 |
Beth Daschbach |
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year. We hope each of you had a terrific summer! We would like to take this time to mention our policies and goals regarding your child’s fourth grade year.
Religion/Science/Social
Studies
Fourth graders will change classes for Religion, Science,
and Social Studies. Mrs. Owens will teach Religion, Mrs. Daschbach
will teach Science, and Mrs.
Supplies We expect our students to be prepared to learn; therefore, your child needs to bring the necessary supplies and books to and from school every day. Please check with your child periodically to see if he/she needs any supplies.
Books All textbooks must be covered at all times. Please check with your child and get him/her to bring these books home to be covered as needed or you may send cloth book covers to school.
Binder Upcoming events and letters will be sent home periodically; therefore, please check for notices daily and remove them. All class work and homework sheets belong in the correct labeled slash pocket of the binder, which will avoid loose sheets in the desk or locker as well as in the book sack. Periodically, we will clean out binders in class. Therefore, please do not remove any subject related sheets.
Heading All assignments in the math notebook should include date and page number. Each reading story as well as skills should be listed with the vocabulary words. All assignments on loose-leaf paper must include full name, date, subject, and homeroom teacher. The spelling unit should be indicated when assignments are given. Students must put their full name and date on all tests and work. Points will be deducted from each test and/or work that does not include a name.
Handwriting Students will be expected to write in cursive. Your child’s handwriting grade will derive from all written work. Handwriting grades will be based on G for good, S for Satisfactory, and N for Needs Improvement.
Spelling Students will take a weekly spelling test derived from the story spelling list or assigned list. Students are required to write their assigned spelling words on loose-leaf paper three times each, which is due the day of the test. Your child’s spelling grade will come from homework, assignments, activities, and tests. It is customary to call out spelling words for spelling tests. However, we feel your child should have the opportunity to become familiar with the Spelling Terra Nova format. Therefore, your child will be exposed to both types of tests throughout the school year. Sometimes your child will be required to take a written test. Other times your child will be given a multiple choice test where he/she will have to identify the correct spelling and bubble in the answer. By giving both tests sporadically throughout the school year, we feel your child will become comfortable with both test formats.
Accelerated
Reader
Your child will be responsible to
read books within his/her ZPD zone from an accelerated
reader’s list and take AR tests.
Each student will read 15 minutes a day in class.
It is your child’s responsibility to read at least 15 minutes
at home every day. A grade
of 30 possible points will
be given each nine weeks based on a rubric.
Please look online to read the AR guidelines with your child.
Please print, sign, and return the AR form to your homeroom
teacher.
Book
Reports
Your child is responsible for completing one
book report each semester. Instructions
for each book report will be given in advance.
It is very important that your child follows all of the directions. Book
reports will be used as a Language Arts test grade.
Assignment
Pad
Upcoming tests, projects, and homework will be posted on the
classroom
assignment pad in the classroom for the students to copy.
Tests are posted on
Friday for the following week and remain posted until each one is
taken. Students are required to write daily assignments Monday through
Thursday and the test schedule on Friday in their own assignment pad.
The test schedule will include the day each test will be given and
what is covered on each test. Therefore,
Monday through Thursday, your child will only have to write the word
“test” and the day it will be given as well as the daily
assignments because he/she should have written what is covered on the
test on Friday’s assignment sheet.
Homework Points will be given for homework assignments. Please call us with any concerns about homework. Weekly assignments are posted online each Monday. However, your child is still responsible for copying the information on his/her assignment pad every day. In the event there is a difference between the assignment pad and Quia, please adhere to the assignment pad.
Math
Timed Tests
Your child will have weekly graded timed tests on addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.
The timed tests are daily grades.
By doing this the entire year, we feel your child will improve
his/her fact skills. Basic
facts should be memorized. There
are many tools to reinforce math facts including flashcards, writing
them (paper, air, pudding, salt, and shaving crème), computer games,
recording them on a tape recorder, CDs, and various websites listed
online.
Study
Guides
Study guides should be completed as assigned by the
teacher. Completion of the
entire study guide is not required at one time.
Please keep all study guides in the binder so that your child
may check his/her answers, which will be reviewed in class.
It is your child’s responsibility to check all answers as
well as make the necessary corrections.
Study guides must be completed and turned in the day of that
chapter test. Points will
be given for completed study guides.
Points will be deducted each day it is late.
Daily Grades Daily grades come from homework, assignments, worksheets, stations, activities, participation, study guides, and timed tests.
Tests Tests for the following week will be posted on Fridays. Encourage your child to make sure he/she copies the schedule in the assignment pad. For Language Arts, your child is responsible for studying the vocabulary and spelling words; reading the story; and reviewing practice book pages, skill sheets, and comprehension questions found at the end of each story. A skill sheet will be given for every reading story. It is important that your child keeps his/her skill sheet in order to study the examples as well as be familiar with the test format. For Math, basic facts as well as addition and subtraction problems will be included on every Math test. As the year progresses, multiplication and division problems will be added to each Math test. In other subject areas, your child is responsible for learning all of the information on study guides, reviewing notes/sheets given in class, studying highlighted areas, and reviewing the chapter. Points will be deducted for each misspelled word on tests if a word bank is provided.
Incomplete
Items
It is very important for your child to review his/her work and
tests before turning them in.
All items left blank will
be marked wrong. Each
student will be required to use a checklist for the first test in each
subject. Thereafter, the
checklist will be optional.
Complete
Sentences
In order for your child to improve his/her communication skills we
are requiring your child to write in complete sentences.
The five components to a complete sentence include subject,
verb, capital letter, correct end mark, and it must make sense.
Points will be deducted for any
missing component on tests. We
are asking that your child does not use the symbol + for the word
“and” on any written work.
Conduct
Folder
All graded papers will be returned in the conduct folder each
week. Please review each
paper with your child. The
sheet inside the folder will indicate the number of papers.
The top number will
indicate the number of papers your child has turned in
and the bottom number will
indicate the number of papers he/she should have.
We will indicate under the comment section the papers that were
not turned in. This will
immediately inform you if your child did not turn in work.
It is your child’s
responsibility to turn in the missing work.
Points will be deducted each day for any late work.
Please take note of the number of CAP forms your child has
received, feel free to make comments, sign the folder, and return it
to school within two days.
You may view your child’s grades as well as behavior
notifications online. Your
child’s conduct folder with graded papers will not be sent
home until the previous week’s conduct sheet has been signed and
returned. You may be asked
to bring your child’s signed folder to school if your child
consistently does not return his/her folder.
Missing
Papers
When a student misplaces any work, he/she may look in the extra
paper folder. If there are
no papers available, the student is responsible for copying the
necessary information on loose-leaf.
It is better to turn work in late than not to turn it in at
all. Your child will
receive a “missing assignment” form, which must be signed by a
parent and returned to school the next day.
Also the missing assignment will be indicated under the Comment
section on the Conduct Folder sheet.
Dress Code We know that all students will adhere to the dress code at all times. However, if a student chooses not to follow the dress code, he/she will be issued a dress code violation form. For every fifth violation, a detention will be issued. Three detentions for dress code violations lower the conduct grade by one letter grade.
Phone Calls If you need to contact a fourth grade teacher, please leave a message at the school office (985-345-0977) or send an email through Quia. We will be glad to get in touch with you as soon as possible. We will be more than happy to make an appointment to meet with you during our planning period or after school.
Your child will have the opportunity to improve his/her communication skills through reading, writing, speaking, and completing classroom/homework assignments. We will read and discuss the lessons in class, and we will have appropriate demonstrations and experiments when the occasion arises. We have several goals for this school year:
· To help your child grow academically and spiritually
· To help your child realize his/her own potential and worth
· To make learning interesting thereby educating your child through fun activities
This letter is not to overwhelm you but to inform you of our procedures at the very beginning of school. Please keep this policy letter as a reference throughout the school year. It is very important to your child that we work closely together. Each child must feel that we support each other. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Together, we know the road ahead will be enjoyable as well as successful.
Dear Parents,
As we
enter a new school year, we are mindful that your primary purpose in
sending your child to
In striving to change
behavior, students will receive a natural consequence for disobeying
rules. A Corrective Action
Plan (CAP) will be issued indicating the natural consequence.
The weekly conduct folder will indicate the number of CAP forms
your child has received from the previous week.
However, each student is responsible for giving his/her CAP
form to a parent upon receiving one.
The number of CAP forms received during each week will carry
over to the following week until the end of the grading period.
Conduct grades are derived from the number of CAP forms received
during the entire nine weeks period.
Other offenses as indicated in the handbook will result in a
detention as well as the conduct grade being lowered on the report
card.
Conduct
grades are cumulative; therefore, your child’s conduct grade for the
report card can be determined at any point throughout the grading
period. You may view your
child’s behavior notification online.
It is our hope that your child will earn all good reports.
Good behavior will be reinforced.
For every
detention served for a major violation, the student’s overall
conduct grade will be lowered by one letter grade on the report card.
The conduct grade will be lowered two letter grades on the
report card for a one day suspension.
The conduct grade will be lowered an additional letter grade on
the report card for a two or more day suspension.
Please review online the list of violations with your child in the
Parent/Student Handbook- Section 8.
Also note that
We will
work very hard with positive techniques to encourage every child to
cooperate with wonderful behavior.
If you need to contact a fourth grade teacher, please call the
school and leave a message or send an email through Quia.
We will be glad to get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Together
let’s make the Fourth Grade Year memorable for your child.
Sincerely,
Fourth
Grade Teachers
DISCIPLINE
PLAN
CLASSROOM RULES
1. The
student will follow all directions.
2. The student will raise
his/her hand for permission to speak.
3. The student will remain
in his/her assigned seat.
4. The student will keep
hands, feet, objects, and remarks to
himself/herself.
5. The student will be
respectful at all times.
REWARDS
CONSEQUENCES
Praise
Natural Consequence/Cap Form
Coupon
Mediation Time
Behavior Credit Card
Note/Call Home
Positive Note/Call Home
Conference
Treasure Box
Meet with Counselor
Meet with Administrator
Detention
SCALE PER NINE WEEKS
NUMBER OF CAP FORMS
A
0 – 4
B
5 – 9
C
10 – 14
D
15 – 19
F
20 or more