Ms. Sukey Forsman - 4th
Grade
Academic and Discipline
Policies 2008-2009
BINDER REMINDERS
Your child has been provided with a Binder Reminder (assignment
book). This is a wonderful organizational tool being used by grades 3 - 8.
Every morning, time is given to copy all assignments and homework into the
Binder Reminder. Please check this every night and sign. There is
also a space for you to write comments. It may also be helpful for your
student to record the amount of time spent on homework in the Binder Reminder. I have the students
record what we do in class, as well as homework. Please use this as a “discussion starter” for
that wonderful question; “What did you do at school today?”
HOMEWORK
Homework will be assigned on a regular basis, Monday through Thursday
nights. Students will also have long-term assignments to work on, such as
science projects, social studies and book projects. Assignments not
completed during class time will also be considered homework. Your child
will have approximately 60 minutes of assigned homework each day, included in
that time is 30 minutes of reading, language arts, (writing, spelling, and
vocabulary) and Math.
If your child is taking an excessive amount of time to complete the
homework, or the family is “going to tears” to get it completed please, please,
contact me. A difficult evening with homework
often creates a difficult day at school the next day. Most situations can
be worked out very easily. Please be aware, though, that there is an
expectation that all students work on homework every night.
Room
6 has a webpage
- www.geocities.com/msforsman
I put the
information for the week on the page as well as the homework assignments. I try to get a weekly newsletter out that has
the same information. The webpage is
probably way more reliable. The
newsletter has to be printed, I have to remember to give it to the students, AND the student has to give it to
you. If you have access to the internet
you can see that the webpage is a much more reliable source of information.
Book
Projects
Students will be expected to complete and
present at least four book projects each semester. I will be giving more information on this
soon. Please see the website under Book Talks.
ABSENCES
Your child will be expected to make up work assigned when they have been
absent from school. If your child will
be absent for an extended period of time, please contact me to obtain their
homework and an independent work contract.
Please do not send your child to school if they are ill. However,
the majority of my instruction happens in the classroom, not through
worksheets. It is very difficult to make up for missed classroom
instruction and participation.
School Supplies
To help our classroom run smoothly, and to
keep your child organized, please have your student bring the following items
to school.
Ø
a small binder to hold
homework papers and the binder reminder
Ø
a small plastic pencil
pouch or box
Ø
pencils – we run out
Ø
black or blue ink pen
Ø
a red pen or pencil
Ø
a small covered
pencil sharpener that catches shavings – this is very important as I limit the
use of the pencil sharpener
Ø
an eraser
Ø
crayons, markers, and/or
colored pencils –we will be doing many projects that require that “artistic”
touch.
Ø
a back pack or book bag
to carry the binder and homework textbook home each night.
I encourage the use of environmentally friendly mechanical pencils, but
I do take them away when the leads are repeatedly taken out. Your child may bring other supplies to school
as long as they do not become a distraction for your child or others.
Gel pens are for artwork...please do not use them on assignments.
I will return any work, other than artwork, that is completed with a gel
pen. Written work must be completed in pencil or ink. Ink can only be black or blue. I will accept pencil on all assignments.
After the first month of school, all written work must be done in cursive. All math assignments must be in pencil.
TOYS ARE NOT ALLOWED OUT IN THE CLASSROOM.
I define a toy as anything that is not a tool for schoolwork; this includes
“school tools” which are being used as toys. NO EXCEPTIONS. I have a June box where I put inappropriate
or misused items. Students may claim them on the last day of school;
however, I take no responsibility for the safety or security of these items.
Snacks
Students may bring a daily snack to eat at snack time. Please send
a healthy snack, such as fruit or crackers. Candy and chips (such as
Chitos or potato chips) tend to wear out way before lunch and make the children
hungrier and more distracted.
FIELD TRIPS
We usually take two to three (or more!!) field trips that extend our
studies in Social Studies and Science. I will notify you ahead of time
when these have been scheduled.
PARENT PARTICIPATION
Please let me know in advance if you can accompany us on field
trips. I will be sending home a list of dates and destinations as soon as
they are scheduled.
I welcome parents who can volunteer on a regular basis for an hour or so
a week to work with specific students or small groups in reading and math. You are also welcome any time just to
visit. Please always check in with the office before coming to the
classroom.
Volunteers who enjoy making copies, recording assignments, or filing
completed work are always welcome. It is
also helpful to have parents come in to monitor reading groups. If you would like to volunteer regularly or
from time to time, it is very helpful if you let me know ahead of time, so I
can have something organized for you.
If you have a special talent or hobby, we would love to schedule you to
present to the class or lead us in a project. Guest speakers about
careers are also very welcome. You are always welcome in our classroom,
even just to visit and see what is going on. Please be aware that you MUST
(it’s the law) check in with the office before coming to the classroom.
The best way to
contact me is through email. However, if
you do not have access I can be reached after school in my classroom. I am usually in the classroom for at least an
hour after school.
Please check the
web page for information and resources.
The grade book can also be accessed by Homelink. After assignments are entered you will be
able to see if there is any missing work.
I try to keep both the web page and grade book as current as
possible. I do have after school
meetings so some days it may take a day or two to enter all the information.
I look forward to meeting all of you and to a very successful year for
all our students.
Thank
you so much,
Ms. Forsman
[email protected]