Welcome to Back-to-School Night!

2025-2026

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Mr. Evans: English and history (medieval and early modern times)

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Mrs. Brumbaugh: Math and science

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Please sign in at the back table. Thanks!

Contents

Covered tonight:

• Get to know your teacher
• Communication tools
• Schedule
• Expectations: English class
• Expectations: History class
• How to know what is assigned
• How to study
• Late work
• PACK planner grade checks/AERIES
• Suggested materials
• Basic rules and policies

From the school district:

• District cell phone policy
• District stance on screen time
• District definitions: Hate speech
• District attendance communications

For reference:

• Progressive discipline and school expectations
• Academic honesty policies
• DCIS arrival/dismissal procedures
• Tech-based communication methods

Click the home button to return to the contents slide from anywhere within the presentation

Mr. Evans: 7th Grade English and history

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7th grade electives -

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Rotating exploratory classes:

• Long - TRACKS
• Engebretsen - Forensics
• Keltner - Film history
• Gonzales - Computer science
• Dye - College and career
• Rivas - STEM coding
• Pena - Financial literacy
• Porter - Drama
• Brumbaugh - Interior design
• Routh - STEM art
• Sabin - Games to career
• Mares - TRACKS
• Celis - Learning lab

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Yearlong electives:

• Journalism: Gossage
• Band: Miller

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Shakespeare: Evans

Work expectations this year: English Language Arts

• Daily reading done in class of self-chosen and teacher-assigned books. Students should have a self-chosen book here every day of the school year.
• Standards-based skill lessons (main idea/theme/story and informational text structure)
• Students will be challenged with questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. Citing evidence in support of your analysis is a crucial step toward developing literacy and critical thinking skills.
• Annotating – recording thoughts during the reading process
• Writing - Paragraph responses, extended writing projects (EWP), mandatory rewrites, MLA formatting
• Vocabulary development - You’ll learn tons of new words this year in both subjects

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Students will need a composition notebook or a single-subject spiral notebook exclusively for English. We’ll use it to record new vocabulary and take notes on skill lessons.

Keep an eye on Dollar Tree, and if you see some, consider scooping some up! You’ll need one for history, too!

Books we plan to read together this year:

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History and geography

History Alive: the Medieval World and Beyond

Last year: Ancient civilizations

This year:

• Medieval civilizations - the Early Middle Ages (~476-1000 C.E.)
• The High Middle Ages (~1000-1300 C.E.)
• The Late Middle Ages (~1300-1450 C.E.)
• The Renaissance
• The Protestant Reformation
• The Enlightenment

Students will need a composition notebook or a spiral bound notebook exclusively for history class.

Work expectations this year: History

• Reading about history: Reading for understanding out of the student textbook
• Writing about history: Can you answer the essential question that precedes every lesson?
• Exploring geography: “Geo-challenges” - mapwork, geographic features
• Watching reenactments of history: Videos clips from Mankind, narrated by Thanos
• Reenacting history: Class activities. Will you be the king or queen of the land or a peasant? The cards will decide your fate.

How will I know what is assigned? When are tests and quizzes?

From school:

• PACK planner board on the west wall
• Google classroom
• PACK planner slide displayed each morning

From home:

• Assignments spreadsheet - this is linked under “Materials” in your child’s Google classroom page for English

Grades

• Homework category: 10% of grade. Raw score or credit/partial credit/no credit. Dependent on good-faith effort. Partial credit = score reduction at my discretion for late/no-name/incomplete/low effort.
• Classwork: 25% of grade. Raw score or credit/partial credit/no credit. Used for work we complete and review together. Sometimes I will split grades between the homework and the classwork category. I’m notorious for doing this with history packets. I am also known to double dip with a score before corrections and another after to make sure students are keeping up with the review.
• Quizzes and projects: 30% of grade. Raw score. Usually scored out of 10-20 pts.
• Tests: 35% of grade. Raw score. Generally range from 10-30 pts.

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Retakes are available for tests in both English and history if a student scores below 70%. Retakes will be assigned a maximum score equal to 70% of the total test value.

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Late work is taken for partial credit within a week of the due date. Default score for late work is ½ credit, so keep in mind that ½ is a 50%, which is an F on an assignment. All IEP exceptions and provisions will always be honored.

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Studying - preparing for assessments

Click the pictures below for guides to passing my tests:

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English: History:

Late work

Definition: Work that isn’t where it’s expected to be when it’s expect it to be there.

Examples:

• Homework not turned in to the sorter by the end of the homeroom period.
• Classwork not turned in to the bin on my desk at the end of the period.

How it’s handled: Work that is submitted late will receive half credit if turned in to the late bin within a week of the due date. Mark your paper as late by writing “Late” across the top. If you are turning in a packet or a workbook, include a sticky note or a bookmark to let me know what to check.

When you will receive credit: I empty the late bin on Thursdays after school. Your score will be updated between Thursday afternoon and Friday before the start of school. Work submitted on a Friday will likely remain uncredited until the following Thursday/Friday.

Absent work also goes in the late bin. Write “Absent” across the top. It is accepted within a week of the absence for full credit, and it also gets cleared on Thursday afternoons/Friday mornings.

Starts on page 18 (Check). 3 pages; 1 for each trimester.

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Students and parents record grades here, parents initial weekly after verifying grades.

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Sign up on AERIES to get weekly grade notices on Thursdays.

These are accepted late only for absent students.

Weekly grade checks – Thursday nights:

PACK planner checks

Page 18 - first page of checks

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What is a meaningful reflection? I’ll judge that. Filler reflections are subject to getting Wonka’d.

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Your PACK planner says:

1. Reflect on your academic goal: What grade do you want in your classes?
2. Reflect on what you are most proud of
3. Talk about what strategies you will use to attain your goals

For full credit:

• Dates
• Letter grade
• Percentage
• Parent initials (not pictured here for the sample student’s privacy)
• Turn in on Friday during the homeroom period

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Want a little extra credit?

• Submit a reflection in the line below your grades.
• Give me a sentence that meaningfully reflects on your progress, and I’ll apply a little extra credit to your homework category.
• EC = 2.5/2 = 125%

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PACK planner grade checks missed by students in attendance will be entered into AERIES as a missing assignment. These cannot be made up.

Accessing the gradebook and setting up notifications

You can find a link to the gradebook on the district website under Family resources

AERIES notifications

Find your username on the right side of the page and use the drop-down menu to find Parent Notification Preferences

https://www.etiwanda.org/page/accessing-your-childs-grades

Opt in or out at any time.

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Grade checks are done on Thursdays and checked on Friday mornings, so setting notifications for some time Thursday evening would be a fantastic reminder that a grade check is due the next day. If your student completes the grade check, gets your initials, and completes the reflection, they will earn a 2.5/2 extra credit homework score in English or math (we rotate weekly) every week.

Click the link for video reminders on how this is done!

Suggested materials

• Mechanical pencils (have several on hand at all times)
• 2 to 3 blue and black pens
• Paper - loose-leaf
• 2 composition notebooks or single-subject spiral notebooks; one for English, one for history
• A set of highlighters (ideally 5 different colors)
• 1 package of colored pencils
• 1 eraser
• Wired (no bluetooth) earbuds/headphones for use with Chromebooks (to be kept in backpack at all times)

Helpful hint: The air conditioning WORKS, and I keep it cool in here. Bring a light sweater even if it’s 100+ degrees outside!

Looking to donate?

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A few things I always need:

• Boxes of tissues
• Books, new or used
• Composition notebooks
• Expo markers
• Anything on the list to the left!

Cell phone policy

Gum

Hats/hoodies

• Phones and smartwatches are expected to be off/silenced
• Devices are to be in students’ backpacks; not in pockets
• Devices should not be visible or in active use anywhere on campus at any time

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• Not allowed at school

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• Not to be worn inside

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Other school rules and procedures are listed in the PACK planners.

WELCOME

We appreciate our partnership!

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EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

2025 - 2026

Cell Phones at School

To support a focused and safe learning environment, students are not allowed to use cell phones, smart watches, or other mobile devices during the school day from when the bell rings until after school is out.

These devices must remain off and put away anytime students are under the supervision of school staff.

We kindly ask that you avoid texting or calling your child during school hours.

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If you need to get in touch, please contact the school office, and our staff will make sure your message is delivered.

Screen Time & Your Child's Well-Being

Why It Matters:

• Brain Development: Excessive screen time can affect attention span, memory, and problem-solving.
• Sleep Disruption: Screens, especially before bed, interfere with quality sleep.
• Emotional Health: High screen use is linked to increased anxiety, irritability, and low self-esteem.
• Academic Focus: More screen time = less time for reading, homework, and hands-on learning.
• Social Skills: Face-to-face interactions help develop empathy and communication—skills screens can’t replace.

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What Helps:

• Set screen time limits and model healthy habits.
• Encourage device-free meals, outdoor play, and family reading time.
• Keep phones and tablets out of bedrooms overnight

Let’s work together to support balance and healthy development!

Hate Speech

Definition

Hate speech is any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color, sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.

Responsibilities

As educators, we are responsible for creating a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.

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Discriminatory language can have a profound impact on a student's emotional and mental well-being, as well as their academic success.

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It is important for all of us to work together to ensure that school is a place where every student feels valued and respected.

• As part of our commitment to supporting student success, school sites will provide regular updates on attendance throughout the school year through:
• Attendance notifications 3 times a year for all families
• Monthly attendance notifications are sent for families of students who become chronically absent or are habitually truant.
• Daily emails, texts, and phone calls for all unverified absences.

NEW Attendance Communication

Attendance Communication

• Families can communicate absences to school by:
• calling their child’s front office,
• emailing their child’s front office staff or teacher, or
• (NEW) completing the Etiwanda Attendance Reporting form located on our ESD app.

But wait! There’s more! Questions not answered tonight?

Drop any or all of us an email, and we’ll get to you as quickly as we can.

ken_evans@etiwanda.org

carlos_celis@etiwanda.org

angela_brumbaugh@etiwanda.org

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View-at-home references can be found at the end of this presentation:

• Progressive discipline structure
• Academic dishonesty policies
• Drop off/pick-up procedures

Look in your child’s PACK planner for an acknowledgement sheet to sign and date. Both a parent and a student signature are required.

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Progressive discipline and school PBIS expectations

LLRs: Low-level referrals are given as record-keeping for repeated difficulties/refusals to meet basic school and/or classroom expectations, which are posted all over campus and reviewed throughout the school year. These typically stay at classroom level and the write-up is kept throughout the school year. Parents may be notified at the teacher’s discretion.

Progressive discipline:

1. First LLR issued, usually after verbal warnings
2. Second LLR issued if offense reoccurs
3. Third offense results in HLR and office involvement

HLRs: High-level referrals are given as record-keeping for more serious offenses, such as behaviors that can put students in danger or otherwise cause harm to people or property. Parents will be notified whenever an HLR is issued.

An HLR typically results in an office referral, where further consequences will be discussed with our school’s administration.

Your teacher and/or Day Creek administration may implement these guidelines and steps according to their own judgment.

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If the circumstances warrant a skipped step or an alternate consequence, your teacher or Day Creek administration will implement consequences within school guidelines that fit the violation.

Technology-Based Communications

Rooms

• View school and district LIVE feeds and social media activity
• Receive district and school notifications
• Toggle between school sites
• Check grades on Aeries
• Email
• View lunch menus
• Connect with Child Care
• Library Media Services
• View website documents

25-26 flyer

All-In-One App Integration

1. Download the Etiwanda App from the App Store or Google Play Store using this link.
2. Look for a message in August with a link to activate your Rooms account. Click the link and create a password. Once your setup is complete, you will be automatically synced with your teacher and can communicate through the App.
3. Set your language preferences to your desired language, which will be easily translated based on your account settings.
4. Enable notifications and automatic updates in your phone settings.

Rooms is also available on a desktop or laptop by visiting eduRooms.com. While we recommend using the App, you can still access Rooms on a computer using the provided URL. Bookmark the site for easy access.

Here are some helpful features of the Etiwanda App that make it the hub for everything Etiwanda:

• Aeries gradebook integrated into the main menu.
• Direct access to child care.
• Live feed for school and district announcements.
• Breakfast and lunch menus.
• Toggle between schools for families with multiple students in the Etiwanda District.
• Access to resources also available on our website (e.g., calendar, enrollment, medication forms, and more).

For more information, view the video linked here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZvDuDYvb-c (25-26 updates)

If you have any difficulty registering your account for Rooms, please contact your school.

Getting Started with Rooms Two-Way Communication

Download the App Today!

Stay in the know

• Translated communications
• Receive classroom announcements and messages to your phone

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New- Notification Landing Page

All messages in one location!

Turn on Push Notifications and Enable Automatic Updates

Get Connected in a Few Steps!

Toggle to Rooms

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Enter Phone Number (Same as Aeries)

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Download the App

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Rooms Overview Video

Registration process

• You should have received an email from EduRooms with a magic link
• If you cannot locate the email, go to id.edurooms.com with the magic code we can provide you
• Follow the steps to register your account

Good news! This process only needs to be completed once. The secure registration process will link via Aeries every year.