Mrs. Swafford’s

Fourth Grade

Parent Handbook

Mrs. Swafford’s Class

2006-2007

Hopewell Elementary

www.hopewellelementary.com

email: sswaffor@bradleyschools.org

Table of Contents

I. Welcome/Introduction

Welcome

Welcome to the 4^th grade. I am very excited to be teaching the 4^th grade this year. I think we’re going to have a great year. Your child will be challenged and you will see a lot of growth this year. The transition from 3^rd to 4^th grade isn’t nearly as tough as last year. Third grade and fourth grade seem to flow into each other more smoothly than second and third. You can take some of the credit for that, because your hard work last year helped prepare your child for this year. The primary difference in 3^rd and 4^th that I see is a matter of personal responsibility. Each year your child has to become a little more responsible for their own work.

I look forward to working with you this year to help your child be successful. I truly want us to work as a team. Please feel free to contact me anytime that you have questions or concerns.

Mrs. Swafford’s

School Supply List

___3 packs of wide ruled loose leaf paper

(no college ruled)

___1 pack of #2 pencils

___1 glue stick

___Elmer’s school glue

(a small bottle is plenty)

___2 boxes Kleenex

___Pair of sharp point scissors

___Twist up crayons

___6 folders that have a binder and pockets:

One of each color: red, yellow, blue,

purple, Green, orange

___box of disinfectant or baby wipes

___$30 materials fee

___Hand sanitizer

___box of Ziploc bags (gallon or quart)

Supplies will need to be restocked throughout the year (mostly paper and pencils)

Please: no trapper keepers, pencil boxes, or pencil sharpeners!!

Homework Policy

Homework will not be assigned on a regular basis. However, work that is not finished in class will need to be taken home to be completed. Classwork that is not finished in class will be due the next day. Points may be taken off for assignments that have to be taken home. There are times when we simply run out of time in class and I will ask that students take that assignment home for homework. In that case, points will not be taken off.

Assignments will be written in the agenda book each day and checked off if they are completed. It is your child’s responsibility to check off completed assignments and know what needs to be taken home.

Even though written assignments are not given, it will be your child’s responsibility to study for tests as needed. We will have a Spelling test each week as well as a Reading test. You know how much your child needs to study for the Spelling test. How you study for the Reading test is up to you also. A list of the vocabulary words will be sent home on Monday with the Spelling list. The vocabulary words make up nearly ½ of the test. The other part of the test is comprehension of the story. If needed, your child should bring his/her book home and read the story aloud with you just like in 3^rd grade. Social Studies and Science tests will be at the end of each chapter or unit. Use your judgment as to when your child needs to begin studying for these.

Agenda Books

Your child’s agenda book is a wonderful means of communication for you and for me. It helps you and your child keep up with what is going on and what needs to be done at home and returned to school the next day. Your child will write the assignments in the agenda book as we go through the day. He/she will check off the assignments as they finish. It is your child’s responsibility to keep up with what is done and what has yet to be completed.

It is your job to look at the agenda book each night. Please check to see that all classwork was completed and look for notes or other important information that might be in there. Please initial or sign the agenda book so that I know that you saw it.

You may use the agenda book to write notes to me or to let me know that you have sent money, longer notes, etc. (See the section on "Communicating with Me" for more info). I will also use the agenda book to let you know of notes that I have sent or for jotting short notes to you, so it is imperative that you check it each night. You cannot sign on Monday for the whole week. Agenda books are checked every morning and the class is rewarded when everyone has their agenda book signed.

Discipline Plan

Our classroom rules are as follows:

6. Clean up after yourself.

Students move their clothespins on the "clothes line" when they continue to disobey the rules. The following consequences are in effect:

1^st move: Student may be asked to sit out

of playtime or other free time activity for 10 minutes.

2^nd move: Sit out for the entire playtime, may be

asked to move desk or sit apart from the

rest of the group, or may be asked to

do "write-offs".

3^rd move: Note home or phone call to parents, will

be moved away from the group, as well as

consequences listed above

After all of these have been exhausted, a behavior referral will be written and sent to Mr. Riggs.

The rewards for following the classroom rules are:

* Verbal Praise

* Treat Box

* Warm Fuzzies

Schedules

Tues. 1:30-2:00 Mon. 9:00-9:30

Wed. 9:00-9:30 Thurs. 1:30-2:00

Tues. 11:30-12:00 (Plato) Tues. 8:30 – 9:00*

Thurs. 9:00-9:30 *(1^st semester only)

Friday 9:00 – 9:30

Mon., Thurs., Fri. 2:00-2:30

12:18 – 12:43

Daily

Class T-Shirts

As most of the school does, the fourth grade classes order class t-shirts. These shirts help out on field trips, field day, etc. so that students can be spotted more easily and so that chaperones know who to watch out for. Almost everywhere we go, we get compliments from the place on how helpful the shirts are.

Helping Out

I am always in need of help from Parent Volunteers. The school has a wonderful parent volunteer group and I would encourage you to become a part if you are able. If you are able to come in and help with copying, cutting, grading, helping students, etc., please let me know. Generally the parent volunteers pick a day of the week that is convenient and come on that day every week. As long as you let me know when you’re coming, I can try to have something ready for you when you get here. You are certainly not bound to come every week of course. If you are willing to give of your time to help out, I will certainly work around your schedule.

I understand of course that not everyone is able to come in and help. Most of you work outside of the home or have smaller children at home that you must stay with. If you are willing to work some at home, please let me know. There are times when I have jobs like cutting, sorting, stapling, coloring, etc. that can easily be done at home at your convenience.

I also need at least one parent to be the "Room Mother" or "Room Father". Usually, this person’s only job is to contact the other parents and ask them to send in items for the two parties that we have.

If you have other ways that you can help out, let me know. You may have a special skill or talent that you’d like to share—just let me know. I really appreciate the help that I get from my parent volunteers. Just having the extra 30 minutes it takes to run copies for the week, is a huge help!!! It gives me time to work on things in the classroom that need to be done!!

Sending Money to School

Please make sure that when you send money to school, that you mark what it is for. I prefer that you send it in an envelope marked with your child’s name & my name on it, as well as whatever it is for. If you don’t put it in an envelope, please write on the memo line what it is for and put it inside the plastic pocket of the agenda book and write a note in the agenda book so that your child or I will see it (ex. "Lunch money in pocket").

Also, please remember that lunch money and any other money are always to be kept separate. You cannot send one check for lunch money & fees of any kind. Lunch money goes directly to the cafeteria, most other money goes through the office (except picture money).

Following these steps will help protect your money and checks in case they get dropped or lost.

Communicating With Me

Please do not ever hesitate to call me (478-8802) if you have any questions or concerns. As I said earlier, the agenda book is a wonderful way to let me know things. I check them every morning and ask that you check them every afternoon or evening. You know the saying, "No news is good news". That’s kind of how I feel when I don’t hear from you. If you don’t let me know about any questions or concerns that you are feeling then I can’t do anything about it. Please call or write a note anytime! Most likely Mrs. Baker will take a message and I will have to get back to you either on my break or after school is out. But, I promise that I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

I always encourage students (as I’m sure you do also) to come to me and ask when they need help or do not understand something. I would ask the same of you. If you need help in helping your child, or don’t think you’re getting the whole story from your child, or simply want to ask about a grade or anything, please come to me!!!

I truly want a partnership with you! I cannot do this job on my own. It takes both of us to educate your child and in order to work together, we have to communicate with one another. I want to hear your comments and feedback. Call me anytime or write me a note and let me know when a good time to call you will be.

Absentee/Tardy Procedures

For more on this subject, look at the school handbook printed in the front of your child’s agenda book.

If a student is not inside the classroom when the last bell rings in the morning at 7:45, then I am required to send the child to the office for a late slip.

If at some time your child has to miss a day, please send a note explaining the absence when the child comes back. If you don’t send a note, then the absence will automatically be counted as unexcused.

Making up a full day’s work is a hassle! Please make every effort to have your child here if at all possible. The volume of work in fourth grade is not easy to make up. And most importantly, if your child is missing school, then he/she is missing important skills and concepts!!!!

If it is possible for you to pick up the missed work on the day of the absence, please call and let the office know and I will leave it in there for you. If your child has a brother or sister, I will gladly send the work home by one of them. If not, then the work will be ready for your child when he/she gets back. The general rule is that if you miss 2 days of school, then you have 2 days to make it up. If you miss a week, then you have a week to get the work turned back in. Late work will have points deducted from the score. If there are special circumstances, then you need to contact me and we will discuss it.

E-Mail/Web Page

My e-mail address is sswaffor@bradleyschools.org. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail anytime. On your child’s information sheet that is sent home on the first day of school, I have asked for your e-mail address. I hope that eventually, all parents will have e-mail access and we can use this as another way to communicate with each other.

Our school’s website is hopewellelementary.com. You can click on the link to classroom pages and then link to our classroom. I will update this page as often as possible if it is being used. If most of the class doesn’t have internet access and the website is not being used, I feel that my time will be better used elsewhere. Hopefully, our spelling lists will be on there (in case the hard copy sent home on Monday gets misplaced) and our test schedule, as well as any other important announcements.

School Handbook

For school-wide rules and procedures, please refer to the school handbook printed in the front of your child’s agenda book. There is more information there about school policies, dress code, discipline, cafeteria, and other school procedures. Please make sure to go over this important information.

Class Treat Box

As you may or may not have heard, schools are trying to promote healthy habits for our students. As part of the Healthy Kids/Healthy Schools initiative, Hopewell School is trying to use something other than candy for rewarding students. I have a treat box filled with small treat items. I am asking that parents sign up to help stock the treat box each month. I will send a reminder in your child’s agenda at the end or the very beginning of the month to remind you to send the items in.

Snacks

Students are allowed to bring a water bottle each day. The water bottle must contain water only.

Students will also be allowed to bring a small snack each day. Please try to make it a healthy snack. Please do not send anything chocolaty, sugary, sticky, or otherwise messy. Please also make sure that you do not send any peanut butter or snacks containing nuts, as we have a student with a severe nut allergy in our class. Please check your labels when sending items for class celebrations and parties also. I would really appreciate your help in this matter.

Snacks are to be eaten only during a certain time during the day. They cannot cause a disruption. No sharing or swapping is allowed. If your child forgets his/her snack, they will have to do without one for the day. These rules are made to protect our class instructional and work time, and to protect students with allergies.