• Parent Involvement is all about the children. Participation in your child’s education is proven to boost his or her school achievement. We are committed to treating parents as partners while keeping lines of communication open and focused on the needs of your child. Mutual trust and respect between parents and teachers are required to maintain a positive learning experience at any school. We believe that your trust in Norterra Canyon is required to ensure your child’s success. 

    I’m Wes Harder, and am going to be spending the 24-25 school year as the new 7-8 science teacher. This is my first year teaching a new grade in a long time (I spent the last 8 years teaching 5th grade, and am excited for the new challenge.

    I attended Arizona State University and University of 好色导航, and have taught many things over the last 16 years (engineering and robotics summer camps, ELA, math, corporate skills, driver’s ed, and science)

    I also stay busy as Norterra Canyon’s athletic director and robotics/drones club chair. When I’m not working, my wife and I tend to gravitate towards being on the water. In fact, this last summer was the first summer that I water skied, jet skied, paddle boarded, and boogie boarded in the same summer.

    For this year’s science studies…

    • 7th grade’s major units will be Newton’s Laws, Forces at a Distance, Gravitational Forces, Weather/Climate/Water Cycling, Changes in the Earth’s Surface, Metabolic Reactions, and Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis



    • 8th grade’s major units will be Fate of The Dinosaurs, Human Civilization 1 (Disasters & Agriculture), Human Civilization 2 (Metals & Energy), and Colonize A Planet

    Overview of. 

     

    COMMUNICATION

    •  



                  Here is the link to my main webpage…

     

     

    And here are some other links to important parts of my webpage…

     

     

    • Some of the big concepts and projects we’ll be working on this year at (link)

    Keep exploring my page, and you’ll find info on other special things I have going on.

     

         The very best way to connect with me at any time of the day is via email…at wesley.harder@dvusd.org

     

    Please schedule specific times to meet with me if you have a special question or concern, as we need time to communicate effectively. I often have professional duties directly before and after school hours. Please understand that I will not be able to meet or discuss issues while I am teaching or supervising students. However, I will contact you as soon as I can.

     

    Norterra Canyon has implemented email office hours and a “curfew” to ensure that we maintain a healthy work-life balance. I will respond to emails and phone calls Monday through Friday during school hours and (when possible) up until approximately 5pm on weeknights.



    Norterra Canyon Professional Learning Community

    Most Fridays, students will be released at 1:30 pm so that we can participate in PLC work. This work is directly related to the planning, instruction, and interventions we implement in our classrooms to ensure that students master the standards.

    Role of Professional Learning Teams

    A PTL (professional learning team) is a group of educators that meet regularly and work collaboratively to improve teaching practices and the achievement of students. The questions that drive the work of Norterra Canyon’s Professional Learning Community:

    • What do we want all students to know and be able to do?
    • How will we know if they learn it?
    • How will we respond if some students do not learn?
    • How will we extend the learning for students who are already proficient?

    Professional Learning Teams are responsible for collaborating to establish general consistency among the following:

    • Assignments, presentations, products, observations, and assessments are used to determine a student's level of performance with grade-level standards.
    • The method and schedule for additional learning opportunities.
    • Due dates, deadlines, and procedures for reassessment.
    • Create opportunities for common scoring of assessments.





    Artificial Intelligence

    In the Deer Valley Unified School District, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible education while ensuring their safety, privacy, and well-being. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance learning experiences, teachers may incorporate generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom for students. 

     

    Students must adhere to the specific guidelines provided in the assignment details. If no guidance around the use of generative AI is provided, students should follow the “restrictive” level (see chart). Teachers should direct students to contact their teacher before submitting classwork if the student is unsure if the tool or website they are using is permitted on a specific assignment.


























    HOMEWORK & GRADES

    • The intent of homework is to practice, extend learning, and provide opportunities for students to develop critical, independent study skills and self-discipline for their life-long educational journeys.
    • Grades are a reporting tool utilized to reflect what a student knows and can do in a content area. We measure achievement, not effort or behavior, in our grading system. 
    • Grades will be equitable, accurate, specific, and consistent.
    • A student’s grade should reflect academic learning and should never be used as a punitive tool.
    • Grades are for reporting the status of academic learning, not behavioral conduct
    • The primary purpose of assessment and grading is to provide detailed feedback to inform and support student learning.
    • Learning is a process that takes place over time and at different speeds for different students.
    • PowerSchool is an essential resource for parents and students. It is not only a tool for communication regarding grades, it is a resource for our students and parents to check progress, missing work, and what is being taught/learned regularly. Please ensure that you and your child have access (separate accounts) and even sign up for the app and push notifications or weekly email updates as an option in



    好色导航GRADING PRACTICES 

    Please visit the links below for more detailed information regarding 好色导航grading  practices:

    PRAG Handbook (K-6)

    PRAG Handbook (7-8)

     

     

    Kindergarten Grade Scale

    Students in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades will receive marks for their proficiency toward the grade level standards using the following scale.

                  4 = Applies grade level skills with greater depth or complexity

    3 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency 

    2 = Approaches grade level proficiency 

    1 = Displays a significant lack of grade level proficiency








    1st-2nd Grade Grade Scale

    Students in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades will receive marks for their proficiency toward the grade level standards using the following scale.

                  4 = Applies grade level skills with greater depth or complexity

    3 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency 

    2 = Approaches grade level proficiency 

    1 = Displays a significant lack of grade level proficiency 

     

    Students in 1st and 2nd grades will receive marks for their overall performance in each course of study using the following letter grade scale.

                  E = Excellent )

                  S = Satisfactory 

                  N = Needs Improvement  

                  U = Underperforming 

    3-12 Grade Scale

    Students in 3rd through 12th grades will receive marks for their proficiency toward the grade level standards using the following scale.

                  4 = Highly Proficient

                  3 = Proficient

                  2 = Partially Proficient

                  1 = Minimally Proficient

     

    Students in 3rd through 12th grades will receive marks for their overall performance in each course of study using the following letter grade scale.

                  A =  90-100% 

                  B =  80-89%

                  C =  70-79%

                  D =  60-69%

                  F =   0-59%

     

    Grades of “D” and above are passing marks.  A course grade of “F” indicates that the student has failed the course. 

     

    For 9th-12th grade levels, no course credit will be awarded for a failing course grade. 

     

    Categories

    All grade entries in the gradebook will be attributed to one of the following categories.

     

    Assessment: This category includes all items used to measure a student’s 

    proficiency toward the learning standards once the student has had sufficient practice and at a specified point in time. This category can include summative tests, performance assessments, reports, unit or module assessments, quizzes, long-term projects, short-term projects, presentations, capstone projects, research papers, and lab reports. 

     

    Coursework: This category includes formative work that provides students with the opportunity to learn content and skills and to receive feedback on their learning.  Coursework is assigned to provide meaningful, independent practice, reinforce learning targets, and extend learning. This category can include in-class assignments, exit tickets, checks for understanding, and daily activities.

     

    Practice:  This category includes formative student work that a student completes while learning specific skills.  Student work that is done inside and outside of the classroom, such as classwork and homework, falls into this category. 

     

    Category Weights (3rd-8th Grades Only)

    Each category will be weighted as follows:

     

                  ASSESSMENT CATEGORY         80%

                  COURSEWORK CATEGORY      20%

                  PRACTICE CATEGORY                               0%

     

    Missing Work (3rd-8th grades)

    An assignment is considered missing work when it is not submitted by the due date. Missing work will be treated as such:

    • The assignment will be marked with the “Missing” special code in the grade book
    • A zero (“0”) will be entered as the score for the assignment in the grade book 
    • No Evidence (NE) will be entered for the standards attached to the assignment

     

    Late Work

    An assignment is considered late work when the assignment is not submitted by the due date that was established but is submitted within the parameters listed below. 

    For Late Work to be accepted, students must meet the following parameters:

    • Assignment is not due within the class period
    • Assignment is not a timed activity (such as a Quick-Write Essay)
    • Assignment is not a Long-Term assignment (over multiple weeks)
    • Assignment is turned in within the following time frame

                  K-2 Grades: By the end of the marking period

                  3-8 Grades: Within 5 school days after the end of the unit

                  9-12 Grades: By the end of the unit







    Reassessment

    Retakes are allowed for assessments for full credit, if reperformance opportunities (another assessment on the same learning target later in the marking period as part of the instructional cycle) will not be available during the marking period or in addition to reperformance opportunities during the marking period.  

    To earn a retake opportunity, a student must complete all of the following:

    • Complete all formative coursework related to the content/skill assessed
    • Consult with the teacher
    • Submit a reassessment plan or application, if required by the teacher

    A  reassessment plan must be scheduled within the following time frames:

    • K-2nd Grades: Until the week before the end of the marking period
    • 3rd-8th Grades: Within 10 school days of receiving the assessment score




    ·       Academic Integrity Statement

    • To be college-, career-, and community-ready, students in the Deer Valley Unified School District are expected to demonstrate academic integrity. Academic integrity is all about being honest and fair in your schoolwork. It means doing work that is entirely your own and giving credit to others (including generative Artificial Intelligence tools) through proper citation when you use their ideas or words.
      If you have questions about the guidelines for academic integrity, you should discuss them with your teacher.
    •  
    • Academic Dishonesty Statement
    • Academic dishonesty refers to any action that compromises the integrity of academic work or evaluation processes. This includes but is not limited to:  
      • Copying or stealing another person’s work or data (plagiarism);  
      • Allowing another person to copy one’s work;  
      • Doing another person’s classwork;  
      • Creating more than one copy of one’s work for distribution;  
      • Providing another person with the answers on tests or quizzes;   
      • Noncompliance with teachers’ test-taking procedures;
      • Unauthorized copying or development of software; and
      • Unauthorized use of generative Artificial Intelligence.
    • Consequences for instances of academic dishonesty range from a conference and loss of credit (student will be given another opportunity to show mastery of learning) up to a 5-day suspension and loss of credit.

     

    The Pirate Way! & PBIS Rewards

    Please help us to encourage your child to follow our school-wide behavior expectations: 

     

    Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, and Be Kind 

     

    The matrix below is posted across campus, and it is the responsibility of all students to follow each location-specific expectation.   During the first two weeks of school, students will be taught the expectations at each location.

    Students demonstrating these positive behaviors, both in and out of their classrooms, will enjoy earning points using our PBIS Rewards program. Points can be spent on tangible items and social incentives in our NC School Store.

     

     

    Discipline Process: Minor & Major 

    To ensure our school is safe, positive, and productive for all learners, a process is in place to address behaviors that do not meet the expectations above. The information below will be shared with students. Please help us implement our schoolwide discipline processes by talking to your child about minor and major behaviors. If you have any questions, contact your child’s teacher.




















    When students demonstrate problem behaviors, NC staff will follow the process below.


    Cell Phone Policy

    Norterra Canyon’s school cell phone policy is Off and Away All Day. Students are not permitted to use cell phones during school hours unless directed by a teacher (this includes in classrooms, in common areas, and during lunch/recess). While we understand that there are times you need to communicate with your child, all communication should be through the office. Please do not text or call your child's cell phone during school hours. Students not feeling well need to report to the nurse's office, rather than contact a parent to pick them up. We need your help to preserve the instructional environment of our classrooms every day of the school year.  This policy also applies to the use of earbuds or AirPods. We are thankful for your support in ensuring a safe, positive, and productive learning environment for all Pirates.