Austinburg Elementary 4th grade Handbook
Parent Copy (please keep for reference)
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Welcome to 4th grade with Mrs. Nappi and Mrs. Capo. We are looking forward to working with your child to help them reach their full potential and have a satisfying and fulfilling school year. Please feel free to contact us at any time. We are available to answer any questions or concerns you have! Thank you for your support!
Switching Classes – Your son/daughter will be switching classes this year. We will be switching once daily, halfway through the school day. Mrs. Nappi will be teaching and grading Reading/Language Arts and Science. Mrs. Capo will be teaching and grading Math and Social Studies.
Book Orders- Mrs. Nappi and Mrs. Capo will send home book orders monthly. These are an excellent way to fill your child’s hands with inexpensive quality literature. Please make checks payable to Scholastic Book Clubs and return to us ASAP.
Planners- Your son/daughter has a planner purchased for them by the school. We will all be writing our daily assignments in them and taking them home to acquire parental signatures. Even though their classroom teacher initials the planner, it is the students’ responsibility to know what assignments they need to finish for the day. The classroom teacher initials only verify that all assignments were written in for that day. Each student must keep track of which assignments they did not complete at school and need to be done as homework for the next day. We ask that you check and sign these planners daily!
HOMEWORK POLICY - Any classwork assigned but not completed during the school day is homework. Students must complete and return the work the next day.
Reading Logs- Your son/daughter will receive a weekly reading log sheet to record the number of minutes they are reading outside of the classroom. Please assist them in recording and signing off. Students, whom read more, read better and more effectively. There is a plethora of research to support the value of all types of reading (i.e. aloud, silent, partner). Rewards and prizes will be given out to support this added practice. Reading logs are always due the first day of the school week.(except after a holiday) IF they are not turned in by the second day of the week, they are counted as a missing assignment.
Cubbies-Your son/daughter has a wooden cubby in the classroom. They are not permitted to hang GLASS of any kind in the cubby. Also, extra shelves or other decorations are not permitted. The cubbies are for coats and lunches only, nothing else will fit. Please do not purchase other items as they will be sent home.
School supplies-Please check with your child weekly to ensure that he/she has an ample supply of white loose leaf notebook paper, pencils, erasers, and coloring utensils. These items will need to be replaced regularly as they are used up.
Birthdays- We are going to ask that Birthdays are celebrated at the end of the school week on Friday afternoon (just before dismissal). Please let your classroom teacher know if you plan to send a b-day treat so that she can plan appropriately. Also, every student will have an opportunity to celebrate their b-day with the class. Students whose b-day falls after school’s out, will be assigned an UN-BIRTHDAY Friday in May and/or June. You are not required to send treats. You may do so if you choose. Please keep in mind that prepackaged drinks and snacks work great. No large jugs of juice will be permitted in the classroom.
*Please plan for drink bags or bottles which are individually packaged.
Contacting Mrs. Nappi & Mrs. Capo-
You may call the building at any time 466-4831 ext. 6104 for Mrs. Capo or ext. 6107 for Mrs. Nappi and leave a message. Please understand that we are teaching in the classroom. Before school conversations are very inconvenient for us, as we are trying to make sure we are ready for our day. We will return phone calls as soon as possible. You may also email us at and
Classroom Discipline/Reward System-We both use the same classroom management system that rewards their behavior and hard work, as well as provides an immediate consequence for inappropriate behavior and missing work. Students will be “paid” for the work they do each week. On Fridays, they will be paid in Classroom Bucks that they can use to buy items from the Classroom Store or save to buy larger items from the store at a later time. The store will contain a range of items from stickers, pencils, and other supplies all the way up to lunch with the teachers!
Each day, each student will be able to earn one Behavior Buck and one Homework Buck in each class. They will be able to earn four bucks total for each day (two for Mrs. Capo and two for Mrs. Nappi). The Behavior Buck is earned by working hard, staying on task, and behaving appropriately both in class and in the hall. The Homework Buck is earned by having their homework assignment done both neatly and completely.
It will be the students’ responsibility to keep track of their money in a Ziploc in their crayon box. If they lose their money, it will not be replaced, similar to the real world. Also, students can be fined for inappropriate behavior beyond losing their buck for the day. For minor infractions such as blurting out, talking in the hall, or being off-task, students will be fined 5 bucks. For more major infractions, such as being rude, fighting, or being disrespectful, a loss of their entire paycheck for that week may be in imposed. If a student has lost all their money and incurs a fine, they will be required to serve a detention.
Most “fines” mimic real-world penalties. For example, when wandering around the room when you should be working, you will be given a parking ticket for 5 bucks. Also, if you are rushing through your work, you will be given a speeding ticket for 5 bucks.
Hopefully, students will begin to connect their actions with the rewards and consequences they receive. We want to use a system that is relevant and similar to real world scenarios so students could easily relate to the expectations and consequences. Please encourage your child to do their best work and be rewarded for it!!
Thank you for sharing your children with us! We look forward to a fantastic school year!
Mrs. Capo and Mrs. Nappi
Please sign, detach, and return
I have received, read, and reviewed the 4th Grade Handbook with my student,______.
Signature______Date______
Student Signature______Date______