Dear Fourth Grade Parents,
Welcome to the 2015-2016school year! We are anticipating a great year for your child. As a school we want tohave the best possible learning environment.
As fourth grade teachers we haveestablished a few guidelines to help our classrooms run smoothly. These have been discussed with the students, but we ask that you please go over these again with your child.
Bring all homework to class completedUse appropriate behavior in the
and on time. hallway,library, restroom, cateteria, and
recess.
Bring all materials to class.Talk at appropriate times.
Follow directions the first time.Stay on task.
Keep hands, feet and objects toBe respectful of other people,
yourself.their property, and their space in your words and actions.
*Curriculum*
Mrs. Kesler will be teaching Reading/Language Arts and Social Studies, and Mrs. Riley will be teaching your child Math and Science. Reading, Math, and Writing are state-wide test subjects in 4th grade, and will be tested in the spring. Periodically we will be taking benchmark tests in these subjects. These benchmarks help us know how the students are progressing and who may need some additional help. Our curriculum is based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) developed by the state of Texas. Our textbooks and materials follow these TEKS.
*Homework*
Your child will usually have homework several times each week in at least one subject. Homework generally should take less than one hour to complete. If your child comes to class without homework or incomplete homework, he will be assigned After School Work Completion, and the conduct card will be marked. You will be contacted by the school secretary if your child needs to stay.
*Late Work*
Our school wide late work policy is as follows: 1st day late, minus 10 points; 2nd day late, minus 30 points; 3rd day late, assignment receives a zero. This follows district policy stated in the student handbook.
*Extra Credit Work*
Each teacher will assign extra credit work as she sees a need. Extra credit is assigned on a whole class basis and not individually. Parents will be notified when extra credit is given.
*Correcting Work*
Each teacher will allow corrections as she sees a need. This is normally done when the whole class does not do well and reteaching the skill is necessary. Students will be given time in class when corrections are given.
*Student Planner*
The school has provided each student with a planner. At the end of classeach teacher takes a few minutes to fill out the planner with the students. We write down the lessons/assignments for the day. Homework will be indicated by HW. Your child should be bringing this planner home every night, and should bring it back to school the next day. This is a valuable organizational skill. Because we write the assignments in a classroom planner, your child will be able to see what he missed if he was absent. The planner will let you know when a test or other important projects is assigned. We do not require parents to sign the planner.
*Yellow Take Home Folder*
Your child will have a yellow folder that is designated as their take-home/homework folder. This folder should go home each night. It will have any homework that needs to be completed, graded papers (these need to stay at home), or notes from the school/teacher. Please be sure the folder comes back to school each day. If you find a paper that has not been completed or has not been graded it probably means your child has not turned in the assignment. Please return it to school.
*Discipline*
We will be using a conduct card for discipline. This makes it much easier to see what areas a student struggles with and may need to work on. The conduct cards are for a month at a time. Each teacher will mark the students’ conduct cards during that teacher’s class time. The guidelines are number coded at the bottom of the sheet. Students are usually given warnings before the conduct card is marked.When the card is marked, the corresponding number is written on the day the rule was broken along with the class the student was in. The parent is to initial each day of the conduct card. Please do not sign the card ahead of time. We want you to see the cards daily so problems can be addressed immediately. Studentsmust have their conduct card each day; however, cards are only checked for initials on Friday morning. If Monday-Thursday is not initialed when the card is checked on Friday morning, the student will only miss Friday recess.Students are not allowed to call home if they forget to get the conduct card signed. This system allows your child several chances before facing consequences. All students begin with a 100 for the week in conduct. Five points are deducted each time a number is recorded on the sheet. 5 points will also be deducted each day the card is not signed when it is checked for initials on Friday. These weekly conduct grades are then averaged for the six-week conduct grades. Fighting, theft, bullying, and vulgarity fall under the no tolerance position of the school and are referred to the office immediately. Students will have incentive charts where they can earn stickers for positive behavior. The completed charts can be turned in for prizes. We will start using conduct cards next week. This will allow the students time to get use to our routine and expectations.
*Tardies/Absences*
School begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:25 p.m. Students are allowed to enter the rooms by 7:50 each morning. This time is used to prepare for the day. Because of our schedule your child will be behind if he is just a few minutes late and does not have time to get ready for the day. Please see the student handbook for school policy on tardies. If you know ahead of time your child will be absent or must leave early please send a note. This will allow the teachers to plan so your child will not get behind. If your child is absent for any reason, please send a note the day he returns to school. Mrs. Phillips will determine if the absence is excused or unexcused. If a note is not sent, the absence will be marked as unexcused. .
*Birthdays*
If you would like to send treats for your child’s birthday, please feel free to do so. If at all possible please let us know a day or two ahead so we can make plans to set aside the time at the end of our day. Treats cannot be handed out in the cafeteria. This must be done in class. If you send invitations to a birthday party to be held outside of school you must send for the whole class or boys only or girls only. We will not be able to hand out invitations to part of the group.
*PTO*
I would like to encourage all of you to join our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). The PTO has provided many “extra” things for our school and students. Volunteers help our school in many areas. Membership is a great way to be connected and involved in your child’s education.
*Conference*
Our planning/conference time is 1:45-2:35 each day. Please call the school if you have any questions or need to schedule a conference. The school telephone number is
396-9999; Our email: and .
*Visitors*
For the safety of all students,it is our district’s policy to check in at the elementary office when you come into the elementary building or cafeteria. Mrs. Stewart, our secretary, will be there to help you and give you a visitor’s pass. If you need to get something to your child, please drop it off at the office and Mrs. Stewart will deliver it to the student.
We are looking forward to a fantastic year. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time if we need to discuss something regarding your child.
Thank you,
Mrs. Kesler
Mrs. Riley