For Families

Welcome to Ms. Jennifer Ward's online classroom for her Grandville High School students. Family support and guidance are integral to a student's success in the classroom. I hope the following pages will help parents and guardians support the work that students are doing in our English classroom. I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
​             Room Number:    217
​             Phone Number:   616-254-6079
​             Email Address:     jward1@gpsbulldogs.org
​             School Address:   Grandville High School
                                                    4700 Canal Street, SW
                                                    Grandville, MI 49418


HOMEWORK AND ASSIGNMENT POLICIES:
  • Please review our syllabus for complete class details.
  • AGENDAS: Assignments will be listed on our daily agenda  and shared on a weekly calendar posted at the beginning of each week to our class website.   
  • CHEATING: Copying, cheating, and/or plagiarizing are grounds for failing the assignment and disciplinary action.  Plagiarizing is defined as using someone’s research, ideas, words (whether they are the words of a scholar or another student) without acknowledging the author of the idea.  If you had to look it up, you must give credit to the original author through parenthetical citations and a works cited page.  Using AI sites or applications to generate work for you either verbatim or paraphrased constitutes cheating if it does not represent your skills or original thinking.
  • WHERE TO FIND RESOURCES: All assignments, class notes, vocabulary, handouts, and literary definitions will be shared in our online space through Google Classroom. Expect to access our class website daily.
  • ​LATE WORK: In order to receive full credit on all assignments, students must turn in their work on the designated due date.  FORMATIVE WORK will not be accepted for a grade once the unit’s summative assessment is completed.  If a student does not complete a required summative assignment:
    • 1st offense: the student will be informed that the assignment is missing, and will have five days to complete it; if it’s turned in within the grace period of five days, the assignment will receive the full earned grade.
    • ​Any subsequent late or missing writing assignments will result in a grade no higher than a 60% once the assignment is completed to a competent level.
  • ABSENCES: In the case of an absence, students are responsible for making up all missed work promptly. Students have one day to turn in missed assignments for an excused absence. Students will not be allowed to make-up work from an unexcused absence. Unexcused tardies and absences will have an adverse effect on a student’s grade. Please refer to the attendance and grade policy in the student handbook for specific details.  Students should plan to speak to the teacher before or after school upon return and/or utilize information posted on the class website.

GRADES: Students must meet all the standards, measured by successful completion of all required writing assessments, in order to earn credit for this class.
  • Summative Assessments (quizzes/tests, required writing) = 80%
  • Formative Assessment (examples: reading logs, discussion, in-class activities, etc.) = 20% 
             
​Definitions:
  • Summative Assessments – Assignments that are designed to measure student achievement and skill level.
  • Formative Assessments – Assignments that are designed to help students improve and practice important skills.

             A = 100%-93%         A- = 92%-90%
             B+ = 89%-88%          B = 87%-83%          B- = 82%-80%
             C+ = 79%-78%         C = 77%-73%         C- = 72%-70%
             D+ = 69%-68%         D = 67%-63%         D- = 62%-60%
             F = 59%-0%


RE-TESTING AND REWRITING:
Students who fail a summative assessment:
  • Students who fail a summative test are required to re-test or re-write. (Teacher initiated)​
  • Students will meet with their teacher to review areas of the unit in which they did not fully understand prior to a re-test/re-write.

Students who pass a summative assessment:

Students who have completed all pre-assessment work on time (daily work, homework, etc.) and do not have any unexcused absences during the unit are eligible for a re-test option to improve the intended learning outcomes.
  • Students who pass the summative assessment and are not satisfied with their learning results may re-test; one re-test allowed for each summative test. (Student initiated)
  • Students who pass the summative writing assessment but earned a score of lower than 80% and are not satisfied with their learning results may complete one rewrite per semester. (Student initiated)
  • Students will meet with their teacher to review areas of the unit in which they did not fully understand prior to a re-test or a re-write.
  • Re-testing or re-writing must be completed within the timeline established by the teacher.
  • The highest score will be recorded

Caution: students who take and pass a summative assessment and wish to retest:
  • Students perceived as not taking the first assessment seriously so they can re-test will be referred to the administration and may be considered as violating our Academic Integrity policy.
  • ​Parents will be notified by the classroom teacher.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES:
  • Something to write with a pencil or pen
  • A spiral notebook to use as a Writer’s Notebook

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES:
  • ear buds for individual work

WEB RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES
The following sites have been identified as being of value to the parents and family members of students.

stay informed.

Ms. Ward's students and their parents can sign up to receive a daily text message of our homework by clicking on the appropriate class below:​