10 General Rules to Help You Succeed

Use your Planner!!

1. Your planner is your lifeline!  Take it everywhere (success = organization)
2. If no homework:  write “none” or “0”.
3. Keep it neat (you may need to refer back to it)
4. Mark important dates (highlighters are helpful)
5. Great communication tool between students and parents.

Follow Directions – It’s at least half of your grade!!

1. Follow directions, it shows the teacher you’re listening.
2. If given no guidelines, ask specific questions!
3. Bottom line: If you don’t follow direction your grade will suffer.

First Impressions

1. Neat, legible and organized.  Can you imagine reading 140 papers a day?
2. Attitude and behavior influence your grade!  (No matter how smart you are)
3. Body language is just as important as words.
4. Impress your teachers (they’ve got the power) not your classmates.

Homework

1. Always submit something(even if late) or your guaranteed a zero!
2. Neat, legible and organized.  Typed papers are preferred.
3. Late Homework: points are deducted.  (But better late than not at all)
4. If absent: homework must be made up or it will be a zero. (student’s responsibility)
5. Follow directions: give the teacher what they asked for.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask questionsif you don’t understand.
7. Homework buddy: exchange phone numbers with a classmate.
8. If behind or overwhelmed: use your weekends to lighten your work week.

Participation

1. Part of your grade, so speak up!
2. Can make the difference between an A/B, B/C, and C/D.

Absences

1. Make up missed homework, tests, labs, class notes etc...the sooner the better.
   (The # of days absent is usually the # of days you have to make up work)
   It’s your responsibility to get class notes from a classmate.

Study Guides

1. Be grateful if your teacher gives a study guide, since not all do.
2. Helpful for test prep, so answer completely and accurately.
3. When possible, copy blank study guides before you fill in. Good for reviewing.
4. Usually count as homework points – but do the even if they don’t for review.

Extra Credit

1. Rarely given, so definitely do it! (Even if you don’t think you need it)
2. Could mean the difference if you have a borderline grade.
3. Every point counts!!
4. If your grade is in jeopardy ask what you can do to raise it.

CYA (Cover your Assets)

1. If in doubt – don’t throw it out!
2. Don’t throw out anything until you get your report card!!
3. Teacher sometimes misplace papers or forget to record grades.
4. The burden is on you to 1) produce your work, 2) redo it, or 3) get a zero.
5. Make copies before you submit your final paper(copy anything you’ve spent substantial time on.) Remember: computers crash and freeze at the worst time, so save often, burn to a disc or print a hard copy.

End of Quarter Clean-up

1. Each quarter lasts about 9 weeks. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
2. Quarters end: 11/2, 1/31, 4/19 and 6/20.Know when the quarter ends!
3. In 7^th & 8^th grade a new quarter means a clean slate. Grades start over.
4. Turn in missing assignments, maintain existing grades or pull up low grades.
5. Clean out binders, replace broken ones, save papers, and get ready for next quarter. 

Mr. Olguin, Principal
Corona del Mar 7/8