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Career
Planning and High School Registration Courses
for High School Credit Mock
Trial
Team Concept and
Schedule 
Mr. Patterson--IPS and
Science Ms. Mitchell--Pre-Algebra
and Algebra Ms. Kpabar--Science and
Math Mrs. Souder--Language
Arts Mrs. Newcomb--Language
Arts and History Ms. Johns--Language Arts
and History Students are assigned
classes based on student desires, teacher recommendations,
class sizes, behavioral considerations and available class
times. Students also rotate through a 4th Period
"Remediation and Enrichment" (R&E) period, in which they
might tutor younger students, take a music course such as
band strings or chorus, participate in Mock Trial/Forensics
class, or have a study hall. Such rotations enable students
to be exposed to many different teachers and other
adults--even if only during class changes in our
hallways--and we believe that it helps them understand the
importance of procedures and problem-solving skills in high
school. We have also discovered that such a concept prevents
the "team rivalry" issue that tends to divide grade level
groups; our 8th graders have a spirit of "one for all and
all for one" from almost the first day of
school. Homeroom: 8:45 to
9:00 1st Period: 9:00 to
9:55 2nd Period: 10:00 to 10:55
(Mitchell/Newcomb lunch 10:25 to
10:55) 3rd Period: 11:00 to 11:55
(Related Arts Rotation) 4th Period: 12:00 to 12:55
(R&E Rotation) Back to 2nd Period:
Mitchell/Newcomb class 1:00 to 1:30 5th Period: 1:35 to
2:30 6th Period: 2:35 to
3:45
8th Grade Expectations
*Students are to
take care of preparations for class (sharpening a
pencil, going to the trash can, borrowing
materials,etc.) BEFORE teaching begins. *Students will
bring all necessary materials to class--there will
be no locker visits or bathroom breaks during
academic class time! *Classes are
dismissed by the teacher ONLY. Bells, clocks, and
other students are NOT empowered to do
this. *There will be
ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY in any classroom. Horseplay
includes, but is not limited to: running, hitting,
grabbing, slapping, kicking, punching, pushing,
playing, nudging, flailing, jumping, chasing, being
chased, wrestling, pinching, tripping, thumping,
poking and bumping. These behaviors have seriously
injured students in the past, and teachers must BY
LAW protect the safety of all students. Therefore,
if you horseplay, you will suffer a consequence.
NOTE: When caught horseplaying, do not say to the
teacher, "But we were just playing!" This is the
wrong response. *Students are
expected to take the MOST DIRECT ROUTE from any one
class to any other. It is NEVER acceptable for you
to "detour" through the hallway of another grade
level. Besides...we know what you're up to (we've
been there before) and you can't get away with it.
(Why would you want to hang out with a bunch of
little kids, anyway?!?) *You have five
full minutes to go to the bathroom, go to your
locker, visit with your friends and be seated in
your next class. THIS IS PLENTY OF TIME. Next year,
you will have to travel 5 TIMES the distance with
only 2 extra minutes. If you can't get to class on
time here, then you can't go to high
school. *There will be
ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY during transitions.
Horseplay includes, but is not limited to: running,
hitting, grabbing, slapping, kicking, punching,
pushing, playing, nudging, flailing, jumping,
chasing, being chased, wrestling, pinching,
tripping, thumping, poking and bumping. These
behaviors have seriously injured students in the
past, and teachers must BY LAW protect the safety
of all students. Therefore, if you horseplay, you
will suffer a consequence. NOTE: When caught
horseplaying, do not say to the teacher, "But we
were just playing!" This is the wrong
response. *Your second
period class is the class with whom you will eat
lunch. Your teacher will allow you to choose your
table. You will enter the cafeteria, sit down
IMMEDIATELY at your table, and wait for the
cafeteria monitor to call you to the line. Once you
have your lunch, you will return IMMEDIATELY to
your table and stay there until your 2nd period
teacher dismisses you. *It is not okay
to get up during lunch. Not to throw something
away, not to go to the bathroom, not to get a drink
of water (really, folks, from the cafeteria?!?!),
and not because you "just had to talk to somebody
for a minute." In the case of an emergency, you
MUST ask the cafeteria monitor for permission to
get out of your seat. You may or may not get the
desired permission. Do not argue about
it. *Any 8th grader
who cannot follow this simple procedure will have
to eat a plate lucnch in ISS. *There will be
ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY in the cafeteria. Horseplay
includes, but is not limited to: running, hitting,
grabbing, slapping, kicking, punching, pushing,
playing, nudging, flailing, jumping, chasing, being
chased, wrestling, pinching, tripping, thumping,
poking and bumping. These behaviors have seriously
injured students in the past, and teachers must BY
LAW protect the safety of all students. Therefore,
if you horseplay, you will suffer a consequence.
NOTE: When caught horseplaying, do not say to the
teacher, "But we were just playing!" This is the
wrong response. *Students will
be called for dismissal by bus number. You should
leave your classroom only when: 1)your bus number
has been called, 2) the SECOND bell has rung, and
3) your teacher has dismissed you. *DO NOT LIE
ABOUT BEING A CAR RIDER OR STAYING FOR PRACTICE OR
ANY OTHER STORY THAT WILL GET YOU OUT EARLY. We
take that very seriously, and the trouble you will
find if you try that will be immense. We have a
legal responsibility to you and your parents...we
don't intend to fail in that
responsibility. *Each day at
Donelson Middle, 800 students are dismissed witthin
a time frame of 5 minutes. You MUST follow ALL
directions given to you by ANY adult. It is the
responsibility of every 8th grader to control
himself, follow instructions, and do his part to
make dismissal safe and orderly for the younger
students. *There will be
ABSOLUTELY NO HORSEPLAY during dismissal. Horseplay
includes, but is not limited to: running, hitting,
grabbing, slapping, kicking, punching, pushing,
playing, nudging, flailing, jumping, chasing, being
chased, wrestling, pinching, tripping, thumping,
poking and bumping. These behaviors have seriously
injured students in the past, and teachers must BY
LAW protect the safety of all students. Therefore,
if you horseplay, you will suffer a consequence.
NOTE: When caught horseplaying, do not say to the
teacher, "But we were just playing!" This is the
wrong response. *Do not "go off"
on a teacher or other adult because you do not like
what we say. This will NOT help you. Most adults at
DMS will allow you to calmly and politely state
your objection to whatever trouble you may be in at
the moment. Some will not. This is the way life is,
and you are old enough and capable enough to deal
with that. *"Going off"
includes but is not limited to: rolling your eyes,
stomping your feet, walking around or away from the
adult, breathing hard, making hand gestures of any
kind, and making snide remarks, even if you are
speaking softly or are not speaking directly to the
adult. We are experienced, educated and
intelligent individuals who are perfectly capable
of deciding whether or not your attitude is
appropriate. And WE will decide. Period. NOTE: When
an adult confronts you about your attitude, do not
say, "I wasn't even talking to you!" This is the
wrong response. *As you calmly
and politely state your case, DO NOT expect that
the adult will automatically accept what you say;
sometimes they will, and sometimes they won't.
Welcome to real life. No matter the situation, the
fact remains that we are ADULTS who are responsible
for 800 students every day while you are a MINOR
responsible only for your own actions. *As 8th graders,
you are the leaders of this school. Whether you
like it and deserve it or not, the rest of the
students look at you as a model for behavior. This
means that not only are your teachers responsible
to help YOU learn how to handle difficulty, we must
also monitor your behavior in order to help EVERY
OTHER STUDENT in this school. Like it or not, 8TH
GRADERS (and their teachers) ARE HELD TO A HIGHER
STANDARD THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THIS BUILDING. This is
our lot in life, and we will make it
work. *It is equally
important that you treat every other student in
this building with respect. We do not expect you to
be best friends with everyone; we DO expect you to
use common sense and basic decency in dealing with
others. Bullying will simply NOT be tolerated in
any form: verbal, physical or otherwise. Make sure
that we never suspect you of bullying, for if we
do, you will have to work very hard to prove that
we are wrong about you. *If you ever
have a problem with an adult or another student,
and it is TRULY a misunderstanding, we will know it
almost immediately. Know how? Because people in
the middle of a misunderstanding are almost always
generous, kind and genuine in their immediate
attempts to fix the problem. Any arguing or
complaining about it by you will let us know
immediately that the problem is NOT a
misunderstanding. *WHY IS IT
NECESSARY TO POST ALL OF THIS INFORMATION? BECAUSE
YOUR TEACHERS CARE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT YOU AND YOUR
SUCCESS. IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT BY NOW,
THE 8TH GRADE TEAM LIKES TO ENJOY THE PROFESSION OF
TEACHING AND THE 8TH GRADE TEAM LIKES TO HAVE FUN.
ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUCH AN
ATMOSPHERE, AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO HAVE THAT. YOU
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO TRUST THAT WE LOVE YOU AND
WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL OF US.
Career Planning and High School Registration
The time is drawing near...our 8th grade students will soon be off to high school and beginning to make decisions that will determine their fate. The chart below details the course requirements for all Metro Nashville graduates. (Choose either the standard diploma to the left or the Scholar's Program diploma on the right.)
English 4 Math (including Algebra
1) 3 Science (1 physical and
1 biological) 3 U.S.
History 1 Economics 1/2 Government 1/2 World History OR World
Geography OR Ancient History OR European
History 1 Physical
Education 1 Lifetime
Wellness 1 TOTAL 15 Core
Credits English (Honors or Adv.
Placement) 4 Math (including Algebra
2) 3 Science (1 physical and
1 biological) 3 U.S. History (Honors or
Advanced Placement) 1 Economics 1/2 Government 1/2 World History OR World
Geography OR Ancient History OR European
History 1 Physical
Education 1 Lifetime
Wellness 1 TOTAL 15 Core
Credits Foreign Language (in
the same language 2 Visual / Performing
Arts 1 Electives (your
choice) 4 TOTAL 7 University
Preparation Credits Technical Preparation
(students wishing to go to a two-year college, other
training program or go immediately to work after graduation
must complete the following courses in addition to the Core
Courses) Technical / Vocational
Courses (in a related cluster) 4 Electives (your
choice) 3 TOTAL 7 Technical Preparation
Credits Foreign Language (in
the same language 2 Visual / Performing
Arts 2 Electives (your
choice) 3 TOTAL 7 University
Preparation Credits Technical / Vocational
Courses (in a related cluster) 4 Electives (your
choice) 3 TOTAL 7 Technical Preparation
Credits Related Notes: *In addition to meeting the Core Courses and Path
requirements, Gateway exams must be passed by ALL STUDENTS
in 10th grade English, Algebra 1 and Biology 1. *The Tennessee Board of Regents has special math
requirements for admission to certified state universities,
both for Standard and Scholar's diplomas: students must
complete Algebra 1 Algebra 2 AND Geometry OR an advanced
placement math course with geometry as a component.
Tennessee Certified Universities include: UT, TSU, APSU, UM,
ETSU, MTSU, TTU.
For more information about high school planning and registration,
see Ms. Percy in the guidance office or Mrs. Newcomb in Room
106.
Tutoring
Service Projects 
Groundhog Job Shadowing Day
Special Announcements
8th Grade parents, students and faculty: click here to have an announcement added to this page.
Thanks to all students and
faculty for your best wishes on my pregnancy. You are all
wonderful and I am proud to know you. I will be on maternity
leave starting in mid-February, but I will return to school
for most of the last week or two of school. Thanks
again!
