Letter to Parents and Guardians for Back to School Night

 Dear Parents and Guardians of Japanese 4A Students (3rd Period):

 

Thank you very much for coming to Back to School Night.

 

Unfortunately, I can’t be with you tonight because of a medical procedure this afternoon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  This letter will give you information about the Japanese 4A course.

 

Our curriculum is based on the most widely used college text series, Genki: An Integrated Course in Japanese, 3^rd Edition , by Eri Banno, Yoko Ikeda, Yutaka Ohno, Chikako Shinagawa, and Kyoko Takashiki.  It was published by The Japan Times Publishing Company in Tokyo in 2022.  Japanese 4 A will cover the following chapters:

                         Genki One chapters 11 and 12

                         Genki Two chapters 13, 14, 15, and 16

 

            In accordance with departmental policy, grades accumulate every quarter and are based on completion of written homework/classwork (20%), participation/oral performances (30%), projects (20%), and tests (30%).

                         Grading  policy

                                     A=90-100%

                                     B=80-89%

                                     C=70-79%

                                    D=60-69%

                                    F=below 60%

 

            I accept late work, within reason, i. e. not at the very end of the quarter.  Late work will receive a reduction of at least one letter grade.  Any assignment not yet handed in will show as 50% in Skyward until I receive it. I grade homework and classwork on the basis of completion only, as I feel there should be someplace where students are allowed to make mistakes and then learn from them.

 

             Extra credit work will be accepted only after all other assignments have been completed.  Topics for extra credit work will be decided in consultation with the student, in line with his or her interests regarding Japan and its culture.

 

             The best way to reach me is by school email :  crkimmel@oprfhs.org .  If you wish, we can arrange a time for phone consultation or for an in-person meeting.  You can see my daily online curriculum blog, accessible on cell phones and home computers, at http://crbsk.blogspot.com  .   It lists class activities for each day, including homework assignments.  Course materials and links are also available on Classroom.

 

In the classroom, I expect the levels of courtesy and cooperation that I experienced in Japan when I was a Japan Foundation Fellow and a research fellow at Yokohama City University.  I am already impressed by the foreign language talent exhibited by this year’s students.

 

宜しくお願いします。Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

 

Carol Ruth Kimmel

Japanese language teacher