Heather O'Donley » Welcome to Mrs. O'Donley's Class!

Welcome to Mrs. O'Donley's Class!

Hello and a huge Ro-Hawk Welcome to the incoming Class of 2027 and the returning Class of 2026!
 
I am so excited to have you as my new freshmen and sophomores. This year is going to be a fantastic year, filled with many concepts you have seen before and others you have not. I look forward to getting to know each of you well.  
Hey Y'all!
 
My name is Heather O'Donley and I am a proud Air Force Wife, Air Force Mom x two, University of Alabama (as in "Roll Tide") Momma and grandma! 
 
I was born in Temple, Texas but did not return to the state of my birth for 40 years! However, once I returned, I loved it so much, I decided I wanted to stay. 
 
I graduated from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and The University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law with my Juris Doctor.
 
I love English, but more than that, I love working with young people and I am passionate about it. My job is to help you realize if you dream it, with work and tenacity, you most definitely can achieve it. 
Period 1 English I
Period 2 English I
Period 3
English I
Period 4 English I
Period 5 Planning/Prep Period 
WIN WIN
Lunch Lunch
Period 6 English II
Period 7 English II
  • 3:40-4:10, Monday - Thursday
  • WIN
  • Mornings, Monday - Friday by appointment only 
  • Many class assignments will be given through Google Classroom. 
  • Your student will receive information on Google Classroom in their respective classes. 

August 16, 2023

Dear Ro-Hawks and Ro-Hawk Families,

Hello and welcome to English I! My name is Heather O’Donley and I am so excited to be your child’s English Teacher this year. It is going to be a great year filled with some things which will be a review to them and some things which will be new to them. I am looking forward to building on both. 

This year we will be reading many novels and short stories. We will also be writing narrative, expository, argumentative, and correspondence essays. It will be a year filled with many activities and I am encouraging your child to stay in front of their assignments and in close contact with me. This means, it is essential that your student pay close attention to all due dates. If they need help with an assignment, I am here to help and I want to help. This is so important. 

Below, I will list a few important things which your child will need to know. This list is not exhaustive and if there is new information which I need for them or you to know, I will make sure to send that information out through classroom communication, Remind, or a letter home.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

  • Phone: 210-357-2411
  • Class Visit by appointment: Room 228
  • Email: (BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME) [email protected]
  • Remind: (BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME) Freshmen and Freshmen parents ONLY: please send a text to 81010. Then, text this message @e3cd3df.
  • Remind: (BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME) Sophomores and Sophomore parents ONLY: please send a text to 81010. Then, text this message @gab2kk.


MATERIALS:

If your child will please have all materials brought to class by August 21, 2023, that will be helpful in getting us started with our year of learning. The materials they will need are:

  • 1 Composition Book
  • Colored Pencils (These will be labeled with your name and stay in my classroom.)
  • 1 three pronged folder. This is not a binder. (This will be used during the third term)
  • Pencils
  • Pens

GRADING:

There will be three categories in which your child will be graded. These categories will be weighted in the following manner:


Major Grade

60%

Minor Grade

35%

Class Participation

5%

Homework

0%

IMPORTANT: While homework is weighted at 0%, students will not be allowed to retest on any examination where there is a missing homework assignment.


TUTORING:

I am available for tutoring Monday through Friday during WIN or in the morning by appointment, and directly after school, Monday through Thursday. However, if there is more time which is needed, I am always willing to help. Please simply have your child contact me and let me know what they need so that we can schedule a time.


RETESTING POLICY:

Students are encouraged to retest on an examination (major grade only) where they have not achieved the score they wanted. Students must have turned in all homework assignments in order to get the opportunity to retest. The retest will look different than the first examination. Students have up to a week after the student receives their graded examination back in order to retest. Students may retest during WIN and after school.


NOVELS WE WILL READ THIS YEAR:

  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Night by Elie Weisel


MOVIES:

Throughout the school year, after my students have completed a reading of a novel or a specific area of study, and if time should allow, I traditionally show the corresponding movie or a movie which deals with the subject matter of the novel or specific subject area which the students have just completed. 

The movies I plan to show are listed below:

  • The Princess Bride, PG, 1987
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, PG, 2005
  • Romeo and Juliet, PG-13, 1996 
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, not rated, 1962

Please print your child’s name, sign, and answer whether it will be okay for me to show the above movies to your child. 

Child’s Name: ______________________________________

Parent Signature: ____________________________________

Date: ________________________________


_______Yes, my child may watch all of the above movies.


______ My child may watch some of the above movies. The one(s) he/she may not watch are:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


______ No, my child may not watch any of the movies. I understand they will be provided another assignment in the place of the assignment which would go along with this unit or subject matter.


I look forward to a wonderful year where I learn what makes your child inherently them! Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions, concerns, or if you simply would like to learn more about the details of our class.

 

Sincerely,

 

Heather O'Donley

Mrs. O’Donley’s English II Syllabus 

Email: [email protected] Phone: (210) 265-7092 Room: 228

 

Welcome to English II.  I’m very excited to meet you!



Here’s what we’ll be studying this year:

  • Reflection: How to look at experiences from your life and turn them into meaningful writing.
  • Research: How to analyze informational and persuasive texts to create a research journal.
  • Rhetoric: How to write a brilliantly persuasive argument using research. 
  • Literary Analysis: How to deeply look at what novels are saying about the world and what context those messages come from.
  • Drama: How scenes in plays contribute to larger meaning.
  • Poetry: How to analyze the cryptic nature of poetry and emulate its style and tone.
  • Mythology: How to appreciate the stories we are told, and how we can retell them in new ways.

 

Grading and Retesting Policy: (Major grade only)

Assignments are weighted by category. 35% Minor Assessments. 60% Major Assessments. Class Participation 5%. Homework 0%.  

Students must attend 1-2 tutorials (teacher discretion) and complete additional assignment(s) in order to be eligible to retest. We don’t really take tests in English II. You generally will need to revise and edit your writing if you are unhappy with your grade. A half-page reflection should always be turned in with a revision that you hope to earn more points back. 



Make-up Work: If you are absent, be sure to talk to me after class about what work you need to make up. Be aware that you don’t get extra time if absent for school functions.

 

Late and Missing Work: Please email me if you cannot turn in an assignment on time before the due date. I will generally be understanding in reference to an assignment being turned in a day late the first time it happens. Always send an email when you turn in a late assignment. I have a system where I grade work in the order I receive it organized in my email, so if I don’t have an email, it won’t get graded. When you send an email, please include the following: 

  • Clearly state the name of the assignment, when you turned it in, and what the original due date was.
  • Explain why it was turned in late. If it is more than 10 days late, your explanation should be very detailed, including what extenuating circumstances occurred.
  • Explain what you plan to do to avoid turning in late work again.
  • Schedule a time to come to WIN or after school in the next three days to ensure that (1) I received this email, (2) you have turned in all missing assignments, (3) you have fulfilled the criteria of the assignment.

Along with writing this email, be sure to do the following:

    • CC one of your parents, 
      • If you don’t know how to cc someone, click here to learn how.
    • Check the email for grammatical errors
    • Ensure the assignment is turned into Google Classroom (if applicable), or if it is hand-written that you send this email immediately after turning it in in person.
  • Actually come to WIN or after school on the date you say you’ll come in.

 

Tutoring: I’m available for tutoring before and after school (7:35-8:00) and (3:40-4:10).  Please let me know ahead of time if you’re coming in before school.

 

Parent Contact: Please email me at [email protected] whenever you have a concern or want to set up a phone call.

 

TECHNOLOGY POLICY:

Students will not be allowed to use their cell phones and listening devices during instructional time. Students will not be allowed to use their cell phones, listening devices, and/or apple watches during examinations. This is a district wide mandate.

 

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is “taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own” (Google Dictionary).  All words from other writers must have quotation marks around them and a citation after.  If you engage in plagiarism, you will receive a discipline referral, report to administration, and be required to resubmit the assignment. Every assignment you turn in is automatically scanned for plagiarism. 

 

Supplies needed: 

  • Notebook
  • Pen
  • Bring your charged chromebook to class.

 

All the very best, 

 

Mrs. O’Donley