Updated August 17, 2007

Curriculum Corner by Robyne D. Batson

I hope that you had a wonderful summer and are rested for a successful school year. In all areas of society there are procedures to follow to help things run smoothly. These are the procedures in fourth grade.

 

1. SCHEDULE: Check the classroom schedule provided in this Welcome Packet so that you will know the activities that we share each day.

 

2. CREATIVE ARTS: Creative Arts will be on a rotation basis. Please be sure that your child has tennis shoes to wear in P.E. Girls wearing skirts on P.E. day should have shorts underneath. Creative Arts this year are P.E., Music, Visual Arts, Drama/Movement, and Piano Lab.

 

3. APPOINTMENTS: If you need to speak with me, feel free to contact the school and tell them to leave me a message. I will make contact with you as soon as possible. You may also write me a note in your child’s Agenda Book. Please understand that it is not possible for me to interrupt instruction time to talk or schedule an appointment. Planning Time for the fourth grade is from 10:40-11:10am each day. We have many meetings and appointments during this time so be sure to schedule in advance.

 

4. BIRTHDAYS: If you would like to send something to school for our class to share on your child’s birthday, please let me know a few days in advance and be sure to send enough for the entire class. (26 items please)

 

5. ASSIGNMENTS - ABSENT: A list of makeup work will be provided when your child is absent. Please help them to complete these assignments after they return to school. If student is absent one day, they have one day to make up their work. If student is absent three days, they have three days to make up their work. All late items after this date will have 25 points taken off. See handbook from Tipton County for more details.

 

6. AGENDA: Learner Agendas will be used for parent/teacher communication. Learner informs leader first thing in the morning when you have written a note. Also, make sure that you check and sign your child’s agenda each night. Each morning a list of academic topics to be addressed that day are on the board. Learners are to copy this information into their agenda book. Anything that I have written in red, students are to highlight in yellow meaning it is homework. Agendas should be signed by a parent nightly. When a student is absent, it is their responsibility to copy the agenda missed from a friend or from my copy. Communication from you and I can go in this book. Agenda kept in MOOSE notebook (see #13)

 

7. EARLY DUTY: As learners arrive each morning they will go directly to the Performing Arts Hall and wait until they are dismissed to their class at 8:00am. If they wish to have breakfast, they may go to the Little Café first. Learners are required to read a book, complete homework, or eat breakfast during this waiting time.

 

8. HALL WAYS: For the safety of everyone and to show respect for other students, learners should always walk quietly on the right side of the halls two blocks from the wall.

 

9. GOOD MORNING PROCEDURES: When learners arrive in their classroom, they should follow the “Good Morning” procedures listed by their teacher. Learners are expected to be in their seats by 8:05am. They are to copy their agenda and may continue their Bell Work while attendance, morning announcements and routines are followed.

 

10. UNIFORMS: Learners are expected to wear the unified dress uniform each day. White shirts are always appropriate. Monday is red, Tuesday is white, Wednesday is blue, Thursday is green, and Friday is yellow. See the Learner Handbook/Agenda on page 10-11 for further details. Every Friday will be Jean Day with white or yellow shirt. Please send in a WHITE shirt to be kept in your child’s storage box in the event that a shirt gets dirty or the wrong color is worn.

 

11. MOOSE NOTEBOOK: The agenda book should be kept in their personal MOOSE Notebook (1½ - 2 inch three ring binder). This notebook should be with your child at all times. Correspondence, assignments, and other communication information will be kept in this notebook. The MOOSE Notebook is being used by all learners school wide. The front pocket is labeled for papers to be returned. Procedures are listed in the agenda handbook, it provides a hall pass, and forms and notes may be kept that are to be kept at home. The back pocket is for items that should be returned to school. Important transportation information is also contained in this notebook. We keep up with weekly TCAP PREP guide sheets in our MOOSE notebook. Homework, notes, receipts, etc… will also be contained in this notebook.

 

12. ACTIVITY FEE: An Activity Fee of $20 is requested during this registration time to cover the cost of the Agenda Book and Fun Friday Events.

 

13. HOMEWORK: Homework is an important part of your child’s school experience. Supporting good work habits requires a joint effort. I will support your child and encourage good work habits at school. Your child will benefit greatly from your support and encouragement at home. When learners have homework, we appreciate your assistance with review and completion of these assignments.

 

14. ASSIGNMENT & HEADING: Learners will know the routines very quickly. Each day I point to the sign in the front of the room showing how a heading should look on each page. I demonstrate the exact heading for many assignments. A total of 20 points are lost if this procedure is not followed.  A basket is located in our room for all papers that I receive with no one’s name on them. These are placed in this basket for students to find, sign, and return. Several times a day we review….”What is the first thing you do when you receive a paper from me?” Student’s response….”Name, date and number.”

 

15. NEWSLETTER: Students receive a newsletter each Monday. This document contains the subjects of each week’s focus, projects, important dates, and spelling words. Please read each of these carefully. This may also be located on the school web site (http://www.tipton-county.com/ciaa/)

 

16. EXTRA CREDIT: Students are always welcome to do a book report form for extra credit. These forms may be completed in the subject where they want credit by reading a book from that area of study.

READING - A book report form and share it with the class.

LANGUAGE ARTS - Interview someone other than a classmate using page H-11 in your textbook. Share this with the class.

MATH - Complete the extra problems in the textbook.

SCIENCE - Do an experiment for the class. Examples may be found at the beginning of each chapter in the textbook.

SOCIAL STUDIES - Write a biography using at least 2 sources (example: textbook and internet) and share it with the class.

17. COMPLETED WORK: I usually collect papers from each row. If a child has not completed the assignment, they are to head a sheet of notebook paper for it and tell me “why” it was not completed. A basket is located by the door of our classroom for students to turn in anything that they have completed. Students are reminded daily that if a paper does not have a grade on it, than I do not have a grade in my book and it must be turned in. Twenty-five (25) points are reduced from all assignments that are turned in late. The late work will not be accepted after one week.

 

18. ABSENT: Parents complete the CIAA Learner Absentee Excuse Form in the agenda. Learners give this form to Mrs. Bradford in the front lobby before 8:00am.

 

19. GO HOME PAPERS: Students will receive graded papers/assignments each Tuesday or Wednesday stapled to a computer (as long as it is operational) printout of that nine-week’s cumulative grades. Please sign the print out and return the papers, print out, and yellow folder on the next day.

 

20. DESK POCKET: Each student has a pocket attached to their desk that holds one pencil and anything that a child has NOT completed. At the end of each day, the pocket should be empty. Anything not completed should go home to be finished.