th

Mrs. Murrahs Guidelines for Success

Grade Pre-AP Reading & Pre-AP English

This information is provided to ensure that you have a successful year in

7th Grade PreAP Reading class. It is important that you are familiar with these guidelines so
that you understand what I expect from you as a student. This information will always be
kept in your reading binder. You can refer back to it whenever necessary. I expect each of
my students to give his or her best effort and to have a successful school year. Following
these guidelines will help make that happen.
Conference times: A days: 1:15 2:15 (3rd period) B days: 11:00 12:00 (6th period)
Phone: 830-357-3147
E-mail: stacie.murrah@boerne-isd.net
Online Class Information
My webpage is on the website for Boerne ISD is www.boerne-isd.net. It contains useful information
about due dates and has copies of notes, assignments, and other important documents available for
you to print off if you lose your copy. I encourage you to make use of my webpage. It will help you
stay organized. Students will be using Google Classroom for upcoming assignments and due dates.
POLICIES:
Grading Standard for Course
50% - Application & Reinforcement
50% - Evaluation
If you want to know what your grade is between progress reports, please come by before or after school
to ask me. I will be happy to discuss your grade with you then. Class time is not a good time to have a
quality discussion with you about your grades. I will write you a pass during class to come speak to me at
another time about your grades, so just let me know if you need one.
Grades - Late Work
Late work will receive a reduction in grade. If your homework is not completed before entering class, it is
considered LATE! These assignments must be turned in by the next class meeting. The highest you can
earn on a late assignment is 70%. If you do not turn in assignment in a zero will be entered in the grade
book. Your parents will be able to see zeroes when they log on to see your grades online. Please make
every effort to turn your work in on time. You may only have one late assignment per nine week
grading period. Any assignment turned in late after a student has turned in a late assignment for that
particular grading period will result in a zero.
Grades- Make-up Work
Make-up work must be handed in the first class period after your return to class. This means you have
one day per day absence to make up your work. If you have been absent for a longer period of time,
I will work with you on due dates. It is your responsibility to check with me to see what you have
missed. I will have your work collected in a folder marked Make-up Work for the day(s) you were
absent. You will need to sign for your make-up work so that we both know that you received it. See me as
soon as you can to get your missed work. For example, if you were absent on an A day and return the
next day, come by and see me anyway even though you may not have my class that day. It is most
helpful to come see me before or after school to get missing work. Any work not made up in the
allowed time period will be counted as a zero.
Gum
It is against school rules to have gum. I will ask you to spit your gum out if I see you with it. If you
continue to repeat the offense, it will begin to count as a documented offense which can eventually lead to
a referral.
Homework
I want you to read something every night whether it be a magazine, newspaper, novel, comic book, or
reading for another class. For the most part, I will not assign a regular homework assignment. If you work
efficiently in class, you will not have homework all the time. On occasion, something may need to be

finished at home because we have run out of time or for some other reason. Of course, studying for
exams and quizzes will also be something you will be expected to do at home.
Tardy
Be on time to class. We get started right away, and I dont want you to miss anything! If you are tardy
and dont have a pass from a teacher explaining the reason, you will be counted tardy. A third tardy in
any one class per nine weeks results in an office referral for excessive tardies.
Clutter and Accident Prevention In order to keep your work space uncluttered and the walkways free,
no purses or notebooks are allowed to remain on your desk. You may get your notebook out if we are
taking notes in it or you need paper, etc., but it will then be placed back under your desk. No notebooks,
books, purses, or other personal items are allowed in the walkways at any time. Also, only bags 15 " X 15
" X 15 "or smaller when filled may enter my classroom due to space limitations. All larger sized bags
must stay inside lockers from 8:50 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Some students carry the back sacks with strings for
class to class transport, and they leave the oversized backpacks in their lockers for to and from school
travel.
Student Planners
The student planner will be used to record homework assignments, projects, and test dates. You MUST
have it with you everyday. If you do not have it, you will be sent to get it if you have left it in your locker
or another class and will be counted tardy if you do not make it back before the bell rings or if you have to
leave after the tardy bell has rung. If you have left it at home, you will receive a warning and the third
such warning in any one nine week period will result in a documented offense for not following the school
rule of Be responsible. You are responsible for writing down your assignments each day. Homework
assignments, other than the usual reading I want you to do, will be written on the white board behind my
desk. We will take the last few minutes of class to review the homework, upcoming projects tests, and/or
any class work that needs to be finished at home. This is when you will copy it into your planner if you did
not take the opportunity to do so before the tardy bell rang at the beginning of class. I encourage your
parents to review the planner so that they are aware of due dates and tests also. It never hurts to have
one more person to help you remember things! If you lose the planner you were given at the beginning of
the year, you will be required to purchase a new one from the office. Again, you are required to bring
your planner with you to class every day and use it to record assignments, tests, and projects.
Food and Drink
Do not bring food or drinks, other than water, into class. Dont be surprised when I ask you to throw a
food or drink item away if you bring it into class.
PROCEDURES:
Asking to Go Get Something You Forgot for Class
If you choose to leave class to go get something you need for my class from your locker or elsewhere in
the school, you will be counted tardy no matter how far into class we are. Please remember to bring what
you need for class. Also, remember that three tardies in one nine week period results in an Incident
Report to the office.
Emergency Drills
During fire drills, you will follow me silently in a straight line. We will proceed silently across the blacktop
to our assigned location. We will remain silent on the field. When we are given the signal to return to
return to class, we will proceed back the way we came, still silently. We will debrief on how our drill went
when we are back in the classroom. We will also review procedures for non-standard fire drills and other
drills. A disruption during any drill will result in an Incident Report to the office and a parent phone call.
We must take all drills very seriously so that if we ever have a real emergency, we will be prepared.
Entering Class
You will enter the classroom in a quiet, orderly fashion, sit down at your assigned seat, and be ready to
start class as soon as the bell rings. This is the perfect opportunity to write down your assignments in your
planner. Once you have entered class, you are not allowed to leave unless you have received permission
from me to do so. That means no dropping your books off and then going out into the hall to visit with
friends. You may use the restroom during the time between classes if you will not be tardy to class by
doing so.

Furniture
The desks are school property. They need to be treated with care. So, do not jump over them, climb on
them, sit or lean on the backs of the chair part or the desktops, or in any other way abuse them. You will
have to walk down your row to your seat rather than hop across the chairs.
Graded Assignments and Tests
NEVER throw a graded assignment away until I have given you permission to do so. You will keep all
graded work in your notebook until the end of the nine weeks, AFTER report cards have been sent home.
Only then will we go through what is in your binders and get rid of what we dont need. That way, if there
is a question about your grades or any missing assignments, we will be able to check your notebook.
Many of your notes and assignments will be reviewed periodically, and in some cases, frequently, and will
be used to study for quizzes, tests, and exams.
Leaving Class
I dismiss class. The bell is not an automatic dismissal signal. Do not begin packing up until I have given
you the okay to do so. Row captains will check to make sure there are no books, papers, etc., left on the
floor or in the wire baskets underneath the chairs before the class will be dismissed. When all trash,
books, etc., are picked up and put in the proper place, then you will be dismissed. Leave class in a quiet,
orderly fashion. Also make sure that you turn in any assignment I have assigned to be finished by the end
of class, finished or not.
Note Writing and Note Passing
While I certainly dont want to discourage any future writers from developing their writing skills, we do not
have time for you to write notes or pass notes in class. If it becomes a problem, I will take disciplinary
action (phone calls to parents, documented offenses, and Incident Reports if necessary.)
Permission to Leave Class Bathroom or Drink of Water
In order to leave class to go to the bathroom, ask my permission. If I say it is a good time, you will fill out
the back of your planner where it says Hall Pass. I will need to initial it. You will take this with you when
you leave the room in case anyone asks to see your pass. If you dont have your planner, you will have to
wait until the end of class to go to the restroom. *See me privately if it is an EXTREME emergency. You
may not ask to leave class 15 minutes after the beginning of class or 15 minutes before the end of class.
Only one person will be out of the room at a time. If you are in my 7 th period class, you will not be allowed
to go the bathroom 15 minutes before lunch or within 15 after lunch. Please use the facilities during your
lunch break. If you abuse the privilege of leaving class by going somewhere you have not been given
permission to go, staying out of class too long, creating disruptions for other teachers and/or students,
etc., you will lose the privilege.
Questions, Volunteering Answers, and Class Discussions
I want to know what you think about the topics we discuss in class. Normal procedure for asking a
question, answering a question asked to the class as a whole, or making a topic-related comment is to
raise your hand and wait to be called on by the teacher. If we are having a class discussion, I will make it
clear beforehand whether we are brainstorming in which case just calling out an answer would be okay,
raising hands to be called upon to answer or comment, or holding all answers or comments until your
name is called.
Sharpening Pencils
You may sharpen your pencil at the beginning of class or during group or independent work. NEVER
sharpen your pencil when I am talking or reading to the class, during class discussion, while we are doing
independent reading, or during a test or quiz.

Substitutes
I try to miss as little school as possible, but occasionally I have to miss a day. Our subs are a valuable
part of our school community. When I have a substitute, she or he is in charge and will have seating
charts, class rosters, etc., in advance. If you are rude or insubordinate to the sub, either the sub or I will
fill out an Incident Report and turn it into the office.

Supplies
1 binder for class (1 inch or A/B Binder)
independent reading material
1 composition book
planner (school-provided planner only)
pen (blue or black ink only) or pencil
red pen
loose-leaf notebook paper
highlighters (3-4 different colors)
3 dividers
1 set of spiral-bound index cards
sticky notes (optional)

You will be responsible for bringing all

supplies with you to class every day. I
may ask you to bring other items as the
year goes on. BE PREPARED FOR
CLASS!

Tissues
You may leave your desk to grab a tissue when necessary without asking my permission unless it is during
a quiz or test. As long as you show maturity by taking care of business discreetly, this works fine. Please
note that if nose-blowing is necessary, stepping out in the hall to take care of this would be courteous.
Trash
There are two trash cans in the room for your use. You may not get up to throw trash away while I am
reading or speaking to the class or while someone else is speaking to the class.
Our newest policy: Digital Readers!!
Our district will now be allowing digital readers to be used in the classroom. E-Readers such as Nooks,
Kindles, and iPads will be allowed in the classroom. The conditions of use are that the student MUST ask
permission from the teacher before using the device. E readers may only be used for reading material
and may NOT be used for accessing any other non-reading applications. Cell phones with e-reading
software are NOT permitted to be used in the classroom. E-readers are the responsibility of the individual
student and the school is not responsible for any misplaced devices.

I look forward to having an extraordinary year together!

Mrs. Murrah