Welcome to 4 th Grade!

1. Welcome to 4th Grade!

2. Arrival • At 7:30 they may come down to the classrooms. Their morning procedure is: • Unpack at their locker, pay any lunch money, restroom, sharpen pencils, and begin morning work. • Please make every effort to have your student here in plenty of time to get all these tasks accomplished before 7:45. Reminders: • Breakfast is only served until 7:30, after that it is grab-n-go. • Students at their locker at the 7:45 bell will have to be sent to the office to get a tardy slip.

3. Dismissal • Please make sure you keep the transportation form up to date. • If you need to make a permanent change please fill out a new transportation form. • We will need a note with a parent signature to change transportation. The students will have to take this note to the office to be stamped. Please remind them to hand this to me first thing in the morning. • Please keep yellow car rider cards visible on your dashboard until your child is in the car.

4. Reading • The weekly vocabulary test will be given on Wednesday. • The weekly comprehension test will be given on Thursday in the computer lab. • Your child will take AR tests, each 9 weeks, to reach the goal that has been set for them. • The login information for Scott Foresman will be in their binder.

5. Spelling • Weekly tests will be on Friday. • Monday thru Thursday students will be working on various spelling activities. • Students are given a list of 20 spelling words. They will be written in their planner as well as on the weekly newsletter. • Spelling errors on spelling classwork will result in the whole problem counted wrong.

6. Handwriting • Students will receive a handwriting grade based on their penmanship in each class. • This will be an S or a U. • Cursive is encouraged, but not required.

7. Language • Students do not have a grammar workbook. • Students will have study guides in page protectors in the binders. Please do not remove these. • Language/Grammar tests will be given as needed. • Test dates will be included on weekly newsletters. • On occasion, writing assignments may need to be completed at home.

8. Math • We will be using GO Math again this year! • Your student’s textbook (which is on backorder) can be written in. They will also have a workbook. • There will be a timed multiplication/division/ mixed fluency test each week. It will be counted as a test grade. • Homework will be given as needed. • A homework grade will be given at the end of the nine weeks. • Tests will be given as needed. Test dates will be included on weekly newsletters.

9. Science • We will use weekly newspapers as well as inquiry-based learning through AMSTI. • Tests will always be announced in advance, and students will be able to use their notes and newspapers for most tests. Please do not remove any of these from your child’s binder. • The papers are accessible online at studiesweekly.com. Students can hear it read aloud on this site. Their user name and password are the same as AR.

10. Alabama History • We will be not be using a book this year. We have purchased Alabama Studies Weekly. This is a weekly newspaper/study guide about our state. • We will be taking classwork grades and tests from this and other resources. • The papers are accessible online at studiesweekly.com. Students can hear it read aloud on this site. Their user name and password are the same as AR.

11. Grading • During the first nine weeks, there may possibly be fewer assignments in subjects. • Be sure to check INOW to check progress. We keep our grades as up to date as possible.

12. Communications • Students’ binders and planners should be brought back and forth to school everyday. Please do not remove anything from their binders. • Graded papers, notes from the school, newsletters, and conduct grades will be sent home at the beginning of the week in a take home folder. • There is a place for you to sign that you have received the graded papers. After you sign, please take these papers out.

13. Communications • Please put any notes from home, lunch money, etc. in the communication section of your child’s binder. • Sign up for Remind 101 texts from each teacher on the grade level. We send texts with important information about each subject. • Each homerooom will have its own Remind 101 number. If you have not received it, please see your child’s homeroom teacher. • You will need to sign up for all 4 classes and your homeroom.

14. Remind 101 Benham Text (267) 498-5410 with the message @benmath Brooks Text (470) 235-4167 with the message @brooksread Halverson Text (636) 487-5706 with the message @halverson Penrod Text (678) 293-9368 with the message @penrodla

15. Make Up Work • When absent please have your student bring a note the following day. All absences without a note will be recorded as unexcused. • If you know you are going to be out please send a note or email to the office to have the absence pre-excused. • When a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to check with teachers for missed work upon return to school. All make-up work should be completed and turned back in within 3 days. • If your child is absent for more than a few days, we can compile missed work. Simply call or email us 24 hours in advance, and it will be ready for pick up in the office after 2:00 the following day.

16. Conduct • Students will receive a conduct grade. Each week will begin with a grade of 100. • We have the conduct book for rules that are broken. Each signature is 5 points off. • We use Class Dojo points for rewards. Students will receive points for extra special behavior. Points may be used to purchase prizes and other incentives.

17. Conferences • We will be glad to schedule conferences. Please just email, send a note, or call the office, and we can schedule a convenient time. • Our PE time is from 8:00-8:45. This will be a good time for us to meet any day. • Please remember we are always here for you and your student. Don’t ever hesitate to contact us.

18. Lockers • Your child has been assigned a lock & locker. • Students may have magnets in their lockers but no stickers or tape. Also we have been asked that students not bring locker chandeliers unless the batteries have been removed. • We only go to lockers in the morning and at the end of the day. • Please talk with your child about keeping their lockers locked and their combination private.

19. Class Leaders • We have class officers that change weekly in our room. • We have numerous jobs that promote responsibility and leadership. • Each student will have an opportunity to be each leader at least once in the school year.

20. Books • Your child will be assigned reading and math textbooks. • They will also have a math workbook. • If a student loses or damages a textbook or a workbook, he/she must pay for the item. This also applies to school library books. • We also have a class library. Students are expected to return books and take care of them while in their care.

21. School Website/Email • The school website is updated regularly. Check this for any current information. • We check email daily. We return all emails promptly within 24-36 hours.

22. Snacks • Each morning the students will have time for a snack. (usually around 9:50) • Only water is permitted and must be kept in a bottle with a secure top. • Candy is not permitted. We suggest one healthy, easy to eat snack like crackers, fruit bars, etc… You may wish to send several snacks at the beginning of the week to keep in the locker.

23. Birthdays • You are welcome to send cupcakes or a cookie cake and drinks on your child’s birthday. • Please let your homeroom teacher know ahead of time if you will be bringing a snack. • If you bring a cookie cake, please PRECUT it. • And of course, remember those state nutritional guidelines 

24. Medications • Medications require a note from you. You must tell our health room nurse, Gary, how much and how often it is to be taken and a parent or guardian must sign it. • Medication must be in the original container. • If you child requires cough drops, please send a note from home.

25. School Supplies • After the initial start of school, your child should not need any more supplies unless they are lost or damaged. Please check with your child around Christmas break to see if they need anything replenished for the next semester.

26. Parties • Party in a bag – Fall & Valentine’s Day • Party in a bag is a bag full of treats and a drink brought from home (these do not have to meet state nutritional guidelines). • Parents will be asked to sign up to bring refreshments for Christmas and End of Year parties. Parents may only attend Christmas and End of the Year parties. Due to school policy, please remember that siblings are not allowed to attend.

27. Field Trips • We go to a least two field trips in 4th grade. We go to the Nutcracker in December and Montgomery near the end of the year. • Last year, just to give you an estimate on money, the Nutcracker cost $12, & Montgomery was $57 for students & $60 for parents. • If you have a hardship and feel that you need assistance to pay for any of these trips, please contact us. The office has an application for field trip assistance. • We wear our class t-shirts on field trips and some days during the school year.

28. Money • When you send money to school. Please send it in an envelope or baggie with your child’s name and what the money is for. • We cannot give change so please send the exact amount of money.

29. School Visits • Stop in and get a visitor tag when you arrive. • When you visit your child at lunch, please remember no fast food or soft drinks may be brought in to your child for lunch. • There is a special visitor table for parents so you and your child can have some quality one-on-one time.

30. Lunch Accounts • Most Mondays the lunchroom will send a slip indicating the amount of money left on your lunch account. • Students are allowed “borrowing” if necessary, but you are asked to repay any money that they borrow.

31. Thank you for coming! We are looking forward to a great year with your child!