 |
Shannon Jordan |
As
we enter a new school year, we are mindful that your primary purpose
in sending your child to Holy Ghost School is to receive a meaningful
Catholic education. In
fulfilling that purpose, it is our pleasure to guide your child’s
fourth grade year of learning. To
accomplish our mutual goals of productive learning, we ask for your
cooperation, support, and a line of open communication through which
together we can work in your child’s best interest.
From our previous experience, we find that goals are achieved
when students are committed to (a) learning in a well-programmed,
spirit filled environment, (b) completing all assignments, and (c)
following all rules of discipline (see attached discipline plan).
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. 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 the list
of violations with your child in the Parent/Student Handbook.
Also note that Holy Ghost School will not tolerate any hurtful
teasing. A handbook
will be sent to you containing rules and regulations of the school.
You are to read the information, sign, and return the
contractual agreement found in the back of the handbook to school to
be maintained on file.
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. We will be glad to return your call as soon as possible.
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. Jordan will teach Social Studies. Each homeroom teacher will teach her own Math and Language Arts- Reading, Writing, English, and Spelling. This is consistent with 5th-8th Language Arts Block.
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.
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. Two 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 including challenge words 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.
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 Your child starts with 100 points for homework per nine weeks. Five points are deducted each time your child does not have his/her homework. Please call us with any concerns about homework. Periodically, chosen homework assignments will be graded. 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. Daily grades are taken from the study guides, which are worth 50 points each. Points will be deducted each day it is late. If your child misplaces any study guide, it is his/her responsibility to check the extra paper folder. If none are available, your child must notify the teacher.
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. A point 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.
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. A point 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. A consequence will be given if your child continues to turn in his/her conduct folder late.
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). We will return your call 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.