Dear Reader,

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During my freshman year at Calumet New Tech, I can say that I have accomplished more than I expected to. Most people would say that I’m lazy, no work ethic at all, and not very talkative. I’m not even going to lie, yes I do sometimes tend to slack off but, I have definitely showed them wrong this year.

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Oh my goodness, the projects they had me and my groups do were absolutely challenging. With good communication, support, and hard working group members we basically accomplished the tasks. So, when you\'re put into a group you have to fill out a group contract. In the group contract you must put your name, email address, and phone number. That is just in case you or another group member is absent one day and you can call or email them the things they missed out on. You also have to assign each other a job. There is a group leader, rubric ruler, task manager, editor, and fact checker. The group leader is the person who assigns certain things to do for each member so everything is organized. Task managers make sure that all the group member are on task, doing their work, and not on a website they shouldn’t be on such as facebook, myspace, twitter, or games. The rubric ruler compares final documents against the content rubric and ensures group is ready for the presentation. Editor proofreads all images, slides, and/or paragraphs for grammar, spelling, and citations; will ensure all information comes from reliable sources. The fact checker will perform final check on all facts or calculations to be included in the project or presentation. Another part of the group contract is discipline. The whole group has to decide on the punishments for when someone doesn’t do their work on time. The person who is being discipline has at least three chances. Obviously the first chance is a warning. The second and third ones are chosen by the members. If the member has gone over their three chances then its a call home to their parents. I’d suggest you do your work because, if i got a call home i would be screwed and you would probably be too.

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Another new thing i’ve learned this year would be SWLO’s. These are things that the teachers grade us on. SWLO means “School Wide Learning Outcomes.” There are seven different SWLO’s that we get graded on. Those seven are content, work ethic, oral communication, written communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and technology. Content is a student\'s ability to analyze and comprehend course specific material. Work ethic would be the grade that reflects the student’s ability to follow directions (oral and/or written), be prepared to work each day, arrive on time to class, stay focused on the task, complete homework, and meet all established deadlines. Oral Communication is the grade that reflects the student\'s demonstrated ability to communicate effectively during presentations, including aspects such as eye contact, awareness of audience and proper posture. Written Communication would be another grade which reflects the student’s demonstrated written task focus, detail elaboration set by task/prompt, mechanics, spelling, grammar skills, and voice for written assignments in all content areas. Collaboration is another grade that reflects the student\'s ability to play an active role in getting tasks organized and completed, as well as her/his willingness to help others, and promote a positive work environment. Critical Thinking is the student\'s ability to exercise sound reasoning, demonstrate understanding, make complex choices and decisions, and to understand how systems are interconnected. Technology is the ability to effectively use technology (hardware / software / Internet). My strongest SWLO grade would be content because, it’s not that hard to comprehend my project material.

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I think my most favorite part of Calumet would be the new program they have which is HI-DEF. This program is for after school activities. There is photography, archery, cooking, guitar lessons, zumba, and many more. Also kids who are in sports can go there after school just to get something to eat and wait for practice to start. It’s also FREE! No expenses at all. HI-DEF is a program to help out kids with ambition. If someone wants to try something new they can go mention it to the office and they will try to find a teacher for that activity that kids want to do. I myself like to go to open swim with all my friends. Also because, my best friend of all, Lizzy Stanford, is now a lifeguard for Calumet. I’m so proud of her.

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I have seen so much improvement in myself and the people who walk the halls proudly at Calumet New Tech. I have learned a lot during the year and i can definitely say that i plan on having a successful future for myself. Learning to work in groups and having a job to do is getting me ready for the adult world. Having privileges like our trust passes (passes that have our names and grade on it that we must wear around our necks to be able to use the restroom or go to locker/office). Even though we have to wear uniforms to school, i think it does us all justice in the end. Most girls are always worried about how they look and impressing people, but without having to worry about what to wear everyday, we are more worried about getting to school and just getting our work done.

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In this portfolio you are about to read, it will show my strengths and weaknesses that i’ve had during the year. It will also explain some of the challenging projects that i mentioned earlier, the standards that go with the project/assignment, and it will also show my growth in some classes. Oh, and of course it will talk a little about me and my personal life. I hope you enjoy it.

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Sincerally, Kali Proffer

My Freshman Portfolio