Homework Policies

Homework is an important part of every child's learning development.  It allows children to show their teacher their independent abilities and understanding on a particular concept.  The Archdiocesan Curriculum Guidelines suggest that students in third grade should spend an average of 60 minutes per night on homework.  This includes both written and study assignments.  

We ask that a parent sign the Homework Assignment book on a  daily basis.

If a student does not complete a homework assignment the following will occur.

1. If your child was ill, and thus unable to complete work the prior night, please send in a note explaining and your child will have an extra night to complete the assignment.
2. Each time a student misses an assignment they will lose a homework point from their Homework Grade in that subject.  Students will be receiving an overall homework grade for each trimester.  Yes they could possibly lose up to 5 points a night if they don't complete any homework :(
3. Students will be required to complete the assignment during snack.

Attendance Policies

When a student is absent from class the parent must call into the Attendance Line at 610.287.2500 and choose Option 1. Information included with the call should be: student’s name, the student’s Homeroom Teacher, and the reason for the absence.

Please Dojo the teacher to inform of the absence.

Teachers or an assigned Homework Helper will record the work a student missed during their absence.  A neatly organized pile will be ready for when your child is well enough to return to school. 

A doctor’s note must be provided for any student who has been absent three consecutive days from school. 

 

Grading Policies

ELA, Math, Religion, Science, Social Studies tests & quizzes:

At the end of every Religion, Math, Science, and Social Studies chapter a test will be given.  Reviews/Quizzes will be given periodically throughout the chapter.  All tests will be announced, posted on the teachers’ website, and written in the students’ homework book well in advance.

ELA tests are given weekly. Grammar and Vocabulary are given on Thursdays, Comprehension and Spelling are given on Fridays. 

Please sign and return all tests and quizzes when they come home in the Test Folders on Fridays.

Grading

Grades will be determined by daily homework, tests, reviews/quizzes, projects and daily class work.  The ELA grade will also include one book report per trimester.  Grades will be uploaded on the FACTS weekly.

Procedures

MORNING ARRIVAL
Please see the Re-opening plan sent by Mrs. John.


DISMISSAL
The school day ends at 2:40p.m. Car riders will be dismissed at 2:45pm. Parents waiting for students to be released are asked to wait in their cars as part of the carline train.  A teacher will greet you outside in the carline to take your last name so that other teachers may direct your child to a special spot (#1 - #8) on the sidewalk.  The parent will be asked to carefully pull up to where your child is standing.  The child will enter the car and if assistance is needed for the driver to secure the student, a pull over area is available so the rest of the line is not held up. Carline students will wait in the gymnasium until their name is called to help with congestion in the hallway. At the beginning of the school year you will be asked to select a regular dismissal routine for your child specifying how he/she is to go home each day. A written note is required to permanently change the dismissal routine. To temporarily change your child's dismissal for the day, see the procedure for Change Dismissal Routine.

EARLY DISMISSAL
An excuse is necessary for early dismissal and the student must be signed out by a parent in the office. In addition, students must be called for from the office to be dismissed. Please send a note if you know in advance that your child will be leaving early so that I can have your child ready for dismissal.  Please allow yourself enough time to enter the building and have your child sent for.  Sometimes they are not with me in homeroom at the time you need them and therefore I must make a call for them to be sent to the office.  We continue teaching your child until the minute you arrive at the office.

CHANGE DISMISSAL ROUTINE
To permanently change your child's dismissal routine please send a written request specifying the change. If you need to change your child's transportation home for a particular day, please send a note notifying me. Relying on your child to tell me this information is not sufficient notification because children often become confused and can relay the message incorrectly. If you forget to send a note, or have a change of plans for the day, please call the office and leave a message for me about the change. Please understand that I cannot, and will not, release a child to anyone other than a parent or those you have authorized, unless I have a note from you. A student is not allowed to go home with another student ever on bus, but can in carline if each child has permission from their respective parents by note.  *Just to emphasize the point: If a note or message from the office is not received, your child will be sent home according to his/her regular dismissal routine. I hold very strictly to this policy. It is for the safety of the students. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

AUTHORIZED to PICK-UP
On the first day of school you will receive a Welcome Packet of Papers. On the form (page 1 - under important things I should know) you can make a list of people who are authorized to pick up our child. Anyone who is not on this authorized list will require a note from you to pick up your child.  Please do not change the pickup of your child during the school day, especially not 20 minutes before dismissal, unless it is an emergency.  In this unique case the office must be the first point of contact not email or Dojo text.

TARDY ARRIVAL
If a student arrives after 7:50a.m. he/she must be escorted by a parent to the office in order to receive a tardy slip and to be admitted to class. For a tardy to be excused the student must have a written note (by a parent, doctor, dentist, etc...). If a student does not have an excuse the tardy will be unexcused. Excessive tardiness truly effects student’s performance and outlook for the day, please remember this is totally dependent on parent cooperation.

ABSENCES
Please know that third grade is fast-paced and filled with new things each day. It is in your child's best interest for them to be in school as much as possible. When a child is frequently absent, or regularly being picked up early and/or coming in late, he/she is missing out on valuable instructional time and it disrupts the flow of his/her education. Students can quickly become overwhelmed, confused and often feel disconnected from the group when they return to school. Most of our learning experiences are based on prior knowledge or involve interaction with other students. It is difficult to make-up the learning at home by only completing missed work pages. Therefore, please try and schedule any routine doctor's or dentist’s appointments outside the school day. 

ABSENT EXCUSE POLICY
The school phone 610.287.2500 has an absentee line for you to call your child out when absent.  Also as soon as you know your child will be absent, please Dojo the teacher.
Attendance is taken by 8:30 each day and if your child is not present and you have not called the absentee line the front office personnel will be placing a call to you.  Please help us avoid this extra work and tying up the main phone line by you calling the school first.
A written note is required explaining any student absence. These excuses will be kept on file.
School policy states that after 10 absences by the same student a doctor’s note will be required for any additional absences. 
In order to be readmitted to the classroom after an illness resulting in three consecutive days out from school, a doctor’s note must be presented upon return. 
Trips taken during school days require a parent note including the days the student will miss before the family leaves for the trip. 

MEDICAL CHANGE POLICY
If a child has been seen for any medical condition whereby they are given medication, vaccine, or restrictions, the school must be made aware (doctor’s note) of this information.  No child is to carry medication to school.  If medication must be administered at school the parent is to contact the School Nurse and setup a drop-off time with doctor’s instructions.
In the case of a physical injury (such as: orthopedic related or neurological related) an action plan must be completed by the child’s doctor.  The school should receive a copy as soon as the child returns after their injury.  Each follow-up appointment requires an updated note. Example: John breaks his arm and is in a cast.  The doctor sends us a note saying no gym or playground for three weeks.  John gets the cast off and returns to school.  In order for him to be released to gym or playground a new doctor’s note must be presented.

MAKE-UP WORK
Students may make-up work for all absences. Student make-up work will be sent home upon their return to school. Any make-up work required for an assessment grade that is not completed and returned, will be given a zero. Students have 2 school days to complete and return make-up work as per school policy.  No work will be sent home ahead of time when the parent has notified the teacher of a family trip to be taken during the school year.

WEEKLY NOTE
Each Sunday morning, I will electronically send out “Look at the Week Ahead” news. It will include important reminders, announcements, upcoming events and school/classroom news.  Check your Dojo account for this message!

TAKE HOME FOLDER
During the first week of school each student receives a HOMEWORK Folder that they are to take home each night and bring back to school each day. This folder is to be used to transport notes to and from school. It will also be used to send and return homework. Also use this folder to send notes and absent excuses. If you send a note with your child that you need me to see first thing in the morning, please tell your child before they leave that there is a note for me in the folder.

TEST FOLDERS
Each student is given a STC blue & white folder labeled TEST Folder. This folder will be sent home most Fridays. I do not send any graded work home during the week. The reason for this is that I want you to see, all at once, the work that your child has done for a week. I feel that if pieces come home randomly throughout the week, and you are looking at them in isolation, it is hard to get a clear picture of how they are doing academically. If the entire week's work is reviewed all together, you are able to get a better feel for the objectives that were covered, the progression in which they were taught and how your child performed overall during the week.
Every piece of graded work that comes home should be looked over carefully
Parents are to sign in the top right corner and review with students
This folder should come back on Monday.  Besides projects and studying timed drills this is usually the only other homework we give on a weekend.

BEHAVIOR REPORTS
We will be using a monthly communication calendar to monitor student behavior. This calendar can be found attached to the inside back cover of the student’s Homework copybook.  Examples of warning behaviors that would be recorded on this calendar include but are not limited to: talking and or shouting out, being disrespectful, and using inappropriate cafeteria or recess behavior.  If a student accumulates 3 warning behaviors in a given month, they will be recommended for an *Intervention.  Certain behaviors such as disrespect towards classmates or faculty, inappropriate language, and physical fighting warrant an automatic Intervention and will be handled on a case by case basis.  We ask parents to check the communication calendar each night and initial that night’s box.   

*Interventions include: phone call, parent/teacher meeting, or parent/principal meeting.

 
To promote an entire class’ behavior a Travel Log will follow the students throughout the day.  If they receive a “smiley face” a token is earned.  Thirty tokens entitle the class to a special group reward.

Thank you for your continued support in our effort to teach responsibility and accountability to your children.

HOMEWORK
Students will have a daily assignment Homework copybook that they will bring back and forth between home and school every day.  It will be their responsibility to write down the assignments throughout the day. 
After a student has completed all homework assignments (no more than 60 minutes per night) a parent signature is requested to verify all work has been completed.  There is a line for a parent to sign at the bottom of each day’s work. 
As a parent please don’t ever complete work for them or correct what they have done.  It is important for me to see what they can accomplish on their own.
If their homework is too difficult, parents may just write me a note on the assignment page. 
Forgetting to do a homework assignment or get their planner signed will result in a student missing a homework check “star” for their chart.  A completed chart of stars will earn them a reward. Located inside cover of Homework copybook.


BOOK ORDERS
Each month Scholastic sends out deals for purchasing excellent reading materials for your third grader.  Your participation is completely optional.  Our classroom does earn points for each order and thanks to previous students we have always used the points to purchase more books for our classroom.  I’m a big reader advocate!

STUDENT TEXTBOOKS
Students are provided with textbooks to assist with the instruction they are receiving.  All textbooks should be covered with a Book Sox and then labeled clearly with the Subject and Student’s name.  From time to time the textbook may come home for homework.  Textbooks are to be treated with respect.  This means all textbooks are to be carefully carried in a book bag and no markings of any kind are to be made on the pages or cover.  Students who forget to bring their textbook back to school will receive a communication calendar mark.

LIBRARY BOOKS
Third graders are allowed and encouraged to check out a library book each week. Books are due one week from the day students check them out. If students want more time with a book, they can just renew it after a week for additional time. If your child loses a book, he/she will need to reimburse the library for the cost of the book. If a balance is outstanding, report cards will be held until payments are made.

CLOTHING
Please send children in appropriate uniform clothing throughout the year. Children also go outside for recess every day. It is very important that they dress for the weather. If it is cold out and they are not dressed appropriately, they may be kept inside for recess.   In the event of a change in uniform day, details will be provided.

LUNCH
Our lunch time consists of eating from 10:40-11:05 and then recess from 11:05-11:25. Students can purchase lunch if there is a balance on their lunch account. Any money sent to school should be in a sealed envelope addressed with Attn: Aramark, your child's name, and their Aramark number.

SNACKS
We will have snack daily each afternoon.
You may send a small snack with your child or your child may purchase pretzels through our Home & School Association. 
Our snack time is limited to 5-10 minutes.
Please send only one thing to eat as the students will have just this short time to eat it.


ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
Instructional time in third grade does not require the assistance of any additional electronic equipment.  No student should need to have a cellphone in their possession.  Students are welcome, with teacher permission, to use the school phone for emergencies.  In addition, just as with toys, I cannot be responsible for lost or mishandled items.  Parents can always call the school to have a message sent up to the teacher too.

BIRTHDAYS
A birthday celebration “No Homework ALL subjects pass” is the reward for 3rd grade students. You may send or bring any treats in to school.  We will sing, we will honor and we will reward your child throughout the day of their celebration.  See the Birthday Celebration paper sent home the first week of school for your child’s assigned day.

SCHOOL VISITORS
State law requires that visitors must enter and exit through the main lobby doors. The side doors will be locked at all times. By law no one is allowed to open them for visitors. Please check in at the office before visiting a classroom. All visitors are required to sign in at the office and obtain a visitor pass to wear. These procedures are for the safety of all students and staff.

Thank you for your continued support in our effort to teach responsibility and accountability to your children.