August 21, 2017
Dear Benfer Parents,
Welcome back everyone! We are looking forward to a great year in music class. We wanted to share some information with you about the music program here at Benfer.
All students in grades 1-5 come to music for 45 minutes twice a week. Kindergarten students come for a shorter period, but 3x per week. During music class we sing, play games, play instruments, learn how to read and write music, listen to music, and have lots of fun. We hope that music class will be a great part of your child’s school day!
In grades 1-5, students will receive two grades from their music teacher. One grade is a music grade. The second grade is music conduct/citizenship grade. The following is an explanation of our grading system.
The music grade is based on participation (50%) and skills (50%) and are marked as E,S,N, and U. Skill grades are taken every nine weeks in activities that are previously practiced such as singing, rhythm, keeping a steady beat, writing, movement, playing instruments, and the Music Memory Listening Test for grades 1-5. We have found that students who participate fully usually do very well in the various skill areas. Kindergarten students are graded using standards-based grading on the four Music TEKS for kindergarten, and will indicate if the student performs at or above grade level based on a collection of skill/participation assessments.
The conduct grade reflects a student’s behavior in music class. Since our students are expected to participate fully, this leaves very little time to be off task or otherwise misbehave. Rules for music class are posted in the music room and reviewed with all students during their 1st music class and the grading system (E- almost always, S-usually, N- sometimes, U-almost never) is explained.
If misbehavior does occur, we have a structured discipline plan in place called “The Nurtured Heart” to help your child do and be their best. If a rule is broken, students will receive a “reset”, which is a brief pause that allows the student to get back on track. If the student receives numerous resets in a class period, it will be documented. Persistent misbehaviors will result in a reduction in their conduct grade and a red slip sent home to give parents an opportunity to work with us to improve their child’s behavior. If your child brings a red slip home, it will need to be signed and returned as soon as possible. Parents, please feel free to contact us by email, or phone calls after 3:45 PM to discuss ways we can work together to help your child.
We invite you to check out the Music Teacher web pages on the Benfer website for information on Choir, the Strings program, and updates on our classroom activities. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Jane Weatherford- phone: 832-484 -5966 Mary Wright - phone: 832-484-5967