Important Notes & Helpful Hints

Morning Collections (Notes and Lunch Tickets)

Let your child know if he/she needs to hand in any important paper work (i.e., lunch ticket order, SCRIP, Market Day, leaving early notes, etc.) that either goes directly to the office or to my attention. 

When purchasing lunch tickets, please use exact money amounts.  The lunch staff does not make change.  If a child is taking extra entree, the lunch program requires that the child have the .50cents handed in with the morning lunch count.  In this case, an extra entree ticket is issued, which is distributed to the child before lunch.  The lunch program does not take the money, at the counter, at lunch hour. St. Joe's does not supply students with extra entree money.  Extra entree money/order must be placed with the teacher, in the morning.

Homework and Assignment Notebooks

Please sign all papers and/or homework that are to be returned/handed in.  This is an excellent opportunity to see what we are doing in class and how your child is progressing in his/her studies. 

There will be times where a certain assignment may need preparation with an adult, preferably a parent.  When an assignment like this goes home, I will attach a general letter to the assignment stating that the assignment needs special attention.  I do not expect parents to do all of the homework assignments with their child, however, I do recommend that you look over your child's homework and aid in any errors that you find. 

I will still look over the above mentioned papers as well as correct papers completed in school. A sticker, stamp or hand written mark indicates that I have seen the paper. If you are unsure that a paper has been corrected, please return it to me and I will look at it again.  Upon return to you, I highly recommend that all papers are saved at least untill the end of each quarter. This comes in handy in case I need to re-evaluate a paper, forgot to document the grade, or a child takes a paper home by an accident.  If you do not see an indication of the paper being graded, it is safest to send it back to me .  After you have your child's report card, you may discard the previous quarter's papers.

Along with your child, please go over, check and sign your child's assignment notebook every day.  This allows your child to learn and build many important skills, such as organization and responsbility.   

If you and your child ever need extra time for a particular assignment, please let me know.  I am flexible in most cases. 

Every Day Expectations 

Have your child read 15 minutes and study Math flash cards every night.  A little bit each night makes a big difference and builds confidence! 

Each morning, we have snack at 10:30 am.  Please send a healthy snack (i.e., crackers, veggies, fruit, fruit cup, cheese, yogurt, etc.) with your child every day.  There is a refrigerator in the classroom to keep snacks fresh.  St Joe's and their staff do not supply snack for your child.

I check assignment notebooks every day.  This is one way you can communicate with me and be assured that I see your message. Also, having the assignment notebook signed is a standard on the report card, in the Personal Growth Area.  Please help your child succeed in this area by signing his/her notebook after homework assignments are completed.   

Students are expected to put the homework assignments in a bin, on the table near my desk.  I remind the children to hand in assignments.  If it seems that there are a lot of papers piling up in your child's folder, please remind him/her to hand them in.  A gentle reminder to your child, in the morning, may be very helpful.  

Subjects

Reading and Religion have home activities that have similar names.  In Reading (Family Times), I require at least two of the activities be completed for the assignment.  In Religion (Family Time), I require at least one of the activities be completed for the assignment.  The due date for these assignments is usually one week.  These papers must be signed and returned.  It is also helpful if the signature is near the activity that was completed.

The Reading series includes Literature, Phonics, Spelling, and Language Arts.  I send home the hard cover readers (text book) and paper readers(which are more phonics based).  These stories are to be read several times so that the children can become more comfortable recognizing words, using tone and expression, and more fluent reader.  We usually have a Spelling test every Friday morning.  I like to give the children the new Spelling words on Friday  afternoon so they can study over the weekend.  The most common times that we will not have Spelling tests are on a short week or holiday weeks.  You may find that the Spelling words, reading assignments from the text book, and the paper readers are sometimes easy and sometimes hard.  This is the way the reading series set up the program. 

The Math program is set up using numbered lessons.  A common assignment in Math will be labeled as Hw.# / B (lesson # side B) and Facts # / B (lesson # side B).

The Science program is a very hands on experience.  Homework will be rarely sent home.  You can look for mini thematic booklets and worksheets to monitor your child's progress.

In Social Studies we study Maps, Globes, and Graphs, Risk Watch Safety, and Important People, Events and Traditions.  Homework will be rarely sent home.  You can look for mini thematic booklets and worksheets to monitor your child's progress.  

This year the students will be learning Cursive Writing. They are very excited.  We do an overview of manuscript until about December.  I am very strict about handwriting, so there will be some homework in this subject.

Mrs. Groth would like the girls hair up for Gym class.  Since we have Gym in the morning, it would be helpful if your child came to school with this already done.  Keep in mind that Gym is held on Monday and Wednesday. Students are expected to be properly dressed for Gym (tennis shoes/sneakers/no skirts).  Be aware that there may occasionally be an assignment is "special" classes.  These assignments come from the "special" teachers and may not be in the assignment notebook.  Ask you child if he/she has homework in Music, Art, Spanish, or Gym. 

Your child is in an important year in his/her Faith Journey, as he/she is receiving two Sacraments(Reconciliation and First Eucharist).  We have preparation in class through text and discussion.  However, nothing is more important than the family reinforcing the value of these Sacraments.  This would include discussing right from wrong, regular prayer and Mass attendance, and the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.   

Final Note 

Each year I am blessed with generous students and their families, who bring me gifts on various occasions.  I appreciate everyone's thoughtfulness and caring.  However, I would simply ask that you keep me and my family in your prayers.  This is the best gift I could receive!  However, if you still feel the need to give a gift, a donation to your favorite charity or to my mother-in-law's scholarship fund would more than suffice. Thank you...and God's blessings to you and your families!