Geometry – Mr.

Amaral
Classroom Management Plan 2018-2019
amaral.brandon@csu.fullerton.edu
(714) 986-7500 x14503
Room 503
amaralmath.weebly.com
Remind Code: XXX-XXX
Google Classroom Code: XXX-XXX

“The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated,

but to make complicated things simple.”
Stanley Gudder

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I sincerely welcome both you and your child to my Geometry class! I look forward to a
prosperous new school year at Yorba Linda High School as we learn together and develop our
reasoning skills. My name is Mr. Amaral, and I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Applied
Mathematics from Cal State University San Bernardino, and I am currently finishing my
preliminary single subject teaching credential at Cal State University Fullerton. I have worked
for several years as a fine arts coach, and I am happy to begin my first year as a school teacher in
2018-2019.

I believe that every student deserves a safe, positive, and welcoming environment in my
classroom. Geometry can be intimidating at first because it may seem so different from other
math classes your student has taken. However, we take advantage of this uncharted territory by
building a new confidence in math. My goal is for each and every student in my class to succeed,
including your child, in developing their mathematical reasoning, critical thinking, and language
skills.

In alignment with my goal, you can expect several things from me. I will scaffold my
lessons to build on your child’s previous language and content learning. I will guide your
students to develop their critical thinking and language skills through class discussions and
regular pair and group work opportunities. And, since it is so important to have your support
through the year, I will regularly keep you updated with your child’s academic progress through
the Aeries platform. You can also expect to hear from me if I have concerns about your child’s
academic, social, or emotional well-being.

There are a few things I expect from you and your child as we work toward fostering a
growth-mindset. I expect attendance to be as high as possible, except when illness or
emergencies prevent your child’s participation in class. There is no “padding” built into the
class; every day your child misses school is a day where your child misses learning. And while I
do not anticipate having any classroom management issues this school year, I expect your
support in ensuring the classroom environment is safe and productive every day—your child is
an integral part of a fostering and positive learning environment.

This Geometry course will explore congruence, similarity, right triangles, trigonometry,
circles, expressing geometric properties with equations, geometric measurement and dimension,
and modeling. We will utilize the Big Ideas Geometry textbook which is provided to your child
by the school. Homework will be assigned regularly online using the Big Ideas platform,
accessible on any internet-enabled device. Each unit of the course will include homework, a quiz,
and an test. The course will be interspersed with algebra review to keep your child’s algebra
skills fresh as they advance to higher level mathematics next year.

Should you or your child have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly. I am
available during school lunch as well as every day after school until 3:30. I am also available for
conferences by appointment. I very much look forward to meeting you and working with you to
promote your child’s success!

Warm regards,
Mr. Amaral

Please detach and sign the slip below. I will collect this at the end of the first week on Friday

Student
Period:
Name _________________________________________________ _________________

I have read Mr. Amaral’s syllabus and understand the above information.
Student has joined the Google Classroom. Student (and optionally, the guardian) has joined
the Remind group.

Student
Date:
Signature _________________________________________________ _________________

Parent
Date:
Signature _________________________________________________ _________________
 Grading
Grading Scale
The course is weighted with the following grading scale:
Homework 20%
Quizzes 25%
Unit Tests 40%
Final Exam 15%

Homework is assigned with every new lesson topic using the Big Ideas online platform and can
be completed using any modern internet-enabled device. Quizzes will take place near the middle
of each unit, allowing students to reflect on how well they are mastering the content standards
so far. Tests are given at the end of each unit and are generally open-ended, allowing students to
demonstrate their learning to their best ability.

Cutoffs
Letter grades will follow the traditional school scale:
A+ A A-
97%-100% 93-97% 90%-93%

B+ B B-
87%-90% 83-87% 80%-83%

C+ C C-
77%-80% 73-77% 70%-73%

D+ D D-
67%-70% 63-67% 60%-63%

F
0%-59%

Academic Honesty Policy

According to the Yorba Linda High School handbook, “Academic dishonesty is the act of
participating in obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of dishonest,
deceptive, fraudulent, or unauthorized means.”

Consequences for academic dishonesty:

Incident 1 • Zero on assignment(s) or Test
• Parent contact by Teacher
• Counselor contact to review Academic Policy and Discipline
• Referral to Counselor
• Academic Integrity Assignment 1
 Incident 2 • Zero on assignment
• Parent contact by Teacher
• Referral to Counselor
• Counselor contact to review Academic Policy and Discipline
• Placed on Behavior Contract
• Saturday School
• “N” in Citizenship for Semester
• Academic Integrity Assignment 2

Incident 3 • Zero on assignment

• Parent contact by Teacher
• Referral to Counselor
• Counselor contact to review discipline
• Saturday School
• “U” in Citizenship for Semester
• Counselor reports incidents of academic integrity violations on
student’s college applications
• Not eligible for Senior Awards or Mustang Scholar Program
• Student removed from any and all elected or appointed co-curricular
positions (i.e., ASB,
• athletic captains, club officer)
• Academic Integrity Assignment 3

My grading policy emphasizes student mastery of the content standards as demonstrated on

assessments. Students receive

Classroom Expectations
1. Be respectful of others
2. Persevere in problem solving
3. Actively participate in lessons
4. Remain seated from bell to bell unless the class activity calls for standing
5. Embrace your mistakes as learning opportunities
6. Ask questions!

Consequences
Positive Negative
1) Verbal praise 1) Verbal warning
2) Proud note home to parents/guardians 2) Detention
3) Treats 3) Phone call to parents/guardians
4) Proud phone call to parents/guardians 4) Parent conference
5) Other weekly incentives 5) Administrative referral
My classroom expectations are designed to encourage positive interactions throughout each
lesson. My classroom is not one of passive observation, but of active participations and learning!

Routines and Procedures

Starting and Ending Class
The school year is preciously short. To maximize learning, our lessons begin as soon as the tardy
bell rings. Daily Bell Work items are listed on the whiteboard or projector at the start of every
class, and students should begin working immediately. These Daily Bell Work items typically
prime students’ background knowledge about lesson content and act as conversation starters for
class discussions.

Our lessons will continue until the very end of each class period. Typically, lessons will conclude
with a recap of the major points of the day’s lesson and a preview of what to expect in future
lessons. Students should be courteous to their neighbors and to their teacher by staying engaged
with the lesson until the teacher dismisses the class. Students may begin to pack up their
belongings after the class is dismissed by the teacher.

During Lesson
Virtually all lessons involve student participation.
• When students are prompted to “think-pair-share,” they should consider the question at
hand, turn to their partner, and discuss their thoughts.
• When students are asked to share their thoughts with the class, students should
contribute to the best of their ability. Don’t “pass” if you’re confused; instead, share what
you’re confused about. This will help guide discussion for the other students who are also
confused!
• While discussion is heartily encouraged, students must “flip the switch” and listen
respectfully and open-mindedly to other students when they contribute to the class.

Leaving class:
• Students should use the restroom facilities before school, during nutrition break, during
lunch, and after school. While students who request a restroom pass during class
generally won’t be denied, students who make a habit of regularly exiting lessons for the
restroom may incur negative consequences.
• Students who make trips out of the classroom must have an appropriate pass from the
administrative office, coach, or other school authority. Students should exit and enter the
class quietly during lessons.

Getting help:
• Students who need help with the lesson should utilize their seat partners and class
discussions. The teacher will regularly check for understanding during lessons; please
share your honest responses to these understanding checks.
• Students who need extra help outside of lesson time should utilize school and peer
resources:
o Tutoring Monday through Thursday in the library from 3-4pm
 o Study with a partner
o See Mr. Amaral during his office hours:
§ Every day after school until 3:30
§ Every day during lunch in room 503

Passing and Receiving Materials:

• Homework is collected and graded online, so there will be no physical passing back-and-
forth of assignments.
• Because our tests and quizzes are secure, students will not be allowed to take these
assessments home.
• Tests, quizzes, and classwork materials should be turned in to the appropriate trays on
Mr. Amaral’s desk.

Attendance
Any student who is not ready to begin the lesson upon the tardy bell ringing will be marked
tardy.
1) First tardy: Verbal warning
2) Second tardy: Verbal warning
3) Third+ tardy: Detention or Parent Contact

Absence Procedures:
• Students who were absent for a lesson must check the assignment calendar in the
“Absent” corner of the classroom to see which content they missed and what materials
they need to make up.
• All extra materials, such as notes packets, are located in a bin in the absent corner.
• If a student has an excused absence on the day of a quiz or test, they must make
arrangements with the teacher to make up the test in a timely manner upon their return
to class.
• Students with unexcused absences may not have the opportunity to make up missed work.

The above routines and procedures are designed to maximize classroom efficiency, bolster
student participation, and minimize confusion and questions which detract from lesson material.

Communication Plan
Feedback
Students will receive feedback about their classroom performance in two ways.

As a class:
• During class recaps, Mr. Amaral will recap and reflect with the class on how the lesson
went with regards to class expectations, routines, and procedures.
• At the beginning and midpoint of each semester, we will review and refresh the class
expectations
Individually:
• Students, parents, and guardians view up-to-date grades on Aeries. Mr. Amaral will
update the Aeries gradebook almost every day, so students will never be in the dark with
their course progress.
• If Mr. Amaral is concerned with an individual student’s progress, he may request an
individual conversation during a break or after school. Alternatively, Mr. Amaral may
contact the student’s guardian directly.

Setting Expectations
At the beginning of the year:
• Students and their parents or guardians will sign the slip at the end of the letter on page
2, signifying that they have read and understand the material in this syllabus/ classroom
management plan.
• Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend Back to School Night on September Xth.
Together, we will review the class expectations, course structure, and communication
mediums.

Throughout the year:

• Students, parents, and guardians are encouraged to visit my teacher website at
amaralmath.weebly.com for an assignment calendar, expectations, useful links, and
interactive tools.

Two-way Communication
If you have any concerns, questions, or feedback, please contact me directly using the mode of
communication you prefer. I can be reached:
• Via email: amaral.brandon@csu.fullerton.edu
• Via phone: (714) 986-7500 x14503
• Via Remind: class code XXX-XXX
• In person during office hours in room 503
o During lunch period
o After school until 3:30
• In person by appointment

If I feel the need to reach out to you with praise or concerns, I will use the contact information on
file with Yorba Linda High School. If you prefer that I contact you through another method,
please let me know directly. A direct line of communication is important for keeping students
accountable through the year.

This communication plan ensures: information is dispensed directly and clearly at the beginning
of the year; information is communicated regularly throughout the school year; two-way
communication is always available for pressing concerns. Please let me know if there is
something else I can do to accommodate you and your student with regard to communication.