Contact Us
The best way to reach us is by email.
You can also reach us by phone by calling the school and leaving a message or by sending a note with your child.
However you contact us, we will do our best to reply as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind that we have many students, and limited amounts of time to access email or phone. We appreciate your patience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question? Try our FAQs.
Curriculum
Sixth grade Social Studies focuses on world history and culture. Seventh, eighth, and ninth grade Social Studies classes focus on American history. Ninth graders take the US History Regents exam in June and will begin working with the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP). We have many exciting activities planned this year, and by putting in your best effort and sharing your ideas with your teachers and classmates, you will help to make the class successful.
Read more about the units of study here.
Participation
We expect you to participate fully in our Social Studies class. We have many exciting topics and issues to explore this year, but a Social Studies class where only a few people participate is pretty boring. Here are some ways to make sure you are participating fully in class:
- Attend class every day and arrive to class on time;
- Bring your Social Studies Notebook, your Social Studies/Science Folder, your planner and two pens or pencils to class each day;
- Try your best every day;
- Find ways to stay on task during individual, small-group, and large-group activities. If you are having trouble with this, talk with a teacher; we're happy to help you find some ways to make staying on task easier. Remember, playing or socializing during class will distract others and also prevent you from getting your work done;
- Ask for help when you need it! If you get confused or don’t understand what to do next, ask a classmate or teacher. Don’t let yourself get left behind!
- Get the contact information a classmate (or two) whom you can contact if you are absent, so that you can get “up to speed” on what happened in class that day, and get the night’s homework assignment. You can also email your teacher if you have any questions that your classmates can't explain.
Notebooks & Supplies
This year, Clinton is providing required supplies for students. It is your responsibility to bring required supplies to class EVERY DAY. If you have lost needed supplies, speak to your teacher as soon as possible.
Middle School Supplies:
- Composition Notebook: You will use your notebook to keep your notes from each day’s class, vocabulary, homework, and project notes in this notebook. You may not use binders, looseleaf paper, spiral notebooks or notebooks with perforated pages for Social Studies; they don't work well for the type of work we will be doing this year and will not be accepted for a notebook grade!
- You will use one two-pocket folder for Social Studies this year. For Social Studies, your folder will hold handouts, drafts, maps, and current events reports; ALL OTHER WORK must go in your Social Studies notebook.
- All students will receive a Clinton School homework planner to keep track of assignments for all classes. You are responsible for bringing your planner to class with you each day.
- You may use either pens or pencils in Social Studies. Keep in mind that other people will need to be able to read what you write, so please do not use ink in yellow, gold, silver, or other hard-to-read colors. If we cannot read your work, we will ask you to rewrite it. Please bring at least two pens/pencils to class every day. (You never know when you'll lose one or it will run out of ink.)
Upper School Supplies:
- Folder: You will store handouts which include project tasks and rubrics, homework with rubrics, documents used in class and any other loose paper related to Individuals & Societies (U.S. History). All students present on the first day of school received a folder; see me if you need a new one or were absent.
- Spiral Notebook: Eventually all students will receive a spiral notebook for taking notes, recording research and other activities in class. These are on back order, so bear with me for now.
- Writing Utensils: Use either blue or black ink pens or a pencil for your work, either in class or for homework. Colorful writing utensils may be used for highlighting or annotating, but will not be acceptable for assignments that are collected: you will be asked to rewrite in an more professional manner.
Assignments
Homework
Homework will be assigned on average four nights per week. It will be due the next day unless otherwise noted. Middle school teachers will check your homework each day, and homework assignments completed on time will receive a stamp in your notebook.
We will post the homework and project assignments on JupiterGrades. Click on Social Studies to view assignments and their due dates. If you are absent, make sure that you get the assignment(s) you missed on the day you return. This is YOUR responsibility! Homework assignments are also posted inside the classroom in middle school.
Projects
Projects, essays, and maps may also be assigned for each unit, based on the topics and questions which we are studying. You will receive specific instructions and grading criteria for each project when it is assigned. Usually you will be expected to work on projects and maps both in class and at home. (Make sure you have scotch tape, colored pencils, glue sticks, and scissors at home, as you will be asked to use them for homework and projects.)
Current Events
Middle school students will be assigned a number of Currents Events reports this year. Each student will be assigned a week for his/her Current Events reports. Students will have different due dates for their Current Events reports, depending on their assigned weeks. Assigned weeks will remain the same for the entire year. More information on Current Events, click here.
A Note About Plagiarism
Plagiarism means using someone else's words or ideas without giving him/her credit. Some examples of plagiarism are:
- cutting & pasting from the internet
- copying directly from the book
- copying something and then changing the words around somewhat
- turning in work written by another student
- turning in work written by a parent or tutor
- turning in work written by you that you have already turned in for another assignment in Social Studies or another class.
Plagiarism is a Level 3 infraction on the NYCDOE Code of Conduct. If you are caught plagiarizing, you will face the following consequences:
- First offense: conference between student and teacher. You will be required to redo the assignment before you receive any credit.
- Second offense: conference between parent/guardian, student and teacher. You will be required to redo the assignment before you receive any credit.
- Third offense: conference between parent/guardian, student, teacher, and school administrator. You will receive NO CREDIT for the assignment.
- Fourth offense: Further consequences to be determined based on NYCDOE Code of Conduct.
Respectful Interactions
By nature of studying ourselves and the world, we will encounter a number of controversial topics this year: issues that people often have strong opinions about and which do not have simple answers. At some point (or often!) you will probably disagree with something you read or with another person in the class. We want you to be willing to try out some new ideas and learn from each other. In order to do that, we expect everyone to treat their classmates, teachers, and visitors to our classroom with respect at all times by listening carefully to ideas, thinking before we speak, and using respectful language to respond or ask questions.
Student Teachers & Guests
This year we are expecting two student teachers to be working in each of our classrooms: one in the fall and another in the spring. The student teachers are adults who are in graduate school training to become social studies teachers. Having an additional adult in the room allows students more opportunities to receive individualized attention for help or an extra challenge. It is an honor that our classroom has been chosen to host them, and students are expected to follow instructions given by student teachers and treat them respectfully at all times.
From time to time we may also be visited by other guests who are interested in learning about the Clinton School and/or what we do in Social Studies class. Students are expected to interact with guests respectfully, as with any adult at school.
Grading and Late & Missing Assignments
Please see the Clinton School grading policy.
Social Studies grades in the middle school will be based on outcomes to measure students’ growth in Hawk Habits, Common Core standards, and Content. Grades will be calculated as follows:
- Hawk Habits (school-wide values such as responsibility and perseverance): 20%
- Common Core standards (reading and writing skills): 35%
- Content (social studies skills and understanding of concepts): 40%
- Enrichment Activities (assignments of the students’ choice): 5%
Individuals & Societies (U.S. History) grades in the upper school will be based on outcomes to measure students' growth in IB Learner Profiles, Common Core standards, IB Criterion standards, and Social Studies Content and Skills.
- IB Learner Profile (Principled): 10%
- Common Core standards (reading & writing skills - some in combination with IB Criterion): 40%
- Social Studies Content & Skills (some in combination with IB Criterion): 50%
*Please refer to the Individuals & Societies' syllabus for a detailed break-down of assessment levels in the upper school. We will be working with a scale of 0-8 in accordance with IB and aligned with Common Core and predetermined percents outlined by the NYC DOE.
For most assignments, students will be graded on a scale of 0-4, as follows:
4 (your work shows a high level proficiency/exceeds teachers’ expectation) = 100%
3 (your work shows proficiency/meets teachers’ expectation) = 85%
2 (your work approaches proficiency/does not quite meet teachers’ expectation) = 70%
1 (your work is not yet proficient/is far below teachers’ expectation) = 55% (failing grade)
0 (you have made little or no attempt to meet teachers’ expectation) = 40% (failing grade)
You will receive rubrics for each major assignment (project, essay, etc.) or type of assignment (classwork, homework, etc.) that explains the expectations for the assignment. If you do not understand the expectations for an assignment, make sure to ask a teacher before the due date so that you have time to revise your work if needed.
Late Work
Late work will be accepted for partial credit. Students should make every effort to make up work promptly. Numbered homework assignments will be accepted up to one week late. Larger assignments (projects, current events, essays, etc.) and redos will be accepted until the school-wide late work deadline near the end of the semester. If you have a lot of missing work or assignments that are very late, please speak to your teacher to make a plan for how and when to complete these assignments.
Keeping Track of Your Grades
Students and parents can check the status of assignments and grades using JupiterGrades. You will log on to the website and only you (or anyone with whom you share your usename and password) will be able to see your grades. We always give a rubric explaining the specific grading criteria to students when the project is assigned or before the notebook is graded. We return graded rubrics to students in class. Please ask your child to see the rubric he/she received, which will explain the specific breakdown of the grade for that assignment. Because most assignments are graded on multiple outcomes, grades for individual outcomes will appear beside each assignment in JupiterGrades. You can access your JupiterGrades account here.
Office Hours
If you need help with an assignment or need to speak with your teacher about missed work, come see us during Office Hours! Middle school teachers will hold office hours on Wednesdays after school. Mr. Stanton will hold office hours Mondays after school and Wednesdays before school; as an upper school student, you are responsible for getting the guidance you need.
A Note for Parents and Guardians
Please be proactive with your child's homework by regularly checking your JupiterGrades account, your child's planner for work assigned, and your child's notebook for the completed work.
We can only give credit for assignments that we see. Each homework assignment that your child shows us on time will receive a stamp in his/her notebook. If your child shows us the assignment late, the assignment will receive a "Late" stamp. If a homework assignment is not stamped, this is an indication that we have not yet seen the assignment.
If you know in advance that your child will be absent, please let us know in writing (or by email) as early as possible. Last-minute requests for work cannot be honored.
Questions? Please email us.