4th Grade Parent Handbook - Welcome to Ms. Hirsch & Mrs. Cutshaw's Classes

1. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Welcome to 4th Grade! Parent Handbook for Ms. Hirsch & Mrs. Cutshaw

2. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Hello & welcome to fourth grade! We are excited to have you in our classes this year and look forward to getting to know you better. This is going to be a fantastic year full of many exciting experiences and new learning!  Please read this handbook to review our expectations and learn more about what you can anticipate in our classrooms this year.   We are very open to communicating and helping support your child in any way that we can. Email is checked often throughout the day and is the easiest & quickest way to reach us. However, we check our voicemail at the end of each day. Messages in your child’s planner will also be received and responded to daily. Ms. Brittani Hirsch (Reading/Writing) Mrs. Cynthia Cutshaw (Math/Science/SS)brittani.e.hirsch@adams12.org cynthia.cutshaw@adams12.org 720-972-5965 720-972-5966 Welcome & Contact Info.

3. Cut and discard this bottom portion. For the third year, we are excited to have a two-teacher partnership! Students will have one teacher for Reading/Writing and a second teacher for Math/Science/Social Studies.  We will work collaboratively to meet individual students’ needs and create cohesive classroom environments with consistent expectations. Research supports this model.  It is an asset to have multiple caring adults building relationships with, nurturing, and monitoring the success of a child.  In addition, several schools in our district who have implemented this model have seen a positive effect on student achievement. This model of instruction allows us to focus on the academic subjects we are most passionate about.  We will be able to deliver instruction with greater depth of planning and preparation.  In this way, our expertise will be further developed to meet the diverse needs of all learners.   As a student-centered learning community, we believe that our fourth graders will benefit from having two adults who know your child deeply working together to ensure his or her success.  Knowing the unique personality and needs of your child remains our highest priority.   We are committed to preserving the elementary feel and experience for your child while at the same time providing an exciting 21st Century Learning model to deliver high quality instruction.  Our intention is not to “prep” the kids for a middle school model.  Rather, we are capitalizing on an opportunity for your child to experience the benefit of having two expert teachers completely dedicated to their chosen academic subjects. Two-Teacher Partnership

4. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Daily Planner:  The school has provided each student with a daily planner.  This is a very important communication and organization tool.  You are required to bring your planner every single day to each classroom to copy your assignments and other important information into it daily.  You MUST have your planner signed each night after a parent or guardian has checked to make sure that all homework has been completed.  Each day, I will be checking to make sure planners have assignments copied down correctly and that parents have signed the night before.  Please see the homework sections of this handout for more information on missing assignments/homework. It is the students’ responsibility to make sure that any newsletters, graded work, and other important handouts are given to parents. Students will receive a homework folder for nightly homework, and a Friday folder for important paperwork and graded work.  Please be sure to check your child’s planner AND folder each night. Parents, please feel free to jot notes to us in the planner, since we will check them daily. Planners

5. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Homework Policy:  Homework is required practice which extends the work we are completing in class and helps teach responsibility.  It also helps us to keep track of students’ progress towards the standards.  Homework scores give us information, but will not be reflected on their grade report.  Homework will be given almost every night, Monday through Friday.  It will typically consist of a math study link, reading, and spelling homework.  All homework needs to be completed to the best of your ability.  It will be your responsibility to write down your daily homework, keep track of when it is due, and turn it in on time.  You will not be allowed to call home for forgotten homework.  For every day that all of your homework is turned in and completed when it’s due, you will receive a punch on your “HOT” Card.  “HOT” stands for “Homework on Time.”  After you earn fourteen punches, your HOT Card becomes a coupon for a free homework pass or may be redeemed for classroom cash (Hirsch Bucks/Cutshaw Cash). HOT Cards earned in Literacy block may only be used in Literacy block; HOT Cards earned in Math/Science/Social Studies may only be used in Math/Science/Social Studies.One of the school rules is, “Work Hard.”  To this end, we expect all students to follow the directions completely and put their best effort into all their assignments.  Occasionally, if  you need to work on an assignment because you have not completed it in time, or need to redo an assignment that does not reflect your best effort; you may have to work on it at home. Absences:  When you are absent, it is your responsibility to make sure you get the work you missed.  After you return to school, you should check with me to see what you have missed.  If you have questions, please see me before you leave for the day.  Any papers that were passed out while you were gone will be placed in a folder on your desk.  Be sure to look them over and ask questions before taking them home.  For each day you are absent, you will have that many days plus one extra day to turn in the missing work.  When you are out sick for several days, your parents can arrange to pick up your work for you to complete at home.  If you know you will be missing school for a family vacation, please have your parents notify the office and both teachers in advance.  You will need to make up the work you missed when you return to school. Homework & Absences

6. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Classroom Rules:  The rules in our classroom are the same as the school rules:  Make Safe Choices, Show Respect, Use Kindness and Work Hard.   Respect and responsibility are very important in our classroom.  You are expected to respect all adults, other students, yourself, and the property of the class and school.  When respect is given, every student will have a safe environment in which to learn, succeed, and share knowledge within.  You are responsible for your own actions, assignments, and learning.   Rewards and Consequences:  When you meet or exceed the expectations in our classroom, you may receive recognition such as “Roar Out” tickets (formerly Great Grizzly cards), classroom incentives, and Positive Office Referrals.  In our classrooms, we have a few different ways to earn positive rewards.   One way is through “Hirsch Bucks” or “Cutshaw Cash.”  At the beginning of the month, you will receive a Student Paycheck.  This is payment for exhibiting the five Scholarly Habits:  Respect, Perseverance, Excellence, Risk Taking, and Preparation.  Students may earn extra classroom cash for going above and beyond in these areas.  Conversely, students may be fined and have to pay the teacher if they are struggling to show these habits.  Hirsch Bucks and Cutshaw Cash may be redeemed for reward coupons, once students have saved up enough.   For the majority of the year, you will be in teams  Your teams will change throughout the year, but you will always have a group of 3 to 6.  Your team can work together to earn points for your table, and at the end of the month, the table with the most points will earn a reward.  We will also work towards a whole-class reward. If you are continually not making good choices or showing the scholarly habits, you will receive a warning ticket from you’re your teacher.  At that time you will reflect on how your actions are interfering with your learning, or the learning of people around you, and a plan of action for fixing the problem will be required.  Phone calls home, missing recess, or, as a last resort, a visit to the office may occur if students need more help resolving problems. Rules & Expectations

7. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Snacks:  You are encouraged to bring a mid-morning snack to give you energy and help you stay focused until lunch time.  Snack time is from 9:25-9:35.  We will not stop working for snack, but you may enjoy your snack while you work.  Snacks need to be healthy, easy to eat, and not messy.  Some suggestions are: crackers, pretzels, chips, cheese sticks. Granola bars, fruit snacks, apples, carrot sticks, etc.  Sugary snacks such as candy, cookies, and cupcakes or chips will not be allowed because they do not help you focus – you will be asked to save it for lunch.  Due to food allergies, you will not be allowed to share snacks with other classmates.  We are happy to accept donations of snacks for the good of the cause for students who may forget their snacks from time to time. Water Bottles:  You may bring a water bottle to keep at your desk to remain hydrated and minimize distractions from visiting the water fountain.  To protect the carpet from stains, you may only have water in your water bottle, and water bottles need to have a secure lid to help avoid spills. We also ask that students do not freeze their water bottles prior to bringing them in, because the condensation melts on the desks and ruins their work.  Please take your water bottle home each night to be cleaned. Birthdays:  If you plan to bring in treats for your child’s birthday, please let your child’s afternoon teacher know ahead of time so that we may plan adequate time at the end of the day to pass out the treats.  Please bring in treats that are easy for the students to pass out on their own, so that it will be quicker.  Cakes that need to be cut and served, ice cream that needs to be scooped, and drinks that need to be poured are not allowed.  Suggestions include: cookies, cupcakes, and doughnuts.  If you send in drinks, we ask that they be pre-packaged like juice boxes or Capri Suns, and, per custodial request, not have red dye. Per the school handbook, students may bring in snacks for their classmates only.  They will not be allowed to deliver birthday treats to other teachers/friends in the building. Snacks & Birthdays

8. Cut and discard this bottom portion. Parents- Please make sure your child does not arrive to school before 7:35. There will no supervision outside until 7:35. Students-Please make sure when you arrive at school, you line up along the wall. You may chat with your friends in line, but this is not the time to have “recess.” Running, screaming, or standing in another class’ line will not be allowed. Ms. Hirsch’s homeroom class will be in literacy from 7:45-11:10 and math/science/social studies from 11:10-2:25. Students will have specials from 8:35-9:20. Mrs. Cutshaw’s homeroom class will be in math/science/social studies from 7:45-11:10 and literacy from 11:10-2:25. Students will have specials from 9:45-10:30. Fourth grade recess is from 12:30-12:50, and lunch is from 12:50-1:10. At 2:25, classes will switch back to their homeroom to pack up for the day. Schedule

9. Meet Ms. Brittani Hirsch Welcome, 4th graders and families! It’s hard to believe that another summer is ending and a new school year is beginning!  My summer was full of so many amazing memories. My favorite place in the world is the beach, so this summer I spent some time in California, where I visited Disneyland, Universal Studios, and also got engaged! While I spent a good part of my summer wedding planning, I also have a huge passion for writing. In fact, it's my favorite part about teaching fourth grade! In my spare time I also stay very active and teach yoga. I believe nothing beats getting caught in a good book, so I love summertime, because I can spend hours just getting lost between the pages of novels. I have a Shetland sheepdog named Noah, and this summer, we added a new addition to our family, a sweet lop-eared bunny that we named Seven. Together, those two definitely keep me on my toes! Students, you’ll hear all kinds of stories about them this year! 4th grade is a busy year with many new and exciting things to learn, and I am excited to work with each of you over this next year! Meet Mrs. Cindy Cutshaw I have the joy of teaching math, science, and social studies to your child this year. I’ve been teaching for 11 years, and this is my eighth year at Glacier Peak. I love teaching at our school because the staff and families make it such a warm and friendly place to be. I have a passion for teaching and enjoy building relationships with my students and their families. My goal is for every student to be successful in life. When I’m not teaching, I enjoy hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with my husband and two children. I have a four year old daughter, Nicole, and a six month old son, Tyler. This summer we took a family vacation to Breckenridge and enjoyed some of Colorado’s beauty. I’m excited to start the year and get to know all of my new students and their families. About the Teachers