Parent Infomation Page

Link to the "Student / Parent Letter" Note: your daughter / son should have brought a printout of this letter home to you at the beginning of the course.

Communicating Assignment Information:
The schedule of topics and assignments are posted on this web site w/o dates. Your daughter/son may at anytime you are with them at a computer having internet access show you these topics and assignments w/o dates. They may also print out a hard copy for you to read. The topics and assignments w/o dates can be found by clicking on the link "Physics - Class Schedule Information" on the student information page or using the topic shortcut below.

"Topics Shortcut" - Physics - Class Schedule Information

Communicating Daily/Weekly Class Schedule Information:

HonorsLevel:
This year the instructor (Mr. Feimer) of the Honors Physics course is participating in a pilot program in conjunction with Prairie State College to introduce the use of the Blackboard Academic Suite. This Internet Educational managing system is used extensively at the University and College level for communicating and evaluating students. Students enrolled in the Honors Physics course will be receiving information about accessing their account on this system when school begins. Through their account they will be provided with a daily/weekly class schedule.

A - Level
Mr. Feimer will be using the "Physics Academy" Link found on the first page of this web site to take his students directly to schoolnotes where the daily/weekly schedule information will be posted.

Mr. Kopera - TBA

B -Level
Mr. Feimer will be using the "Physics Academy" Link found on the first page of this web site to take his students directly to schoolnotes where the daily/weekly schedule information will be posted.

Accessing the Physicsphenomena Web Site: If you are currently reading this, you have already accessed physics phenomena, but if you are reading a printout of this page read the rest of this paragraph. To access the web site type in "http://www.physicsphenomena.com" into the URL address / locations and press enter, or select GO depending on the browser you are using. (To use the web site to view the schedule click on student information to go to the student information page. From there click on Physics-Class Schedule Information which contains a list of topics. When you click on a individual topic you will see what information a student is responsible for in that unit.)

Parent Contact:
Parents: Use the following methods to contact me when necessary.
1. Email: Use the email address provided for you to reach the instructor.
2. Memo / Letter: Have your daughter / Son carry a note from you to be delivered to me as soon as they arrive in class.
3. Phone: Leave a voice mail on the Marian Voice Mail Message System.
Whatever means you choose to contact the instructor, they will respond to the message and contact you as soon as is reasonably possible.

Parent Effort:
As a parent, you are in a very good position to monitor your daughter/son 's study habits. It would be a good idea to check up regularly on what they are doing and how much time they invest in their studies. Too often students do not invest enough of their time outside of class to learn the material they have been assigned. The effect of this negative behavior is poor grades or even failure. Ask your daughter/son to explain what they are doing and monitor how much time they invest in each subject each day outside of the school day schedule. You may not know the subject area, but you know your child well enough to determine whether they know what they are talking about. If they are unsure of themselves they need to increase their study time. Freshmen are told to invest 1/2 hour per subject per course per day. Juniors and seniors should realisticly expect to invest more of their time than freshman. 45 minutes per subject per school day is not unreaonable. In college students who want to be successful will have to invest an average of at least 2 hours outside of their classes in study for every one hour spend in their classes.

Student Contact:
Student should use direct in school / in class face to face contact for communication with the instructor. You may also see the instructor outside of class most mornings or afternoons. Should you find yourself out of school for an unusual length of time, such as for a week or more, use the email for the students you and your parents were told about at the beginning of the year. Also don't hesitate to contact other students about what you are missing when absent, also check the weekly/daily on-line schedule. Use the physicsphenomena.com web site Physics - Class Schedule Information about topic information you need to know. ALWAYS FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE MISSING IN A TIMELY FASHION when you are absent.

Evaluations:
Students are evaluated through the use of Tests, Quizzes, Open Note Homework Quizzes (Homework is to be done in your NB unless otherwise stated.), Lab Activities, and the occasional special assignment / project such as the "Invetigation of Bridge Building" activity.

Times the Instructor is Available:
Individual contact time in class is possible, when it does not interfere with another students learning or class instruction. On most weekday mornings beginning at 7:10 AM there are homework discussion sessions. On most afternoons the instructor is available until 2:45 PM

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Philosophy: The students in physics can learn pretty much anything they put their minds to, if they are willing to invest the time necessary to get the job done. Every student who enrolls in a section of physics knows going in to the class what the prerequisites are and should be willing to work hard to accomplish the learning that is expected of them. Like many high school and post high school programs, the learning that takes place in physics is a building process where the next topic demands that the current topic be learned thoroughly. A person needs to know that concepts and skills being learned now will be needed again. Students have to understand that the building of mental concepts and skills demands that they invest time. They know that to develop a healthy body, a skill in music, or a skill in a sport requires an investment of time. The same is true of mental concepts and skills. Students must invest the time needed to develop them. The brain develops with use just as a muscle group does. It is most important that a student accepts this and acts on this knowledge accordingly. Students should learn to plan their week by using a calendar and blocking in on the calendar the times they are going to study each subject. Then they need to stick to that schedule. If more time is needed in a particular subject then the study time indicated on their schedule, the time for that subject should be increased. Students also need to know that their teacher is their academic coach, and whenever they need help, they should seek out their academic coach for that help.

Finally, a student is expected to hit the books everyday studying the new material and systematically studying the previous material to develop their memory and understanding. Homework in this course is not just assignments that have to be turned in. That would amount to less than 10% of the work expected of them. Most homework is the daily development of the class notes, the at home studying, the memorization of the vocabulary, the doing of the practice problems, the doing of the workbook problems, and the special assignments that are written into the physics journal / notebook. Development of this material provides the student with the necessary material to review and prepare for each and every evaluation. Freshman are told to expect from between 3 to 4 hours a night of homework/study. That is an average of 30 or so minutes per subject. Juniors and seniors should expect to have to invest even more time per subject. This is why it is imperative that a student write out thier own weekly calendar schedule each and every week so that enough study time is scheduled between everything else that they are expected to do. If study time is not deliberately scheduled the student is not likely to have enough time to complete their studies each day, because each day fills up very fast with things to do.

"Individual Success does have a high correlation with the degree of organization that an individual demonstrates."