Dear Parents,

Thank you for your commitment to Christian education and to CCS. I am looking forward to having your child in my class this year. I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you a few things about myself personally and professionally. I have been committed to Christian education for 30 years. This year will be my 10th year at CCS. I attended Marietta College, where I received my B.A. degrees in history and education. It was not until ten years later however, after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior that the Lord gave me a strong desire to teach.

I am dedicated to helping your child develop the skills necessary to make wise choices when confronted with life’s challenges. I will strive to help your child reach his or her highest potential and God-given talents spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally. In all interactions with your child, I will strive to treat him or her with respect, compassion and understanding. In return, I expect cooperation and respect from your child.

As a teacher of History, it is my desire to help each student to see how knowledge of the past contributes to our understanding of the present and future. My aim is to encourage your child to think critically, listen with discernment and communicate with power and precision. Perhaps most importantly, I will strive to help each student to see God’s hand in the events of the past, present and future, as well as His involvement in their own lives. Galatians 2:20.

This year I will be using my blogs and dropbox.com to keep you informed of assignments, projects, and to keep you up to date concerning your child’s progress.

Please feel free to e-mail or call me (300-689-6267) me about any questions or concerns. You are the most important person in your child’s life, and your involvement and support mean a great deal. Together, we can make a difference in your child’s life.

Yours in Christ

Mr. Michael Demchak

Christian Community School

MR. Demchak’s Class Syllabus

World Studies I 2013-2014

Course Description and Objectives: Students will learn to

1.    Understand God’s presence throughout history and how He is working through the events of history to accomplish His perfect will.

2.    Apply lessons learned from history to their lives. In our study of past people and events, we seek to gain a greater understanding of ourselves and our world. 

3.    Learn the important world events from the beginning of time until the Renaissance.

4.    Appreciate the efforts of those who have gone before us and how their work benefits us today.

Things to bring everyday:

1.    File folder- three ring binder to be used exclusively for history class.

·       Notes/Handouts to be kept in the three ring binder

·       Homework Assignments completed on loose leaf paper.

2.    Textbook: World Studies for Christian Schools Bob Jones University Press
3.  Paper, Pencil, and Pen 
Failure to bring school supplies to class could result in disciplinary action or points off your grade.

 

General Rules for the Classroom

  

   1.    Follow directions the first time they are given.

   2.    Be in your seat when the bell rings.

   3.    Come to class with all materials mandated by the teacher.

   4.    Do not talk while the teacher or someone else is speaking.

   5.    Stay in your seats unless given permission to get up.

   6.    Keep hands, feet, and all objects to yourself.

Grading

A= 100-92   B= 91-83   C= 82-74   D= 73-65   F= 64 and below

How grade is determined

·       75% Tests, Quizzes, Projects/Essays/Oral reports

·       25% Homework Assignments

Specific Rules

I’m here to help- If you have problems or questions I am here to help.  See me before school (I get here by 7:35), during the break, before class, at lunch, or after school.  EMAIL  demchakmj@aol.com

Absences- In the case of an ordinary absence, students have the number of days they are absent to make up work.  All absent work should be turned in marked “absent” after an absence.  In the case of absences due to more serious needs or retreats, I will work with you to arrange a plan by which you can make up missed assignments.  Please initiate this effort if needed.   Long term projects are due on the assigned date regardless of whether you can come to class that day.

Late work – Students can turn in any assignment late for half credit.  The deadline for homework turned in late is the day of the chapter test that the assignment pertains to.  No late work is accepted after the deadline – no exceptions.  Please turn it in marked “Late”

Plagiarism – All work turned into me should be the students own work.  Plagiarism includes but is not limited to: copying someone’s answers on a test, homework, or other assignment; letting someone copy answers on a test, homework, or other assignment; copying information from a book, magazine, encyclopedia, web site, or other source and portraying this information as something you have written.  Working with someone else should not produce identical answers to every question.  You are not prohibited from working with a friend, but you are expected to form separate responses.     

Extra credit- Extra credit assignments will be given from time to time.  Extra credit cannot exceed 3% of the student’s total points for the quarter.  One extra credit assignment that students can take advantage of is as follows:

    1.    Using the pages assigned for homework, the student is to write the main idea for each subsection (highlighted in red and green) in the form of a topic sentence. 

    2. Write two supporting sentences for each topic sentence.

Classroom Discipline

Dear Parents,                                                                             August 24, 2011

I am honored for the opportunity to have your son/daughter in my class this year. I am dedicated to having the student’s experience Christ’s presence in my class each day and to making this an exciting and productive year for each student. As I firmly believe that self-discipline is crucial to the success of any student, I utilize a Classroom Discipline Plan that includes CCS's discipline policy and a few additional guidelines.

The plan is designed to allow each student the opportunity to control his or her own behavior. Your child deserves the best possible learning environment for academic growth. The purpose of the following plan is to help students to work together with me to create this type of atmosphere in the classroom.

BEHAVIOR GUIDELINES: All students are to:
1. Follow directions the first time they are given.

2. Be in the classroom and seated before the bell begins to ring.

3. Bring all assigned materials (assigned work, textbook, notebook, etc.) to class every day.

4. Stay in their seats unless given permission to get up.

5. Keep hands, feet, and all objects to themselves.

EARNED PRTVLEGES:

To encourage and motivate the students to follow the rules, I will reward proper behavior with:

1. Individual rewards such as verbal praises, positive notes, homework passes and extra credit.

2. Class wide rewards such as open discussion time, drawing for prizes and taking a question off a test.

EARNED CONSEQUENCES:

If a student chooses not to follow the rules, consequences will be as follows. Note all consequences are cumulative. Each new consequence is in addition to consequences previously imposed.

First Offence- name checked once = warning. .

Second Offence - name checked twice = student will see me after class.

Third Offence - name checked three times = student write a note to their parent explaining why they committed the offence. Subsequent offences = 1 day detention.

Severe disruption - student is immediately sent to the principal.

I have already discussed the Plan with the students, but I would appreciate it if you reviewed the Plan with your child, then sign and return the accompanying form. I will be contacting you from time to time this year to keep you up- to-date on your child's progress. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Mike Demchak

Course Description: World Studies 7-8

The aim of this course is to examine World History from the beginning of time up to the Renaissance focusing on three elements.

1. Culture or way of life will be examined from six different areas government, economics, religion, society, education, and art. We will examine various cultures comparing and contrasting them with our own culture. We will also look at how each culture has been influenced by their knowledge of God and how they responded to that knowledge.

2. Geography is the study of the earth’s landscapes and resources and how it affects the world’s cultures.

3. History is the record of past activities and events that have helped to shape the world we live in today. Knowledge of the past contributes to our understanding of the present and future. We will strive to see God’s hand in the events of the past, present and future, as well as His involvement in their own lives.

World Studies I (7-9) Course of Study

Introduction: Why Study History

Chapter 1: Sumer of Mesopotamia

Chapter 2: The Land of Canaan

Chapter 3 Egypt Along the Nile

Chapter 4 Mysterious India

Chapter 5 Ancient China

Chapter 6 Classical Greece

Chapter 7 The Roman World

Chapter 8 The Early Church

Chapter 9: The Golden Age of China

Chapter 10 The Islands of Japan

Chapter 11 The Golden Age of India

Chapter 12 The Islamic World

Chapter 13 The Byzantine Empire

Chapter 14 The Dark Ages in Europe

Chapter 15 The Age of Feudalism