Week 2!

Dear Parents,


We made it through the first week! Often the first week after summer is one of the most challenging weeks of the school year because students need to spend a lot of time practicing procedures and expectations so they can maximize their class time for the coming year. However, on the whole, the fourth graders seems to be quite efficient, and I look forward to a productive year with them. Of course, pick-up time is another aspect of the first week that is often less than smooth, but we appreciate your patience as we all get better at this process.

I haven't yet discussed grading and homework with you all, so I thought this would be a good chance to discuss those things. As you have already seen, students have a blue and yellow agenda in which they record their homework assignments each day. If you ever need to know what homework your students were assigned, the agenda should be your first reference.

Students will also have a homework folder in which they will bring home all paper assignments. Any assignment on the agenda that is labelled "worksheet" should have a corresponding paper in the homework folder. All homework is always due on the next school day, unless the agenda explicitly says otherwise.

Students who bring in their homework on time will receive full credit. If a student hands in their homework late, they can still receive half-credit for it. Most students will make a mistake and hand in one or two assignments late each quarter. I highly encourage students to hand in late homework. Half-credit is much better than a zero for students' grades.

If a student loses a worksheet, it is their responsibility to get another copy. I have a bin with copies of all printed worksheets handed out in my class, and students can go through the bin and find their missing assignment.When they complete it, they can turn it in for half credit.

Starting next Friday, students will bring their graded work  home each week in a manila folder that we call a "Friday folder."We ask that parents sign and date the Friday folders to verify that they have seen the work, and send it back to school with their students on Monday. In this way the Friday folder also serves as a record that parents are receiving the graded work, and that it is not being lost. We are not sending Friday folders this week because there have not been many assignments, but starting next Friday you should expect to see one every Friday.

I hope all of this is clear. I have done my best create procedures for homework that will be fair, that will support students when they make mistakes, and that will allow parents to have a sense of how their student is doing even before they see formal grades at the end of first quarter. Of course, if you have questions about homework, grading or anything else, please contact me through your  Jupiter Ed account, and I will be happy to help you.

Sincerely,


Rebecca Wycklendt