Dear Parents and Students of 4C:

Welcome to a new school year. I am Ms. Hotto and I am teaching fourth grade at Bluffview Elementary this year. (My first year in Dupo). I will also be the Math teacher for everyone in fourth grade. I am very excited to have each and every one of you and am looking forward to a very successful first year at Bluffview!! The following pages will describe the routines and procedures in my classroom and will also describe some of my expectations which will be set very high!! These routines and procedures are developed to help our classroom run smoothly and effectively. This will allow more time to learn! Please read over this packet with your child.

TESTS All tests will be sent home and signed by the parent and brought back by the student. The student will be given a few days to do this; no test is required back the next day. If the test is misplaced, please write a note stating you have seen the test and the grade. I will keep all tests so that, if necessary, we can review them at conference time.

HOMEWORK POLICY I believe homework is important as it is a valuable aid in helping students reinforce what they are learning. It prepares them for class, re-teaches concepts and gives them practice on skills (practice makes perfect!). Homework also develops responsibility and good study habits. To enhance the responsibility and accountability portion of homework, I will check it everyday. If your child does not have his/her homework, he will receive a discipline mark and the work will be expected the next day. This will continue until the work is turned in. Some homework will be taken for a grade, usually randomly. If your child does not have his work on those days, his grade will go down one point for being late. If the work is not done the next day, a zero will be given. If homework is consistently not done, a notice of concern will be sent home and after school detention may be warranted (with prior parental approval).

Homework should take no less than 60 minutes to complete. I rarely will send home "loads" of work, unless a major test is upcoming. In that case, the students will have had plenty of advanced notice about the test. I will usually give a Math and Spelling test on Friday, with Thursday being review days, either with a Spelling Bee or some sort of group activity to practice for the test.

MATH See attached sheet "All About Math Class" for all information regarding the Math that will be taught in fourth grade.

BONUS Bonus work will be offered in every subject I teach. It will only count in favor of the student and never against them. This will give every student a chance to make up for a bad grade on a test, etc. It will usually be worth one test grade.

STUDENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO STAY IN FROM RECESS OR P.E. TO COMPLETE MISSING ASSIGNMENTS. PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS MAY ALSO BE MADE TO COME BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL TO COMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS.

MAKE-UP WORK If a student is absent, it will be their responsibility to get their assignments from me when they return. I will collect all worksheets, etc. for them and if you would like some special arrangements to pick up the work at the end of the day, please let the office know when you call to report the absence in the morning. When the students returns, they will have a sufficient amount of time to turn in the missing work. I will keep track of the work missed, so that it may be made up.

BIRTHDAYS If you would like to send a treat for your childs birthday, please contact me and let me know. The only regulation is that the treat be store bought and individually wrapped. We will probably have the treat at the end of the day 1:30 to 2:15.

BOOK ORDERS I will be sending home book orders periodically. This is strictly optional, particularly since we have two book fairs during the year, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. Once the orders are sent home, you will have one week to turn in the orders. Please make checks payable to the book company or send cash, when placing the order.

GRADES I grade on a point system. The number on top is the number correct and the number on the bottom is the number possible. Example: 9/10 means the student got 9 out of 10 correct. I will then calculate all points into a percentage for progress reports and grade cards. I will also send all graded papers home in the Assignment Notebook. Please look over these papers carefully so that you can see where your child might need help.

A progress report will be sent home with every student midway through the quarter so that you can see your childs progress. Grades will consist of an average of homework, classwork, quizzes, tests and bonuses. The grading scale is as follows:

· A = 100 94%

· B = 93 87%

· C = 86 78%

· D = 77 70%

· F = 69 or below

Thank you for your help and support! I look forward to working with all of you to make Fourth Grade a successful year for all of us!

Ms. JoAnne Hotto