Saint Paul's Lutheran School Kingsville, MD
Mr. Skip Osbourn
The purpose of this handbook is to explain some of the things you'll be hearing about this year.
Arrival--In order for your child to be ready to begin at 8:45, it is helpful for your child to arrive early enough to unpack their backpack, put books away, copy homework, sharpen pencils, etc.
Supplies--A list of the supplies needed for the year was distributed during the summer. At the end of each quarter your child will check the supplies in his/her desk and will bring home a list of the supplies that need replacing.
CLICK HERE TO SEE SUPPLY LIST.
Please make sure all torn or missing book covers are replaced throughout the year.
Homework--Homework will be assigned almost every weeknight. The day's assignments should be written in the assignment pad handed out the first day of school. Your child will also need to complete any classwork that was not completed during the day. This work should be in your child's homework folder. There often are opportunities for the children to work on some homework in school. Generally, your child should not be spending more than 45 minutes a night on his/her assignments. I try to not give much homework on Friday that is due on Monday.
Fourth graders should be able to complete their homework on their own. You may occasionally need to help with directions, but please encourage your child to be as independent as possible in this area. It is okay to check your child's homework, but only have them correct their work if there is a pattern in their mistakes or if they seem to have not understood the assignment at all.
I usually do not grade homework (we check it together), but I always check to see if it is done. I allow one excused homework per student per quarter. Any more than that results in the child losing a recess. Once a child has missed five homeworks in a single quarter, I will send home a pink slip that must be signed by a parent and returned to school the next day.
Tests--In fourth grade, students learn they need to begin studying for tests at home. This is an area parents can be a great help. In school we will be discussing effective ways for your child to study for a test. We also spend some time reviewing before a test. In some subjects, the review at the end of the chapter in the textbooks is a good starting point. At the beginning of the year, going through the material in the text page by page together with your child and focusing on the important points in each section is a way of teaching your child to learn how to pick out important facts themselves. As the year goes on, you should be spending less time in reviewing with you child while they are spending more time in independent study.
Make-up Work--If your child is absent, he/she is responsible for making up the missed work. Usually, by the end of the school day, I'll have written up a sheet with the make-up work listed. It will be in a yellow folder along with any worksheets that are needed. I know it is difficult for a child to do school work when they are not feeling well and when they return to school and have to keep up with the current schoolwork. Therefore, I do not have a hard and fast rule about when the work is due. Generally, I'd like the work to be completed by the end of the weekend after they return to school. If your child has tried to complete the work and this is not enough time, please let me know. Please ask your child about their make-up work (in a yellow folder) after an absence, help them with the lesson part of the work, and follow through with them until it is completed. All completed make-up work should be handed in to me in the Make-up Folder. All missed tests should be taken within a week' of your child's return to school. Please notify me when your child is ready to make up a test.
Friday Folders--Every Friday, your child will bring home a folder with graded papers in it. Please take the time to look through these papers with your child discussing any comments I have written. Then sign the folder. Please do not sign an empty folder. Any papers marked "D" or "F" should be corrected and checked by a parent (I do not need to see them again). Tests marked "D" or "F" should be signed and returned in the folder on Monday. All other papers should be removed from the folder and kept in a special folder, box, or drawer for the remainder of the quarter. Sometimes I make a mistake and do not record the grade of a paper. Saving the papers will enable your child to prove that the work was completed.
"Catch-up Bottles"--Several times a year I may send home a paper called a "Catch-up Bottle." This is a list of your child's work that has not been recorded in my grade book. The paper must be signed by you that night. This assures me that you know about the missing work (and counts as a homework assignment). Please help your child look for the missing papers and complete them, if necessary, by the due date. Sometimes missing papers can be found in a workbook or in your child's desk at school. If you are having trouble locating a worksheet, please write me a note on the Catch-Up Bottle paper and I will try to run off another copy for your child to complete.
Special Memory--Every class in our school is responsible for memorizing various parts of Luther's Small Catechism and reviewing the parts memorized in previous years. Fourth Graders are supposed to learn the three articles of The Apostles' Creed and their meanings and review the Books of the Bible and the Ten Commandments and their meanings.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SPECIAL MEMORY SCHEDULE.
I will pass out a paper with the "Special Memory" at the beginning of the month. The memory is also posted on the fourth grade website. The Memory may be said on any day of the assigned month. It must be said by the last school day in the month.
Band--Fourth Graders are allowed to begin taking instrument lessons from a teacher from Baltimore Lutheran School. These lessons are given during the school day. Participating children will need to find out what lessons and classwork they missed and must make up this work for homework that night.
Birthday Party Invitations--Unless every child in the class is invited to a party, please do not have the invitations given out at school.