ABSENCES: Much of our learning takes place together in class. We do lots of hands-on activities and group work. Please plan to attend school every day, except in cases of illness or emergencies. If your child will be absent, please call St. Mary's before school starts at 748-3433.
ARRIVAL at school is an important part of our day. School starts with prayer at 8:10 am. Please keep in mind that it takes most students 5-10 minutes to get organized for the day, so being at school around 8:00 is a perfect time.
BIRTHDAYS: If you would
like to send a treat with your child on or near his/her birthday, please
feel free to do so. If you have a summer birthday, I try to celebrate in class around your child's half birthday. Please do not send birthday party
invitations to be distributed at school unless all children in our class
receive an invitation.
BOOK ORDER FORMS will be sent home for you and your child to look over every month or two. Book clubs offer fantastic deals! Checks should be made payable to SCHOLASTIC. You are never obligated to order from class book orders.
CONFERENCES are held at the end of the first and third quarter. Watch for information and reply accordingly. I am also available to conference as needed, please let me know if you would like to schedule a time to meet with me.
DISMISSAL: Bus riders are dismissed around 3:20pm when the but picks students up to go Osmond Public School. From there students will need to know their appropriate bus to get home. Car riders and walkers are dismissed after the bus has left the St. Mary's parking lot. Please park south of the parking lot and wait for the bus to leave before picking up your child(ren). If there are any changes in home transportation, a note from home is required, or I am required to send students home as they normally travel. Please do not have your child give me a verbal message, it has to come from a parent.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION should be on file in the office. If your address, or any of your phone numbers change, please inform the office (and me!).
EMAIL is a GREAT
method of communication because of the quick turn-around. If you have an
email address that you check regularly, please provide it to me to
maximize our communication. You can drop me a quick email to tiffanyguenther@gmail.com asking me to add you to my contacts at anytime.
FIELD TRIPS usually in the spring, however, if the opportunity for other field trips arise throughout the year, information and permission slips will come home.
GRADING: Students will be assessed using letter grades (A,B,C,D,F) for daily assignments, classwork, and tests. Students are also assessed on their effort in each class (O, S, N). Progress reports and Report cards are sent home quarterly.
HOMEWORK: Students are given time to work on assignments in class, but everyone works at his/her own pace and ability levels. Please check student planners every day! Your child is responsible for recording all of his/her homework and marking it when it is complete. Accelerated Reading is also homework, students are responsible for reading 20-30 minutes every night and reaching quarterly AR goals.
INCENTIVES: We all know that the offer of incentives can be a fun way to help motivate students to succeed. Ask your child about our Class Store. It's open once a month for student rewards.
INDEPENDENCE is a goal
for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. Third and fourth
graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and I
encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the
classroom. Please encourage them to think through and problem-solve in
everyday situations.
JOURNALS (or composition notebbooks) are used in many of our subjects. They may be taken home as needed for the purposes of studying or sharing, however, they should be brought back to school as they are used frequently.
KEEP INFORMED by checking your child's planner daily and reading our school newsletter.
LUNCH takes place at 11:37. Please send lunch money as needed for your child's account. You are more than welcome to join your child and their friends
for lunch in the cafeteria. Please let the office know first thing in the morning so the kitchen can prepare for you.
MYSTERY READERS: Would
you like to read to the class? Shhhh…keep it a secret and sign up to be a
Mystery Reader. Kids love surprises! I will send home available dates –
you pick the date(s) that work best for you. Don't forget! This can be anyone in your family or friends of the family also.
NEWSLETTERS will be sent
home every monthly from the school office. Keep them handy for important dates and information.
OPEN HOUSE will take place before school begins, but we always have an open-door policy for visitors. Please let me know ahead of time if you'd like to visit for any reason.
PE Students must wear sneakers on PE days (Monday and Wednesday). On non-PE days, we go outside for recess, so if your child likes to run or play on the playground equipment, it would be beneficial for them to wear sneakers daily.
QUESTIONS: Instead of asking your child, “What did you do in school today?” ask, “What book did you read during AR?” or “What did you learn in math?” or “Tell me what you wrote about during Writers' Workshop!” Show that you’re interested, and ask specific questions. Most likely, your child will respond positively and more openly.
RELIGION is the center of our day and our curriculum. Students should behave in an acceptable manner that reflects the teachings of our Catholic beliefs. This includes the way we treat others and the way we behave every day.
REPORT CARDS will be sent home every nine weeks. Please see the district calendar for specific dates.
SUPPLIES: A supply list is given to you over the summer indicate the items your child
needs in class. I ask that you try to follow the list when purchasing supplies so that we all have similar items. If there are any items that you cannot find or are not able to purchase for any reason, please let me know. I can provide these items at school.
TARDIES: Prayer starts our day at 8:10 am. School official begins at 8:15. Any student arriving after 8:15 is considered tardy.
UNIQUE: Each student in my classroom is unique. I will do my best to differentiate instruction to ensure that all children get what they need to be successful in our room.
VOLUNTEERS and VISITORS
are welcome! There are many opportunities for you to be involved in the
classroom this year. Please let me know in advance or schedule times (weekly or monthly) to come in.
WATER BOTTLES: Please
feel free to have your child bring a water bottle with a lid to class. I encourage students to take their water bottles home regularly for washing.
WISH LIST: Post-It Notes
in interesting shapes or colors, colored copy paper for, computer paper with
borders, white or colored cardstock, colored ink pens (all for writers' workshop), toys or treats for our Class Store, amazon.com or Barns and Nobles gift cards to purchase books for the school library
It is EXTRAORDINARILY important for your child to have a successful YEAR. I will do my best to make learning fun and exciting – you can expect a lot of growth in so many different areas. It will seem as if the school year will ZOOM by!