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Mark Braam » Greetings from Mr. Braam!

Greetings from Mr. Braam!

Hi, I am Mark Braam.
I am an English teacher at Fairfield High School. During the 2022-23 school year, I am teaching five bells of sophomores in College/Career-Ready English 10 and one bell of a fifth-year Journalism/Media course.
In addition to being an English teacher, I have been a journalist for the better part of a quarter century, working both in Washington, D.C., as a sports and political reporter and editor, and here as a news editor and designer at The Cincinnati Post and The Cincinnati Enquirer. You might see me at many school events with a camera in my hands and journalism students at my side!
I hope to meet you all, in the classroom, at parent-teacher conferences, or via Zoom, phone or email; meanwhile, here is my own webpage on the district website.
I have this page for a number of reasons:
1. So I can send home news (and sometimes share photos!) of what we are doing or will be doing;
2. So I can post reminders and class-specific files
3. So I can post some educational videos that I make from time to time;
4. So I can post some links to some great educational resources;
5. So I can permanently post some files, such as the class syllabus and class policies, and update them as needed; and
6. So parents and students can get an easy notification each time that I post something new.

How does this work? On the right side of this page, there is a "SUBSCRIBE" button. If you click on the subscribe button, and register, you will get an email notification every time that I post something new to the page. Please note that there is a separate page for class files, which is actually where most new things will get posted. That means you need to subscribe to both pages, please!

Now, not everything that I post will be earth-shaking(!!!), but at least you will know when and if I do.

This is a good and fast way to pass on news, get copies of homework assignments, and to permanently post some items (such as the class syllabus).

Take a look and see how it works! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Mr. Braam
P.S. Many things are still different this year due to the COVID-19. THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE!!!! That means there will also be many messages that will go back and forth, and sometimes from different platforms. PLEASE ... be patient as we all (teachers, students, parents and administrators) continue to adjust, sometimes on the fly.
 

Posts

A Message from Fairfield

Here's the latest from Fairfield administration
 
March 12, 2020
 
Dear Parents and Guardians:

Together we are facing an unprecedented health crisis in our community. In our response to COVID-19, we must depend on the knowledge of the Butler County Board of Health, Ohio Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control as well as our elected officials. On March 12, Governor Mike DeWine announced that the state is closing all Pre-K to 12 schools effective Monday, March 16. After the conclusion of the school day on Friday, March 13, Fairfield City School District students will not report to school until Monday, April 6 unless further extended. In addition, all other individual school and district activities are cancelled effective immediately until Monday, April 6 unless further extended. All outside group building usage is cancelled until further notice. The exception to this rule is Election Day on March 17.

Our district is working on a Continuity of Education Plan which will be communicated in the near future. We are also working on a potential plan to distribute meals to students throughout this closure. These plans will be posted on our website, social media, and email once they are developed.
 
On Friday, March 13 our schools will remain open and be on a normal schedule.
 
We will provide updates if any activities are rescheduled. Please understand it is not our intent to reschedule school activities during this period of closure. Any questions about the rescheduling of events should be directed to individual school buildings.

The district will continue to update its COVID-19 web page. Visit www.fairfieldcityschools.com for the latest updates.
 
For more information: The Ohio Department of Health has opened a call center to answer questions regarding COVID-19. The call center will be open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The phone number is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634). Additional questions can be addressed to the Butler County General Health District at (513) 863-1770.

Photo with bad spelling in news brief.

Why We Proofread ... (A Continuing Series)

I just realized I have not posted one of these for a while. 
I wonder if this women is still "stuck," and if she is, is she still attempting to cross the street!!!!

FYI: 3rd Quarter Ending Soon

Just a reminder to students and parents ... THE 3RD QUARTER ENDS IN 12 SCHOOL DAYS!!!
The last day of the 3rd quarter is Tuesday, March 17. Many, many students have assignments that have not been turned in (or, in some cases, not even started) and grades are appropriately extremely low for those students.
Students are running out of time to turn things in.
Many assignments are online and can be done at home. Others have been posted, so the work can be downloaded.
This weekend is a GREAT time to get it all done. And while you are at it, get your work done for other classes also!

Interim Progress Reports Should Be Home Now!

FYI, Parents: Interim Progress Grade Reports were distributed in homeroom on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and should have made it home by now. 
On it, I made comments for students and parents, including asking for parent-teacher conferences in some cases. 
If you have not seen the report by Friday, I would definitely ask where it is!!! 

READ THIS: Parents ... Things You Need To Know Over Break

Happy Holidays to everyone!
I am writing to let you that I just returned Thursday after being out 5 days with pneumonia. I want to keep you updated on what is happening in class and where your child should be or what they should be doing (forgive the length!):
1. READING/AUDIO BOOK: We are reading Fahrenheit 451 in class. Students should be to at least Page 89. If they are not (due to absence), and wish to catch up with the use of an audio book, they can go to www.audiobookx.com/video/1661  and listen up to the 2:41.30 mark. It is read by actor Tim Robbins and is actually very entertaining. 
2. BOOK AVAILABLE ONLINE: If your child has left their book at school, no worries; here is a link to a downloadable PDF of the book: https://www.fsusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001943/Centricity/Domain/2034/Fahrenheit%20451.pdf
3. ONGOING BOOK ASSIGNMENTS: Students are supposed to be, while reading, filling out a vocab sheet (already posted) and also annotating the book for figurative language and other parts of the text that they find of interest, which will be used for a later assignment in the third quarter. A list of Figurative Language/Poetic Devices has already been posted. 
4. MISSING ASSIGNMENTS: On Friday, I distributed to all students in attendance a copy of all of their missing work (if any was missing, that is). Was your child absent, lose the slip, or do you want to check yourself? Look on Progressbook or email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to email you their current status. All missing assignments must be turned in by Wednesday, January 8, unless other arrangements are made.
Note: Assignments not completed due to skipping class will receive a zero, and cannot be made up, per the syllabus.
Note #2: During my absence, students were given entire 45-minute bells several days in class to complete missing work, or to catch up on ongoing assignments. SOME STUDENTS CHOSE NOT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS, WHICH IS WHY THEY STILL HAVE SO MUCH MISSING WORK. 
5. NoRedInk ASSIGNMENTS: Any assignment that begins with "G" is a NoRedInk.com Grammar assignment. Most students have finished their work on that, but some have chosen to not even begin on some of the four assignments that have been spread out over the quarter. Students should know their USER name and PASSWORD, but if they do not remember (or claim to not remember), you can email me at [email protected], and I will be happy to email you their USER name and then reset their PASSWORD.
The USER name SHOULD be their initials, plus their six-digit lunch code. The password SHOULD be their first initial, followed by an @ sign and their backward birthdate. So, Joe Jones, born on March 28, 2003 would be USER: JJXXXXXX and the PASSWORD would be j@030328. However, some students passwords have been reset to 1234567 and then the student did not change it to the correct format as requested. Also, USER names and PASSWORDS are case-sensitive, so you may have to try several combos of capital and lowercase if your child did not follow directions. Again, I can reset passwords as needed.
6. 451 MINI-ESSAYS: Students have been working on five 250-word essays for a number of weeks now. They are not due yet, but will be shortly after we return from break. They were given numerous days in class, but some students chose to not work on them. The assignment, along with the prompts, is already posted. 
7. MIDTERMS: When we return from break, we will be having regular class on 
Monday-Wednesday, but then will begin 3 days of special schedules for Midterms on Thursday, Friday and Monday, Jan. 9-10 and 13. The complete Midterm schedule has been posted separately on my pages.
8. OTHER QUESTIONS: Please contact me at [email protected] and I will respond as quickly as possible. 
 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
 

The 2019-20 FHS Midterm Schedule

2019-20 Fairfield High School Midterm schedule

Attached is the 2019-20 Fairfield High School Midterm schedule, which will take place the last three days of the 2nd quarter (January 9-10 and 13). Note that your child will NOT have every class every day. Also note that these three days would NOT be a good time to schedule any doctor appoints, etc.!
 
 

Early Warning: Midterm schedules for January

Hello parents! Just in case your child has not told you (or in case that they had not heard the news), we will be having special midterm schedules for the last three days of the second quarter (which are January 9-10, 13).
More specific details will follow, but you should know that students will have just 2-3 extended-length classes each day for the taking of mandatory midterm exams in EVERY class.
Each day will be of ordinary length, but those students with early dismissal or special schedules will need to pay extra close attention to what tests are offered at what time each day.
Perhaps needless to say, those would not be good days for scheduling doctor appointments or driving exams, etc.!

Reminder: HW files are found on another page

Just a reminder parents: Most of my HW files and lecture notes are found on the separate HW page on my website. You should be subscribed to both this page AND the HW page!
I write this because several parents contacted me recently about why they never saw HW posted. HW is on one page, while I reserve the HW for announcements and other notifications. If you are only subscribed to one page, you will only see the info for that one page!
 

Job Notification: FAB Confidential Receptionist

DO YOU NEED A JOB, PARENTS?

Attached is a notification from the district about the need for a confidential secretary at the Fairfield Administration Building:
Position: Confidential Receptionist
Building/Department: Fairfield Administration Building
Contract days: 250 days, four (4) hours per day
Civil Service Status: Excluded
Bargaining Unit Status: Excluded
Additional details are in the attached PDF, including how to apply online.and who to contact for more information.

FYI: Progress Reports coming next week!

Just a quick note to let you know that the Fall Quarter Progress/Interim Grade Report will be distributed to students next Tuesday, Sept. 24, during homeroom, so that they can be brought home.
Be aware that grades were posted late this week, and may drastically change between now and then, particularly if a student turns in late work (or fails to hand in something else!)
For the most-current grades, always check in Progressbook!

Why We Proofread ... (A Continuing Series)

In 1631, a printer in London printed and distributed 1,000 copies of the Bible. All was well until people discovered that there was a mistake in the Ten Commandments.
The word not had been omitted from the seventh commandment and worshipers were subsequently instructed to commit adultery.
A very angry King Charles I fined the printers and demanded that all 1,000 copies were burned. Unfortunately, for him, 7 copies did survive and the mistake remains for all to see.
As I have pointed out to my students, some proofreading mistakes deserve to get people fired!

Why We Proofread ... (A Continuing Series)

This is an example of the type of local miscue that can earn Mr. Braam's students extra credit. When they see something local and current that contains spelling or grammar mistakes, they should take a photo, send it to me, and then include what it is, where they saw it, what is wrong with it, and how to fix it!
And if you can't see what is wrong with this photo, were you born and raised in Pitttsburgh?!?!?

(And, yes, I did that on purpose!)

"Why Should We Proofread?" Examples 2019-20

Attached is a PowerPoint presentation called "Why Should We Proofread?" that we watched and discussed in class on Thursday, August, 2019. It discusses why the ability to proofread is crucial for everyone, gives many examples of horrible proofreading, plus discusses some tips and tricks on how to improve proofreading skills.
FYI: Students were alerted today to a year-round extra-credit opportunity that involves proofreading. If at any time a student sees a local permanent sign that has bad grammar and/or spelling (such as the examples found in the presentation), then they can take a photo of it and email it to me at [email protected] along with an explanation of what it is, where it is, what is wrong with the sign and how you would go about fixing it. I frequently then also post that new example online on this webpage!
 

What We Have Been Doing! (Days 4-6)

The last several days we have been taking an SLO test to see where the students are in their writing and reading skills, plus today we got our writing notebooks and made our first entry. That is why you have seen nothing pop up under homework.
If your child's grade looks like a disaster so far, it is likely because they did not hand in an one or all of the first four assignments on time (that included the syllabus, the Letter to the Teacher, the plagiarism form, and the initial survey we handed out on Day 1. They can still hand them in, but they will be marked missing until I have time to go back and enter the grades of all the late work.
Does your child need copies of any of these? They are all posted on the HW page!!!

Letter to the Teacher - Home Issues-Questions 19-20

Attached is a Letter to the Teacher assignment that was distributed and discussed in class on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. Students are to fill out the front, then write a letter on the back explaining to the teacher any obstacles at school or at home that may create obstacles to success in my class. 
It is due on Monday, Aug. 26.