Our Seven Classroom Rules

1. Follow directions (the first time they are given!)
2. Keep hands, feet, and negative comments to yourself,
3. Be kind to other children and adults in the classroom. Show respect.
4. Take good care of class materials and clean up things when you are finished with them.
5. Always walk in the hallways and classroom.
6. Raise your hand when you need to share something with the class.
7. Use a soft voice in the classroom, save your big voice for outside.

Supplies

Please provide your child with a backpack. You do not need to send supplies with to school. What the school doesn’t provide, I’ve used other budget monies to get everything we need to start the year. If we run low on something, I will ask in a newsletter for donations.

 

Incentive System: $$$

I run a classroom store and pay the students for performing jobs, getting good behavior reports, and returning their homework. On Fridays we shop at the store in the classroom. This is a great system for teaching responsibility, money and counting skills, saving vs. spending, and more.

 

Homework

We have two kinds of homework: Math and Homework Books. We learn great things every day in school, and your support at home benefits your child in many ways.

• Math homework will come home on any given day. It will apply to what we did together in school and would be most effective if done that day. When you need extra time due to sports or after school events, that’s fine, too.
• Homework books begin September 18th. Your student will bring home a book at his or her level each night. I will give more details about the program at open house. I am dedicated to my homework books program because daily practice with books at their level is key to their reading skill development. It also gives you a chance to watch your child’s skills grow throughout the year.

A note about homework: My first priority is the homework books. Students receive a classroom dollar for completing the book, but they pay me a dollar when they don’t complete it. However, there is no penalty for taking a couple days to do the math sheets.

Homework should not be stressful or take too much time , so try to do no more than 15-25 minutes a night, depending on your child’s willingness and ability. See me if you run into homework problems.

 

Volunteering

I always appreciate help from parents/grandparents/sisters/ brothers/anybody! Do you have time to be a part of our classroom? Return the volunteer form in the first day packet if you are interested.

For classroom visits, I require that you call the office or email me in the morning if you plan to stop in. Also, remember that you must sign in at the office, even if you’re just coming down for a minute! Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Behavior Reports

I use a card system to chart behavior. When a student breaks a rule or is disruptive, he or she changes the card to the next color. Each Friday, you will receive a behavior report with colors that show how well your child did at following rules and participating appropriately in class. All green is the goal! The colors are explained on the report. Sign and return it on Monday so your child earns one classroom dollar!

 

Snack and Show and Tell

Each day one person will bring a healthy snack for the class. On snack day, your child will also bring something for Show and Tell. The snack calendar is available on our website and if you need or prefer it, I can place one in the MOOSE book. Everyone received September’s today. The online calendar allows you to schedule an email reminder to yourself about your upcoming snack day. Please read the snack rules carefully on the calendar. I do return snacks home that don’t follow the healthy snack rule.

 

Lunch Money

Your child does not give lunch or milk money directly to the cashier at the cafeteria; it is given to me and then I send our class’ money down each morning. To make this quick and easy so we can get started with our day, please follow these guidelines:

When your child has money for lunch, please send it in an envelope or plastic zip bag with this information:

If your child buys milk, please send the entire week’s milk money on Monday, rather than the money for one milk each day.

 

Birthdays

On your child’s birthday, he or she may bring in a sweet treat (cupcakes, etc.) for the class to share at snack time. If your child’s birthday falls in the summer months, we will celebrate during the last two weeks of school.

 

Newsletters

I try to send a weekly newsletter home on Fridays so you know what we’re up to! I am offering the option of receiving newsletters via email or paper copy to save on the cost of copies. See page 6.

 

MOOSE Books

We’ll bring MOOSE books home every day. These will help you and I keep in touch and help your child keep papers organized. There are instructions on the front of the folder. Remember to put any notes to me in the back of the folder so I can quickly see in the morning if there’s anything I need to read immediately.

 

Contacting me

I always welcome calls, notes or emails from parents. The best way to get in touch with me is email. My email address is jbarth@casdk12.net. My home phone number is 348-2599 or you can reach me at the school at 344-3654. Feel free to contact me whenever you need to!

 

Allergy

We do have a student with a severe peanut allergy this year. To keep any trace of peanuts from entering the room, lunch boxes will stay outside the door of the classroom, so you can still send PB&J for lunch. We will be extra careful with snacks and hand washing after lunch.