Grading Policy Sinclair Elementary – Third Grade

To accommodate the HISD grading policies for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, the 3^rd Grade team at Sinclair Elementary in accordance with HISD recommendations, has chosen to adopt the following local school grading policy beginning week of April 20,2020.

First is a portion of the letter from HISD Interim Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan, which was sent out last Thursday. This part of her letter is specifically regarding grading policies after March 12, 2020:

In addition, for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year we are adopting the following grading policies to ensure that students’ grades are not negatively affected due to the current circumstances:

• No district grades taken after March 12, 2020 can negatively impact a student’s overall average for the course.
• If a student’s grade in the final grading cycle negatively impacts their overall final grade in a course, that final cycle grade will be omitted in the calculation of the final grade for the course.
• Individual schools have discretion for class assignments and grading, but they have been asked to be flexible and understanding of the burdens and limitations that COVID-19 has placed on students and families.

We encourage parents and students to save all completed assignments in one place if students are unable to submit their work digitally until further details are provided. More detailed information pertaining to grading can be accessed at www.houstonisd.org/HealthAlerts
The district is committed to equity and is working to ensure that students have access to technology and other resources necessary for their continued learning and growth.


Per HISD policy for online/distance learning, 3^rd grade teachers at Sinclair will begin recording one grade per week and per subject starting on Monday, April 20, 2020.
The following is a guideline listing expectation that can be used for recording grades during the online/distance learning process depending on established teacher expectations and student home situation:
ELAR (English/Language Arts/Reading)

·       Participation in virtual classroom meetings

·       Completion of HISD Distance/Online Learning Curriculum or teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       Time spent on Imagine Learning RLanguage and Literacy

The expectation is for students to log onto Imagine Learning (reading) for a minimum of 80 minutes per week, or to complete one full lesson per session (per day) – either of these are easily monitored by the teacher, and can be given a grade based on minutes spent on program or average weekly goal achieved. This would mean completion of the digital resource with least 20 minutes each day for four-five days each week.

Math

·       Participation in virtual classroom meetings

·       Completion of HISD Distance/Online Learning Curriculum Activities and Tasks or teacher selected projects and paper-based assignments

·       Time spent on Imagine Learning Math/Reflex Math

    ***For this, the expectation is for students log onto Imagine Math/Reflex Math. For example, complete a lesson (Imagine Math) or achieve a daily green light (Reflex Math). Either of these will be monitored by the teacher and used as a weekly grade based on successfully passing a lesson a/or goals achieved (green light).

Science

·       Participation/Discussions with virtual classroom meetings

·       HISD (H.O.M.E) distance/online curriculum

·       Teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       Science Fusion

Social Studies

·       Participation/Discussions with virtual classroom meetings or

·       Occasional discussion of reading assignments/projects

·       Studies Weekly

·       Teacher selected projects or paper-based assignments

·       HISD (H.O.M.E) distance/online curriculum

Montreal Bagels

Have you ever tried Montreal Bagels? That's my favorite bagel.  Whenever I visited Montreal, I have to go to St-Viateur to buy five dozen Montreal bagels and carry them all the way back carefully to Houston in a cushioned bag. During this Covid-19 stay home period, I have tried to make my own bagels. I found a great recipe on the Web to share with you. The perfect Montreal bagel is baked to a golden color, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. These bagels are boiled in honey water for a beautiful blonde glaze. I hope you'll try to make some with your parents then share your experience with our class soon.

MONTREAL BAGELS

Ingredients

• 350 g warm water
• 60 g sugar
• 30 g oil
• 10 g active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 20 g honey
• 8 g salt
• Up to 700 g flour

For finishing:

• 350 g honey
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 450° F with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet inside.
• Fill a large pot with water. Put to boil over medium-high heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, oil, yeast, egg and honey. Whisk in salt. Gently stir in some of the flour (approx. 550g), one cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto surface and gently knead until it begins to comes together. Continue to knead, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until you have a soft, dough that bounces back when you press on it — it should take 10 - 12 minutes.
• When dough is properly kneaded, place in an oiled bowl, making sure to get a thin coat of oil on dough. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.  
• Cut dough into 16 pieces (about 75g each). Keep pieces covered with towel while you work.  

Shaping:

• Roll each piece into a 10 - 12 inch rope. Do not add flour to the surface, unless to prevent sticking.
• Wrap rope around your four fingers, overlapping the ends on the inside of your hand to make a circle. To seal, roll your hand back and forth, pressing gently to complete the circle. Place on floured surface to rest and cover with a towel as you work. Keep bagels covered as you go. 
• Let bagels rest 30 minutes.
• Add 350 g of honey to pot of water and bring to a full boil.  
• Handle rested bagels gently to keep their shape. Boil bagels in batches, 1 ½ - 2 minutes per side. Remove from water using a slotted spoon. Place onto cooling rack and sprinkle heavily with seeds. 
• Place bagels on heated pan in oven and bake until golden brown, 15 - 20 minutes.
• Servings: Makes 16 bagels
• Enjoy!