Welcome to Mrs. Economou's
4th Grade Class!
Dear Parents & Students,
Welcome to our class! I am looking forward to getting to know you, working with you, and having a wonderfully successful year! I have put together this handbook to give you some important information for you and your child as we begin this fantastic 4th grade journey. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. My contact information is: , 704-660-5970 (school number), 704-6607874 (home),
703-509-7008 (cell for texting or calling). Sincerely, Annemarie Economou
Allergies:
Please report all severe allergies to Mrs. Pope, our school nurse, immediately.
Attendance:
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s attendance or the attendance policy, please contact Mrs. Cutler, our data manager, at 704-660-5974.
*Children are requested to be in their desks by 7:30, ready to learn.
*10:45 is the “cut-off” time to be counted present. If your child arrives after this time, they will be marked absent.
*All transportation issues/changes are to be communicated by 12:00 each day. You may send a note, an email or call the office before this time. There are no exceptions, unless there is an extreme emergency.
*All sign-outs must be done no later than 1:45 each day.
*If your child is going to be out for a prolonged period of time due to illness, please contact Mrs. Cutler or me as soon as possible.
*Please try to keep your child in school all day so they do not miss critical core instruction or intervention/remediation/enrichment time (Pirate time). Please try to ensure your child is at school on time each day. We cover academic material all day long.
Homework Policy:
READING: Students will be expected to read every night for a minimum of 25 minutes and to complete a reading journal activity. Reading journals will be collected randomly for grading. Journal entries need to be completed neatly and with effort for full credit. I will be modeling during class for the first month how to write an excellent journal entry.
MATH: There will be math problems two or three times a week. Students who do not know their basic multiplication and division facts are strongly encouraged to practice them at home
PROJECTS: Students will need to incrementally work on book reports and/or various projects. I usually assign one every six weeks. Learning to tackle projects without procrastinating or becoming overwhelmed is an excellent skill to develop. I will model how to do most projects during class so that students clearly understand the expectations. Our first project is a “cereal box book report”, so we will actually make one in class together so that everyone knows all the requirements. Due dates will be given with the assignments. Most projects include educational goals from several areas, for example, reading, social studies, and writing.
AGENDAS: Students will be given time to write down their daily homework assignments. The student's behavior for the day will be noted in the agenda if his/her behavior was inappropriate. If there is no note, your child did fine.
COMMUNICATION : Nearly every week I will send home any graded papers, fliers, and notes that you should see. Please have your child return his/her folder/envelope at your earliest convenience. I will also regularly send emails. I will bold face the key points because constant emails can get overwhelming.
* Students should do their own work… it is not their parents’ work.
If a student truly has difficulty with a given homework assignment, they are expected to attempt completion of the assignment to the best of their ability. They should then see Ms. Economou the following morning with their questions. I am a compassionate person who will immediately tutor your child, not reprimand him/her for not doing homework. Homework should be a chance to practice what has been taught, not learn new material. Parents are obviously encouraged to read to their child, listen to their child read, ask comprehension questions to promote thinking, explain math problems if they feel comfortable doing so, have discussions about current events and historical events, give spelling practice quizzes, etc. Most importantly, parents are encouraged to offer a clear space and quiet atmosphere for homework.
Classroom Schedule
7:15 Unpack, Morning Work
7:30 Announcements
7:40 – 9:10 English Language Arts
9:10 – 10:40 Math
10:40 – 11:05 Recess
11:15 – 11:40 Lunch
11:45 – 12:30 Science/Social Studies
12:40 – 1:20 Pirate Time
1:30 -2:20 Enhancements
2:25 Dismissal
Enhancements:
Monday: media/technology
Tuesday: art
Wednesday: pe
Thursday: music
Friday: pe
*Students need to make sure to wear tennis
shoes on Wednesdays and Fridays, or bring tennis shoes to change into on those days.
Lunch with Student:
We ask parents who would like to eat with their child to come in only once a week, if possible. Our cafeteria cannot accommodate too many parents.
Mon: A-E, Tues: F-J, Wed: K-O, Thurs:P-T Fri: U-Z Textbooks
Each student will be issued a math and reading textbook. It is his/her responsibility
to keep-up with the books and make sure they are well taken care of. They may need to take them home for homework, but they must be returned to school each day for classroom use. If something happens to your child’s textbooks, please contact the school. We also have health and science books, but they do not leave the room.
Behavior
I am a big believer in respect for self, peers and adults. I will be holding each child accountable for their actions. There will be consequences in our room for disrespect to peers or adults. I will take care of issues in the classroom unless behavior requires the attention of the administration in the office. I will utilize multiple reward systems in the class to help encourage students to be motivated and do their best.
Lakeshore is a PBIS school (Positive Behavior Intervention Support). Your child will be receiving lessons on the expected school wide behaviors.
In addition, we have classroom norms:
· Keep hands, feet, & objects to yourself
· Be respectful to each other & your teachers
· Pay attention & participate in class
· REMEMBER WHY YOU ARE HERE!
If a student chooses not to follow the rules, he will be told to move his clip and note it in his agenda.
Colors
1. Green = ready to learn
2. Yellow = warning
3. Orange = logical consequence/ teacher choice/phone call or note to parent
4. Red = counselor / office referral/parent contacted
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me. Please encourage your child to tell me if something happens right away rather than wait until they get home or a few days later so that I can take care of it immediately.
Testing
As many of you know, Iredell-Statesville Schools is a district that requires regular testing to monitor student progress toward their academic goals. The 4th grade teachers use the data from each student’s assessments to assist in developing lesson plans, grouping learners for enrichment and remediation groups, reading groups, and for identifying learning gaps.
These assessments also have abbreviations and can be confusing – so here is a little reminder of what each stands for:
CA = Common Assessment
· LES 4th grade students take this to identify where they are performing in math and reading compared to their peers
BA = Benchmark Assessments
· ISS students take these to identify current performance levels on grade level material in reading and math, and are compared to district scores
AIMS = Fluency Assessment
· identifies the speed at which a student reads (speed is linked to comprehension)
Lexile Level = Helps students pick out
books on their reading level.
Ordering novels/books from Scholastic
Every month the students receive a scholastic flyer. If you want to order a book, fill out the order form and send in cash or a check written to me. I will order the books immediately with my credit card. The books come fast and our classroom gets credit.
Contacting Mrs. Economou
It is usually best if you e-mail me or send me a note first thing in the morning. You can call and leave a message with the office, but don’t leave messages on my school voicemail because I never get them. Again, if you ever have any questions, concerns, suggestions, or things you want me to be aware of, please contact me, day or night. I am here to support you and your child J.