Email me at Schumaaj@unit5.org if you have any
questions or comments. I check my email
throughout the day and can retrieve it at home too.
Homework
POLICY: Homework for 4th graders is assigned each
Monday through Thursday, and should take no more than 40 minutes each night to
complete.
Assignments are usually due the next day after they are assigned. Students are given class time to work on assignments. Students may need to complete an assignment at home if it is not completed or if time is not used wisely.
Assignment
Notebooks: These are available for purchase in the office.
They are $6.50. I will send
home an assignment book whether you have had a chance to purchase one or
not...just send in the check (made out to Fox Creek Elementary) or cash at your
first opportunity. (Please disregard
this if you have already taken care of this when you registered!)
Assignment notebooks
need to be checked and initialed by you each day – whether there is an
assignment or not. This lets me know
that you are aware of what your child has been assigned for homework.
It is also a great place for us to write notes to each other.
There is a chart on our
board that matches the assignment notebook.
Your child is given time each morning to copy the day’s assignments
down. I do “spot-checks” of the
assignment notebook to make sure they are copying down the assignments
correctly, but the majority of the responsibility for this task lies with the
student.
**Your
child is rewarded when his or her assignment notebook and behavior chart are
signed each day. Please help make
life a little sweeter and jot down those initials!
Thanks!
Behavior Policy: You will be able to look at your child's behavior chart each night to determine if your child had any difficulties with his/her behavior that day or received a check for late homework. Please write your initials in the box each day.
At Fox Creek we have a
school wide behavior plan. The
children are expected to abide by these three expectations:
1.
Be Respectful
2.
Be Responsible
3.
Be Ready
If they choose to not
follow the rules in any class or area at Fox Creek, the following
consequences will be applied:
1.
Warning – a “W” is given to show that the child has received a verbal
warning concerning his or her behavior.
2.
First check – teacher/student conference
3.
Second check – loss of recess
4.
Third check – principal involvement
In some cases,
consequences may not follow the sequential system.
Consequences may also include detention, in or out of school suspension,
or expulsion.
If your child gets a
check, a brief note will be written on the behavior chart in the home folder so
you will know what the offense was. If
the student has a good day, they will get a sticker on the chart.
Sometimes the student will get a sticker, but I will jot a little note to
let you know that they had a rough day in certain areas.
Please look at this chart daily, initial it, talk with your child about his/her
day, and praise those fantastic days!
Homework Policy:
Homework in fourth grade is designed to begin to get the students ready
for the higher grades. It is usually
quite an adjustment for the students, so be extra supportive! J
In fourth grade, students should be spending no more than 40 minutes on
homework, if time in school has been used wisely. If you find
that you are spending more time than that on homework, please let me know.
Homework is due back the next day unless otherwise stated.
There are several
weekly assignments:
NOTE:
Homework that is not returned, receives an automatic “check” on the behavior
clipboard and the child will lose recess to complete the work.
Incomplete homework receives a “warning” and recess time is also lost
in order to complete the work.
Friday Folders
Your fourth grader will bring home a Friday Folder on Friday (or the last school day of the week). All work from the week, as well as important notes will come home in that folder. Please keep all of the acceptable work (grades of 75% and above). Please have your child correct and turn back any papers that have grades of 73% and below. In the Friday Folder also look for any tests or projects that need to be signed by you and returned to school on Monday.
On Fridays, your
fourth grader will be writing a letter to you to share the things s/he has
learned or participated in at school that week. It is a terrific opportunity for students to practice writing
skills and a super way to communicate what’s going on at school. It’ll be a great keepsake of our fourth
grade year, plus you’ll see your child’s writing skills improve throughout the
year. We are asking that you take a
little bit of time out of your hectic schedule to write back to your child
sometime during the weekend so the notebook can be returned on Monday for
points and bonus bucks.
Absences
Students
are responsible for making up their work whenever they are absent. Students will have an “Absent Folder” on
their desk when they return. They have
the same number of days they were gone to complete their work. For example, if your child misses 2 days of
school, s/he would have 2 days after s/he returned to school to make up the
work. Much of our classroom activities
cannot be done at home (group work, experiments, in-class games, etc), so
regular attendance is encouraged.
Spelling Words and Tests
Spelling pretests are given Monday, and the final
test is Friday. Homework for spelling
is given on Monday and students have about 10-15 minutes to work on it in class. All spelling homework is due on
Thursday. It will be checked on
Thursday in class and practice a bit before the test on Friday. Check out the weekly spelling lists that are
posted on this website.
Water Bottles
It
would be great if students would bring and use a water bottle with a
spill-proof lid. This avoids standing
in long lines waiting to get a drink.
Auction
(In
December and May)
Right before winter break and summer,
students will be able to spend their hard earned Bonus Bucks on prizes! (They can spend them during the school year
on special treats, prizes, seating privileges, etc.) These auctions will be comprised of garage sale type items I have
collected. If you have any items to
donate, it would be GREATLY appreciated!
(Some ideas include: candy, pop, sports equipment, water bottles, small
toys, movie passes, etc,)
Student Led Conferences
I
hold two student led conferences each year.
One time in October (when everyone else does) and then again in March
(when you receive the third quarter report cards.) Conference time is meant to be a three-way conference between
parents, teacher, and child. Parents will receive information about
testing data, learn about academic and social progress, and discuss questions
and concerns. I will post the newest
conference schedule on our website for the convenience of parents. Please contact me if you ever have questions
or concerns throughout the year.
Snacks
It’s
quite difficult to pay attention and learn when your mind and stomach are on
lunch. Students may bring a healthy snack to eat mid-morning.
Good items to send for a snack would be fruit or vegetables, applesauce,
cheese sticks, crackers, or juice. Please DO NOT send items with lots of
sugar in them (please, no candy, pop, donuts, or chips, etc.) (We’ll try this for a trial period. It is meant to help us concentrate on our
work until we get to lunch. A note will
come home if this will not continue.)
I
look forward to having a fantastic year!
Your support is GREATLY appreciated.
If
you ever have any questions, please contact me.