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2019 - 2020 Policies and Procedures
I am very excited to begin the 2019-2020 school year! Fourth grade is a big year for growth and independence. Your child will learn many things! I look forward to getting to know each child and to working with you this school year. Please read through this packet carefully with your child. If you have any questions regarding anything listed, please let me know as soon as possible.
Departmentalization:
Your child will have 3 teachers this year! I will teach your child composition and math. Mrs. Cornelius will teach reading/language arts, and Mr. Dillender will teach science/social studies. Organization is a huge part of being able to move to three classrooms. Please help us by checking your child’s binder/bookbag on a regular basis.
Email: Email is the easiest way to communicate with me. I check my email in the morning and in the afternoon. You are also welcome to write notes or call, I will get back to you within 24 hours. Urgent messages need to be called into the office.
My email address is: williamsonmf@scsk12.org
Website: I update my class website on a weekly basis. I try to update it every Saturday/Sunday for the following week. The website contains the week’s lesson plans, spelling/vocabulary words, important announcements, links to great practice sites, etc. I will list important due dates and post directions for big projects. The website is a very helpful tool for you to stay updated on what is going on in the classroom. The site address is:https://williamsonmf.wixsite.com/williamson
Weekly Newsletters: Newsletters will be emailed every Sunday. The newsletter will contain weekly lesson plans, announcements, spelling words, and important due dates. It will also indicate whether a study guide has been sent home and any upcoming test dates. The newsletter contains a lot of valuable information. PLEASE check your email for the newsletter. You are also welcome to check our websites for the same information.
Homework: Homework should take students 30-45 minutes to complete. Homework will be material to supplement the content being covered in class. I will assign math homework regularly. You can expect a math assignment Monday-Thursday. Homework will count as 10% of the final average in every subject area. In math, your child will begin each quarter with a 100/A+ homework average. Each time your child forgets an assignment, I will deduct 3 points from that average. I understand that things can get very busy at home. I ask that you make homework a priority.
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Graded Papers: Graded papers will be sent home every Wednesday. Graded papers will be sent home in a red “Work Folder”. One side of the folder will contain graded papers and the other will contain notes from the office. Please review your child’s papers carefully, sign, and return.
Grading Policy: Grades 1-5:
1. In all schools, students' conduct is graded as “E”, “G”, “S”, “N”, or “U” and is to be reported at each grading period on the report card. Self-contained classes receive one homeroom conduct grade. Individual subject classes each give a conduct grade.
2. The basic grading system for knowledge / subject area is expressed by the letters “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, and “F” with the following numerical values except for 1st grade science and social studies which will be expressed by the letter “S” or “N”.
A ........................................................ 93-100
B ........................................................ 85-92
C ........................................................ 75-84
D ........................................................ 70-74
F ........................................................ Below 70
Parent-Connect SMS: All parents should be receiving a login and password to view student grades/assignments online. I will do my best to keep grades updated as frequently as possible. (You can expect grades to be updated on a weekly, not daily, basis.)
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Parent conferences will be held on Thursday, Sept. from 4-7, and Thursday, Feb. from 4-7. However, it is not necessary to wait until conference days. You are always welcome to contact me about scheduling a conference. I will try to work with you to schedule a time to meet. Please do not walk into the classroom first thing in the morning or right after the afternoon bell and expect an impromptu conference. I often have other meetings scheduled. Thank you.
Progress Reports : Reports are sent home halfway through each nine weeks period. Due to the split between science and social studies, only one of those subjects will appear on the progress report. Please sign and return the progress report the following day.
Science and Social Studies: Due to the overwhelming amount of content knowledge in these subject areas, 4th grade will split the subjects during each nine week period. Students will study science for 4.5 weeks and social studies the other 4.5 weeks. It is crucial that you look for study guides and test dates in science and social studies.
Math Facts: 4th grade math is built on the foundation of knowing basic multiplication facts. PLEASE practice math facts with your child on a daily basis. I cannot express enough the importance of knowing basic multiplication this school year.
Spelling and Vocabulary: In order to build a solid foundation of grade appropriate vocabulary, we will alternate spelling and vocabulary each week. One week students will have 20 spelling words they will need to spell for a Friday test. The following week, students will complete a unit in our vocabulary books. The vocabulary units contain 12 vocabulary words. Students are responsible for spelling the12
words AS WELL AS know the definitions, synonyms, and antonyms for each word. **We will begin the first 2 weeks of school with spelling ONLY. Unit 1 vocabulary will begin the 3rd week. This will be indicated on the weekly newsletter.
Discipline Plan: Each classroom will develop specific classroom rules for their class. However, consequences for breaking these rules are the same grade wide. From quiet warnings, to time outs with reflection time, to loss of privileges, a range of interventions will be used depending on the severity of the rule that is broken. Very serious problems will be sent to the office with a disciplinary form and a notation will be entered in the principal’s computer files.
Make up work: If your child is absent, please send a note upon returning to class. A note is required for excused absences. These notes MUST be sent to school within 3 days. After the 3rd day of returning to school, the secretaries will no longer have the option of changing the unexcused absence to excused. If you would like to pick up your child’s work for the day, you will need to call the office before 10 AM or email me first thing in the morning. If you call the office at lunch time, I may not get the message. Getting work together takes time. Please do not come to the classroom after school expecting make up work if I have not been notified in advance. I give students plenty of time to get the work completed. I do not expect it all the next day. However, it is the STUDENT’S responsibility to get it turned into me.
Supplies: Thank you for purchasing the supplies suggested on the 4th grade list. Throughout the year, please remember to check with your child to see which supplies he or she has run out of, especially after the holidays. Also, make sure your child always has a working expo marker. Dry erase expo markers do not last all year and we use them DAILY in math.
Donated Supplies: Here are some additional supplies that 4-04 could use. If you would like to donate any of these items, we would greatly appreciate it!
Kleenex (will need Kleenex 2nd semester---Right now, we have plenty!)
Paper towels ​
Colored copy paper (any color)
Clorox wipes
*Board Games---Connect 4, chess, checkers, puzzles, Mancala, etc.
Lunch: 12:55-1:25
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