4th Grade Policies and Procedures
Pick-Up and Drop-Off:
Starting at 8:30am, students are allowed to be on the playground and there will be teachers/staff for adult supervision. If you drop your child off earlier than 8:30am - THERE WILL BE NO ADULT SUPERVISION. I will pick the children up to start our day at 8:55am. Please make sure your child is at school when the bell rings!
At the end of the day, I will walk the kids out to the playground (West side) at 3:45pm. Students that go to Kaleidoscope, ride the bus or have after-school clubs, will also be dismissed at this time. Children MUST hi-five me AND point out their parent before I let them go. If someone different will be picking up your child, please notify me as soon as possible.
Please make sure to pick up your child on time. I will be outside with your child until 4:00pm. At that time, I will walk your child to the office to make a phone call home. Again, students are not allowed to play on the playground after 4:00pm unless they are with a parent.
A few more expectations in order to ensure that the kids are safe:
Contacting me
Please use email to contact me whenever possible, [email protected]. I will check emails in the morning and after school each day and get back to you as soon as possible. If email is not an option you can call the front office and they will take a message. I hope to keep our lines of communication open all year!
Classroom Environment
In my classroom I use a management style that encourages students to learn and use problem solving skills to think through the consequences of their actions. Students will be provided clear and high expectations for their behavior. If behavior deviates from those expectations, they will work with me to help develop the tools to change the behavior(s) and to find the appropriate consequences for the given action(s). Parents/Guardians will be notified regularly with updates on students' performance in class. I base much of my classroom management on the philosophies of Jim Fay and Love and Logic. Please see here for more information.http://www.loveandlogic.com/t-what-is-for-Love-and-Logic-teachers.aspx
Positive Behavior
As a school, we are always on the lookout for positive behaviors from our students. Staff and students will be looking for others who are being Cooperative, Committed, and Curious (The 3 C’s). When students are “caught” demonstrating one of these “C’s”, they will be given a slip recognizing that behavior. They will earn an academic reward and then be eligible to win a larger reward in our monthly drawing.
Refocus Time
2:30-2:40 Students earn an extra break in the afternoon to play an educational game, get some movement and socialize. This break is earned through good class behavior, turning work in on-time, completing class work, etc. In other words, students meet the given expectations. Otherwise, students will meet with me to fill out a reflection form.
Attendance
It is incredibly important that your student is at school. There is no way to make up an absent day of school. I can give make-up work, but that does not come close to replacing the learning experiences during the school day.
I understand that absences occur due to illness and emergencies. Please try to limit absences as much as possible.
Homework Policy
Homework is an important part of your student’s learning experience. With that being said, I understand and believe in the importance of family time and extra-curricular activities. My goal with homework is to give enough that students continue their learning beyond the school day, but not so much that they cannot be balanced. This is what you can expect for homework. I do reserve the right to change homework during the year as needed.
* Students should be able to do homework on their own. If they cannot, it is my fault. Please write me a note letting me know that your student did not understand the homework.
* Students should be reading as much as possible. The purpose of reading at home should be for practice, and to develop a love of reading. I expect all of my students to reach their Accelerated Reader (AR) Goal. We set these goals each trimester and you can monitor them using Renaissance Home Connect: **https://hosted252.renlearn.com/245193/HomeConnect/** Students may read both at home and at school to meet this goal.
* If students do not bring their homework, the expectation is that they finish it at home the next night and bring it back the following day. They will be provided with a reflection sheet to complete during Fun Friday.
Snacks and Water
Please send a healthy* snack and water with your child everyday. Lunch is not until 1:05 and we will provide a time in the mornings for a healthy snack break. Students will be allowed to keep clean water bottles on their desks.
*Recommendations: fruit, nuts, veggie sticks, baked chips. Something not messy please!
Restroom Policy
In fourth grade, we use a ticket policy for restrooms and drinks. Students receive 6 tickets at the beginning of the week (1 ticket per day and a bonus). They use these tickets each time they need to leave the room to use the restroom or get a drink of water. At the end of the week, tickets that are left over will be put into a box for a drawing. Prizes will vary throughout the year. They are also encouraged to use the restroom before school and during non-academic times throughout the day. Please contact me with any medical conditions that might prevent your student from using this policy.
Bullying
I take bullying seriously in my classroom. I believe that every student has the right to enjoy school. I will do everything in my power to ensure that my students do not get bullied.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. (stopbullying.gov)
What is our classroom policy on Bullying?
Bullying is simply not allowed in our classroom.
What happens if I am getting bullied?
If you are getting bullied, you need to tell me immediately.
What happens to bullies in our classroom?
1. Bullies will be put in an extended classroom timeout and a recess timeout (Students are responsible for academic work, but are separated from our classroom community)
2. Bullies will be reported to the office
3. Bullies' parents will be called
4. Bullies will prepare a public apology to the class and agree to stop the behavior before returning to the classroom.
Pick-Up and Drop-Off:
Starting at 8:30am, students are allowed to be on the playground and there will be teachers/staff for adult supervision. If you drop your child off earlier than 8:30am - THERE WILL BE NO ADULT SUPERVISION. I will pick the children up to start our day at 8:55am. Please make sure your child is at school when the bell rings!
At the end of the day, I will walk the kids out to the playground (West side) at 3:45pm. Students that go to Kaleidoscope, ride the bus or have after-school clubs, will also be dismissed at this time. Children MUST hi-five me AND point out their parent before I let them go. If someone different will be picking up your child, please notify me as soon as possible.
Please make sure to pick up your child on time. I will be outside with your child until 4:00pm. At that time, I will walk your child to the office to make a phone call home. Again, students are not allowed to play on the playground after 4:00pm unless they are with a parent.
A few more expectations in order to ensure that the kids are safe:
- Buzz in to the front office if you need to enter the building for any reason during the school day. This helps our administration know who is around our students.
- Sign in at the front office and get a visitors badge if you need to walk about the school. This controls classroom disruptions, mistrusting stares and in general helps us all feel a little more secure.
- Please make sure to talk to the front office about a background check if you plan to be a classroom volunteer.
Contacting me
Please use email to contact me whenever possible, [email protected]. I will check emails in the morning and after school each day and get back to you as soon as possible. If email is not an option you can call the front office and they will take a message. I hope to keep our lines of communication open all year!
Classroom Environment
In my classroom I use a management style that encourages students to learn and use problem solving skills to think through the consequences of their actions. Students will be provided clear and high expectations for their behavior. If behavior deviates from those expectations, they will work with me to help develop the tools to change the behavior(s) and to find the appropriate consequences for the given action(s). Parents/Guardians will be notified regularly with updates on students' performance in class. I base much of my classroom management on the philosophies of Jim Fay and Love and Logic. Please see here for more information.http://www.loveandlogic.com/t-what-is-for-Love-and-Logic-teachers.aspx
Positive Behavior
As a school, we are always on the lookout for positive behaviors from our students. Staff and students will be looking for others who are being Cooperative, Committed, and Curious (The 3 C’s). When students are “caught” demonstrating one of these “C’s”, they will be given a slip recognizing that behavior. They will earn an academic reward and then be eligible to win a larger reward in our monthly drawing.
Refocus Time
2:30-2:40 Students earn an extra break in the afternoon to play an educational game, get some movement and socialize. This break is earned through good class behavior, turning work in on-time, completing class work, etc. In other words, students meet the given expectations. Otherwise, students will meet with me to fill out a reflection form.
Attendance
It is incredibly important that your student is at school. There is no way to make up an absent day of school. I can give make-up work, but that does not come close to replacing the learning experiences during the school day.
I understand that absences occur due to illness and emergencies. Please try to limit absences as much as possible.
Homework Policy
Homework is an important part of your student’s learning experience. With that being said, I understand and believe in the importance of family time and extra-curricular activities. My goal with homework is to give enough that students continue their learning beyond the school day, but not so much that they cannot be balanced. This is what you can expect for homework. I do reserve the right to change homework during the year as needed.
- Homework Packets will be given on Fridays.
- They will be due the following Friday.
* Students should be able to do homework on their own. If they cannot, it is my fault. Please write me a note letting me know that your student did not understand the homework.
* Students should be reading as much as possible. The purpose of reading at home should be for practice, and to develop a love of reading. I expect all of my students to reach their Accelerated Reader (AR) Goal. We set these goals each trimester and you can monitor them using Renaissance Home Connect: **https://hosted252.renlearn.com/245193/HomeConnect/** Students may read both at home and at school to meet this goal.
* If students do not bring their homework, the expectation is that they finish it at home the next night and bring it back the following day. They will be provided with a reflection sheet to complete during Fun Friday.
Snacks and Water
Please send a healthy* snack and water with your child everyday. Lunch is not until 1:05 and we will provide a time in the mornings for a healthy snack break. Students will be allowed to keep clean water bottles on their desks.
*Recommendations: fruit, nuts, veggie sticks, baked chips. Something not messy please!
Restroom Policy
In fourth grade, we use a ticket policy for restrooms and drinks. Students receive 6 tickets at the beginning of the week (1 ticket per day and a bonus). They use these tickets each time they need to leave the room to use the restroom or get a drink of water. At the end of the week, tickets that are left over will be put into a box for a drawing. Prizes will vary throughout the year. They are also encouraged to use the restroom before school and during non-academic times throughout the day. Please contact me with any medical conditions that might prevent your student from using this policy.
Bullying
I take bullying seriously in my classroom. I believe that every student has the right to enjoy school. I will do everything in my power to ensure that my students do not get bullied.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose. (stopbullying.gov)
What is our classroom policy on Bullying?
Bullying is simply not allowed in our classroom.
What happens if I am getting bullied?
If you are getting bullied, you need to tell me immediately.
What happens to bullies in our classroom?
1. Bullies will be put in an extended classroom timeout and a recess timeout (Students are responsible for academic work, but are separated from our classroom community)
2. Bullies will be reported to the office
3. Bullies' parents will be called
4. Bullies will prepare a public apology to the class and agree to stop the behavior before returning to the classroom.