Mrs. Dennison’s 4th Grade Class BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT 2014-15

Dear 4th Grade Parents,

Welcome to our classroom, #230! I am so excited that you are here to check out your child’s classroom and learn about the curriculum. I have created this handbook to share some general notes and many of my classroom policies and procedures. Moorefield has its own handbook, as does Loudoun County Public Schools. These are available online. I hope this will help you understand what to expect this year and answer some questions you may have.

About MeMy name is Mrs. Susan Dennison and I am thrilled to be the 4th grade teacher at Moorefield Station Elementary. I am beginning my 20th year of teaching. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from George Mason University, a Master’s degree in Education from Marymount University (with an K-8 Certification), and all of the required post-graduate credits for an endorsement in Gifted Education from Northwestern, Northeastern Illinois, and Aurora Universities. Additionally, I have completed the Smithsonian iWonder course from which I learned how to best implement the inquiry method in my daily instruction. My experience includes teaching grades 3, 4, 5, and 8 GT in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Wilmette, IL public schools. My husband of 15 years and I enjoy living in the historic district of Leesburg. . Last summer, I became a first-time mom to a beautiful boy, Drake! I love to travel, be outdoors, read, follow current events and soak up all of the history in the area.

Parent- Teacher CommunicationI strongly believe that communication between parents and teachers is necessary for children to achieve their best in school. I will send home weekly newsletters, update my web site bi-weekly, and be available via email, classroommessenger.com, or the school phone should you have concerns. In addition, please contact me if anything is going on at home that you think might affect your child’s behavior in class. I prefer to be proactive.

The BEST way to contact me is by e-mail (susan.dennison@lcps.org). I will try to respond within 24-48 hours during the school week. If that is not convenient for you, you can always send a note to school with your child or call the school and leave a message. Please do NOT expect return calls and emails during school hours, as teachers are not permitted to be on email during instructional time.

Please make sure that you call the school at 571-252-2380 if your dismissal plans change during the school day!

Policy InformationSchool officially commences at 7:50 a.m. Students who arrive after morning announcements will be considered tardy. A fourth grade student will be considered ready to start the day when he has walked into the classroom, unpacked his bag, selected his lunch order, and settled into his daily morning reading or assignment. Due to the rigor of fourth grade, it is important for your child to arrive to school on time. Accommodations will always be made for late running buses or delayed openings.

The following terms play an important part in understanding the assessment and grading system here at Moorefield Station:

All work that is assigned, in or out of class, is done for a specific learning purpose. Some assignments are made in order to give the student practice on a new or existing skill, and some assignments are made for diagnostic purposes. Therefore, not all assignments will be given a number grade.

Assessment - The methods, strategies, and tools used to measure and determine the extent to which students have learned content, concepts, and skillsFormative Assessment – Assessment occurring DURING the learning that is used by teachers to adapt their instruction and used by students to determine their current progressSummative Assessment – Assessment occurring AFTER the learning that documents how much learning has occurred at a point in time

Teachers use formative assessments to help guide instruction. The numerical score given on formative assessments, when recorded, is used along with summative scores to report progress toward the topic statements under each content area on the report card and, usually, will not be included as part of the quarterly or final grade.

Summative assessments (i.e. tests, quizzes, projects, presentations) are used to report overall student performance. Overall letter grades of A-F are an average of summative assessments over the quarter, not an average of report card topic statements. Most of your child’s daily work will be marked with a numerical score from one to four.

LCPS uses a four-point grading scale: 4 - Exceeds the standard, 3 - Meets the standard, 2 - Progressing toward the standard, and 1 - Below the standard

In order to receive a score of “4” on an assessment, a child must meet the level 3 learning target and also demonstrate application of more complex concepts related to level “3.” A child who “Exceeds the Standard” produces work that shows in-depth understanding of the grade level concepts.

A child who receives a score of “3” on an assessment has demonstrated the understanding or skill necessary to “Meet the Standard.” The goal is for all children to demonstrate proficiency in the targeted skills taught in their grade level.

A child who receives a score of “2” on an assessment is working with simpler concepts that show the student is “Progressing toward the Standard.”

A child who is working with the building blocks that will eventually lead to success at level “2” or higher would receive a “1” or “Below the Standard” on that particular assessment.

General Notes● FIRST WEEKS OF SCHOOL: The first two weeks of school are quite an adjustment as we

concentrate on creating a positive atmosphere and work on learning classroom organization, procedures and routines. You might feel that the work seems too easy at first, but we use these couple of weeks to review concepts and assess students’ current skill levels in math, reading, and spelling. Results gleaned help guide leveled instruction.

● VOLUNTEERS: There are numerous opportunities for you to help make our classroom and our school a better place. Please see my Parent Volunteer Form in this packet.

● MORNING ROUTINE: Every morning, the students are to check their backpacks for finished homework, notes, money, or forms. Any notes, money, or important papers are to be placed in the green basket located on the front desk, by the calendar. Please remind your child that he or she needs to turn things in to me first thing in the morning.

● SNACK: Lunch is at 10:55am. The 4th grade team has decided that, since lunch times are so early this year, we will not have a snack time. Rather, please try to send a water bottle with your child each day. This was not my personal decision. If you are concerned about this, let me know via email or note, especially if there are medical issues involved.

● BOX TOPS: We collect Box Tops for Education, which are found on the General Mills products, Ziploc bags, Kleenex brand tissues, Cottonelle toilet paper, and many other grocery items. Each time we receive a box top, money is donated back to the school. Please watch out for these box tops, cut them out, and return them to school.

● SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS: Each month, I will send home paper flyers from Scholastic. Book clubs for students are now called, Scholastic Reading Clubs, and are grade-level specific. Ordering is OPTIONAL. I will accept paper/check orders as well as online orders.

BIRTHDAYS: A Moorefield Station student’s birthday is recognized by the school and in my classroom. Summer birthdays are celebrated at the end of the year. In accordance with the Loudoun County Public Schools Food in Schools Guidelines, please do NOT send in cupcakes or other food treats for your child’s class; rather, consider joining your child for lunch and bringing him or her a special treat. If you have birthday party invitations, your child may only pass them out at school if every person in our class is invited.

SpecialsEach week, your child will go to Art, Music, P.E., Computer Lab, and the Library. FLES, or Foreign Language in the E.S., was cut from the budget and is no longer offered. Students are asked to wear gym shoes on P.E. days. Library books need to be returned promptly. *See our schedule.

Attendance and Procedures for Arrival and Dismissal

AttendanceIt is extremely important that your child be present for daily instruction. As your child is now out of primary grades (K-3), it is also harder to achieve good grades if they rely on worksheets and textbooks to make up missed lessons following an absence. Worksheets do NOT replace interactive lessons, cooperative group work, or classroom discussions and demonstrations. In fact, we are urged to teach without a lot of “sheets.” I am not required to provide make-up work for unexcused absences (i.e. week at Disney) until after the student returns to school; although, if given enough advanced notice, I will prepare as much as possible for a student to take with them on a trip. After any absence due to illness, I will give the student a reasonable amount of time to make up missed work. Please do not send your child back to school until he/she has been fever free for 24 hours.

Appointment or Early Pick Up from SchoolPlease send a note to let me know if you will be picking your child up from school for an appointment that is during the school day, or if you will be picking them up early. Stop in the office to sign the student out. The office personnel will call down to the classroom to let us know that you have arrived and I will send the child to you in the office. If he or she returns during the school day, the parent must sign him/her back in. Please try to schedule routine appointments during specials classes (Art, Music, P.E.), lunch, or after school.

ArrivalThe doors to my classroom will open at 7:50 AM, although I arrive by 7:30. Children arriving before 7:50 will not be supervised. For safety reasons, do not drop your child off at school before this time. Between 7:50 and 8:00 AM, announcements begin and all students should be in the classroom, homework turned in, in their seats, and working on their Morning Work. If a child is tardy he/she needs to go the office for a tardy slip before coming to the classroom.

DismissalPlease make sure your child knows how he or she is getting home each day. Keeping a consistent routine will ensure that your child always knows where to go at dismissal! Please do not pick your child up at the door unless you are helping them carry a special project in or out. If there is a change in the regular routine, please send a note to me on that day that clearly outlines the change. If the change occurs during the current school day, call the school office. Do not depend on my email or voicemail for relaying this information to me. While I do check

email when I have breaks, I am not permitted to do so during instructional time. Occasionally, my break time is spent planning, grading, or in meetings and I cannot check email at all.

The “Boomerang Folder” and the Binder System

The binder system is the primary way that we will communicate with one another this year. On the first day of school, I will hold up a real boomerang brought back from a trip abroad and explain the concept. Taking home and returning the folder will be considered part of the required, nightly homework. The Boomerang folder, a red communication folder for graded papers only, and the Agenda, will ALL BE LOCATED IN A SINGLE, 3-RING BINDER THAT YOUR CHILD WILL BRING HOME AND RETURN DAILY.

The Boomerang folder’s pockets are labeled Homework, For Parents, For Students, and Things to STAY at Home. Please remember to empty the Things to Stay at Home pocket throughout the week. This will include fliers, my weekly newsletter, checked work I have asked the students to take home without grading (usually because we have gone over it together in class). A standard, red communication folder from the school will be used as a “Monday Folder,” for graded papers. Mrs. Vaughn will also use the same system, except for the Boomerang.

The BINDER should stay in the backpack at all times during the week. This is important because it travels back and forth, between school and home, every day—a 1-stop shop!

HomeworkI believe that homework should be meaningful reinforcement of what has been taught in class that day/week, not busy-work. The skills and concepts should be familiar to your child. If a novel is sent home with your child, he/she should read the assigned chapter(s) as part of the evening’s homework; otherwise, the 20 minutes of reading may be from a book of choice.

I typically assign 20 minutes of Reading, a Word Study (spelling) assignment, and a Math practice page each week night. There is no weekend homework unless a special project has been given. Mrs. Vaughn will be teaching your child Math, and will assign homework in a similar frequency. If your child has earned a “No Homework” coupon, it may be used for just one of the nightly tasks.

MoneyOn occasion, it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Always send money in an envelope or Ziploc bag that is clearly marked with the child’s name, the amount, and the purpose of the money (lunch money, picture money, etc.). Lunch accounts may be loaded online. Please call the office or refer to the school web site for instructions.

Rules and DisciplineMoorefield Station Elementary's P.B.I.S. (Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports) program provides incentives to encourage students to display desirable S.H.A.R.K. character traits and behaviors in their classrooms, hallways, and the cafeteria. The procedures taught in the first weeks of school include lessons about the high expectations we have for Moorefield students. We will brainstorm a list of rewards, individual, class and whole-school, which will be offered to students who earn Shark Teeth, or whole-class Shark Bites for being “caught” doing the right thing. My students will also earn Dojo points for each Shark Tooth. Another component of our P.B.I.S. program involves consequences that carry more weight than missed recess or a time out. Filling out a Think Tank sheet allows for a learning opportunity during which students reflect about their poor choices and take the sheet home for a dialog with parents. Rather than seeing a Think Tank coming home and assuming that your child has been labeled a “bad kid;” please, know that these do not go in your child’s cumulative file. They are given to encourage a home-school connection and to foster discussion about choices a child makes throughout his or her school day. They should be signed and returned promptly.

Fourth Grade Written Assignment PolicyStudents should take pride in their education and their work; therefore, written assignments that do not meet the following guidelines will not be accepted:

Papers must be neat; No rips, tears, or major crumples. Papers should be completed on wide-ruled notebook paper with 3 holes and not on paper torn out of a

spiral notebook. Papers must have the correct heading; name, date, and subject with page number. All written assignments are written in pencil unless otherwise directed.

Work that does not meet the above criteria may be handed back and the student will have until the following school day to turn in the assignment.

Real-time Behavior and Academic Skills ManagementIn our classroom, we also have common sense classroom rules that correlate to the P.B.I.S. program. I use Class Dojo, a free app/web site, to keep tech-savvy parents aware of both positives and negatives throughout the week. If parents sign up and are willing to receive the automatic Friday emails, no paper need be involved. While the behavior system is a positive one, from time-to-time, negative Dojo messages may serve as alerts to be on the lookout for a Think Tank sheet that may be coming home if the behavior happens too frequently. Through ClassDojo, I can also award “points” for great thinking, persistence, completing homework, hard work, and other desirable traits for students during instruction.

Fun Friday

Every Friday the students will have an opportunity to earn an extra 15 minutes of recess. In order to earn the extra time, each student will have to turn in their homework the day it is due, behave properly according to the school and classroom rules, and complete all classroom assignments for the week. Eligibility for extra recess will be determined by a three-strike rule. If a student receives three strikes by Friday, they will not be allowed to join in during the extra recess time. Students who earn three strikes will have to sit in a designated classroom and complete any missing assignments or read quietly. Additionally, students who have missing classroom assignments will need to work on those in the designated classroom during Fun Friday. *They do not miss their regular, 15-minute recess, just the extra time.

Conferences and Report CardsOur school has two scheduled Teacher Work Days in early November which are used as conference days. I will offer most after school conference times before the work days, depending on my availability. You can sign up for these intake conferences by going to my class web page and clicking on the link topic, “Fall Conference Sign-Up.” From there, you will be able to click on Sign-Up Genius and choose from 5 days with multiple 20-minute slots each. If you have a concern at any time of year, however, please contact me about a conference and I will be happy to meet with you or schedule a telephone conference.

Report cards will be issued at the end of each nine-week period. They will be sent home with the children. Please sign the cut-away slip and return it inside the envelope with your child as soon as possible. There is a section for comments—feel free to make them! More information about the grading system and the online parent portal is available on our school web page and the LCPS CLARITY web page.

I know this year will be an exciting journey in which you will see much growth in your child. I am looking forward to a great year. Keep up with our class on my comprehensive web site, through my weekly 4th Grade Happenings newsletter, classroommessenger.com, and Class Dojo. We may even get a Twitter feed going and Instragram account! More info will come soon about those.

Thank you in advance for your support throughout the year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Susan Dennison, M.Ed.susan.dennison@lcps.org