your school counselor within 48 hours. Extensions will be granted on a case by case basis and your school counselor will facilitate communication between teachers, students and parents, and office staff. If it’s a preplanned event, we encourage you to work ahead.


  1. 504/IEP - work with your case manager if you have accommodations through an Individualized Education Plan or your school counselor if you have accommodations through a 504 plan.



Grading

This course is made up of participation, composition, quizzes and tests, and assignments.

All assignments, with the exception of tests and quizzes, can be resubmitted for a higher grade until the final deadline.

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is using someone else's original words and/or ideas and presenting them as if they were your own. Any time you use or "borrow" words or ideas and do not give credit, you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism is a violation of U.S. copyright laws and unacceptable at Mountain Heights Academy.

Here are a few frequently asked questions about plagiarism taken from plagiarism.org. ( “What is Plagiarism?” Plagiarism.org. Accessed July 5, 2009. <http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html>)


Do I have to cite sources for every fact I use?

No. You do not have to cite sources for facts that are not the result of unique individual research. Facts that are readily available from numerous sources and generally known to the public are considered "common knowledge," and are not protected by copyright laws. You can use these facts liberally in your paper without citing authors. If you are unsure whether or not a fact is a common knowledge, you should probably cite your source just to be safe. Please visit Purdue's guide, "Deciding if Something is Common Knowledge."

If I change the words, do I still have to cite the source?

Changing only the words of an original source is NOT sufficient to prevent plagiarism. You must cite a source whenever you borrow ideas as well as words.

What are copyright laws?

Copyright laws exist to protect our intellectual property. They make it illegal to reproduce someone else's expression of ideas or information without permission. This can include music, images, written words, video, and a variety of other media.

At one time, a work was only protected by copyright if it included a copyright trademark (the © symbol). According to laws established in 1989, however, works are now copyright protected with or without the inclusion of this symbol.

Anyone who reproduces copyrighted material improperly can be prosecuted in a court of law. It does not matter if the form or content of the original has been altered -- as long as any material can be shown to be substantially similar to the original, it may be considered a violation of the Copyright Act.

Are all published works copyrighted?

Actually, no. The Copyright Act only protects works that express original ideas or information. For example, you could borrow liberally from the following without fear of plagiarism:

  1. Compilations of readily available information, such as the phone book

  2. Works published by the U.S. government

  3. Facts that are not the result of original research (such as the fact that there are fifty U.S. states, or that carrots contain Vitamin A)

  4. Works in the public domain (provided you cite properly)

Can facts be copyrighted?

Yes, in some situations. Any "facts" that have been published as the result of individual research are considered the intellectual property of the author.

Etiquette Policy

As you are working in this course, please keep your choice of topics and language appropriate and PG-rated. This course also requires you to work in groups, participate in forms, and communicate with your teacher and peers. Open High School of Utah is unique and requires its students to know, understand and practice online “netiquette”.

1. Avoid “text” speak—LOL, ICW, BFF, IDK

2. Address the person you intend to speak to at the beginning of your message. For example:

Mrs. Daley,

Do you have some time to help me with the LA essay that is due next week?

Jenny

3. Use correct grammar and complete sentences in messages and forums.

4. Be polite and positive when participating in forums and writing messages. Treat your instructor and peers with respect.

5. Avoid using capital letters and excessive exclamation marks in your emails­ as it is considered yelling in the online world.

6. This is an online classroom, but it is still a classroom and subject to the courtesies of a regular classroom. Any comments or behaviors that would be inappropriate in a traditional classroom are likely to be inappropriate in this course.

7. Realize that one of the unique features of online high school is that a majority of our communication happens in written form. It is easy for text to be misinterpreted because we cannot see the facial expression of the writer. Be clear in your communications and think carefully about your comments/messages before posting or clicking the send button.

You can find more information about netiquette by linking to THIS website by Arlene H. Rinaldi, The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette--Index.


Office Hours and Contact Information

You are always welcome to contact me. If I am unavailable or with another student, I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Phone: 801.900.3514

Email/Gchat: mdaley@mountainheightsacademy.org

 


Last modified: Wednesday, 22 August 2018, 6:17 PM