December 10, 2008

To all parents of 8^th grade students:

As part of our efforts to create responsible and participatory citizens, the 8^th grade team teachers developed a new program which focuses on student service and activity within and outside the school. The idea behind the program is to encourage the students to take a look at what they can do to improve their environment at school and in their community outside of school.

The program works by assigning service points to selected activities that the students engage in at school and at home. In contrast, the students will lose points for disciplinary violations. The points will be accumulated for credit toward earning the end-of-the-year 8^th grade trips. Failure to accumulate the required points means that the students will miss one or both of the trips. Students and parents will be notified quarterly as to where they stand in terms of total points earned.

Our hope is that through this program, we will reduce disciplinary issues while building upon the character/service learning that is critical in this stage of your child’s maturation.

The point breakdown and goals related to this program can be found on the backside of this handout as well as on the 8^th grade team website, found at www.cassd63.org. The total points needed for the trips are listed below. Students should also be aware that there will be incentives for those who go beyond the minimum points needed for trips.

Please contact Mr. Bleuher (pbleuher@cassd63.org) if there are any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Eighth Grade Team Teachers

Total Points
100+	Both trips earned
50-99	One trip earned
0-49	No trips earned

8^th Grade Service Points Breakdown

Points	Description of Activity
10	Student Council, Science Bowl, Yearbook and Art Club These activities are all year and will be awarded the 10 points per quarter, per activity.
15	Student Council Executive Board, Yearbook Editors These activities are all year and will be awarded the 15 points per quarter, per activity.
25	Band and Chorus (music lessons OUTSIDE of school included) These are all year programs and the points will be awarded on a one time basis.
10	Advanced Ensemble, Jazz Band Students will receive points by semester basis.
5	Peer Buddies This is an all year program; points will be awarded on a quarterly basis provided that students fulfill their commitment.
up to 5	Academic Competitions/Tutoring Includes Scholastic Bowl, Math Competitions, Spanish, and Math Tutoring.
up to 5	Ms. Jansen’s service workers Activities organized throughout the year; points will be awarded per activity and Ms. Jansen’s discretion.
10	Sports teams/clubs (OUTSIDE of school included) Members and managers of sports teams/clubs will be awarded the points per the full season of activity.
5	BUG award Given at the end of 2^nd and 3^rd quarters to students who raise at least one grade, have no D’s or F’s, and who do not go down any grade in any class.
20	Straight A’s These points will be awarded for each of the first 3 quarters.
15	Principal’s List Awarded to students who receive a GPA of 3.75 to 3.99 at the end of each of the first 3 quarters.
10	Honor Roll Awarded to students who receive a GPA of 3.50 to 3.74 at the end of each of the first 3 quarters.
5	No D’s or F’s This is based upon quarterly grades for all quarters (excludes PL and HR).
up to 10	Student Assistants Students who help with school production, assemblies, and other activities.
0-85	Personal Service Projects Students can earn up to a total of 85 points throughout the year by undertaking a variety of personal service projects.
15	Cass Warrior Award Students are recognized by the 8^thgrade / Fine Arts teams for exemplifying the Warrior Word of the Month.
-5	Any D’s These points will be subtracted for the first 3 quarters and at the midterm of fourth quarter (is not per D).
-10	Any F’s These points will be subtracted for the first 3 quarters and at the midterm of fourth quarter (is not per F).
-5 (no max)	School Rule Infractions Points subtracted for teacher detentions, chewing gum, tardies, being unprepared for class, and/or disciplinary infractions.
1^st: -10 2^nd: -15 ≥3: -20	Detention Halls There is no maximum for this category. Points are removed progressively per each offense. An additional 10 points will be subtracted each time a detention hall is skipped.
-20	Discipline Conference
-40	Suspensions