Cumulative Newsletter
Other Things to Know About Our Room...
Absences:
Allergies:
Please note students in our room this year have allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs. Please make sure any treats you send in do not include nuts or eggs. Other items can be sent in at your discretion.
Backpacks:
Every student needs to have a backpack in school everyday. Names should be clearly labeled and easy to find. Please make sure your child’s backpack is emptied everyday. Notes and forms are often sent home which need to be read in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to pack their own backpack in the evening before bedtime and place them by the door, ready-to-go.
Birthdays:
All fourth graders love sharing their birthdays with classmates. We celebrate birthdays at the end of the day, usually around 3:40pm. Birthdays falling on weekends can be celebrated the Friday before or the Monday after, or whatever day is most convenient for you. Summer birthdays can be celebrated as half-birthdays if the parents wish. School district policy is now NO FOOD TREATS to be shared. Non-food items are welcome, such as a special book to be shared or donated to our classroom library in honor of your child's special day. If you need to bring in anything birthday-related during class times, please leave it in the office.
Book Orders:
Approximately once a marking period, 2-3 book orders will be sent home. They are usually due within a week or so. These books make nice additions to at-home libraries and are great for the independent reading we do in class. Students are also encouraged to read at least 30-45 minutes at home each day. Some things to look for should you decide to order from the book club:
NOTE: If you would like to purchase a book as a gift for your son/daughter, let me know and I will get it to you “secretly”.
Change in Routine:
If your son/daughter will be deviating from their normal routine, such as being picked up early or riding the bus home with a friend, please let me know with a written note or email sent before lunch. For safety reasons it is very important that we know where the children are headed after school. It is school policy that children must follow their normal after school procedure if they do not have a note.
Do not call voicemail to leave messages, as we often do not check it until the end of the day after students have left.
Clothing:
The climate in the room is automatically controlled by the outside temperature. It can be chilly in the early fall and spring when the air-conditioning is running strong, so children may want light sweaters/pullovers.
Because we do go outside all year long it is important that your child be dressed for the weather. Hats and mittens/gloves are a must when the temperature dips. Please label all outerwear with names, especially boots and snowpants, which are required to play in the snow. It is not uncommon to have three or four pairs of boots/snowpants the exact same style and color in the classroom, and these can easily be lost or swapped.
Communications:
Notes: If you are sending a note to me via your child, please remind him/her before leaving home. Many a note has grown outdated, forgotten in the bottom of a backpack.
Voicemail: Our classroom phones are turned off to outside calls during the schoolday. Any calls made during this time or when no one is available to answer the phone will go to voicemail. We will normally check our voicemail before and after school. Please do not leave any “urgent” messages that I must receive before the end of the school day. Those calls should go to the Costell Office.
Newsletters: In an attempt to save trees, and keep you up to date with the most current information, we will not be sending home regular newsletters. This website, and also our Twitter accounts, will be used most frequently to update you on the happenings of our classroom. Special announcements, permission slips, and other information will still be sent home weekly in the students' red Friday Folders.
Red Folder:
Students need to return their red homework folder to class every Monday at the very least, and more frequently as needed.
Field Trips:
Field trips are not a required part of the curriculum and your child will not be evaluated based on attendance. Information on these trips will be forthcoming.
Homework:
Students can expect to have 40 minutes of homework approximately 4 nights per week (not including reading before bed). If a student says he/she doesn't have homework, PLEASE ask him/her to show you what they accomplished. This will ensure that the effort is being put in, and if any questions are lingering, they can be discussed. This will also give you a clear picture of what is being learned in school. Another great way to be involved with you child's homework is to ask the following question: "What do you think your teacher wanted you to learn from this?" This shows that there is a purpose to every assignment, to review and refresh what was learned earlier in the day, rather than allowing homework to be viewed as a waste of time. Additional homework may result from work not being finished in class. We will have approximately three to four projects this year that may also require minimal independent home time to complete and parental involvement. Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will be finished in class during the PM recess period.
A Typical Night of Homework Will Include:
20 minutes = Math Homework
20 minutes = Reading
40 MINUTES TOTAL
If it's taking longer, ask yourself if a child is able to focus uninterrupted? Are they getting drinks, finding papers in a messy backpack, making a snack, texting with friends, watching TV, etc...? If the answer is no and it's still taking too long, PLEASE let me know right away. We may be able to find the solution together.
Library:
Our class has library once every 8 days. Favorite or unfinished books can be renewed but "forgetters" are not allowed to check out another book. Children are responsible for remembering books. Do remind them it is library day but please do not bring forgotten books in for your son or daughter. They can bring them in the next day and check their book out then.
Medicine:
If your child needs prescription or over the counter medicine while they are in school, short or long term, please bring it to the office. They will make sure it is administered at the proper time.
Absences:
- Illness: If your child stays home, please call the school office to inform them. An answering machine will normally pick up the message between 5pm and 9:15am. Make-up work will not be sent home unless the absence exceeds two days. Work will be made up in school, with assistance, during class times.
- Vacations during school: Please notify me at least two weeks in advance. Books will not be sent if the student is on an extended vacation, although copies of pages may be given. Another assignment (i.e., keep a travel log) may also be given.
Allergies:
Please note students in our room this year have allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs. Please make sure any treats you send in do not include nuts or eggs. Other items can be sent in at your discretion.
Backpacks:
Every student needs to have a backpack in school everyday. Names should be clearly labeled and easy to find. Please make sure your child’s backpack is emptied everyday. Notes and forms are often sent home which need to be read in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to pack their own backpack in the evening before bedtime and place them by the door, ready-to-go.
Birthdays:
All fourth graders love sharing their birthdays with classmates. We celebrate birthdays at the end of the day, usually around 3:40pm. Birthdays falling on weekends can be celebrated the Friday before or the Monday after, or whatever day is most convenient for you. Summer birthdays can be celebrated as half-birthdays if the parents wish. School district policy is now NO FOOD TREATS to be shared. Non-food items are welcome, such as a special book to be shared or donated to our classroom library in honor of your child's special day. If you need to bring in anything birthday-related during class times, please leave it in the office.
Book Orders:
Approximately once a marking period, 2-3 book orders will be sent home. They are usually due within a week or so. These books make nice additions to at-home libraries and are great for the independent reading we do in class. Students are also encouraged to read at least 30-45 minutes at home each day. Some things to look for should you decide to order from the book club:
- The Newbery Award is given to the best children’s book published the previous year. Newbery Honor books are runners-up.
- The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the children’s book with the best illustrations published the previous year. Honor books are runners-up.
NOTE: If you would like to purchase a book as a gift for your son/daughter, let me know and I will get it to you “secretly”.
Change in Routine:
If your son/daughter will be deviating from their normal routine, such as being picked up early or riding the bus home with a friend, please let me know with a written note or email sent before lunch. For safety reasons it is very important that we know where the children are headed after school. It is school policy that children must follow their normal after school procedure if they do not have a note.
Do not call voicemail to leave messages, as we often do not check it until the end of the day after students have left.
Clothing:
The climate in the room is automatically controlled by the outside temperature. It can be chilly in the early fall and spring when the air-conditioning is running strong, so children may want light sweaters/pullovers.
Because we do go outside all year long it is important that your child be dressed for the weather. Hats and mittens/gloves are a must when the temperature dips. Please label all outerwear with names, especially boots and snowpants, which are required to play in the snow. It is not uncommon to have three or four pairs of boots/snowpants the exact same style and color in the classroom, and these can easily be lost or swapped.
Communications:
Notes: If you are sending a note to me via your child, please remind him/her before leaving home. Many a note has grown outdated, forgotten in the bottom of a backpack.
Voicemail: Our classroom phones are turned off to outside calls during the schoolday. Any calls made during this time or when no one is available to answer the phone will go to voicemail. We will normally check our voicemail before and after school. Please do not leave any “urgent” messages that I must receive before the end of the school day. Those calls should go to the Costell Office.
Newsletters: In an attempt to save trees, and keep you up to date with the most current information, we will not be sending home regular newsletters. This website, and also our Twitter accounts, will be used most frequently to update you on the happenings of our classroom. Special announcements, permission slips, and other information will still be sent home weekly in the students' red Friday Folders.
Red Folder:
Students need to return their red homework folder to class every Monday at the very least, and more frequently as needed.
Field Trips:
Field trips are not a required part of the curriculum and your child will not be evaluated based on attendance. Information on these trips will be forthcoming.
Homework:
Students can expect to have 40 minutes of homework approximately 4 nights per week (not including reading before bed). If a student says he/she doesn't have homework, PLEASE ask him/her to show you what they accomplished. This will ensure that the effort is being put in, and if any questions are lingering, they can be discussed. This will also give you a clear picture of what is being learned in school. Another great way to be involved with you child's homework is to ask the following question: "What do you think your teacher wanted you to learn from this?" This shows that there is a purpose to every assignment, to review and refresh what was learned earlier in the day, rather than allowing homework to be viewed as a waste of time. Additional homework may result from work not being finished in class. We will have approximately three to four projects this year that may also require minimal independent home time to complete and parental involvement. Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will be finished in class during the PM recess period.
A Typical Night of Homework Will Include:
20 minutes = Math Homework
20 minutes = Reading
40 MINUTES TOTAL
If it's taking longer, ask yourself if a child is able to focus uninterrupted? Are they getting drinks, finding papers in a messy backpack, making a snack, texting with friends, watching TV, etc...? If the answer is no and it's still taking too long, PLEASE let me know right away. We may be able to find the solution together.
Library:
Our class has library once every 8 days. Favorite or unfinished books can be renewed but "forgetters" are not allowed to check out another book. Children are responsible for remembering books. Do remind them it is library day but please do not bring forgotten books in for your son or daughter. They can bring them in the next day and check their book out then.
Medicine:
If your child needs prescription or over the counter medicine while they are in school, short or long term, please bring it to the office. They will make sure it is administered at the proper time.