Report Card grades and the final days of assignments

While I have shared my opinions of a number of things on my blog, I am not going to discuss the ongoing political sparring between the TDSB and my Union.  The students will receive a notice if they pass or fail from the Administration and I am willing to share the marks the students have achieved in the courses I have taught them.  The ETFO (Elementary Teachers of Ontario) have stated that the grades for all of the subjects will be in the hands of the Administrators.

The year is coming to a close and even though there is not a report card going home, I am continuing to mark assignments.  Work is still being accepted, within reasonable limits.  At the moment, there is a Food Project  --a Writing, Media and Art component -- that is still due and there will be a short Reading assignment related to an older article from What in the World pertaining to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.  

A number of days ago, I posted up a trailer for the documentary Promises. I think this will help contextualize the article a little more for the students.

A screen shot from the website for the documentary http://www.promisesproject.org/

A big part of the political conflict in this documentary, and of the continuing violence, relates to the erosion of what used to be a Palestinian homeland.  The idea of "Promises" relates to the idea that a 2 state solution between Israel and Palestine might be possible.

Here are a couple of the pieces of Art from the Food Project.  A number of students have created other ads for the project.  I will post images of them during this week.

Homework
/Commentary on end of year work:

In extreme circumstances, where there has not been enough work submitted, a grade of "I" will be assigned.  That stands for Incomplete.  I have been very flexible in my due dates for assignments over the course of the year.  The HSP schedule has provided more than enough class time to complete assignments in Language, Math, and the work they have with the "other" teachers.  

In the area of Language, most students will not receive a grade below 50%.  In the area of Mathematics, students may receive a failing grade of "R" -- indicating remedial help is needed -- but I have always felt that students should not fail in Mathematics if they take advantage of the opportunity to complete Rewrites in order to raise their grades.

For the Grade 8 students, I have pointed out that if they fail a course in high school, they will be responsible for taking a course over. I do not thinking failing is a bad thing.  I have failed two high school courses and managed to do what I needed to do to complete high school, but it is a reality that the students should prepare for.

I applaud the efforts of students who have used their time in a responsible manner to work to the best of his or her abilities.  Good for you.

Have a good evening.