W A I 'A N A E

I N T ER M ED I A T E S CH OOL
M rs. Jones & M s. B's
7th Grade Engl i sh Cl ass
School Year 2017-2018
Room F-29

Wh y We Do Th is WIS Vision " Rain bow " Th eor y

Wor k
We are so excit ed t o be t eaching
your child t his year. A unique
feat ure about your st udent 's
English class t his year is t hey will
have t wo t eachers. We work
t oget her t o support your child's
development in reading and writ ing
Mrs. Jones and Ms. B will be
responsible for creat ing innovat ive
ways t o deliver cont ent .
We firmly believe EV ERY child,
deserves a high-qualit y educat ion
t hat promot es rigor and t hinking
wit hout limit s. As an educat or it is
our mission t o support st udent s in
t heir social, emot ional and
cognit ive growt h while helping
t hem t o develop skills t o be
independent and life-long learners.
This year we will be living out t he
Wai'anae Int ermediat e School
values of being:
SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, RESPECTFUL
Safe - st udent s will make good
decisions and act appropriat ely in
all school set t ings. They will learn
ways t o manage st ress and be able
t o seek out support s from school
st aff and/or peers.
Responsibilit y - st udent s will learn
skills t hat allow t hem t o manage
supplies and coursework. They will
be able t o self-advocat e for what
t hey need from t he t eacher and be
account able for t heir act ions.
Respect ful - st udent s will be kind
t o one anot her regardless of
differences.
In a rainbow, each color is
used t o enhance t he ot her.
One color alone is not as
powerful, but t oget her t hey
creat e a magical
phenomenon t hat is admired
by ALL!
Our st udent s come in all
shapes, sizes, colors, and
learning abilit ies. These
st udent s will work t oget her
t o ensure everyone succeeds.
St udent s learn t o find t he
beaut y in one anot her's
differences. Our
imperfect ions are what t ruly
make us PERFECT!

Ou r Pr om ise t o You r St u den t

St udent -t eacher relat ionships evolve when t eachers present t hemselves
in engaging and appealing ways, revealing t hat t hey are considerat e,
et hical, friendly, ent husiast ic, and caring.

As your child's 7t h Grade English Teacher we promise t o (1) b e

i nnov ati v e, (2) b ui l d auth enti c rel ati onsh i ps, (3) create mul ti pl e
path w ays to demonstrate mastery, and (4) to mak e teach i ng our
1st pri ori ty.
 Teach er s Never
St op Lear n in g
Great t eachers are t hose who
never st op learning. The needs of
our st udent s are always evolving. To
keep up wit h st udent needs we
must cont inue t o improve our
t eaching pract ices. Below are plans
for cont inued growt h in t he areas of
secondary educat ion.
Google Cert ified Level 1 Educat or:
Mrs. Jones has recently gotten
certified (07/2017) in using Google
Suite tools in the classroom. She
hopes to help students increase
their technology literacy and
differentiate for multiple styles of
learning.
Nat ional Board Cert ificat ion: Mrs.
Jones will be applying for National
Board Certification this school year.
The process will further improve her
teaching practice and demonstrate
her commitment to the teaching
profession.
SPED Cert ificat ion: In addition to an
English teaching credential, Ms. B
will become certified in Special
Education by the end of 2018. This
will ensure her ability to provide
interventions for students with
disabilities on any spectrum.
Mast er of Educat ion, Special
Educat ion: Ms. B will receive a
Master's of Education with an
emphasis in Secondary Special
Education in Spring 2018.
Brit t ney Harris
7t h Grade English Teacher
bharris@waianaeis.k12.hi.us
(808) 697- 7121
Carmen Jones, M.Ed.
7t h Grade English Teacher
cjones@waianaeis.k12.hi.us
(808) 697-7121
Classr oom Cu lt u r e
Manners Mat t er: Manners serve several important functions in our classroom:
They allow our students to feel safe and comfortable; they protect everyone's
values; they help us communicate without distress. One third of our lives this year
will be together in the classroom. We will encourage all to use proper etiquette in
and outside of school.
School Should be Social: In our classroom students will be working in groups of
2-4 multiple times per week. Structured group time give students opportunities to
develop healthy social skills. Collaboration allows students to learn from one
another and sharpens skills. Above all we believe the classroom should be a fun
place to be. Therefore working with friends help keep students engaged and more
likely to complete assignments.
Growt h Mindset : A growth mindset is a belief that we can get smarter through
hard work and practice. It involves getting our students to take on new challenges
with optimism and talking about that learning process. Learning isn't always an
easy road to success but with discovery through growth mindset, we start by
believing that we can do it!
Rit uals and Rout ines: Students will be greeted at the door by a teacher, they will
write down the agenda for the day in their planners, homeroom begins with
televised morning announcements encouraging students to get involved in all sorts
of school functions, the entire school reads for 15 minutes a day, students use
Hallway Passports to leave the classroom, ID's, uniforms, and binders are just
some of the routines we enforce at our school that foster a sense of community
among the entire student body and staff.
Cyber Classroom: In a society that is infused with technology we are dedicated to
making sure our students are apart of the change. In doing so we strive to be a 75%
paperless classroom. This means most assignments will be completed and turned
in online. Students will also be utilizing iPads as a way to check for understanding
of course concepts.
Rigor: As your student elevates in their academic career so does the difficulty of
the content. Our expectations of students are that they are challenged
academically, intellectually and on a personal level each day. In our classroom we
use innovate strategies like differentiation, music and videos to challenge our
students.
Addit ion al Su ppor t Ser vices
Aft er School Tut oring: Join us Jupit er Ed Online Grades: Access
every Monday, Tuesday, and your child's current grades and
Thursday from 2:20 - 3:20 PM assignments. Message
with Mr. Rivers (Social teachers any time. If you have
Studies/Math) and Mrs. Jones not received your password,
(English/Science). No special please contact the school
forms needed; just show up. immediately.