August 2016
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2016 - 2017 school year. Fourth grade will be a very exciting time for your child! They will learn to become more responsible and develop their study skills. Some of this may be overwhelming at first, but I hope to work with you to help this experience be a memorable and successful one for your child. In this letter I hope to explain some of our classroom procedures in order to make you aware of what is expected of your child this year. We will begin the year by getting to know each other and building a strong classroom community. I am a firm believer in being respectful, honorable, and accountable for all actions. I will work hard to create a classroom atmosphere where students know what is expected of them and can feel safe to explore, ask questions, and learn.
Let me begin by telling you a little bit about myself. I have lived in Johnson County my whole life. I graduated from Greenwood High School in 2002 and Franklin College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2006. After graduation I spent two years in various temporary positions throughout Decatur Township, Greenwood, and Center Grove schools. In 2008 I began teaching fourth grade here at Maple Grove and have been at Maple Grove ever since. This is my seventh year in fourth grade (I taught second grade for two years), but through my temporary positions and my positions here at Maple Grove I have taught all grades from kindergarten to fifth (and fourth grade is my favorite!). I can’t believe I’m already starting my ninth year of teaching!
My husband, Tim, and I went to high school together but didn’t start dating until several years after we graduated. We got married in October 2013 over Fall Break and bought our first house together in Franklin in August 2015. My parents still live in Greenwood, and I work part-time during the school year for my Dad at DeBaun’s Service which is an auto repair shop in Greenwood. I have two younger sisters who also live in Johnson County, and one of them is also a teacher.
Tim and I love to travel and go camping. We are both movie watchers, but I also LOVE to read. I like to do fun 5ks with my family and friends, and I’ve done the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon six times. I love all things Hello Kitty, and many students at Maple Grove just know me as the “Hello Kitty teacher.” As far as my actual name goes, feel free to call me Mrs. DeBaun or Mrs. DeBaun-Haag - I have no preference. You will see me use both throughout the year, but when I introduce myself I usually say Mrs. DeBaun (DeBaun-Haag is a mouthful and takes longer to write J).
Hopefully the rest of this information will help you understand the expectations of fourth grade and specifically Room 31.
Room 31/Fourth Grade Expectations
Homework: All assignments are due when your child arrives to school the next day unless otherwise stated. If your child does not have the assignment completed, he or she will receive a Late Slip that will need to be signed by an adult and returned the next school day. Your child will be expected to stay in for study hall during recess to finish the assignment any time an assignment is late. If there is a legitimate reason why your child is not able to finish an assignment, please give me a call or send in a note on the day the assignment is due stating the reason it was not completed. A parent must sign this note. The homework will still need to be completed and returned as soon as possible. If your child is often bringing home large amounts of work to finish, please let me know.
Friday Folder: Each Friday your child will bring home all graded assignments in this folder as well as his/her weekly FOURTH Grade Report (explained later). In order to keep the lines of communication open, I will include a “Parent Signature/Comment” sheet in the folder. After looking through your child’s papers, please sign the form, make comments if you wish, and return it in the folder on Monday.
Daily Folder: This folder will be taken home every day. Homework, information from the office, and their assignment notebooks will be in this folder. ALL 4th graders are required to have an assignment notebook. This notebook not only will help your child keep track of daily work, but it also helps your child to focus on and complete one assignment at a time. Students will write what we did during the day as well as any homework assignments (students will write down homework assignments even if they were able to complete them before the end of the day). Please ask to see this assignment notebook daily to keep yourself informed of the work we do at school. I am asking that you initial this notebook each evening.
Grading Policy: The following grading scale will be used in grading classroom work. This scale is posted in the classroom so that your child can always convert a percentage to a letter grade.
93 – 100 A 67 – 69 D+
90 – 92 A- 63 – 66 D
87 – 89 B+ 60 – 62 D-
83 – 86 B 59 Below F
80 – 82 B-
77 – 79 C+
73 – 76 C
70 – 72 C-
Behavior Policy: Maple Grove has 5 characteristics that we deem “Rock Star” attributes. They are:
1. S1 – Make Safe Choices
2. T – Take Responsibility
3. A – Have a Positive Attitude
4. R – Show Respect
5. S2 – Solve Problems Peacefully
At the beginning of the year, students will be taught the STARS expectations for the cafeteria, restrooms, hallway, and playground.
To track behavior, students will have a FOURTH Grade Report. These are more specific expectations -
F Follow Directions
O Obey STAR Expectations in the Building
U Use Hands, Feet, and Objects Appropriately
R Respect People and Property
T Talk with Permission
H Homework Turned in on Time
Each student begins each school day with no marks on their FOURTH Grade Report. If a student is struggling with an expectation, he/she will be given a verbal warning and asked to change their behavior. If the student continues to make negative choices, they will have to mark their report.
First Mark: The student will be asked to write the letter of the rule broken on his/her STAR report. There is no additional punishment.
Second Mark: The student will write the letter and will lose 5 minutes of recess.
Third Mark: The student will write the letter and will lose 10 minutes of recess.
Fourth Mark: The student will write the letter, and I will contact the parents via email and/or voicemail to discuss the behavior and a logical consequence. Student will lose all of recess.
Fifth Mark: If a student receives five marks in one day, the student will lose all of recess plus be sent to the office with an office referral.
**For severe misconduct, the above system will be by-passed and the student will automatically go to the office with an office referral.
I will be keeping track of the marks and this will be reported to you on the FOURTH Grade Report Form sent home in their Friday Folders. Any student who receives 9 or less marks in a grading period will be placed on the Conduct Honor Roll and will receive special recognition.
A weekly citizenship grade will be given based on the number of discipline/behavior marks your student receives each week.
0 marks: S+ (100%)
1 mark: S+ (95%)
2 marks: S (85%)
3 marks: S- (75%)
4 marks: U (65%) 5 marks or more: U (55% - 10% for each additional mark)
Birthdays: We love to celebrate birthdays in Room 34! Due to school policy, students will NOT be allowed to bring in treats/snacks to celebrate their birthdays. We will acknowledge the student’s birthday in the classroom in other ways.
Please do not send invitations to be passed out at school unless the entire class is invited. This can be very hurtful to a child left out.
Communication:
Room 31 News: On Fridays, the Room 31 News will be sent via email. It will include classroom reminders, important events, a summary of what we’ll be covering during the week, and dates of tests, quizzes and projects. Please let me know what email addresses you would like the news sent to, or if you do not have email access, let me know so that I can send home a paper copy.
School Contact Information:
Maple Grove Attendance Line (317) 881-0561 x 8018
Lunch Account Information – Connie Kraemer (317) 881-0561 x 8096 or email
Teacher Contact Information:
Voicemail: (317) 881-0561 x 8031
Email: (This is the best way to contact me.)
Website: http://www.centergrove.k12.in.us/mges/site/default.asp Click on “Teacher Webs” and then “Mrs. DeBaun-Haag.”
Twitter: Follow Room 31 @mrshaagbaun to see updates and pictures of what we’re doing throughout the year.
I will do my best to get back with you as soon as possible but will at least get back to you within 24 hours.
Please read through this and share with your child the expectations of this school year. After you have read through this, please sign the back page and return as soon as possible. Also, please provide up to two email addresses that I can contact you at.
Sincerely,
Laura DeBaun-Haag
We have read and discussed Room 31’s classroom procedures.
Student’s signature______Date______
Guardian’s signature______Date______
Please include up to two email addresses where I will be able to contact you.
Email Address ______
Email Address ______
Other information you would like me to know (this can be anything or feel free to leave it blank):
______