Classroom Handbook

Assignment Notebook

Assignments are listed in the assignment notebook each day and on my teacher website.  Students are responsible for recording any take-home assignments.  Any projects not completed become homework. There is time at the end of the day for each student to organize the materials he/she needs to take home to complete any unfinished work.  Encourage your student to develop the habit of using this assignment notebook.  Each night the student is expected to show you their assignment notebook and have you sign.  Students will benefit from this responsibility!

Homework

Students need a consistent, focused time to study.  Please work with your child to establish a 30-40 minute period each night for such study.  It is important that students take ownership of this time.  Let him/her know that you are available as a resource, but that the work is his/her responsibility. 
Some evenings your child will have work that he/she has not finished during the school day.  Some projects will be assigned just for homework.  At the beginning of 4th grade, fourth graders are expected to have basic division facts mastered, if your child has no assignment to work on, he/she should practice division facts.  Other activities may include reading a chapter book. 

Usually students should not have more than 40 minutes of work to do at home.  If your child consistently has more homework than that, please contact me so we can find out why.  

Mail/Take Home Folder

Each student should have a Teacher/Parent Communication folder to take home on Friday.  This folder will include graded papers, assignments that need to be completed, newsletters and other notes from school.  Please ask to see your child's folder each Friday so you can see what he/she has done.   Please keep all graded work at home.  Any homework or notes should be completed/signed and returned with the folder each Monday.

Absences/Make-Up Work

When you call in the morning to the office to report your child's absence, please leave a message for your student's teacher stating how you'd like to pick up his/her make-up work.  (It can be sent home with a sibling or neighbor or you may pick it up at the end of the day as long as the message was left before 9:45.)  Please help your child take the responsibility for completing his/her make-up work promptly.  District policy allows 2 days for each day missed because of illness, but that often makes it difficult for students to understand the new concepts that our class is working on. 

It is very important that your child attends school regularly.  Many of our classes require participation in activities that can only be done at school.  Please try to schedule family vacations during school vacations.  If you do schedule a vacation during time that school is in session please be aware of this school board policy: Make-up work is required for "family vacations and family business arranged in advance and due upon return, or upon a date agreed upon by the teacher, whichever is later."  Work that has been given to students before a vacation that is not completed when return will be counted as late work.  (The students DO NOT have two days per day missed to make-up work.)

Communication
We look forward to a great year with both parents and students!  One way we can guarantee a successful year is to ensure each part of our team-parents, students, and teachers-communicates efficiently and often.  Your student's teacher will contact you with concerns about something that your student is, or is not, doing.  Please send an email, leave a phone message or write a note if you have a question about something that is happening at school.
  There are several ways communication can happen:

•h Assignment Notebooks :   This is the easiest way to correspond as each student's notebook is checked every morning and you will see your student's notebook every evening.  Simply jot a note and we'll be happy to get back with you as soon as possible.

- E-mail:   You may also write an email via my website and I will respond.  This is the best way to reach me.

•h Voicemail:   If you feel more comfortable leaving a voicemail message, we can be reached by dialing 239-7000, then following the prompts to leave a message.  Voicemail will be checked each morning and again each evening.

•h Grades :  Grades are available through parent Vue. It will give you a record of your student's progress in school.  Due to team teaching and the timing of certain units, a grade may not be provided for each content area on every progress report.  

•h Report Cards :  Report Cards will be available quarterly through parent Vue and report your child's progress in school.  

•h Parent/Teacher Conferences :   Teachers parents/caregivers/guardians will be able to meet to discuss students' strengths and areas of goals. This is a great time for everyone to share successes and set goals for the remainder of the year.

Thanks for all you do to promote your student's positive attitude toward learning.  When your child knows that his/her parents and teacher are a team, we can all have a spectacular year!

  Birthday

 We encourage the purchase of a birthday book from the library to celebrate birthdays.  Students may also bring non-edible birthday treats to share with the class.  Due to several severe allergies among the grade level, we ask that these treats be non-edible.  Please include enough for each student in the class.  Time will be set aside at the teacher's discretion for such treats.

Classroom/School Expectations

The classroom expectations follow the the PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports)  and the pattern of the Preamble to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  This format allows us to focus on the reasons for our rules and to think about our responsibilities. 

Knowing that students are fulfilling their responsibilities to create a positive environment in our school will reward students who choose to follow our classroom expectations.  We'd like to emphasize this as the most important reason for following our expectations.  We want to reinforce the idea that the students are in control of their behavior, not some external force. We use a visual aid in the classroom. They each have an opportunity to earn Cougar Paws tickets. There will be a drawing at the end of each week in the classroom.  Then another grade level drawing each month/quarter.