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ATTENDANCE
Regular and punctual attendance is important in order to fulfill the educational needs of every child. The school day begins promptly at 8:50 am. Students need to be in their seats and ready for instruction at 9:00 am. If a student is late, he or she must report to the nurse's office in order to excuse his or her tardiness.
The education of each child can be seriously affected by absences. Your child's success at school depends upon regular and consistent attendance. Most subjects are taught in sequence requiring the understanding of each concept in the order of its presentation. Persistent absenteeism creates a genuine hardship for a student and is regarded as a very serious problem. If an absence occurs, a note must be sent to the student's teacher stating the nature of the absence in order for it to be excused. Every absence MUST be followed by a note from you stating the nature of absence.BATHROOM BREAKS
If a student needs to use the bathroom, the student must sign out in the bathroom registry. Taking a bathroom break during instruction is not suggested since students may miss out on important information needed to complete classroom assignments.
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Birthday parties/celebrations are allowed. We celebrate with a snack. There are 21 students in the class this year.
BOOK BAGS
Students are advised to enter the classroom, take a seat, and remove any needed school tools from their book bags. "School tools" are defined as any tools needed during the class period to complete assignments such as: pencils, erasers, notebook paper, folders, art supplies, etc. Once students have their necessary school tools, they are to place their book bags in a designated area of the classroom.
CLASSROOM LIBRARY
Our classroom has a library created with the purpose of motivating students to read for various purposes which include reading for fun, reading to practice a reading strategy/skill, or reading to practice fluency. Students will be sent to the classroom library during the following times:
Differentiated Instruction / Learning Centers
Sustained Silent Reading
Free Time
If Instructed by the Teacher
COMMUNICATION
Open lines of communication are vital elements in any school program. The relationship between school and home is always better enhanced through discussion of mutual problems, grades, proposals, or programs. We invite and urge parents to participate in any way possible in order to further enrich their child’s potential.
Parents may communicate by:
Writing a note and sending it with the student
Placing a phone call during school hours to (716) 807-3850 ext. 5207 to speak to or leave a message for Mrs. Abbott.
Scheduling a conference during a time that's convenient for both the parent and the teacher by calling the school at (716) 807-3850 ext. 5207.
Visiting Mrs. Abbott's Website at www.ntschools.org.
Writing an email to Mrs. Abbott at kabbott@ntschools.org OR lvteachg@verizon.net
Mrs. Abbott will communicate by:
Sending notes, letters, notifications, or announcements with the student or by mail.
Making phone calls to parents to talk about student progress.
Sending student progress reports, report cards, and/or notes.
Posting information in Mrs. Abbott's Class Website (www.ntschools.org).
Writing emails to those parents who have email accounts.
COMPUTER USE
Our classroom is equipped with four computers offering a variety of skill-building programs. The students will go on the computer in order to complete various projects and assignments given by the teacher.
Computer time will be designated by the teacher during the class period. Students should wait for the teacher to give instructions on when to go on the computer. Furthermore, a student will lose his or her computer time if the following occur: (1) the student touches a part of the computer that he or she is not allowed to touch; (2) the student goes into a part of the computer he or she is not allowed to go in; (3); the student plays around in the computer instead of doing his or her work; or (4) the student is distracting other students who are working. If any of these situations occur, the student will face immediate disciplinary action as stated in the school-wide discipline plan.
CONFERENCES
We appreciate the interest you express in the progress of your child. Parents are welcomed to schedule conferences with the teacher throughout the year to discuss mutual problems, grades, proposals, or problems. Conferences may be arranged with the teacher at a mutually convenient time and setting and they may be requested by the parent, teachers, or administration. To schedule an appointment for a conference, please call (716) 807-3850 ext. 5207 to speak to or leave a message for Mrs. Abbott.
EMERGENCY CONTACT CARDParents need to make sure that they complete and sign the emergency contact card provided to them at the beginning of the school year or when they register their child. It is very important for emergency and administrative reasons, that every student maintain an up-to-date emergency contact card. Parents need to notify the teacher immediately if they have a change of address, phone numbers, emergency contacts, or place of employment.
HOMEWORK POLICY
Homework is an integral factor in fostering the academic achievement of students and in extending school activities into the home and the community. Homework should provide reinforcement and extension of class instruction, and should serve as a basis for further study and preparation for future class assignments. Students will receive homework assignments every day, Monday through Friday. If the assignment is to be written, students are expected to return the completed assignment each day. Parents are asked to please review their child’s homework every night.Frequency and Quantity of Homework Assignments for Students in Fourth Grade
Fourth Grade: Daily (5 days a week) for 50-60 minutesThese times do reflect the 20 minutes that are required to be devoted to daily independent reading, which needs to be done every day MONDAY-SUNDAY. During these 20 minutes parents may either read to their child or listen to their child read.
LEARNING CENTERS
Learning Centers take part of the Differentiated Instruction period during the daily Math and Reading block. Students are placed in groups of 5-6 students. These groups attend various learning centers in order to engage in independent activities that enhance the students' overall math and reading abilities. The activities found in each learning center are differentiated for each student group in order to meet students at their independent level of learning. Student groups spend an approximate 20 minutes per learning center and my visit up to 2-3 centers a day. The following is a list of the learning centers available in our classroom:
Teacher-Led Center
Computer Center
Classroom Library Center
Skills-Based Center
LINING-UP
Students will be instructed to practice the following guidelines when lining-up:
Looking forward
Inner hands
Nice and quiet
Everyone's in a straight lineThe above acrostic poem is an instant reminder for students to line-up correctly. Students immediately remember that:
They must look ahead to see where the line is going;
They should keep their hands "in" by placing them on their sides for a straight posture;
They need to be nice and quiet while walking in line;
And finally, they will form a straight line by following the stated guidelines.
When lining-up from the classroom, students will be called according to team scores. The team with the most points will line-up first, then the second team and so forth. Students will proceed to line-up towards the entrance of our classroom. They will then follow the "LINE" up guidelines. If students are unable to "LINE" up accordingly, they will be instructed to sit down and attempt the process again until it is done correctly.
LUNCH ROOM
Students are expected to maintain positive behaviors while having lunch in the cafeteria. Parents are encouraged to discuss the following expected cafeteria behaviors:
Enter the Dining Room quietly and wait quietly in a single file line.
Speak in a low, soft voice.
Remain seated once you get your food. No one is allowed to leave their seat without permission of an adult.
Keep food and wrappers inside the trays at all times.
Keep your area clean. Pick up what you drop and dispose of any trash you see.
Applications for the "Free or Reduced Lunch Program" were provided at the beginning of the year, and should have been completed and returned to the main office for processing during the first week of school.MORNING PROCEDURES
As students enter the classroom they are expected to sit at their assigned seats and begin to take out any necessary school tools from their book bags. They are to sharpen two pencils and begin their morning work and classroom jobs. After attendance has been taken, the teacher will then review the morning work assignment with the students before continuing with the day's lessons.
PENCIL SHARPENING
Students are required to come to class prepared with at least 3 sharpened pencils. As part of their School Supplies list, each student will need to come to class prepared with a covered pencil sharpener. Students are to use their covered sharpeners to sharpen their pencils. They are to wait until the end of the class period to empty their sharpeners if needed.
PERSONAL POSSESSIONS
Students are urged not to bring any expensive or valuable jewelry, toys, or other possessions of value to school. Any toys or video games that are brought to the classroom will be confiscated by the teacher and will only be returned to the parent.
REQUIRED SUPPLIES
Students are responsible for coming to class prepared with the necessary supplies as outlined in the School Supplies list. The following is a list of the supplies students are required to bring to class every day. Please note that this list only shows the supplies that are required for students to bring to class every day. This is not the complete list of required supplies. For a complete list of required supplies please click here.
SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS
Our class will participate in a monthly book club sponsored by Scholastic called "Arrow". Students will receive a book club flyer every month that will feature book selections which range from a wide variety of reading levels. Moreover, the prices are reasonable and the class will earn bonus points for each item ordered. These points will be redeemed for books to improve our classroom library! The flyers will go home with the students, and parents are free to discuss the featured books with their child. Please note that participation in this book club is strictly OPTIONAL.
In order to assist parents with book selections, the teacher will make recommendations once a month. If parents decide to purchase any books for their child, they will need to fill out the form on the back of the book club flyer, enclose either cash or a check made out to "Scholastic", and send both the flyer and the payment to the teacher (Mrs. Abbott). The teacher will then turn in the order and payment to Scholastic. Once the order is placed, delivery will generally take less than 2 weeks and the books will arrive to the classroom to be distributed to the students who purchased them.
STUDENT PROGRESS
Student progress will be evaluated through progress reports (given bi-weekly) and report cards.
TELEPHONE USE
The use of the telephone by students will be confined to EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY. Under no circumstances are students to call their parents to make after school arrangements.
WATER FOUNTAIN USE
Procedures for water fountain use are similar to those used when students need to use the bathroom. If a student needs to drink water during the class period, the student must sign out. The student will then need to take a hall pass before leaving the classroom. Students will only be given permission to use the water fountain one time in the morning, one in the afternoon, and after coming back from P.E.