A LITTLE ABOUT ME:

            Born and raised in Southern California, I have also lived in Northern California, Iowa, and Illinois.  I graduated from Chico State with a B.S. in Business and later went on for my credential and Master’s Degree from National University.  It is a privilege to be here at Sundale.

ATTENDANCE:

            Fourth Grade is such an exciting year as the official transition begins into the upper grades.  It is a year filled with amazing growth.  It is crucial that your child is here promptly by the 8:10 bell.  Tardiness and unexcused absences decrease the quality of your child’s education and work ethic.

PE:

            Our P.E. days will be every Monday and Friday afternoon.  Children should wear comfortable athletic shoes that will not hinder their ability to participate.  Students are welcome to bring water bottles to keep hydrated.

HOMEWORK:

            There will be regular nightly homework assigned Monday through Thursday evenings.  I try to limit this to 30 minutes of independent reading and 30 minutes of assigned work.  Assignments are due back the following day unless otherwise specified.  Homework is kept track of in the students’ weekly assignment calendar (provided by me).  Since homework is primarily assigned to reinforce and review concepts already introduced in class, students should be able to work on it fairly independently. 

If one assignment in a week is late, partially complete, or missing, students will be in Detention/Study Hall on Friday afternoon to complete their work.  I will give 1 Homework Pass per trimester.  This can be used on any ONE homework assignment that is NOT a special project.  Students who are behind in their Accelerated Reader points may also be placed in Detention/Study Hall.  This is designed to strengthen responsibility.  It is not just to learn 4^th grade curriculum but to also prepare students to succeed in school for many years to come.

BINDER PROGRAM:

            Students learn better and are more responsible when they are organized.  We will be using a binder program that aids the learning of organization.  Students are required to have a simple 2” three-ring binder with subject dividers.  I will provide weekly assignment calendars on which your child will write down all homework.  All work is to be kept in the correct section of their binders, not in students’ backpacks, desks, pockets, or textbooks. 

            You should check your student’s front pocket of their binder and assignment calendars.  The binder program will help to eliminate lost assignments and wasted class time.  Please take advantage of this opportunity to look at your child’s work on a daily basis and discuss it with him/her.  I will be looking for a parent signature at the end of every week. 

TEXTBOOKS:

            Each student will be assigned the following textbooks: Science, Social Studies, English, Reading, and Math.  Students who have access to a working computer at home will be checked out a CD-Rom instead of a textbook to take home in Social Studies.  The Social Studies CD-Rom or Textbook can be kept at home and not returned until the end of the year.  This will alleviate students from carrying one more book to and from home. 

            Responsibility for these textbooks is great.  As I stated before, each text is assigned to each student by a number in the book.  All textbooks and CD-Roms must be returned to me at the end of the school year.

CLASS RULES:

1. Be prepared with assignments, binders, books, and pencils.
2. Be respectful to yourself and others.
3. Follow directions of all your teachers the first time.

DISCIPLINE:

            I have a progressive discipline program that provides both positive and negative consequences for a student’s behavior.  Students who choose to follow classroom rules and make good choices are rewarded with verbal praise, positive comments, good grades, special classroom privileges, and group incentives.  Those who choose to break those rules and make bad choices have progressive consequences such as verbal warnings, loss of recess or other privileges, detention, and/or parent phone calls.  I feel very strongly about disciplining children in a manner that preserves mutual respect and keeps their dignity intact.

GRADES:

            Students will begin receiving letter grades in fourth grade.  The breakdown is as follows:

                        90 – 100%       A

                        80 - 89%         B

                        70 - 79%         C

                        60 - 69%        D

                          0 – 59%        F

You will receive progress reports periodically throughout the trimester.  Kindly sign and return the progress reports and keep the attached student work.  Should you ever have a concern, I would be happy to meet with you and supply an additional progress report that we can review.

ACCELERATED READER (AR):

            Students will be given an AR goal each Trimester.  It is important that they read their AR selected book.  There will be plenty of time during class to take AR quizzes on the computer.

SCHOLASTIC ORDERS:

            Our class will be attempting to order at least one time per trimester as a class.  You will receive a small ordering guide with a due date when it is time.  Please make your checks payable to “Scholastic” and return promptly by the set due date.

VOLUNTEERS:

            Volunteers are needed for many classroom functions.  If you are interested in regular participation of one of these duties, please sign up at Welcome Back Night.  I will give information on each of the duties at Welcome Back Night.  Please consider your schedule before signing-up.  I realize you are all busy and any help you can offer is always appreciated.  However, we do rely on your consistent participation. 

SCHEDULE:

            Monday will always be an early release day.  The schedule is as follows:

Monday:        

Class  à8:10-2:15

                        Recessà10:37

                        Lunch à11:45

Tuesday through Friday:

Class  à8:10-3:15

                        Recessà10:25

                        Lunch à11:50