Language Arts (8th Grade) | McNavish, Jeffrey

B.S in Education, Northern Arizona University (English major, history minor)

480.279.8358  

Hello! After spending a decade teaching in the Mesa district, I am now returning for my ninth year in the Higley district.  Over the years I have taught Freshman AP (honors) English, 8th grade English and Accelerated English, and both standard and honors 8th grade American Studies.  I was also the freshman baseball coach at my former school for seven years, and I am proud to say that I coached the 8th grade boys to a baseball title at Chaparral.  I look forward to another terrific year, and I am excited to be a part of the  Cooley team.  Go Cougars! 

 

2/28

Parents:

  Your child will be taking district midterm tests in several of their core classes next week; in Language Arts, they will be given multiple days to write an argumentative essay.

 

2/25

Students:

  If you were absent on Thursday or Friday (the 21st-22nd) and did not finish all three Galileo dialogs, the window for completion will be open until 10:00p.m. tonight; information for logging on can be found on the practice link of my teacher page.  Any dialog not completed by 10:00 will be entered as a zero.

 

2/4

Parents/students:

Registration for WFHS are to be completed by February 8th, and they should be locked in by parents no later than February 12th.  Counselors will be on the Cooley campus in early March to collect forms and answer student questions.

 

2/4

Parents:

Second semester parent-teacher conferences will take place on Wednesday the 13th from 2:00-4:00p.m. and Thursday the 14th from 2:00-4:00 and 5:00-7:00p.m.  If you do not receive an email invitation but would like to schedule a conference to discuss your child's performance, follow the link below to schedule a specific time.

 

 

 

8/21 

Parents:

Parent-teacher conference invitations will be sent out today and tomorrow for students who currently have a low grade and/or may be struggling academically in Language Arts.  If you do not receive an invitation but would like to schedule a conference to discuss your child's performance, follow the link below to schedule a specific time.  First quarter conferences will take place on Wednesday the 29th from 5:00-7:00p.m and Thursday the 30th from 2:00-4:00 and 5:00-7:00p.m.

 

http://ptcfast.com/schools/Cooley_Middle_School

 

8/21

Parents/students:

A few of you will notice that your class grade suddenly went up--this is not a mistake.  According to a change in the Cooley grading policy, the lowest assessment score a student can receive is 50%.  When I first enter assessment scores, the actual raw student score will be posted so that each student can see whether he/she demonstrated mastery on the standard; once retakes begin, I will alter any score below 50% to the minimum default.  

 

 

 

 

8/16

Parents:

I will be sending out parent-teacher conference invitations on Wednesday for any student who has a low score in my class; I will also include a signup link for those who do not receive invitations but would like to schedule a conference.

 

 

8/14

Students:

If you noticed a slight change in your grade average between Monday afternoon and today (8/14), don't be alarmed--I had entered an incorrect weighted value in the gradebook.

 

 

 

8/2

Thank you to everyone who attended Curriculum night; I enjoyed meeting with you.  A quick reminder--the practice link on my home page provides information about assignment due dates and instructions.

 

 

 

7/20

Parents,

  A list of recommended supplies can be found at the bottom of this page; the only item that I request specifically for my class is a 5 subject spiral notebook.  The cheapest I have seen them is at Walmart, where prices vary from under $2 to around $7.  If you have trouble finding one, 3 subject spiral notebooks can be reformatted to fit the same purpose.  I have limited quantities of almost all other needed materials (pencils, pens, etc.) available in class if a student does not have a needed item.   

 

7/18

Parents,

   On the first day of school, I will be providing your child with a copy of my class syllabus; this document will provide you with an overview of class policies, tutoring and test test retake opportunities, grading policies, behavior expectations, and other items for general reference.  Please sign the last page so that your child can return it by Friday the 27th.

 

7/18

Parents,

  Please join me on Curriculum Night, which will take place from 5:30-7:30p.m. on Wednesday, August 1st.  Curriculum Night allows me to (briefly) meet you, provide an overview of your child's Language Arts curriculum, and answer any questions you might have to begin the year.

 

 

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Recommended supplies:

 5 subject college-ruled spiral notebook (highly recommended)

highlighter(s)

blue or black pen and a red pen for editing

package of 3x5 lined notecards

#2 pencils

dry erase marker(s)

loose-leaf paper

 * please note that I have almost all of these materials, such as pencils and paper, available in the classroom.  The spiral notebook is the only item that I do not have available.