Have a fabulous summer!

Coming in Fall 2009

Physics K is getting a new textbook! We will be using Paul Hewitt's Conceptual Physics. Hewitt's series is known for its clear, concise discussions of key concepts, it's light-hearted cartoons, and its probing questions that check for critical understanding. We will also have access to a wide range of resources that coordinate with the text.

One of the most important keys to taking responsibility for your own learning is to get work in ON TIME. In science, topics build on each other, and if you don't stay on top of assignments, it quickly becomes harder and harder to catch up. It does little good to turn in six weeks' worth of work at the end of the marking period. You will have needed to use and build on that material as it was assigned.

It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to put work into the in-box on the day it is due. In general, late work will lose 20% for each day late up to 5 days late, exclusive of days you are absent from class for illness or family emergency on the day the assignment was due. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED THAT IS MORE THAN 5 DAYS LATE. I will be date stamping assignments at the end of each day so that I can track late penalties. If you are absent, you will need to write "absent" and the dates you were out on the assignment if you want the late penalties rebated. I will open a duplicate webassign through the 5 day late window but assignments will NOT be reopened after that time.

You can keep track of when assignments are due through the calendar on this site as well as through the white board in class, so "I didn't know it was due" is not an acceptable excuse. Most assignments can be downloaded from this site or are webassigns, so "I didn't get the sheet" is also not an acceptable excuse. The tools are here, so please use them.

All teachers at WHRHS use the Genesis gradebook. This will allow me to e-mail you and your parents as needed with your current grades and missing assignments should you start to fall behind. However, It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to know what assignments you have not turned in by checking the online calendar or white board in class to avoid the late penalties.

However, I do know that nobody's perfect and life does intervene at times so each marking period you will get two "No penalty" cards that you can attach to regular assignments to avoid the late penalties. These cards can also be used for an automatic one-day extension on a project or lab report. You will also be able to earn an occasional "no penalty" cards at various points during the year. Your cards are your own and cannot be shared with others, and they will not accumulate from marking period to marking period. Use them wisely.

Cheating Policy

Cooperative work is the basis for all science. But there is a big difference between cooperative learning and discussion and peer coaching on the one hand and copying and cheating on the other. The work you hand in must be your own. If I determine that you have used another person's work as your own, copied, or cheated on a test you will get a zero for the assignment.

Unfortunately this policy has had to be applied in the past leading, in one case, to zeros on finals for all the people involved. Since finals are 10% of your overall grade for the course these people dropped a letter grade for the year. Obviously there are serious consequences for those caught cheating. SO DON'T DO IT!