- Good news! Finally, 3rd grading period grades can now be easily found in the Carmody Parent Portal under the Term Final section. Please be aware:
- If the composite semester grade is lower than the first and second grading period averages, chances are your child has some incomplete grades for the 3rd grading period bringing the composite semester grade down and warrants a more detailed investigation with the third grading period to better understand why.
- If your child's composite semester grade is about the same as the average for first and second grading periods, third grading period grades are probably about the same average.
- 3rd grading period grades should be up-to-date since I'm now using the *M symbol to post the third grading period grades nightly now for parent viewing and up-to-date computations of student grading averages. Hopefully, this should provide instant nightly dinner-time feedback. If the third grading period grades are not available on your parent portal, please let me know and the school officials will continue to trouble shot this matter to find out why they aren't.
- Any assignment/test with a *M grade means that the assignment has not be submitted to me for grading. Note: 3rd grading period begins with grades from October 27th. Good luck in viewing the daily assignments nightly and hopefully, you should be able to see in the parent portal on whether a daily assignment/test was graded or not that same day and/or made up/resubmitted in subsequent days following the original due date. Whenever assignments have editorial comments, the assignment was probably not completed as instructed (such as the formulas not being displayed).
Any assignments/tests in the Carmody Parent Portal with a *M means one of four things.
- Student was absent and consequently did not complete and submit the assignment to Dr. Data. Note: all third grading period assignments/tests need to be made up with a deadline of Tuesday, December 19, 2005.
- Never completed the assignment or did not do it such as being absent from class when due.
- Student forgot to put their name on the printed assignment. Believe me, this happens nearly every day even in November!
- Completed the assignment and probably printed it out but never picked up the assignment at the printer and therefore did not submit it to Dr. Data.
Solution for missing assignments? Since the Carmody Parent Portal (Infinite Campus) does not have an instant undo feature, it is possible that grades can get lost in their actual entry into the grade book. Two essentials things can help in immediately restoring any missing grades as identified below:
- Students are to put all returned assignments into their notebooks as permanent records so that they can easily validate that they did the assignment or
- Students whenever possible need to save their work on their server folder so that their saved work can
be validated by printing it again or viewing it whenever needed.
- Student could use a floating "A" for any missing assignment and turn it into an "A" grade. Note: floating "A" can not be used for tests since they can be retaken without penalty. The procedure is simple for using floating "A's", any day a student submits an assignment in class, they can use one floating "A". If two assignments are submitted, they can submit two floating "A" that day. Students can never "take the day off" and use a floating "A" instead of working in class.
- Students are getting into spreadsheets as the
concepts of formulas are being understood more. We will be dealing with adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, averaging
and some square roots as well. Perhaps, you can print out the daily assignments
at home and assist your child in completing them in whatever spreadsheet application
you might have at home such as. Clarisworks, Excel, Quattro Pro, Lotus 123, etc. When the
daily assignment has been completed at home, please print out the worksheet with the formulas
being displayed as that is the only way assignments can be accepted and graded
and then sign and date the assignment along with your child's name when your child
submits it to me for grading. All daily assignments and their links for printing
them out can be found at: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/spreadsheet_syllabus.html.
Note: there is also a companion clue sheet for every assignment providing insight
where formulas need to be used and what kind of formula is required. Both the daily assignment and its companion
clue sheet with formulas can be printed out at the above URL.
- The final spreadsheet assignments will be done on this coming Wednesday and Thursday, November 30th and December 1st. Here is the schedule of assignments that will be due next week including more detailed information about the final spreadsheet assignment which will be worth between 200 and 300 points.
- Family Budget Spreadsheet - Assignment #4. Printout Family Budget Original and Family Budget Formula: due on Monday, November 29th. for 100 points.
- Food Storage Spreadsheet - Assignment #5: Printout Food Storage Original and Food Storage Formula: due on Tuesday, November 29th for 100 points.
- Final Spreadsheet Project - Assignment #6: go to: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/Final_Spreadsheet.html: due on Wednesday, November 30th and Thursday, December 1, 2005 for 200 to 300 points.
- Friday, December 2, 2005 will be a makeup day which should help students submit missing assignments/tests..
Again, please go to: http://www.kuzmich.com/carmody/spreadsheet_syllabus.html for activating the assignment links for: 1) more detailed spreadsheet instructions, 2) printable daily assignments for downloading from Adobe Acrobat and 3) even extra-credit assignments as well.
- If we should have parent who is knowledgeable with spreadsheets and would enjoy
team teaching with me anytime next week, you are most welcomed
to participate and in appreciation, I will give your child a floating "A" per
period teaching with me! Now that's a deal!!!!!! Note: parents can also opt to assist Dr. Data in any of the following units of instruction: Internet search engines, PowerPoint slide shows which be forthcoming during the first two weeks of December, beginning Monday, December 5th.. More information to follow in subsequent newsletters about being parent-assistants.
- If you need to e-mail Dr. Data, please e-mail him at: jkuzmich@earthlink.net. Note: spam-like e-mail addresses could be blocked by a spam blocker.
- Looking forward to teaching the upcoming Internet search engine, PowerPoint, newsletter, web pages, painting & drawing, computer music and computer game construction units for the last five weeks of the semester. For more information, peruse any of the following links belows.
Hope this information is helpful. Have a Happy Thanksgiving weekend.
Thank you.
Dr. Data