H.B. Williams Elementary 2012-2013

1. Mrs. Humphries’ 4th Grade Class H.B. Williams Elementary 2012-2013

2. About Mrs. H. Hometown: Evansville, IN College: Music Degree from Murray State University and Masters of Teaching from Belmont University. Married : 21 years. Children: 2 daughters- Jocelyn 15 and Mallory 13 Teaching History: 1 year at Franklin Road Academy, 2 years at Tuckers Crossroads Elementary, and 10 years at H.B. Williams Elementary.

3. ARTIST AREA 12:40-2:10 Related Arts Monday: P.E. Tuesday: Art Wednesday: Library Thursday: Music & Guidance (on WkB) Friday: Computer & P.E.

4. 11:40-12:10 Visiting us & Lunch Visiting our Classroom: You’re welcome to come visit us any time. I’ll try to keep you informed of any special activities or parties that you might want to attend. Just make sure you go through the office to get a visitor’s tag. You can also join your child for lunch. You can wait for your child at the office at 11:40 am and they will escort you to the cafeteria. All money/checks should be in an envelope that is labeled with the child’s name, teacher’s name, dollar amount, and purpose. Ziploc Baggies with info on a paper work too)

5. D.E.A.R. Time (Drop Everything And Read) All students are required to have a chapter book readily available at all times. This book can be from our school library, my classroom library, or a book from home. Early finishers, during class work time, will pull out their book and read if they are caught up on all other assignments from the day. Students are required to participate in the Accelerated Reader program. They will be assigned a reading level and AR point goal, based on their STAR test results. Students need to be sure to reach their AR goal by the end of each nine week period, in order to participate in our class rewards parties.

6. Homework I generally do not have a given set of days that I purposely send work home. I allow approximately 15-20 minutes for instruction of the lesson and then an additional 15-25 minutes for the students to work on the assignment in class. Then, I am able to assist them, answer any questions, and determine their level of understanding. If they do not complete the assignment in the time allotted in class, it is then homework. The students are required to keep their assignment book filled out throughout the day. They must take it home every evening and go over it with their parents. The parents will then sign it to let me know they have had the opportunity to see what we are covering in class and make sure their child’s class work is completed for the next school day. We will start the school year with the students completing a Spelling Contract assignment each week. This will be due on Fridays. Later on, I may change this assignment to where it is only assigned to students who did not receive a 100% on the previous week’s spelling test. Students will also have a Friday Journal assignment that will need to be completed over the weekend with their parents.

7. C.A.M.P. Binder Communication And Management (of) Paperwork • Keeping up with class work, homework, and notes home is extremely necessary. I have devised a system to help your child stay organized, but I will need your help on a daily basis. • Each child has a 3 ring binder. In this binder, children will keep their class agenda books, classroom information, and labeled folders. • Here's where you can help! Please schedule a 30 to 40 minute time each day for your child to study spelling, multiplication facts, and complete class and homework. Children need routine and structure to be successful. Before your child begins his/her nightly assignments, check his/her notebook for the following: • Be sure your child is writing down homework assignments. Compare their planner with the class assignment page on the website. (www.humphriesclass.com) There is a link to follow on this page. • Check for notes home. Read them, respond if directed, and place them back in the appropriate pocket. • Work to be completed - homework or class work. • After checking, please don't forget to sign your name on the appropriate day in the student planner. • Please note: If your child is bringing home a lot of work to complete each day, this could be a sign that he/she is not using time wisely at school.

8. Grades Late and missing assignments: Fourth grade is a major transition grade for the students. They will be taking on many new responsibilities in their schoolwork and paperwork management. If an assignment is one day late, 10% will be taken from the final score. If an assignment is two days late, 30% will be taken from the final score. If an assignment is three days late, a zero will be given for the assignment. The fourth grade utilizes a 3 Strikes Rule. Each time a student has a missing assignment, they will receive a strike form to take home to be signed by a parent. They will return the form with the completed assignment the next day. The 3rd strike prompts an after school detention. Grades/Web Site:Sumner County School System has adopted an online grading system called Parent Portal. There is a link to this site on my class website, the school website, and Sumner Co’s site. You will have password secured access to your child’s grades and missing assignments at all times. I work very hard to keep the grades posted and up to a very current status. I also allow the students to check their grades from our class computers at any time.

9. Classroom Management • Ready to Learn Clip Chart. • Students record their final chart color in their planner. • Parents and children review and discuss the student’s clip chart level each evening. • Wacky Wednesdays: Students that stayed at or above “ready to learn” for at least 4 out of the 5 days last week will be able to participate. • H.B. Williams also implements a school-wide program called Positive Behavior Support. All students and staff are taught the school wide expectations and they receive regular and frequent opportunities to practice them and be acknowledged when they use them. Our school rules are: Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be Safe. • I appreciate your support, from home, as we work together to ensure that the students follow the school and classroom rules. I work hard to ensure that the students have a safe and enjoyable learning environment at school.

10. Special Projects The fourth grade conducts a “Project Fair” toward the end of the school year. Don’t panic. I will work closely with the students and we will get most of the work completed at school. In order to make sure it goes smoothly, just be sure to watch for paperwork and forms that will be coming from school that will need to be returned. I’ll provide a schedule, and the process will begin with plenty of time to have your child’s project ready for the fair. Aside from this end of the year report, I’m not really a “project junky”. I try to keep things simple and make sure that any “projects” that we do are things that the students can work on mostly at school. I always say… the parents have already passed fourth grade, I need to see what the students can do.

11. Communication is KEY! Contacting Me: I can be reached before or after school and during the special class times indicated in the schedule at 672-6432. If you call while I’m in class, a message will be left in my box and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also send notes via your child. The class website is the best way to see what is going on at school: www.humphriesclass.com. I’ll also be sending a Newsletter email each week. The very best mode of communication for me is via email. I answer my email like most people do a phone. It’s on 24/7 and home and school. My email address is joeli.humphries@sumnerschools.org (school).

12. Volunteers • Who: Fourth Grade Parents/Guardians.. • What: Wacky Wednesdays and Holiday Parties • When: Many of the “Wednesday activities” will be things that I can do alone, but there may be a few times that I may need items sent to school or a parent to help with a craft-for example. We will also need chaperones for field trips. There will be other school-wide activities, like the Boosterthon Fun Run, field day, PTO basket auction, etc. • Where: The location of our activities will depend upon the nature of the party. Possible locations include the fourth grade classrooms, outdoor areas, and the gym if available. • Why: The Wacky Wednesday Celebrations are designed to encourage and reward good behavior, positive attitudes, and effort in regard to academic pursuits. Students earn the right to attend the activities. • How our Room Mothers/Fathers can help: • Recruiting parents to monitor stations if needed. • Supplying/ collecting materials

13. Field Trips At this time, we are limited to taking one field trip this year. We will most likely be touring the Capitol Building and the Bicentennial Mall in April. This trip is timed out to allow for an exciting and memorable way to review Tennessee history before TCAP testing begins at the end of the month. These are tentative field trips plans. They may change if something “interesting” comes about.

14. Thank You... for taking the time to attend Open House! I look forward to working with you and your child this year. It is going to be a wonderful year filled with exciting learning activities!