Meet Mr. Farrand
Hello, students and parents! My name is Allen Farrand. I am the new Science/Math teacher here at GarPal High School. I have taught for 30 years at the community college level, 4 years at North Thurston High School, and substituted here at GarPal HS for several years. I retired after 25 years in academic cancer and infectious disease research and biotechnology at institutions such as Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington Medical Center, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Swedish Medical Center. I have taught at Bellevue College as well as other Puget Sound area colleges, and locally for Spokane Falls CC. Since June 2013, I live south of Palouse, and my grandchildren have attended school in the Palouse School District. Some of you may know me, or my family. I am very honored and grateful to be part of your student’s lives. It is my hope that we will have a great time together as your student progresses through these important and informative years in high school. GO VIKINGS!

Mr. Farrand’s Google Classroom and Skyward
I have taught online (and yes, face-to-face) for decades at the college level, so moving over to Google Classroom will be a very easy learning curve for me. Yes, all “official” grading will be on Skyward, but everyday assignments, activities, labs, updates, news, etc will be in Google Classroom. Skyward will duplicate the same assignments, labs, activities, exams, and work with your student’s grades. It is my HOPE that both student and parent look at both Skyward and Google Classroom on a regular basis. I generally will update all grades within 48 hours of the due date. Like you, I want to know my student’s grade status for sports and other school activities. I have a personal policy to complete my gradebook (Skyward/Google Classroom) before I go home on Friday of each week; thus, I too would like time with my family on the weekend free of work. In conclusion, you and I will work best together if we work as a team; if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me ASAP. In return, I will contact you as soon as I see something of concern (or praise) about your student that needs your review.

What do you mean by NO Extra Credit?
One of my pet peeves is extra credit. No, I do not believe in giving extra credit. Yes, I provide bonus questions on tests and bonus activities on projects (that is, going the extra mile). This bonus is above and beyond the required subject matter. Extra credit is too often given in place of doing the required work. I believe each student needs to meet the required minimum to successfully pass a class. If a student is struggling with a concept, then we can work together to meet that inefficiency. I don’t penalize students who fail AND try again. Students who fail a test will be given a retake (the retake is over the material failed ONLY not the entire test). This retake will require students to re-learn the material (as a team) followed by an assessment (oral or written) to see if a student has learned the material. My goal is focused on mastery of the subject material NOT on extra credit.

Classroom Management
During the first week of school, your student and I will be discussing my expectations for them in class for the academic school year 2021 - 2022. We will discuss behavior, goals, expectations, accomplishments, assessment, and other important classroom routines. I have posted throughout the classroom several Standards, Values and Goals for my students to be successful in my classroom. Here is one of my favorites:

Failure is a Choice NOT an Option in this classroom.
Remember, You choose to Succeed OR Fail, not me!
Therefore, success is in your hands!!!
Choose Success!!!
NEATNESS ALWAYS COUNTS!!!
EFFORT ALWAYS COUNTS!!!

I have very high expectations for my students with respect to behavior, values and success in education and life. Please note I will NOT change any of the GarPal HS rules in my classroom. I expect ALL students to observe and respect those rules, the school, the administration, faculty, staff, and fellow students at ALL times.

A note about cellphones in the classroom; sorry, I expect all cellphones to be OFF (not just muted) during class. If an emergency arises, our school has in place the necessary procedures to ensure that your student will be safe. Cellphones can be tools, and when those times occur, I will allow the use of the cellphone ONLY for educational purposes. Students can check their email/text/whatever between classes. It is my hope that both parent and I are in total agreement with this policy in my classroom.

Classroom Success
I strongly believe that it takes the cooperative effort by you, the parent(s), your student and me to produce a successful young person. I have a mandate to teach your student Science and/or Math as specified by the State of Washington and the Palouse School District. I take this responsibility very seriously. My instruction is tied to the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards as stated by the State of Washington, and I expect to meet those requirements during our time together. As a parent and grandparent, I understand the commitment a parent must make to the success of a child. As a teacher, I know what I can control and what I cannot control. This much I know, studies show that a student that gets proper nutrition, adequate sleep and sufficient after-school study time will succeed in their education. I have no control over these activities, and I know you take these activities very seriously as I did when my children were in K12 public education. We are TEAM, lets produce a great student!

To help your student succeed in my classroom, I plan to have a “sort-of-general” pattern or routine for students to follow (yet with built in variety) each day of the week. Students will have some sort of content instruction (direct, indirect, movie, multimedia, etc) on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be some sort of classroom activity such as labs, computer work, projects, etc. Most Fridays will be assessment days, or review days. Assessments can be quizzes, tests, oral presentations, etc. I feel if a student knows what kind of day to expect, they might be more prepared to do a better job at learning. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I plan to have an after-school VIKING Science Study Center in my classroom. This is a free and open drop-in time (3:15 to 4:00 pm) to get help with science homework, reading, projects, questions, etc. This will be open to all students, not just my students. Call this a Science Study Hall.

One last thing, attendance is important. If your student is not in class, generally, they will not learn. I hope your student never misses a day of class. Yet, if your student misses’ class, please be assured that I will follow-up as required to get your student up to date on the missed instruction. Your assistance in this effort will be greatly appreciated.

Classroom Communication
It is very important that we (parent and teacher) stay in contact with each other. Please feel free to come into my classroom if you want, anytime you want. I have an open-door policy. Please call me at (509) 878-1921, or email me at afarrand@garpal.net to get ahold of me. I hope to meet you soon, and that our time together leads to a successful student.

GO VIKINGS!!!
Show Your VIKING PRIDE!