To insure that parents see their children's graded work, I assign take-home folders to all of my students. On Fridays the student's papers for the week are compiled and sent home in the student's folder. The folder is used during the week to organize homework and protect information letters to parents.
Our school district purchases every student an assignment notebook. It is given to them on the first day of school. Students are required to record assignments from that day on and keep it in their take-home folder. Within the asssignment book is the school district's hand-book and policies.
Every night parents are to check to make sure all assignments are completed, sign and return the notebook the next day. If you are unable to read the student's writing or your child cannot explain his/her day to you, please call with your concerns. Help the student by reminding him/her to put the notebook in his bookbag the night before.
Teaching organization skills is an important goal. This is why Fourth Grade students are required to have five spiral notebooks and folders in specific colors. Students will keep information organized by topic.
Social..................Blue
Math...................Green
Language............Red
Science / Health..Yellow
Doodling.............your choice
WHY I ASSIGN HOMEWORK: I give homework because it is useful in reinforcing what has been learned in class. In addition to this, it teaches responsibility and helps students develop positive study habits.
When Homework will be assigned: Homework can be assigned Monday through Thursday nights. Assignments shouldn't take students more than one hour each night. Of course, there may be evenings that students will have finished their work during the school day. I usually give time at the end of the subject period for the students to work on their assignments. Final spelling tests will be given each Thursday.
Student's Homework Responsibilities: I expect students to do their best job on their homework. I expect homework to be neat, and done on their own. Students should ask for help only after they have given it their best effort. I expect that all assignments will be turned in on time.
Parent's Homework Responsibilities: Parents are the key to making homework a positive experience for their children. Therefore, I ask that parents make homework a top priority, provide necessary supplies and a quiet homework environment, set a daily homework time, provide praise and support, and not let children avoid homework. Please contact me if you notice a problem in this area.
If Students Do Not Complete Homework: If students choose not to do their homework, I call the parents and alert them to begin checking and signing the assignment notebook to make sure that the student has completed the assignment. If the student still chooses not to complete their homework, they also choose to lose certain privileges. Work that is one day late will be given a mark one letter grade lower. Assignments that do not get returned will receive an F and detention. Parents will be contacted in this case.
If there is a legitimate reason why a student is not able to finish homework, please send a note to me on the day the homework is due, stating the reason it was not completed. The note must be written and signed by the parent.
I highly encourage any extra reading that is done outside of school. As an incentive for my students to read, I have developed a ladder in which the students may climb according to the amount of time read. Each step contains a positive reward.
Students must read at least 400 minutes a month, 100 minutes a week or 20 minutes a day, 5 out of 7 days. This should be from a book of appropriate difficulty. The reading can be from an Accelerated Reader book that will be used for the A.R. points that will also be required for their reading class. It may also be from another source such as a book being read for a book report, magazines or newspapers.
Students record the number of minutes read on the calendar provided. An adult must verify the time with his or her initials in the box. I try to let parents know that they are very important to their child's growth as a reader. Through their interest and encouragement they show the child that reading is a skill worth developing, one that will lead to personal fulfillment and a lifetime of pleasure.
This is the form for the READING LADDER that can be downloaded and printed.
Scholastic Book Club orders will be sent home every month. This is your decision if you want your child to order from the book clubs.
The 2 book clubs that I use are Arrow and Lucky and the software club is called Click. The order forms will always be due back on Fridays.
This year I will be using the online ordering service that Scholastic offers. This means that you can go online http://parents.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp and put in the User name: kramer4 and the Password: funtoread and you will be able to order your books online and pay with a credit card. If you do not want to use this service, you can still put the order in an envelope with the student's name and send it back to school. I do not have change to give back for payment made with cash. Only one check is needed for the total order, even if you have an order for different book clubs or software.
The books or software will arrive in about 2 weeks. Our class is rewarded with points for dollar amounts sold. I use these points to order books for our classroom library.
Please call the office or my extention if your child will be absent or need to arrive late or leave early. When your child returns, please send a note as to why he or she was absent. If you would like homework sent home, just let me know. You will need to sign your child out in the office as well as sign them in when they return to school. If you volunteer or visit the classroom, you will need to check in at the office as well.
Medication: If your child needs to take medication at school, you will need to speak with the school nurse Mrs. Strege. Her office can be found on the first floor next to the main office. Students and teachers are not allowed to keep medication in the lockers or desks.
Library check out will be on Mondays. Please try not to have over due books. Every student is required to have at least 1 A.R. book in his/her desk at all times.
Please let me know if you are able to volunteer in our classroom this year. I know that we have many talented parents, grandparents and friends that we would love to share and hear about your hobbies or talents, especially if it happens to be one of our areas of study.
Visitors should always come into the school through the main doors, all other doors will be locked for security purposes. Go to the office and get a visitor badge if you are staying and sign in.
If you are picking up a child for an appointment, you will need to sign your child out as well.
Please send a note or call (643-6681) if there is a change of plans. Remember most students are gone by 3:00 p.m.
