Sometimes you have to reach to get what you want.

Dear Parents or Guardians,

I am your child's science teacher. I wanted to tell you a little bit about my expectations for your child. Upper level sciences are demanding courses of study. They incorporate new sciences, new languages, and new mathematics into one school of thought. Consequently, students who want to do well must dedicate themselves to significant effort to understanding the concepts essential to upper level science.

My classes will be made up of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, laboratory work, drill, and evaluations. Students are expected to read the textbook for all assigned chapters prior to beginning the chapter. Students are expected to take notes during lectures and demonstrations. Students are expected to follow all the rules and procedures for laboratory work. This is essential, not only for the full learning impact, but for the safety of themselves and others.

Evaluations take many forms in my classes. Among the assignments which will be graded are worksheets, seat-work, homework, laboratory write-ups, quizzes, and tests. Laboratory write-ups have a very strict format, and points will be lost if the student does not follow the structure. Laboratory write-ups will also be scored on accuracy and precision as expressed by the data they collect for each lab. Lab write-ups will also be graded on analysis and evaluation of information collected during labs. Grades for the class are calculated by dividing the total points the student accrues by the total points possible, then multiplying by 100 percent. All grades can be found on the Parent Portal for which you can sign up with the Guidance department.The grading scale for this county is 100-90 = A, 89-80 = B, 79-70 = C, 69-60 = D, and <60 = F.

 Attendance is critical. There is a direct correlation between days missed and grades achieved. If your child must be absent, he or she must obtain all makeup work within three days and complete such work as instructed by me. I am difficult to get hold of during school hours. I do, however, want you to be involved with your child's education. Therefore, if you have any questions about your child's class work, performance, or responsibilities, you may call me at home between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday.  I will be more than happy to talk to you at that time about any concerns you may have. My phone number is 237-8900.

My philosophy concerning you child's education is as follows. I feel that my job, as a chemistry and physics teacher, is to develop in my students the skills which will help them to better understand and explain their world. I feel it is my reponsibility to teach my students the foundations of problem-solving. I feel that it is my responsibility to teach my students how mathematics can be used to understand and explain the world around them. I feel it is my responsibility to develop, in my students, a desire, and the ability, to observe and ask questions about their world. The medium which serves as my vehicle for these goals is chemistry and physics.

I believe that, in this rapidly changing world, students must be given instructions in how to scan the vast amount of data which assails them daily, ask the correct questions in order to choose the data they need and can use, and make sound decisions based upon that information. I believe upper level science is tailor-made for this kind of instruction. The College Board, the organization reponsible for SAT and AP, funded a 10-year project entitled the Education EQuality Project. Some of its outcomes for a pre-college science education are as follows. "The student will have, the ability to distinguish between scientific evidence and personal opinion by inquiry and questioning; the skills to gather scientific information through laboratory, field, and library work; the ability to organize and communcate the results obtained by observation and experimentation; the ability to choose and apply mathematical relationships to scientific problems; understanding, in some depth, of the unifying concepts of the life and physical sciences; and college entrants will need detailed knowledge of at least one field of science, ordinarily the field in which they have a quantitative understanding. This detailed knowledge could be in the earth sciences or in one of the newer interdisciplinary fields of science. It could also be in one of the more traditional fields: biology, chemistry, or physics."

As you can see, my goals are in line with goals others deem important to the college-bound student. If your child is not college bound, I promise you that the skills they can learn in my class, particularly scientific discipline and problem-solving skills, will serve them well in any endeavor they may choose to undertake.

In the Announcements section of this website is a comprehensive set of rules and regulations for my classes. Please take some time to go over them with your child. I also recommend that you read the student handbook and the student code of conduct that each student receives.

Thank you for your time. I am at your disposal. Please e-mail me if you have any comments or suggestions relative to this missive, I would appreciate your input. Thanks again, I look forward to our combined effort for the greatest benefit to your child.

Sincerely,

Frank K. Evans