8. The monthly behavior chart will come daily in the “ZOO” book. PLEASE INITIAL AND RETURN IT EACH DAY!
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10. When a student must be out because of illness or family business, please send a note stating the reason for the absence the day your child returns or the absence will be considered unexcused.
11. Students will be given the same number of days to make-up their work as they were absent. For example: 3 days absent = 3 days to complete make-up work.
12. School begins at 7:45. If your child arrives after that time, they must check in at the office in order to receive a tardy permit.
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15. Homework grades will be shown in the personal development portion of the report card. Here is the breakdown of the grade: 90%-100% of Homework Complete and On time = 4 on report card 80%-89% of Homework Complete and On time = 3 on report card 70%-79% of Homework Complete and On time = 2 on report card below 60%-69% of Homework Complete and On time = 1 on report card
16. HERE IS WHAT EACH HOMEWORK PACKET WILL CONSIST OF...
22. Learning.com is a website that helps to develop and enhance learning across the curriculum. With Learning.com, students learn to select and use the right technology for any project. And, at the same time, Learning.com helps your child meet national technology standards and develop skills that will help them throughout their education, careers, and beyond. Students will be given one Learning.com assignment to complete each week.
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24. On Mondays (Tuesdays if Monday is a holiday), students will take a “pretest” over words taken from Spelling List B. The percentage correct on this pretest will determine their spelling list for the week.
25. Spelling List B 80% and above Spelling List A Below 80% Spelling List for the Week Percent Correct on Pre-Test
26. Students will receive their spelling lists on Monday. Then, on Friday, they will be tested over the Spelling, High Frequency, and Challenge Words. For Spelling List A, students will have the opportunity to earn 1 extra point for each of the 2 bonus words. For Spelling Lists B, I will choose 5 bonus words at random, and students will be able to earn 1 extra point for each of these words. If students misspell a bonus word, no extra points will be given and no points will be taken away.
29. Students will receive a Reading Sheet every month. Students should document their daily reading by coloring in their monthly reading sheet. If their reading sheet is not initialed, they will not receive credit for that day. Students who receive credit will have their sheets stamped for the day. At the end of each month, students who have completed their reading for each day will receive a “Book It” for free Pizza and 100% for their reading homework grade.
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31. In grades K-2 the criteria on the scale below are used to reflect achievement in each subject area. Limited performance on grade level work. Needs Improvement 1 Basic performance on grade level work. Basic Understanding 2 Consistent performance/mastery of grade level work. Skilled 3 Consistent high level performance/mastery of grade level work or above. Advanced 4 Description Academic/ Performance Level Holistic Grading
32. In addition, AISD utilizes the following scale to reflect progress in specific areas of personal development (behavior and self-management): 4-Consistently 3-Frequently 2-Occasionally 1-Rarely
33. Here is what the grades look like in percentages: A grade of a 4 = 90%-100% A grade of a 3 = 80%-89% A grade of a 2 = 70%-79% A grade of a 1 = below 60%-69%
34. I try to give stickers to students who receive a grade of a 3 and up on an assignment. If there is just a stamp or check mark, it was a completion grade. I will write the percentage of problems correct and the grade (4,3,2,1) in the top right hand corner of the paper.
35. Every Friday I hope to email your student’s grade report in each subject area. We have a new grading system this year and I do not know the complete details of the system’s capabilities. At the end of the nine-weeks I will drop the lowest grade in each subject and all of the other grades will be averaged together to get the final grade.
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37. Sharing Sack: During the week before a student is Top Banana, a “Top Banana Bag” will be sent home with the child. Students have a week to collect special items with which to fill the bag at home and bring it back to share with classmates on Monday. Students can also bring up to 12 photos of their choice to display. The Top Banana will also take home an All About Me Poster to fill out and decorate that will be displayed in the classroom.
38. Favorite Book: The “Top Banana” brings one of his or her favorite picture books to read to the class (or have the teacher read to the class).
39. Parent Letter: Parents will write a letter to the class telling us how special your child is to you. Send the letter in a sealed envelope to school with your child, and I will read the letter to the class at class meeting. The content of the letter is up to you, but you may want to choose from the following ideas: Describe special or funny stories about your child for the class to hear, write a silly or serious poem about your child, tell us some neat things we may not know about your child, send silly or special pictures with a letter describing the pictures, or write a short story with your child as the main character.
40. Lunch Buddy: If possible, join your child in the cafeteria for a special lunch on this day. You may also choose to invite a sibling or a favorite relative to be your child’s lunch buddy. You can have the buddy be a surprise or let your child know ahead of time.
41. Banana Buddies: The “Top Banana" will be presented with a friendship poster created by his or her classmates. The poster will include the Top Banana’s picture, surrounded by compliments written by his or her classmates.
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43. Mystery Readers are guest readers that will be a surprise for the students until they arrive during our scheduled Read Aloud time on Fridays. If you would like to be a Mystery Reader please feel free to send me an email with your top 3 choices for dates, or you can sign up today!
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45. Birthdays are special occasions for young children. On your child's birthday, we will sing "Happy Birthday" and celebrate this special day with them in our classroom. On Monday, each student with a birthday for that week will be called to the stage during morning assembly so that the school as a whole can sing Happy Birthday to them. If you would like to bring a dessert to share with the entire class, please bring it during lunch. Please also make sure that it is an individual snack. For example, we would prefer cupcakes instead of cake because lunchtime is limited and it is easier to hand out cupcakes instead of cake. If your child has a summer birthday, please let me know what day you would like to celebrate their birthday during the school year.
46. Here are a few of the Field Trips we are hoping to go on this year...
51. Two things need to be kept at school or in a backpack: a sweatshirt in case the room is too cool for your child and a rain slicker (not an umbrella) in case of rain. Because of daily P.E., students should wear tennis shoes and bring a water bottle, labeled with their name, daily.
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53. There are always items that can enhance or supplement instruction in our classroom. If you would like to donate an item to our classroom, they are posted on our door. Please feel free to take a posted item home with you to serve as a reminder. If you have any questions about any of the items please feel free to ask me. Or, if you would like to donate something that is not listed, just check with me and I'll let you know whether or not we could use it in our classroom! Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and generosity!
55. That is all for now! Thanks for coming! Please write a letter to your child so they have something to read from you in the morning. Sign up sheets are located on the kidney bean table and “wishes” for the class are located on our classroom door.
