New Student Orientation

WELCOME TO MATESGUIDANCE DEPARTMENT

Ms. Catherine FerraraSeniors –Anderson- to Intile

Juniors –Alan to JonesSophomores –Abdul to Raziq to Minotti

Freshmen – Arrowood to Malta

Mrs. Alison PrendevilleSeniors– Maio to Zambito

Juniors –King to Zuckerman Sophomores– Mueller to Zodl

Freshman- Mazzaccaro to Zdyrski

Opening of SchoolSeptember 5th will be a regular school day.Full-Day Bell ScheduleBlock TimeWarning Bell 7:25Homeroom 7:30 – 7:37Block 1 7:37-8:57Block 2 8:58-10:18Lunch 10:18-10:39Activity Period 10:39-11:00Block 3 11:02-12:22Block 4 12:23-1:43

Daily attendance and morning announcements will take place during homeroom.

There is 1-2 minutes of passing time between classes. Locker stops are permitted before homeroom, before lunch, after lunch, and at dismissal.

Club/Activity meetings and competitive team practices will be held during the students’ activity period and sometimes the lunch period as well (as needed). Peer tutoring and extra help from teachers is also available during this time (by appointment) if after-school arrangements are not an option for the student.

Transportation must be provided by parents for students participating in any after-school activities.

Student SchedulesMATES utilizes the 4 x 4 Block Schedule Format.

Students are scheduled for four courses each semester, fall and spring. Each class period is 80 minutes.

Freshmen are enrolled in the following courses:

FALL: SPRING:English I Health I/Phys. Ed. Algebra I or RMA (testing) GeometrySpanish I or II (testing) World HistoryBiology I Chemistry I

MATES COURSE OF STUDYSophomore Year English II Statistics Algebra II Chemistry II Aquatic Ecology Spanish II and III or Spanish III and Spanish IV or Research Methods/Applications Health II/Driver Education PE II Junior Year English III Pre-Calculus EFA Trigonometry Biotechnology (OCC BIOL 161) Physics (OCC PHYS 171/172) *Intro to Art OR Spanish IV or V US History I Health III PE III *Option II V/PA available as a P/F course for 5 credits to enroll in Spanish IV or V   

MATES COURSE OF STUDYSenior YearEnglish IV or OCC ENGL 151/152 Calculus or OCC MATH 265 US History II Oceanography or MARS 2202Environmental Science (OCC ENVI 152) Computer Science/EconomicsEnvironmental Issues and Economics/Financial Literacy OR **ElectiveHealth IV/PE IVSenior Experience: Research/SLE P/F** Spanish V

GradingFour Report cards will be mailed home at the conclusion of

the quarter (approx. every nine weeks).Progress reports will be mailed home four times a year

(approx. mid point of every quarter).Questions? First point of contact should be the instructor;

second point of contact should be your student’s guidance counselor: 609-978-8439 - Catherine Ferrara ext. 4013 - Alison Prendeville ext. 4029

Grading Standards are outlined in your student agenda book (page 32) and course guide (page 10).

Any student’s grade that falls below a 70 will automatically be assigned a “Pupil Improvement Plan” document (PIP). This document will be created by the student’s teacher(s), guidance counselor and the student. It will be initiated after any progress report indicating a 70 or below. This improvement plan will remain in place until the grade increases. The document will highlight areas the student can focus on to improve the grade.

Good grades are important right from the start!

Academic ExcellenceOn average 100% of our graduates go on

to attend four - year collegesMATES students complete a four-year

course of study comprised of all honors/advanced high school courses, embedded OCC ($25 per credit) and Richard Stockton College courses.

Additional OCC courses through Jumpstart can be added in your junior and senior year. These would be taken after-school through OCC.

Ranking and unweighted GPA’s

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSHomework:On average, 40 to 45 minutes per night, per subject.If there is no written homework, review what was

covered in class that day.Use your daily agenda/planner book daily.Prioritize your assignments for the evening.Seek extra help immediately when you do not

understand any part of your homework assignment. Any attempt is better then leaving it blank!

Have a “Homework Buddy”, someone from each class you can contact if you run into issues/questions on your assignments

Take advantage of any free time: lunch, activity period, bus ride home, before practice for a sport/band, etc.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSTime Management:Make a TO-DO List everyday.Use spare minutes wisely.Review your notes everyday.Get a good night’s sleep.Communicate your schedule to others, i.e. friends,

employers.Create a “Time Budget” and plan accordingly.Do not waste time agonizing.Keep things in perspective. Set realistic goals for yourself.

**Utilizing the points listed above will decrease feeling stressed and overwhelmed throughout the school year.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS Study Skills:Figure out your learning style(s) – Visual, Auditory,

Tactile or Kinesthetic.Stay organized.Exercise good note taking.Be prepared for class.Ask questions if you don’t understand something.Complete assignments in a thorough and timely

manner.Study in short bursts to match your attention span. You

will likely retain more information.Block out distractions.Studying is not just reviewing your notes - be an active

participator in your studying.Cramming is not the answer!

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSAttendance:School is your job not your parents!Please refer to your student handbook regarding all

attendance policies/procedures.Progress is performance based – you need to be here

for this to be properly measured!Missing one day of block classes is the equivalent of

missing two days of traditional class time.When absent, it is your responsibility to get your

missed work.If, for some reason, you are unable to get work while

you are out because of illness be sure to check in with each teacher immediately upon your return to school.

Some options for getting work while you are absent: have a friend bring it home; email your individual instructors; your parents can call the attendance secretary by 8:30 a.m. to arrange for work to be picked up in the main office by 2:00 p.m. that same day.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSAttendance:Make-up work protocol:

Students should check in with their teacher each block period for any missed classwork/homework.

Teachers will determine a reasonable make-up date for missing tests/quizzes/projects/reports - not the student.

It is the student’s responsibility to remember the make-up date/time that was scheduled by the teacher and to show up on that assigned date. Neglecting to do this may result in a “zero” on the assessment.

Tests/quizzes are re-scheduled during school (lunch, activity period, or missing the class period to take the make-up) or after school if transportation can be arranged.

Family Vacations:If you are planning a vacation, you should fill out a Vacation Request Form. This form is located in the guidance department and on the OCVTS website; it should be turned in to your guidance counselor prior to vacation.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSTips for Breaking Middle School Habits: Be prepared to work hard every day. Be prepared to make changes to study habits and

work ethic – MATES will be a different pace and rigor from middle school.

Hard work will result in good grades. It should not about the grade - it is about the

knowledge and experience you acquire along the way.

Hand in assignments you will be proud of and will reflect your hard work.

Open communication- Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance and clarification! Smart people ask questions! How do you think they got that way?

Academic Integrity PolicyStudents should demonstrate integrity and honesty at all times. Simply stated, cheating is taking credit for work that is not one’s own. Cheating will result in loss of credit for the assignment and may result in further disciplinary action as determined by the Academy Administration. Records of cheating by students will be maintained throughout a student’s full four years of attendance.  Plagiarism is copying all or part of another person’s work (ideas as well as exact words) as if they were the copier’s own. It is stealing; it is illegal and unethical. Any use of pictures, graphics, videos, sound recordings, etc., from computer databases, the Internet, books or magazines, must be documented appropriately. Anyone plagiarizing will face disciplinary action; plagiarized work will not be accepted nor will credit be given. It will be at the teacher’s discretion to allow the student to resubmit the project. The plagiarism incident will remain in the student’s permanent discipline file.

Keep the computer in a public area of your house. Learn the online language. Parents join the online world. Communicate with your child

electronically. Set up your own social networking profile and link as “friends.”

Nothing online or on your child’s cell phone is confidential. If you wouldn’t use that language in front of your

parents/grandparents then don’t use the that language online!

CYBER BULLYING: Ensure your child does not post information that could be misused. Ensure that your child communicates respectfully with others in cyberspace. Pay attention to the quality of your child’s online communities

and friends. Some Signs of Concern: Emotional distress during or after being online. Disrupted friendships. School avoidance. Never Retaliate! Save the harmful material and bring it to your

principal or guidance counselor.

Cyber Responsibility for Parents and Students

HAVE A GREAT YEAR!!!!