Newsflash Sign-Up
Lisa Bonano has asked us to remind parents to sign up for the classroom newsflashes as well as the school newflashes.
Pencils
Hand-held pencil sharpeners are not allowed in the classroom; they spill and it ruins the finish on the floor. It is every student's responsibility to take home his or her pencil case nightly and sharpen 5 pencils.
Snack
We'll be having snack at little recess. Please remember to send your tiny people with healthy snacks, like graham crackers, dry cereal in a little bag, fruit, etc. Please keep in mind that we eat snack at 10:00 a.m. I ask that you send only healthy snacks. Cookies, chips, and candy are not appropriate snacks for mid-morning, nor do they benefit the children's minds at all. I want them alert; sugar does not allow them to concentrate well. I am asking that you take the time to think through your snack choices. In my mind, no snack (it's only an hour and a half until lunch) is better than loading them up with partially hydrogenated oils, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Candy, especially, will not be allowed, so please do not send it. (Birthday treats are an exception, of course. In that case, cookies, cupcakes, etc. are fine, but I do ask that it not be candy.)
Water Bottles
Water bottles will not be allowed. The children are allowed to go to the water fountains several times during the day, and water bottles become a distraction. They also spill in backpacks and on desks, which ruins books and papers.
Checking Out of School Early
While it's best to try to make appointments for after school, that's not always possible. If you have an appointment scheduled and know you'll be checking your child out of school early, please let me know that morning (or even the day before). That will enable us to gather materials and be ready with the minimum amount of class disruption. If you show up unexpectedly, you may have to wait. Also, please go to the office and have them notify me. Please do not come directly to the classroom.
Absences
If you would like the assignments your child misses when he or she is sick, please let me know by noon on that day. This will give me the time to pull it all together and write any instructions you may need. It will be sent to the office in time for dismissal. Really, it may only be necessary to complete that night's homework as posted on the website. Either way, I will make sure that your child is caught up and understands whatever was missed.
Any tests missed due to an absence will be made up on the day the child returns to school unless other arrangements have been made previously.
Homework
Homework will be given Monday through Thursday. Homework can consist of written work, studying, or reading.
Homework should not be taking hours to complete! Do not push your child to spend hours studying. If you notice that your child is having a really hard time with it, please let me know. Jot a note on the homework so I'll see it the next morning or e-mail me. We'll go over the concept again and figure out what's going on.
When a homework assignment is incomplete or missing, points will be taken off the child's homework grade. Every student will start the quarter with a 100 as a homework grade. One point will be deducted for each assignment missed. For incomplete assignments, it will probably be a partial point; however, if very little was done, the entire point may be deducted.
Birthdays
Due to a new rule from the school administration, please do not send birthday treats to school on your child's birthday. We will have a birthday snack (cookies, doughnuts, or cupcakes) once a month [first Friday of each month] for all of that month's birthdays. We will set up who will contribute the snack through the room mother. No drinks, please.
Invitations for birthday parties may not be distributed at school.
Textbooks
Please cover the textbooks with brown paper bags, NOT Book Sox. Book Sox are too small for our textbooks, and they can do great damage to them even when used for one year. If students cover the second grade texts with them year after year, we will have books that are literally falling out of their spines. Our textbook adoption lasts several years, so our books have to as well.
Sweatshirts, Sweaters, and Lunch Boxes
PLEASE make sure your child's name is on his/her sweater or sweatshirt. Everyday we find another piece of clothing that has no name in it, and they frequently go unclaimed and wind up in the Lost & Found after sitting in the classroom for weeks. All of these pieces of clothing look the same! If they are unmarked, there is an extremely good chance that they will be lost
or taken home by another child. The same goes for lunch boxes.
While we're on the subject of outerwear, please make sure that you've sent your child to school with the appropriate outerwear for the weather. The yard provides no protection from a cold wind; a sweatshirt alone will not always keep your child warm. If we feel the children are not properly clothed to play outside in very cold weather, then they will NOT play outside in cold weather.