Grade 4A - Ms. Greene

Contact Information St. Irenaeus School 714-827-4500
E-mail address: laura_greene05@yahoo.com

The classroom rules of 4A are as follows:

1. Be kind to others with actions and words.
2. Follow directions.
3. Pay attention / Stay on task.
4. Work quietly.
5. Respect others and their belongings.

Students took part in writing the rules for our classroom and have all agreed to follow them.

Rewards:

Individual - verbal praise, stickers and the opportunity to earn "Bee Bucks"
Students can earn "Bee Bucks" in several ways: Staying on task, listening and participating, keeping desk tidy and organized, and any positive behavior that a student exhibits.
We will be having a class auction at the end of the 2nd and 4th quarters where students can turn in Bee Bucks for prizes.

Class Points - If the entire class stays on "green" for the behavior chart, then the class gets a point for the day. 25 points gets a class reward (ex. movie or bingo day).

Consequences:

Any student, who violates a class rule, will first be given a verbal warning.

From there, a student will pull his/her card.

Yellow - Warning
Orange - Loss recess; time-out to think of actions
Blue - Lose lunch recess
Red - Meet with Mrs. Bohm and parental contact

* Students that exhibit outstanding behavior for the day can get a purple card that can be turned in for 3 Bee Bucks at the end of the day.

Homework
Students will be given homework every night with exception of Friday. Students will be given approximately 1 hour of homework a night. Students are also expected to read for 20 minutes a night as part of their daily homework. Please check your child's homework for neatness and completion every night. It is the students' responsibility to make sure completed homework and accelerated reading book is in their backpack for school the next morning.

Friday folders: Students will take home a Friday folder each week that has all their work for the week. Please take all the papers out of the folder and look at how your child's progressing in each subject. Sign the folder. Tests and/ or quizzes may need to also be signed. The Friday folders and papers to be signed are due back each Monday.

Behavior chart/Calendar: The behavior chart tells you important dates/ events within the month and helps you track your child's behavior throughout the week. Please sign it every Friday. This is also due back on Monday mornings.

** If these 2 items are not signed and returned on Monday morning, it is considered a missing homework.

Late / Missing Homework:
This will result in signing the homework contract (yellow) that will need a parent signature and a time out during recess. The contract will need to be signed and returned the next day along with the missing homework. "Lunch Detention" will be given to a student who has 3 late/missing homework assignments during a quarter. 4 missing assignments will result in an after school detention.

Curriculum

Religion:
We have a new school wide religion program. We will learn about saints, model Christian values, learn important prayers and provide Christian service to others. Students will have to memorize a new prayer each month and will take an assessment at the end of the month on the monthly prayer.

Language Arts:
Our Open Court curriculum includes student anthologies with quality literature and workbooks for reinforcing reading, writing and critical thinking skills.

Students will also have a weekly vocabulary list of word from each story. These will be incorporated into their assessments each week. English/Grammar will also be incorporated into Language Arts.

Students will also participate in the Accelerated Reading/ Star program where they take comprehension tests on the books they read via computer. Students will be given D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) time everyday in class and are required to read to read 20 minutes at home. Students keep their reading log at school only. I will collect their reading logs once a week to make sure that they are logging their books. If I notice that a student hasn't taken a test for a while, I will have a conference with the student and make contact with you, if necessary.

Math:
Students will be learning about: Place value and money, addition and subtraction of whole numbers, elapsed time, multiplying by 1 and 3 digit factors, measurement, division, fractions, probability, and geometry. Students are expected to already know their addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. If your child struggles with their facts, please review 5 - 10 minutes each night. There is also a workbook that students will be working out of on a daily basis. I will also provide supplemental materials with many of the lessons.

Science:
Some of the topics we cover are Plants (photosynthesis/ respiration), Rocks and Minerals, and Magnetism.

Social Studies:
Students will learn all about California. This includes the geography of California, California Indians, explorers, California Missions and Ranchos, and the California Gold Rush.

Students will also be completing a mission project that will take place in class. They will complete a written mission report that will be done mostly in class and some at home. The mission report will be given some time in November.

Handwriting:
Students must write in cursive for all subjects except math. We have a formal handwriting class 2 times a week for 20 minutes.

P.E.:
Students have P.E. on Mondays from 9:00 - 9:30, Wednesdays from 9:00 - 9:45, and Fridays from 8:15 - 9:00.
**Boys and girls are to wear shorts on these days.

Computer/Library:
Students have Computer and Library on Monday at 1:00 - 2:30.

Music:
Students have Music on Fridays from 10:30 -11:00. There will be a Christmas Concert and most likely a Spring Concert.

Art:
Students have Art every other Tuesday from 1:15 - 2:30.

Culture Day:
As of now, 4 Culture Days have been scheduled for our class this year. Culture Day takes place for Social Studies for that particular afternoon. It is from 12:30 - 2:30.

Mass:
We have Student Body Masses once a month. Students must wear formal uniform on these days. Our class attends Mass on Tuesday mornings at 8:30am. You are always welcome to join us for mass.

Field Trip
The fourth grade takes a trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano. This will take place on Wednesday, January, 16, 2007. We will be going by train this year.

Fourth Grade Guidelines for
Grading Student Writing

A - Far exceeds minimum requirements. Extensive use of vocabulary and detail is used, including use of adjectives and verbs. No run-on sentences or fragments. No punctuation or spelling errors. Students express their ideas and put thought into their writing. All drafts are handed in with final copy.

B - Exceeds minimum requirements. Sentence structure is good with a few grammatical errors.

C - Meets the minimum requirements. Sentence structure has some errors.

D - Does not meet the minimum requirements. Effort is applied, but lacks detail. May be incomplete or did not follow directions.

F - Does not attempt assignment

Student Learning Assessments

Reading:
25% - Open Court assignments (class assignments, workbooks)
25% - Assessments
25% - Oral reading, participation in class discussions
25% - STAR / Accelerated Reading

Language Arts: Daily journal writing, D.O.L. quizzes, grammar assignments and tests, writing assessments

Math: Tests/Quizzes, homework, problem solving, class assignments

Spelling: Tests, homework, application to written work

Handwriting: Assessments, application to written work

Science: Tests, projects, reports, homework, class assignments

Social Studies: Tests, projects, reports, homework, class assignments

Religion: Textbook, prayer quizzes, participation at Mass, projects and modeling Christian behavior and values

Arts: Following directions, completing projects, having necessary supplies and effort

Music: Active participation, listening, respectful behavior, attending Christmas and Spring concerts

Gradelink

Student grades can now be viewed on the grading program, "Gradelink" at www.gradelink.com . Parents and students are able to view assignment titles and grades, as well as, overall subject grades.

A family password is needed to access program and can be obtained from Barbra Maxon in the front office.

Student Learning Assessments will be generated from this computer program.

Parent - Teacher Communication
You are more than welcome to come to see me before or after school if you have a problem or concern. You may also phone the office and I will return your call and/or we can set up an appointment where we can discuss the issue. You may also email me at laura_greene05@yahoo.com  and I will reply as soon as possible.

Illness
If your child is ill, then please request homework early in the day so it can be prepared to be picked up at the end of the day. The homework must be picked up in the classroom (Room 11). Homework will be due 1 day after they return to class.