Report Cards and Progress Reports:  Report cards to parents will be distributed shortly after the close of the nine-week grading period.  Progress reports are sent to all parents.  These reports will be sent to parents about the middle of each nine-week period and at such other times as necessary.

Pre-AP Courses: Hamilton's Pre-AP program is designed to provide the able student with a strong academic foundation emphasizing study skills, written composition, and computer literacy.  Students also have the opportunity to develop fluency in a second language and widen their knowledge of other cultures.  This program was designed to prepare middle school students for the rigorous International Baccalaureate Program in the eleventh and twelfth grades.  Although participating in Pre-AP classes in middle school does not guarantee entrance in the IB high school program, students will be academically challenged and well prepared to meet the demands of high school.  In keeping with HISD’s new initiative, all sixth grade students will take Pre-AP English unless their parent opts them out in writing.

Homework:  Home study is a necessary part of each pupil's educational program.  Each student is expected to spend some time in addition to scheduled class instruction to support academic excellence.  Some assignments are long-range in nature and require planned study time for their completion.  Planned study eliminates the necessity of spending too much time completing an assignment the day before it is due.

The TALE of My Agenda:  In an effort to strengthen the home-school connection and teach students to be responsible for their assignments, all students will be required to record the following information in their agenda for every academic class they attend each day:

T-today: What did I do in class today?

A-assignments: What is my homework?

L-late Work: What am I missing?

E-extra: Any additional information, upcoming quiz, project, etc.

Agenda checks will be done randomly by administrators.  Failure to consistently and adequately record the above-mentioned information in the student agenda will result in disciplinary action, such as cafeteria duty, detention, or more serious consequences if the problem persists.  If a student loses his/her agenda, replacements are available in the dean's office for $5.00.  A Xerox copy is available for $2.00.  While most teachers will write the TALE information on the board each day, the responsibility of accurately recording all necessary information is the student's, not the teacher's.  Parents should review their student's agenda daily to ensure that they are recording all relevant information.

Parent Conferences: Parents may make appointments with teachers, deans, or the principal by telephoning the school office.  It is necessary that teachers confirm the date and time of the parent conference.  Teachers have designated conference periods to meet with parents and cannot be pulled during instructional time to do so.  For security reasons, all visitors must first report to the main office for a visitor’s badge.

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