HEY PARENTS!

Welcome to the official newsletter for all things Language Arts and Mr. Goldhammer. The purpose of this newsletter is simple: to allow parents and guardians a way to stay informed about their student's Language Arts experience and to promote involvement in his/her education. This newsletter is updated regularly and should be a great way to finally get an answer to that dreaded "what'd you learn at school today" question students so cleverly try to avoid. As "Hey Parents!" is a bit of an experiment, be sure to pass on any comments or suggestions that you may have. Enjoy.


October 12

Sun, Oct 12 2008 05:17
A quick note:

I just wanted to let everyone know that except for a few huge assignments that just came in, online grades are up to date. Sophomores just turned in their essays on All Quiet, Freshmen turned in their final work on Of Mice and Men, and the folks in Creative Writing are about to turn in their first official, final draft later this week. What this means for parents and anxious students is that while online grades are essentially up to date, they may change quite a bit over the next week or so. Here's why: 

For all of my classes, grades are broken down into a number of categories. This allows me to be accurate in weighing certain assignments and making sure student achievement is not skewed in regard to one specific area. For each (LA 9, LA 10h, and Creative Writing), there is essentially a "big stuff/final drafts/essays" category that makes up 40-50% of a student's overall grade (click here for an online copy of each class' syllabus). At the beginning of the year, this can make a student's grades look a bit funky. This is because during the first quarter or so, there are simply not that many assignments in these "big" categories. That means (until more "big" assignments get plugged in) one or two assignments may end up determining 40-50% of a student's grade. While this can be a bit uncomfortable for a few weeks, the good news is that once more and more assignments get turned in and graded, the overall grade will balance out just fine. It's just the unavoidable nature of breaking classes down into categories. 

I know there a few concerned students out there who are wondering how they are going to explain this all to their parents. So, here it is right from the source: I promise everything will balance out just as soon the next batch of "big assignments" get entered. One assignment at the beginning of the year will barely make a dent by the time we get to the end of the semester. Look for updates over the next few weeks and be sure to let me know if any questions come up. 

Thanks,


Eric Goldhammer
LA Teacher
Mount Si High School