Phew! The first week of the new semester is over, and we all conquered it gracefully! It was wonderful to meet all of these new students. I have seen many of them in the hallway and some were familiar faces. I am so excited to finish the year with these brilliant minds. I have many exciting units coming up. All General Music classes 4th-8th are starting February off with "Black History Month". I look forward to teaching students the culture and origins of music past & present as we learn tolerance of different cultural music and learn to appreciate the music we listen to today. 

Quick reminders as we move forward in the month: 

*General Music: 7th & 8th Grade General Music classes need to have their syllabus signed by a parent/guardian by Friday, February 9th. This is their 1st graded assignment (easy 100!)

*General Music & Chorus: Students in 7th-12th grade are being graded on "Daily Participation". Which means that every day I see them, they are being graded on their attentiveness, their ability to be & stay on task, their ability not to distract or be distracted by others, and most importantly, by attending class. Attendance in this class is mandatory. If a student has an "unverified" absence on SchoolTool, this will be a ZERO due to the unknown reason for their absence. If a student has an absence under "Illness" or "Excused", their Daily Participation average will not include this absence due to its excusable nature. 

As always if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at:

kaylee.kelsey@webutuck.org

• As of today (10/17), students will be receiving a daily participation grade rather than a marking period only participation grade. I will track every students' daily participation and put a number 1-4 that best represents their effort for that day in class. These grades will be uploaded and up to date every week so that you can track your student's progress.
   
  EBIS General Music/Chorus Daily Participation Rubric
  
  1 = No effort
        Easily distracted/Distracted others
        No work done
  
  2 = Minimal effort
        Distracted often/Distracted others often
        Minimal work done
  
  3 = Mostly good effort
        Mostly focused
        Most work completed
  
  4 = Excellent effort
        Stayed focused & on task
        Work Completed
  
  WHS Chorus Daily Participation Rubric
  
  1 = No effort
        Use of phone/talking too much
        Constantly out of the room
  
  2 = Minimal effort
        Some use of phone/talk often
        Somewhat out of the room
  
  3 = Mostly good effort
        Little to no use of phone/little to no talking 
        Mostly stays in class 
  
  4 = Excellent effort
        No phone/no talking
        Stays in class the whole time 

The second semester is almost over. Students have completed many projects, learned a broad range of musical topics, composed music, and have learned how to use technology to enhance their projects. It has been an honor to meet your students and to teach them this first half of the year. They have certainly made my day brighter and filled with laughter. I am proud of their accomplishments and I know they will continue to do great things. In the meantime, before the semester ends, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Happy November! Students have been learning about the History of Video Game Music, What Makes "Spooky" Music Spooky. They've been completing their projects using their creativity and freedom of expression. Every Friday, I update project and participation grades. These grades are updated on SchoolTool and have accompanying rubrics. As we approach the end of the first marking period (11/17), I have sent and continue to send, students home with a progress report if their grade is below 70. Students should get these progress reports signed in order to receive a 100 on their lowest grade, either in the category of "Participation". If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me via phone or email. My contact information can be found on my homepage. Your students are a pleasure to have in class, and I continue to look forward to making music with them.