Dear Parents and Guardians,

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with your child this year. My name is Heather Yannone-Pawski and I will have the pleasure of working with your son/daughter for Language Arts. I am looking forward to an exciting year and I am delighted to have your child in my class. This year we will have some fun and challenging tasks to help us reach our goals. Our class goal will be to work together towards a fantastic and successful school year! I have high expectations for all of my students and I am committed to assisting them with the expectations required of the course.

The format of our English class will be highly structured and will provide students with the flexibility to choose amongst various assignments and projects. We teach the Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop methods developed by the Teacher’s College at Columbia University. The Reading & Writing Workshop model allows us to tailor our work to meet each student’s particular needs. The mission of the Reading and Writing Project is to help young people become avid and skilled readers, writers, and inquirers. I will be expecting all work to be completed in class. In an effort to provide you and your child with a clear understanding of the grading matrix, rubrics will be provided and will act as guidelines in letting your child know what is expected to earn a great grade. Students will receive instruction on how the grading measure is based on said rubric.

My primary goal is to keep students engaged and interested in Language Arts. It is my personal belief that LA is much more than grammar, spelling, literature, and poetry. Language Arts is the vehicle we use to express ourselves, be it verbally or through written compositions; and without it, our wants, desires, aspirations and thoughts might not be fully communicated. LA is a fundamental skill that must be utilized effectively in order to achieve our maximum aptitude in life.

In closing, I would like to express that one of the most important goals this year is to keep the lines of communication open between the parent(s), guardian(s), and teachers. Positive and productive communication is paramount to your child’s success! You are essentially my eyes and ears at home and if you notice your child struggling, encourage them to ask me questions either during or after class. In addition, I will run after school tutoring sessions on Thursdays which students are always welcome to attend. This year I look forward to collaborating with your son/daughter to ensure a positive and successful academic outcome for your them. Please be sure to connect with the Class Dojo to receive updates and important communication about your child. Thank you to all the parents that have already connected to Class Dojo. If you have any questions or concerns during the year please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Google Classroom Codes 2023-2024 School Year:

ELA Section 140: Mods 1/2: isuibz6

ELA Section 302: Mods 3/4/5/6: yxokc53

ELA Section 304: Mods 10/11/12/13: 6rbwnzo

ELA Section 316: Mods 14/15/16/17: h3ds6sv