Click here for the signature page, which is to be signed by both parent and student, and returned.
Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Miss Brown, and I will be your child’s language arts teacher this year. I’m looking forward to a busy, productive, interesting year with my students. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my classroom policies, procedures, and expectations.
Home/School Relationship: I believe firmly that in order to help your child best achieve his/her academic potential, there must be a positive, active working relationship between home and school. After all, you know your child better than I ever will, and I rely on you to help me help your child. Therefore, I am a big believer in communication. I urge and encourage you to make frequent contact with me with questions, comments, and observations at any time during the year. Methods of contact are as follows:
Written Notes: Send me a note, and I will respond that same day if at all possible.
Planner: The planner can be used to exchange notes.
Telephone: The school number is 374-6530. While I cannot be called out of class to take a phone call, I do receive messages, and will respond as quickly as possible. You may leave a message on my class phone. My extension is 3311.
Email: This is probably the best way to contact me, as I check my email several times a day, and can usually get back to you within a matter of hours. My email address is [email protected].
Conferences: I encourage you to schedule a conference with me at any time during the school year, not just on scheduled conference days twice a year.
Web Site: I am a bit of a techie geek, and so I have a web site that I update every day (there is more information about it further on in this letter). One of its features is a “Contact Me” page, through which you can send me messages and/or questions.
Content Standards: Everything I do in my classroom is governed by the Ohio State Department of Education sixth grade language arts content standards. These standards are listed on my Weebly site. We have a lot to accomplish in language arts this year. Therefore, I cannot afford to waste class time off-topic.
Assignments: Practice makes perfect. Therefore, your child should expect to have some language arts homework each evening. However, I structure my class so that the last half hour is actually set aside for them to begin working on their assignments. I do this so that I can see if they're having difficulty with the skills assigned. Homework is useless if the child goes home, begins, and realizes that s/he has no clue what to do or how to do it. By allowing them to begin their assignment in class, I can help them if they run into problems. Often, the time I set aside is enough for some students to complete the assignment and not have to take it home.
Extra Credit: As report card time draws closer, students often ask for extra credit in order to boost their grades. I periodically make extra credit opportunities available throughout the grading period (these are noted as optional assignments). However, I do not specifically provide extra credit at the end of the grade period just so that grades can be boosted. I expect students to give of their best abilities each day. “Extra” means above and beyond what is expected, and if students are not giving the expected effort, they cannot raise beyond what is expected.
Assignment Alerts: In order for learning to proceed, students must be sure to come to class with assigned work completed on time. If a student is unprepared with an assignment, s/he will receive an assignment alert, to be signed by the parent and returned along with the completed assignment. The second time the student is unprepared, a second assignment alert, with the warning of after-school detention, will be given. The third and every time thereafter during a grading period that a student is unprepared for class with assignments due, the student will receive an assignment alert and an after-school detention. I do keep track of the dates on which students receive assignment alerts, and the slate is wiped clean at the beginning of each new grading period. Note: Receiving an assignment alert does not exempt the student from completing the assignment. S/he is still expected to complete the work. If a student comes in a second day without the same assignment completed, s/he will again receive an alert, and progress through the alert process until the assignment is completed and handed in.
Class Preparedness: Students are expected to report to class on time and prepared. I expect them to have pencils, paper, planner, a book for silent reading, and any assigned work due every single day. Additionally, I expect students to be prepared throughout the year with the minimum of art supplies: scissors, glue, and something with which to color. Students cannot be on task and doing what they need to do if they come to class unprepared, and it is their responsibility to be sure they are coming to class with all the items they need.
Planners: All students are required to carry their planner with them at all times. The first thing I expect students to do when they've entered the room is to open their planner and copy down the assignment, which will be written on the assignment board. If there is no assignment for the day, students are to write the word "none" in their planner. The planner will become a reflection of all that we've done throughout the year, and is also an excellent communication tool between home and school. Notes, questions, and comments can be recorded in the planner and replied to in kind. Planners are to be brought to every class, and to be taken home each night. Parents are encouraged to review the planner each evening.
Agenda: Each day, I will have the class's agenda written on the board, letting the students know exactly what we're going to do that day, and to provide direction for them. I believe that structure, routine, and organization are important in the educational process, and do my best to provide such an atmosphere in my classroom.
Textbooks: Your child will not be assigned a language arts textbook. We will be working with a variety of materials that cover the gamut from novels to articles to independent research. When we work with novels, your child will be assigned a novel for the duration of that unit and will be responsible for returning said novel at the end of the unit. I organize the content of my class into units that may last anywhere from a week to a month or more, depending upon the material to be covered. I frequently assemble the necessary instructional material into packets, and that is what we work with. Regardless of the topic of the unit, each unit usually covers the following skills: spelling, vocabulary development, writing, grammar, reading comprehension, and many different reading skills.
Assessment: There may be periodic quizzes given, which will follow the testing format of containing multiple choice, short answer, and extended response questions. Quizzes will generally be announced ahead of time. I do occasionally give pop quizzes, but not very often. There may be tests given at the end of each unit. Study guides will be provided for tests. Most assessment of understanding will be done through the use of various PBAs (performance based assessments), which will often take the form of projects. I generally do a formative assessment to gauge pre-instruction knowledge at the beginning of each unit.
Technology: Part of our Language Arts standards is the use of technology (research, production of writing, communication via the Internet, etc.). All students will have a Gmail email address, and we will be using those throughout the school year. Some assignments will be internet related (such as completion of Google forms, etc.), and so students will be expected to know how to use their accounts (I will be teaching these skills).
Assignment Notification: There are a variety of ways in which you can make yourself aware of what your child's assignments are. They are as follow:
Planner: Your child should be recording every assignment in the planner. Check it each evening.
Web site: I will have assignments posted on my Weebly website daily, as well as worksheets, etc.
Homework Hotline: This is a recording accessed by phone. Extension numbers will be sent home. The homework hotline is updated every afternoon.
Classroom Telephone: I will leave assignments on the outgoing message of my class phone each day. Call the school at 374-6530, and then dial my extension 3311.
Remind: Information will be sent home to guide you to sign up for the free text messaging program Remind. I will use this app throughout the school year to send home reminders about important dates, projects, etc.
E-mail: If you have specific questions about assignments, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Newsletter: Again, in an effort to keep communication open and flowing between home and school, I distribute a weekly language arts newsletter every Friday (or the last day of the week). It will update you as to what we did during the week, what we will be doing in the next week or unit, give you reminders of important events and dates, and generally be a useful (I hope!) source of information for you. The newsletter also gives the student an opportunity to earn a little bit of extra credit each week in the form of an anagram puzzle to be solved (anagrams help strengthen critical thinking, deductive reasoning, logical thinking, and spelling skills).
Weebly Web Site: I design and maintain a web site for my students and their families. On it is a variety of things, including the school calendar, assignments, copies of materials used in class and of assignments, and pictures of what’s going on in our classes and school. I urge and encourage you to bookmark it in your favorites and visit it often. The URL is http://MissGBrown.weebly.com. Please note: In order to download documents, you will need Word and Adobe installed on your computer.
Conclusion: I know that I've just bombarded you with a ton of information. Here's what I want you (and your child) to carry away from having read all of this: I am a strict teacher, high expectations for my students, and believe that every child is capable of learning. I will do my absolute best to help each child do so. I expect my students and their parents to be just as committed to their education as I am.
While I certainly would like to be a friend to each and every student, my primary duty is to be his/her teacher. I'm as nice and friendly as the students allow me to be. If they require, however, that I become the discipline police because of poor decisions they make, then that is the role I will adopt. I would much rather have a friendly, warm, exciting, interesting, communicative classroom than one in which students are sullen and unproductive and I have to be stern and unyielding. However, I alone cannot determine the climate. I need each child to participate actively and enthusiastically in the learning process, with the belief that s/he can learn, the desire and willingness to do so, and the belief that I can help them to do so. In order for your child to carry that attitude into my classroom, I need your support at home. Please commit to work with me to make this one of the best years in your child's academic life.
Remember, I urge you to contact me at any time with questions, concerns, and comments. I'm truly looking forward to a great year and a productive educational partnership with you and your student. Please detach, sign, and return the next page indicating that you have read this letter and understand my classroom policies and expectations. Thank you!! :)
Hello! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Miss Brown, and I will be your child’s language arts teacher this year. I’m looking forward to a busy, productive, interesting year with my students. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of my classroom policies, procedures, and expectations.
Home/School Relationship: I believe firmly that in order to help your child best achieve his/her academic potential, there must be a positive, active working relationship between home and school. After all, you know your child better than I ever will, and I rely on you to help me help your child. Therefore, I am a big believer in communication. I urge and encourage you to make frequent contact with me with questions, comments, and observations at any time during the year. Methods of contact are as follows:
Written Notes: Send me a note, and I will respond that same day if at all possible.
Planner: The planner can be used to exchange notes.
Telephone: The school number is 374-6530. While I cannot be called out of class to take a phone call, I do receive messages, and will respond as quickly as possible. You may leave a message on my class phone. My extension is 3311.
Email: This is probably the best way to contact me, as I check my email several times a day, and can usually get back to you within a matter of hours. My email address is [email protected].
Conferences: I encourage you to schedule a conference with me at any time during the school year, not just on scheduled conference days twice a year.
Web Site: I am a bit of a techie geek, and so I have a web site that I update every day (there is more information about it further on in this letter). One of its features is a “Contact Me” page, through which you can send me messages and/or questions.
Content Standards: Everything I do in my classroom is governed by the Ohio State Department of Education sixth grade language arts content standards. These standards are listed on my Weebly site. We have a lot to accomplish in language arts this year. Therefore, I cannot afford to waste class time off-topic.
Assignments: Practice makes perfect. Therefore, your child should expect to have some language arts homework each evening. However, I structure my class so that the last half hour is actually set aside for them to begin working on their assignments. I do this so that I can see if they're having difficulty with the skills assigned. Homework is useless if the child goes home, begins, and realizes that s/he has no clue what to do or how to do it. By allowing them to begin their assignment in class, I can help them if they run into problems. Often, the time I set aside is enough for some students to complete the assignment and not have to take it home.
Extra Credit: As report card time draws closer, students often ask for extra credit in order to boost their grades. I periodically make extra credit opportunities available throughout the grading period (these are noted as optional assignments). However, I do not specifically provide extra credit at the end of the grade period just so that grades can be boosted. I expect students to give of their best abilities each day. “Extra” means above and beyond what is expected, and if students are not giving the expected effort, they cannot raise beyond what is expected.
Assignment Alerts: In order for learning to proceed, students must be sure to come to class with assigned work completed on time. If a student is unprepared with an assignment, s/he will receive an assignment alert, to be signed by the parent and returned along with the completed assignment. The second time the student is unprepared, a second assignment alert, with the warning of after-school detention, will be given. The third and every time thereafter during a grading period that a student is unprepared for class with assignments due, the student will receive an assignment alert and an after-school detention. I do keep track of the dates on which students receive assignment alerts, and the slate is wiped clean at the beginning of each new grading period. Note: Receiving an assignment alert does not exempt the student from completing the assignment. S/he is still expected to complete the work. If a student comes in a second day without the same assignment completed, s/he will again receive an alert, and progress through the alert process until the assignment is completed and handed in.
Class Preparedness: Students are expected to report to class on time and prepared. I expect them to have pencils, paper, planner, a book for silent reading, and any assigned work due every single day. Additionally, I expect students to be prepared throughout the year with the minimum of art supplies: scissors, glue, and something with which to color. Students cannot be on task and doing what they need to do if they come to class unprepared, and it is their responsibility to be sure they are coming to class with all the items they need.
Planners: All students are required to carry their planner with them at all times. The first thing I expect students to do when they've entered the room is to open their planner and copy down the assignment, which will be written on the assignment board. If there is no assignment for the day, students are to write the word "none" in their planner. The planner will become a reflection of all that we've done throughout the year, and is also an excellent communication tool between home and school. Notes, questions, and comments can be recorded in the planner and replied to in kind. Planners are to be brought to every class, and to be taken home each night. Parents are encouraged to review the planner each evening.
Agenda: Each day, I will have the class's agenda written on the board, letting the students know exactly what we're going to do that day, and to provide direction for them. I believe that structure, routine, and organization are important in the educational process, and do my best to provide such an atmosphere in my classroom.
Textbooks: Your child will not be assigned a language arts textbook. We will be working with a variety of materials that cover the gamut from novels to articles to independent research. When we work with novels, your child will be assigned a novel for the duration of that unit and will be responsible for returning said novel at the end of the unit. I organize the content of my class into units that may last anywhere from a week to a month or more, depending upon the material to be covered. I frequently assemble the necessary instructional material into packets, and that is what we work with. Regardless of the topic of the unit, each unit usually covers the following skills: spelling, vocabulary development, writing, grammar, reading comprehension, and many different reading skills.
Assessment: There may be periodic quizzes given, which will follow the testing format of containing multiple choice, short answer, and extended response questions. Quizzes will generally be announced ahead of time. I do occasionally give pop quizzes, but not very often. There may be tests given at the end of each unit. Study guides will be provided for tests. Most assessment of understanding will be done through the use of various PBAs (performance based assessments), which will often take the form of projects. I generally do a formative assessment to gauge pre-instruction knowledge at the beginning of each unit.
Technology: Part of our Language Arts standards is the use of technology (research, production of writing, communication via the Internet, etc.). All students will have a Gmail email address, and we will be using those throughout the school year. Some assignments will be internet related (such as completion of Google forms, etc.), and so students will be expected to know how to use their accounts (I will be teaching these skills).
Assignment Notification: There are a variety of ways in which you can make yourself aware of what your child's assignments are. They are as follow:
Planner: Your child should be recording every assignment in the planner. Check it each evening.
Web site: I will have assignments posted on my Weebly website daily, as well as worksheets, etc.
Homework Hotline: This is a recording accessed by phone. Extension numbers will be sent home. The homework hotline is updated every afternoon.
Classroom Telephone: I will leave assignments on the outgoing message of my class phone each day. Call the school at 374-6530, and then dial my extension 3311.
Remind: Information will be sent home to guide you to sign up for the free text messaging program Remind. I will use this app throughout the school year to send home reminders about important dates, projects, etc.
E-mail: If you have specific questions about assignments, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Newsletter: Again, in an effort to keep communication open and flowing between home and school, I distribute a weekly language arts newsletter every Friday (or the last day of the week). It will update you as to what we did during the week, what we will be doing in the next week or unit, give you reminders of important events and dates, and generally be a useful (I hope!) source of information for you. The newsletter also gives the student an opportunity to earn a little bit of extra credit each week in the form of an anagram puzzle to be solved (anagrams help strengthen critical thinking, deductive reasoning, logical thinking, and spelling skills).
Weebly Web Site: I design and maintain a web site for my students and their families. On it is a variety of things, including the school calendar, assignments, copies of materials used in class and of assignments, and pictures of what’s going on in our classes and school. I urge and encourage you to bookmark it in your favorites and visit it often. The URL is http://MissGBrown.weebly.com. Please note: In order to download documents, you will need Word and Adobe installed on your computer.
Conclusion: I know that I've just bombarded you with a ton of information. Here's what I want you (and your child) to carry away from having read all of this: I am a strict teacher, high expectations for my students, and believe that every child is capable of learning. I will do my absolute best to help each child do so. I expect my students and their parents to be just as committed to their education as I am.
While I certainly would like to be a friend to each and every student, my primary duty is to be his/her teacher. I'm as nice and friendly as the students allow me to be. If they require, however, that I become the discipline police because of poor decisions they make, then that is the role I will adopt. I would much rather have a friendly, warm, exciting, interesting, communicative classroom than one in which students are sullen and unproductive and I have to be stern and unyielding. However, I alone cannot determine the climate. I need each child to participate actively and enthusiastically in the learning process, with the belief that s/he can learn, the desire and willingness to do so, and the belief that I can help them to do so. In order for your child to carry that attitude into my classroom, I need your support at home. Please commit to work with me to make this one of the best years in your child's academic life.
Remember, I urge you to contact me at any time with questions, concerns, and comments. I'm truly looking forward to a great year and a productive educational partnership with you and your student. Please detach, sign, and return the next page indicating that you have read this letter and understand my classroom policies and expectations. Thank you!! :)