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Welcome to a new school year! This handbook covers the policies and procedures that will apply to your child in the 4th grade. Please read each section carefully. The last page should be signed by both the student and a parent and returned to your homeroom teacher.
Contact Information
•Email (*best method of contact; you can email all 3 of us at once so we are all “on the same page”):
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•Phone: 334-347-5383
•Website:
Teacher Information
Students change classes in 4th grade. Your child will spend 100 minutes with each teacher every day. Each of your teachers may have specific rules and procedures that apply only to that classroom, and students are expected to follow them. All three teachers work together to provide the best educational experience for your child as possible. The 4th grade teachers are:
•Mrs. Fields, Room 118: Reading & Spelling
•Mrs. McCray, Room 119: Math
•Mrs. Brown, Room 120: Science, Social Studies (Alabama History), Language Arts (Grammar & Writing)
Arrival
•All students should be dropped off in the front of the school. Students may arrive beginning at 7:30 a.m. There will not be a staff member on duty prior to this time. Students should go to the lunchroom upon arrival. Ateacher who is on hall duty will pick students up from the lunchroom and walk them to their hallway.
- Students are required to sit quietly in the hallway and read an AR book until their teacher welcomes them into their classroom.
- The teacher on hall duty will allow the students to go to the restroom as needed.
Homeroom Activities/Responsibilities
•Students should be ready to enter their classrooms at 7:45.
- Theyare counted tardy if not in class (not just in the building) by 8:00 a.m.
•Homework and conduct logs are checked for parent signatures (see more below).
•Money for snack and juice is taken up.
- Please pay for snack and juice at least a week at a time. Taking up money daily is very time consuming, and we have very little time in homeroom each morning.
- Students may purchase chips or ice cream for snack at 50 cents each.
- Juice also costs 50 cents. Orange juice is the only type of juice offered.
- The school does not offer free or reduced snack, and teachers do not provide snacks for students.
- Your child may bring a snack from home instead of purchasing one from the school. Keep in mind they need only one food item and one drink for snack. There is not enough time to eat several different things.
- *Lunch money is not collected in class. (see more below)
•We listen to morning announcements over the intercom, and participate in the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.
•Students will prepare materials for the day (sharpen pencils, make sure they have paper/notebooks/homework, etc.) while the teacher is taking care of her morning duties. When they are ready for the day, they are to sit quietly and read their AR book.
Absences
•Parents must send in a written note for all absences. A note from a parent is acceptable for up to three consecutive days. If your child is out for more than three days at a time, you must send in a note from a doctor.
•Any absence written by a parent must give the reason for the absence (ex: “Janie was absent Monday because she was running a fever”) for it to be excused.
•If no note is received, the absence is unexcused. Please see the Enterprise City Schools Student Handbook regarding unexcused absences.
•If you know of a time when your child will be out for reasons other than being sick (i.e. going out of town), you must get this absence approved in writing by Mr. Retherford prior to your child being out for it to be excused.
•*Any work missed, regardless of the reason for the absence, must be completed and turned in within 3 days of returning to school.**
•**If you request to pick up work for your child during their absence, it must be completed before they return to school.
Curriculum
•There is a tremendous amount of material to cover in 4th grade. We must use every possible minute of instruction to teach the material. It is very important that your child is at school every day, and that they are attentive in class.
•All core subjects receive an A, B, C, D, or F grade beginning this year. Science and Social Studies are no longer easy S, N, or U grades! Your child will earn grades based on their performance. They are not just given a grade for participation.
Homework Policy
•Homework Assignments are written on the Homework Board in each class every day. It is the student’s responsibility to write down what is listed on the board daily. Even if it says “none”, they are to write it!
- The homework assignments must be written in red pen so that they cannot be erased.
- Homework assignments are due the next day, unless specified differently by the teacher.
•Unfinished classwork is not the same thing as a homework assignment.
- Ample time is given in class to completeclasswork. However, if your child does not use their time wisely in class, they may be instructed to finish this work at home.
- Unfinished classwork will not be written on the board (since it will not apply to every child). Each student is required to write his or her own unfinished assignments down so that parents will see what they need to complete that night.
- If they do take classwork home, it must be turned in the next day or points will be deducted (see below).
•Late graded assignments:10 points will be deducted per day for the first three days an assignment is late. After the third day, the student will receive a zero (0/F) on the assignment. No additional time will be given.
- This does not apply to the three days a student is given when they are out sick.
•Students will have a homework log in which to write their homework each day, and they will be shown how to fill it out.
•A parent signature on the conduct log (see below) indicates that you have seen the homework assignments as well as the conduct grade for that day.
Testing Policy
•Tests are not all given on Fridays in 4th grade. Tests will be given as necessary when a section of material is covered. Your child will be given plenty of notice before a test occurs.
•Students are required to write information about tests down in their homework log.
•Sufficient time is given in class for students to complete tests. If a student does not finish the test in the allotted time, a maximum of 30 additional minutes will be given to the child. This is at the teacher’s discretion.
Behavior
•The 4th grade teachers have high expectations for our students, both academically and behaviorally. We know no one is perfect and everyone has bad days, but in general we expect our students to work hard, be responsible, and be kind. Students will be held accountable for their behavior.
•4th graders should not need constant reminders on how they should be acting or what they should be doing. Verbal warnings will be given as needed, but if a student does not correct the misbehavior, conduct points will be lost (-5 each time).
•Students will have a conduct log where they are required to write their conduct grade each day, as well as any points lost and the reason.
•A parent signature is required daily on the conduct log.
•Conduct grades are taken weekly (M-F), and the final weekly grade is reported in the Wednesday Folder the following week.
Wednesday Folders
•Graded papers and weekly progress reports are sent home each week in the Wednesday Folder.
•Please be sure to check this folder every Wednesday and sign the Wednesday Folder Data Sheet on the current week.
•Also sign the weekly progress report that will be stapled to the graded papers.
•The graded papers and weekly progress reports (stapled together) must be returned to school in the folder on Thursday.
•Please check each paper in the folder carefully and be sure to return anything that requires filling out or your signature.
•Other “informative” papers can be taken out and kept at home.
Lunch & Breakfast Accounts
•Teachers do not take up lunch or breakfast money. Students need to take this to the cafeteria before coming to class. Teachersalso do not keep any kind of record regarding your child’s lunch/breakfast money. If you have questions about your child’s account, you will need to contact the school cafeteria.
•Meals cannot be charged. Your child must have money in their account to purchase a meal. If they do not, you will be called up to the school to add money to their account. However, children will never be denied food! You will just be asked to keep their account up-to-date.
Dismissal
•Early bus riders are dismissed from class at 2:55.
•Walkers and car riders are dismissed at 3:00. Grades 2, 3, and 4 are picked up in the first driveway, afterthe early buses have left. Older siblings must go to the pick-up area of the youngest sibling, so if your 4th grader has a brother or sister in 1st grade, they will go to the front of the school to be picked up with them.
•Late bus riders are dismissed at 3:15. They go to the lunchroom to wait for their bus. There will be teachers on duty at that time.
- Students must work on homework or read an AR book while waiting for their bus. There is no talking or getting out of their seats.
Security and Safety
•If you are coming to visit our school, regardless of the reason, you will need to enter at the front of the school (use the door on the far right) and sign in at the front desk. You may be asked to provide identification. You will receive a visitor’s pass and then will be buzzed in past the security doors. When your visit is over, you will need to return to the front desk and sign out, then exit from the front of the building. This is for everyone’s safety.
Additional System- or School-wide Policies
•Corporal punishment (paddling) is allowed in the Enterprise City Schools. It is administered by the principal based on the severity of the infraction, frequency of office referrals, and/or other circumstances determined by the principal.
- The school does not seek the permission of the parent before administering corporal punishment.
- If you do not wish for corporal punishment to be administered toyour child, you must provide the school office with a written note to that effect. You must do this each school year.
- If you choose for your child to not receive corporal punishment, your child will be suspended from school as an alternative.
•Misconduct on a school bus which results in an referral to the principal:
- 1st referral—student warned
- 2nd referral—disciplinary action taken
- 3rd referral—5 day bus suspension
- 4th-7th referral—10 day bus suspension
•Medication: An “administration of medication” form must be completed and signed by the student’s parent before medication can be administered. Prescription medication can only be administered when the appropriate form has been filled out by a physician and is on file with the school nurse.
- Students may not have any type of medication in their possession at school.
•Physical Education is required for all students except those with a medical statement from a doctor or other health official. For minor ailments, a parent’s note will be honored for up to three days.
- Students must wear appropriate clothing and shoes which allow them to participate fully in P.E.
•Make sure you familiarize yourself with the Enterprise City Schools Elementary Handbook. It goes into further detail on these and other policies that apply to your child, including Dress Code, discipline, and attendance. You must sign and return page 35 and 36.
Thank you for taking the time to read this handbook. Please keep it at home so that you can refer back to it as needed. Return only the last page (signed by a parent and the student) to your child’s homeroom teacher no later than Friday, August 15, 2014.
4th grade Handbook Signature Page
We have read and agree to abide by the policies and procedures described in this handbook.
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Student SignatureDate
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Parent / Guardian SignatureDate
4th Grade
Handbook
Harrand Creek Elementary
2014-2015
Mrs. Fields
Mrs. McCray
Mrs. Brown