Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.

1. When will graded papers be sent home?
2. Why does my child have an 'S' for conduct?
3. How do I know what homework my child has each day?
4. How much do tests count towards the final grade?
5. How do I pay for book orders?
6. How can I help my child be a better math student?
7. How can I help my child prepare for Social Studies tests?
8. How can I help my child prepare for Science tests?
9. Why should I check my child's grades on-line?

When will graded papers be sent home?

Papers will be sent home every Friday.  A conduct sheet will be included 
with the papers to inform you of your child's work habits, behavior, and 
any supplies your child may need.  Sign the conduct sheet, do not remove the 
tickets stapled to the conduct sheet and send it back in the folder.  The 
papers do not need to be returned to the teacher.  If you have any 
questions, you may write a note on the conduct sheet.  If there are any 
papers in question, attach a note to the work and return it with the 
Friday folder. It is the student's responsibility to bring the paper in 
question and notes from parents written on the conduct sheet to the teacher's attention.

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Why does my child have an 'S' for conduct?

Conduct grades are based on the number of conduct marks a student 
accumulates. Students are given 1 blue ticket each day that can be 
used later to purchase rewards.  Blue tickets will be taken away for not 
following the class conduct rules which are posted in the classroom. 
Students will write their name and the conduct rule that was broken on 
the back of the ticket. At the end of each week, the tickets will be stapled 
to that week on the conduct sheet so that parents will know their child's 
conduct which needs improvement. The tickets will remain stapled to 
the conduct sheet for the entire 9 week period and will be used to 
determine a cumulative conduct grade for the report card. The conduct 
sheet states the weekly and cumulative rating systems at the top of 
the sheet. 
Students commonly receive conduct marks for talking at inappropriate 
times, for not having their homework or for not having the required 
materials for class. Please ask 
your child throughout the year if he needs to replace any supplies. We will 
periodically check to make sure each child has the needed supplies at 
school.  We realize that we all make mistakes at times; therefore, 
students can have 3 tickets taken up during the 9 weeks for conduct and 
still receive an "E" in conduct.

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How do I know what homework my child has each day?

The homework assigned each day is written on the board.  It is your 
child's responsibility to record this homework in his student organizer each 
day. I usually give the students a couple of minutes during class and at the 
end of each day to write the homework down in the organizer. We do not require parents to sign 
the organizer. Although it is not required, I try to list daily homework on my website. If you think 
your child isn't writing in their organizer, you can compare it with my website and discuss this 
with your child.

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How much do tests count towards the final grade?

In math, tests are 60% of the grade; daily grades count 40%.  In science 
and social studies, test grades are entered into the gradebook twice and the 
grades are not weighted.

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How do I pay for book orders?

Please write a check to the book club rather than sending cash. Please give 
your check and book order to the Language Arts teacher.

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How can I help my child be a better math student?

Helping your child memorize their addition, subtraction, multiplication 
and division facts through the use of flash cards will increase your child's 
confidence and ability to apply the math skills learned in class. In 
addition, you can use the papers sent home in the Friday folder to 
review concepts that have been learned. Ask your child what they did wrong 
on problems that were missed. This will give your child an opportunity to 
demonstrate that they have learned from their mistake or to receive extra 
help from you on concepts that need more review. Look at your child's 
organizer for tests that may be coming up (I give at least a weeks 
advance notice of tests).  Help your child study for the test by doing pages in the book that 
apply to the chapter or practice problems from papers that have been sent 
home. Also, if you have a computer, you can help your child learn 
multiplication facts by downloading a FREE copy of a really neat 
multiplication game by going to bigbrainz.com.

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How can I help my child prepare for Social Studies tests?

Encourage your child to study their vocabulary words and the review sheet 
for the chapter. In addition, go to my page of links and click on the link 
for Social Studies tests. The link is an excellent way to quiz yourself to 
see if you are prepared for the test.

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How can I help my child prepare for Science tests?

Enclourage your child to study their notes and vocabulary daily in science. 
I use the test to make sure that all needed information is included in their 
notes. :-) If your child lost their notes, encourage them to call a friend.

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Why should I check my child's grades on-line?

By checking your child's grades on-line a few times each week, you will be 
able to learn how well your child is doing so that you can praise them, what 
topics your child may be struggling with so that you can discuss it with 
him/her, or if assignments are missing or late (late assignments are 10 pts 
off each day and by the 4th day, it is a 0%). You may want to teach your 
child how to look their grades up on-line themself so that they will know 
how they are doing and to help develop independence. :-)

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