Class Policies
I strive to have a classroom that is responsive to student needs. My class policies are aimed to help us reach this goal and exist alongside any policies described in our school handbook and/or Avon Board of Education policies.
Homework Policies
Homework is divided into two categories: Daily routines and specific assignments. Each night, your child is assigned daily routines, including independent reading and math fact practice. Other daily routines may be added as the year progresses. Your child will also have up to two specific assignments (often written work) per week, in accordance with our Board of Education policy on homework. Often I will assign the written homework on one night and have it due several nights later (so kids can begin to learn to plan their time), but this isn’t always the case. You may find that a math assignment is assigned on Monday and is due on Friday, while a literacy assignment is assigned on Tuesday and due on Thursday. The next week, the schedule might change. This variation occurs because I want to assign tasks that are relevant learning opportunities for students, so you may find that there is some variation in the nature and length of homework from night to night. Some weeks might have less written homework if the work we did in school just doesn’t lend itself to a written homework assignment. (I try to avoid giving “busy work” just to have an assignment.) Other weeks, there might be more lengthy tasks for students to complete. I do recognize that all students are unique, and some may complete a task very quickly, while others need more time. If you find that homework is regularly taking a long time for your fourth grader, please let me know. Again, homework shouldn’t be a burden for students or their families!
Assignments that are not ready to be handed in at 8:50am on their due date (including those that were completed but left at home, in the bus, or in the car) will be marked late. No need for an adult at home to drive in a worksheet that was left on the counter! I have found that students are generally very responsible with their homework, so an occasional late assignment may be turned in the following day without a class consequence. If a student is frequently turning in assignments late, I will contact his or her parents to discuss how we can best help the student to improve his or her homework skills. Remember, homework is assessed three times a year (for completion, not mastery) on the report card.
I intend homework to be a learning opportunity for students. A student isn’t helped if he or she incorrectly completes an assignment because he or she is confused or frustrated by the content. If a student is completely confused by an assignment, all I ask is that his or her parent/homework helper write me a note explaining the difficulty. I will excuse the student from the assignment until we have an opportunity to review the material together. However, I appreciate and respect students who are willing to work hard to understand challenging content, and I always encourage parents/homework helpers to provide support on assignments. Please note on the assignment when a student’s work was completed with significant assistance so that I know that the student might benefit from additional support in class.
Classroom Conduct
When a student is doing a good job, working hard, helping someone else, or otherwise being a great Room 209 citizen, I may invite him or her to “take a chance”. He or she will take a ticket, write his or her name on it, and keep it in his or her possession. At the end of the week, I will collect the Chance tickets and will randomly select students to earn a prize (or to donate their prize as part of the Room 209 C.A.R.E.S. campaign).
Our social contract is a terrific tool in our class. It is an agreement that outlines (1) how students want to be treated by teachers, (2) how teachers want to be treated by students, (3) how students want to be treated by one another, and (4) how we all should treat one another during a conflict. Sound complicated? It’s not! Our social contract is a series of (mostly) adjectives, with check marks reflecting how often the idea was mentioned during our development. We’ve learned that items like “respectful” or “patient” apply to all four of those scenarios, not just to one or two. It’s a helpful tool when I need to redirect students. For example:
“Bobby, when you signed our social contract right there [gesturing], you promised to be patient. When you shouted at Mary for not answering fast enough, were you being patient?”
“You also promised to help our class to be a comfortable community. Do you think Mary felt comfortable when you rushed her to answer quickly?”
Parent Communication
The fastest way to reach me is by email. It allows me to give you a more rapid and detailed response than would be possible if we “play phone tag” or exchange written notes. I make every effort to respond to parent emails within 24 hours during the work week, but I confess that I’m not always perfect, especially when it’s a particularly busy week. You can also call me and leave a message in my voicemail box (860-404-4790, ext. 6209). Please understand that while I try to return emails and phone messages as quickly as possible, I may not be able to do so until after the end of the school day. In an urgent or time-sensitive situation (such as a change in dismissal plans), please call the main office at 860-404-4790, ext. 0. You can also send in a note with your child.
Student Privacy
I take student privacy very seriously. Academic work may be showcased in class, on occasion, but it will never show a grade. In the course of reflection and instruction, we may discuss a student’s piece of work and its strengths and weaknesses, however these conversations are always held with either the student’s permission or when the work is reviewed without revealing its author. Should your child share with you private information about another student, please remember the importance of privacy. Pursuant to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, I will never be able to share private information about another student. This includes all academic situations (“How did Timmy do on the test compared to my child?”) and most behavioral situations (“How was Suzie punished after she teased my child?”) Of course, interpersonal conflicts are a charged situation, and I will work to address your concerns as best as I can.
I use this website to communicate news, showcase activities, and to manage computer-based assignments. Students photos may appear on the site (unless you have requested otherwise in an opt-out form from the school office), but they will never tie back to any identifying information. Student names NEVER appear on the website unless a parent has given me SPECIFIC permission for a particular piece of news (such as if a student were to win an award.) Student work is never posted on the website for the same reason. This is generally intended to be a website for families to use, as students mostly use the APS email system to interact with me (electronically) and our Google Classroom page.