BIOLOGY 19-20 Ms.

Willson
Room: 1407 and 1421   Phone: 425.837.7822
Office: 1410F Email:​willsona@issaquah.wednet.edu 
Website:
http://www.mswillsonsscienceclass.weebly.com 
Welcome to high school biology!
Biology is the study of life.​ ​In this class, you will be engaged in learning and experiencing life on both the macro (ecology) and micro 
(cellular) scale.  

Expectations  
● Respect​ others, yourself, the teacher (me!), and our classroom materials and equipment. 
● Be p​ repared​. Be on time, in your seat, materials out, homework done, and ready to discover new things! 
● Think​ independently. Lead, don’t always follow. Be curious and critical - don’t believe everything you read or 
hear. 
● Try​! Science is hard, but with enough practice anyone can get it. Have faith in yourself and give it more 
than one shot. 

Science safety is taken extremely seriously in the classroom.​ ​Any action that I 
see as being unsafe in the lab will result in sitting out for that activity, and possibly 
including receiving a zero for the assignment. Repeated incidents will not be tolerated, and will 
eliminate you from all laboratory work.
 
My classroom is a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) classroom​.​ ​This means that we will be using 
your mobile devices for a number of classroom activities, such as review games and surveys. If you 
don’t have a mobile device, a device will be provided for you. A​ lthough we will be using your devices in 
the class, it is important to know when it’s an appropriate time to use your device​. Please keep in 
mind:
● The only time using your mobile device is okay is during work time, or when I tell you to. 
● It is not appropriate to use your mobile device during lectures or tests. 

I will confiscate devices if I feel they are becoming a distraction and impacting your learning.  
You will need to discuss with me how to get it back.

Work Standards
● Your work needs to be turned in on time and complete. Y ​ ou can receive ½ credit for late work up until the end of the 
semester. If you have an excused absence, the work needs to have ​ABSENT​ written on the top of it and be turned into me 
as soon as possible for a stamp.​ I will assume work is late unless it has A
​ BSENT​ written on top of it. P
​ lease note, it is 
your​ responsibility to know what work needs to be done. You can check on the 
classroom website, check the ‘absent assignments binder’ or ask your table group 
members to find out what you need to make up. You have one day for every day you 
were absent to make up work. 
● You have followed all directions. 
● Your work is shown. 
● Your work is legible. 
● Your work is your own work! ​See Skyline HS’ cheating policy. 

Attendance
Regular attendance is essential to succeeding in Biology. Labs, videos and presentations are 
hard to make-up, and most always need to be done after school. I​ f you know you are going to be absent, prearranging work can 
be very helpful! 

If you are absent, make sure you get the absence e ​ xcused​ by the office. Unexcused absences will cause you to be unable to make 
up work. ​This can mean that if you skip on a test day, you won’t be able to make up the test! F
​ or more information, see the School 
Handbook on attendance. 
 
Class Materials - You will need to have each day:
● 3-ring binder (preferably 3”) for notes & assignments. ​You can leave this binder in the classroom. 
● #2 pencils with erasers 
● Red pen or pencil for correcting  
● Composition notebook, preferably with graph paper 
● Loose leaf paper 
● Basic calculator 
● Pack of color pencils/markers (​ optional, but highly recommended). 
● Note templates (​ see below) 

NOTE TEMPLATES
Most of the notes provided during lectures are given in PowerPoint slide decks. In my class, 
you can use the note templates I’ve made for you, or take your own notes- you have the 
choice. 

You have been charged a course fee of $10, t​ hat you will need to pay-​that covers the cost of 
the note templates and lab materials.

Please keep in mind that the pace of the lectures and the 
templates are complementary - they are designed to work together. I will not be 
able to slow the pace of my lectures for students taking independent notes. 
However, all power point lectures are uploaded after the end of the school day, so 
you can view them at your own pace.

Grading
Your grades are your responsibility. ​I will update and post your grades online every week, so you will always be able to 
see if your grade is accurate. If you need help understanding something from class or have been absent and want help 
catching up, it is up to you to find and schedule a time with me.  
Every Monday after school, I set aside as time for help and to retake weekly quizzes or make up missed labs. 
I tend to be in our classroom for at least 30 mins after school each day if you want to try and drop in without 
scheduling.
A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D F

93 - 90 -  87 -  83 -  80 -  77 -  73 -  70 -  67 -  60 -  ≤59.9%
100% 92.9% 89.9% 86.9% 82.9% 77.9% 76.9% 72.9% 69.9% 66.9%

Your grade​ is made up of the following work, based on these percentages:

● 65%: Assessments.​ T ​ here is one test every unit. You ​cannot retake​ unit tests. There will also be quizzes 
throughout each unit. Quizzes c ​ an be retaken​.​ Quiz Retakes must happen within 2 weeks of grade 
posting and I take the most recent score (even if it is lower). 
● 25%: Labs/Laboratory Work.​ ​There are approximately 4-6 labs per semester. One lab per semester will be 
inquiry based and will require you to turn in a formal, typed up lab report. 
● 10%: Final Exam.​ ​There is one final exam per semester. Final exams are 
not cumulative​, meaning that units covered in Semester 1 Final are not in the 
Semester 2 Final. 
What you need to do next: 
 
Go to my website: ​www.mswillsonsscienceclass.weebly.com​, click on biology and complete the survey I 
have posted on the website by M ​ onday, 9/10​. This survey is designed to ask you questions about your past 
experience in science classes and what you would like to get out of this class, as well as any other important 
information you feel I need to know. 
 
What you and your parents need to do next:
Take this home and review it with your parent/guardian. ​Sign and return just this page to me by M ​ onday, 
9/10​.​ You will not be allowed to receive ​any class credit​ after that date until these expectations are signed 
and turned in. Please keep the expectations i​ n the front of your science notebook​ to refer to if you have a 
question.

I have read the following and understand the course expectations for Biology

Student Name/Period: ________________________________________

Student Signature: ___________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name Printed: ______________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________________

 

I grant permission for this student to do work outside in the field area behind the school. Students will be given
ample warning when we do outside field work, so they can dress appropriately.

o Student signature:  __________________________________________________ 

o Parent signature: __________________________________________________ 

Please supply the following information:

Home number/best time to call:

Parent/Guardian Email address:

Are you allergic to anything? If yes, please state what:

Do you have any special needs or circumstances I should know about (such as bad eyesight, no 
internet/printer at home, can’t afford class supplies etc…)?