WELCOME!!!                                                    
 

 September, 2020

Greetings Students and Parents and Welcome to our 2020-2021 School Year!!! 

I am Praying, sending Blessings to Everyone in HOPE that each and everyone of you are Safe and Well.  It is a Blessing to be alive in this Day and Time, with this Pandemic at hand.  WE are More Than Conquerors, God's choosen ones and we shall Survive.  

I am so Excited about being given the opportunity to Teach and Learn with your child and I thank You, the Parents for allowing me to do so.  This year is going to be different than in the past, but learning will still take place, just in a different format.  This is going to be our Best Year Ever of learning and acquiring New knowledge and building on Old knowledge.  You the Students, Our Students are now 8th Graders, the top of the school.  You are leaders who will lead relentlessly, setting high standards for everyone else to follow.       

As you know, the first nine weeks will be a form of learning known as Remote learning in combination with Virtual Learning.  Mondays thru Thursdays will consist of Remote (Synchronous) Learning and Fridays will be Virtual(Asynchronous) Learning.  Remote learning is similiar to going to school. Students will have class periods and times to log on and receive instruction from the teacher.  They are actually in the class via Zoom or any other apps.  These Apps will be accessible thru the "Clever" platform.  In Zoom, students will be able to ask questions and have interaction with the teacher.  Once a class is over, the students will have to log into their next class.  Virtual learning is when assignments are placed online and the students are expected to view the assignments and complete them before they are due.  

We will be beginning our first week with reviewing the Code of Student Conduct handbook.  During this week and the next, we will continue reviewing the handbook as well as talking about rules and expectations during remote learning.  General classroom rules include: Be Prepared, Be Punctual, Be Respectful, Be Ready to Learn.  Additional expectations include: Use your real or given name at all times,(no nick names), Student must be on camera and visible at all times, Cell phones should Not be visible at any time, Establish a quiet and comfortable working area void of any distractions, Mute your microphone or phone to avoid background noise, UnMute your microphone to speak or raise your hand in the Zoom platform, Use the chat function to record questions, Be Prepared and engaged, Remember, we are on camera/Think about your actions/Everyone can see you.  There will be disciplinary actions taken if rules, expectations and procedures are Not adhered to. 

We are looking to explore five main areas this school year which includes the following: The Nature of Science, Matter and Its Interactions, Force and Motion, Enegy and Waves.  Our first semester will mainly focus on Chemistry and second semester will focus on Physics.  We anticipate in doing virtual labs and other exciting activities.  Our Science Book which we will be utilizing is the HMH Series, Books I,J,K and L. 

I will be updating you periodically with more information as to what to expect and our progress with Remote/Virtual Learning.  Again, thank you so Much again for entrusting your child's education with me and we look forward to a Blessed, Prosperous and Exciting School Year.  Office Hours will be established later and I may also be reached by email:  jwashington4@bhm.k12.al.us Thanks for your support!

Sincerely,

J. Washington

8th Grade Physical Science