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National Board Certified Teacher,
English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
B.A. - English, Cal Poly Pomona, 1996
M.A. - Education, Cal Poly Pomona, 2001
Ph.D. - Education, University of California, Riverside, (anticipated 2008) | This is my twelfth year as a teacher (my eleventh at Charter Oak – I taught my first year at Glendora High). I’m a Charter Oak alumnus – Class of ’92. I’ve been married for nine years (ten this December). I’ve got two kids – Joanna (“Joey”), who is 3½, and Jason (“Jase”), who is 1½ . My wife Cara, who I met in the teacher credentialing program at Cal Poly Pomona, was, until a couple of years ago, a science teacher at Walnut High. After Charter Oak, I attended Cal Poly Pomona, initially as a physics major, but after a year of grappling with calculus, I decided to become an English major, primarily because I did pretty well in high school and because there were more girls in the English classes (ironically, my wife turned out to be a science person). I got my bachelor’s degree at Poly and immediately entered the credential program there, teaching at Glendora for the first year. I got hired at Charter Oak the following spring and started in fall of 1997. I earned my Master’s in Education with my wife at Cal Poly in 2001 and also became a National Board Certified Teacher in English/Language Arts Adolescence/Young Adulthood. I’ve been enrolled in the doctorate program at UC Riverside for the past six years, where I am completing my PhD in Education, Curriculum and Instruction. I should be finishing the program this December, so if look somewhat harried during this first semester, that’s why.
Important Upcoming Dates:
Minimum Days (12:05 dismissal): Tuesday, September 18th & Wednesday, September 19th
End of Third Week of Classes (informal reporting only for Guggino’s class): Friday, September 21st
Meet the Teacher Night: Wednesday, September 26th
End of Sixth Week of Classes (formal reporting for all classes): Friday, October 12th
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences (Student free day): Thursday, October 18th (there are morning and late afternoon sessions)
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accreditation Visit: October 22nd -26th
Contact Information:
The best way to contact me is through my e-mail: pguggino@cousd.k12.ca.us I check my e-mail several times a day and I work really hard to respond quickly to student and parent concerns. You can also leave a voicemail for me through the school after hours at (626) 915-5841. When you call COHS and get the opening greeting, press 8 to select the Teacher Voicemail System. My voicemail extension is 1310 or you can listen to the staff directory. Both e-mail and voicemail can be access anytime. In the event that I do not respond within 24 hours (excluding weekends) please contact me again. We have had issues in the past with the voicemail failing to send me an e-mail notification that I had voicemail, resulting in a significant time lapse before I knew to respond and very upset parents/guardians! My conference hour is 4th Period (11:10-12:05 pm). I am also usually available after 5th (1:40). My first class starts at 7:00 am and I would appreciate it if you would honor the limited classtime I have with the students by calling outside of class hours. However, if your time is limited, there are no other options, or you have a pressing need, call me during class and we’ll set up a time to talk later that day. I can be reached at (626) 915-5841, x461.
Contacting Parents/Guardians:
There may be times when your student or I need to call you during the school day (see below under "Grade Reporting"). I usually use the daytime telephone numbers the office has on file. If those need to be updated, please contact the office and make the necessary changes (626) 915-5841. However, I’m also trying to be proactive with my parents this year. To that end, if you could provide me with a secure e-mail address, I can send out reminders and notifications as they come up throughout the year. I recognize getting information from a teenager is something not even medieval torturers are able to accomplish. To that end, if you could drop me an e-mail with your student’s name, I will add you to my contact database.
Homework:
Your student will have homework roughly three nights a week on average. Even if there is no formal homework, they should be reading something on their own (there are book reports roughly every six weeks). Homework should be available through www.yourhomework.com on a daily basis (though occasionally I do forget to post it, as my students are quick to remind me). Most homework is assigned on one day and due the next unless other instructions have been given. Larger assignments, especially writing assignments, are given with sufficient lead time for students to complete them (I wouldn’t ask students to write an essay with a day’s notice, no matter what they tell you).
Late Work:
Given that I am teaching roughly 180 students, I cannot accept late work except for excused absences. The sheer volume of paperwork would overwhelm me. However, the last week of every six weeks, I allow students the opportunity to make up one homework assignment they may have missed in order to provide assistance to any student right on the edge between two grades.
Grades:
I use the point system. The more important an assignment, the more points it is worth. Generally speaking, homework tends to be between 10-15 points per assignment, while a larger assignment, like an essay, is worth 60 or more. In calculating the grades, I use the standard 90% or higher is an A, 80-89% is a B, 70-79% is a C, 60-69% is a D, and below 60% is an F. I do round (89.5% is an A, but 89.4% is a B).
Grade Reporting – Parent/Guardian Notification:
I run grades every three weeks. I find that this allows students sufficient time to improve their grades if necessary, while at the same time keeping them accountable for their performance. This means that in between the official 6-week grading terms (weeks 6, 12, and 18) when you will be receiving their grades by mail for all of their courses, I will be running grades (weeks 3, 9, and 15) for just my course. In the event that students are earning a 69.5% or above (C or above), they are taking care of their responsibilities. I believe that any student can earn an A or B with reasonable effort. However, in the event that they dip below a C, into the D or F range, they will be provided with print-out of their grade on that Friday, which is then to be signed by a parent /guardian over the weekend and returned on that Monday. In the event that students do not return the signed document, they will be contacting you by phone, explaining the reason they are contacting you, and then handing the phone over to me so I can ensure that they actually spoke to you and not their friend’s voicemail. I really value our time in class together, but I need students to understand how serious I am about their academic performance. I also firmly believe that parents/guardians, teachers, and students need to work together in order to help students achieve everything of which they are capable.
Turnitin.com:
As I’m sure you’re aware, the unfortunate issue of plagiarism is rampant in today’s schools and colleges. In order to help students maintain the originality of their own work, Charter Oak utilizes a website called www.turnitin.com. Turnitin is a Web-based utility that helps faculty and students assess the originality of student work. Upon submission of a paper, Turnitin compares the work with other works present on the Internet and in several large databases. The result is an "originality report" that rates the originality as a percentage, and, where there is a match to earlier work, provides references to the source(s). Student will be creating a turnitin.com account using their e-mail addresses. Please note, submitting an essay to turnitin.com does not constitute turning in that essay. I still require students to submit a printed-out version of their paper for comments and feedback. Instructions for how to create a turnitn.com account can be found under the "My Files" link.
Thank you so much for your time and if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am really looking forward to working with you this year! |
