Classroom Expectations & Policies
As we build our 4th Graders steadily upward, it may be helpful to review the expectations which have grown since 3rd grade.
1. Water Bottles
2. Classroom Rules
3. Discipline Progression
4. Attendance Policies
5. Bathroom Breaks
6. Materials Needed
7. Book Orders
8. Unscheduled Conferencing
9. Birthday Celebrations
10. Cell phones
13. Paper Management
12. Students leaving before end-of-day
Water Bottles
The waste stream created by disposable water bottles is deeply worrisome. (Of the 50 billion plastic water bottles used by Americans in 2006, 38 billion were thrown away, unrecycled. That's enough petroleum based energy to fuel over 100,000 cars for a year!!) For that reason, I strongly encourage the use of re-usable bottles.
Water bottles may be kept on students' desks, provided they are not made of glass, contain only water and can be tightly closed. This privilege may be revoked if the bottles become distractions, and students are responsible for the proper disposal of empty bottles. (Names must be written on bottles to avoid confusion over ownership.)
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Rules
Our 3 classroom rules are:
• Follow directions immediately
• Respect yourself and others
• Get permission before speaking or leaving your area.
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Discipline Progression
1st infraction of rules: Warning.
2nd infraction: Discuss problem for 10 min. of recess or lunch.
3rd infraction: 30 min. time out in another class; write out behavior explanation.
4th infraction: Parent conference regarding behavior.
5th infraction: Parent conference including principal, who may impose further consequences.
The infraction count resets each morning. Serious infractions may warrant skipping steps listed above.
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Late / Absence Policies
Students need to be on time, on the yard with the class at 8:06 a.m. when the 2nd bell rings.
When your child is absent, a note or teacher/office contact is required to explain why. A hard copy is required. Oral contact is not sufficient.
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Bathroom Breaks
As students reach the 4th grade and mature, they are expected to take responsibility for planning ahead. As far as reasonably possible, this extends to bathroom breaks. In order to maximize instructional time, students should use the bathroom (and wash their hands) before school, during recess and at lunchtime, even if they might not immediately "have to." This will minimize the need to leave the classroom during critical instruction or practice time.
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Required Supplies
Students need to come to class prepared to learn and work. See here for details.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Book Orders
In order to speed up the arrival of our book orders, I usually pay for the order online with my credit card. For this reason, it is easier to make any checks payable to William Stern when your child orders books.
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Conferencing
Please e-mail me or phone the office whenever you wish to set up a conference, and I'll be happy to accommodate you.
Please understand that I am rarely able to stop whatever I'm doing to have an unscheduled conference, however brief. As you can probably guess, when I'm not teaching, I spend a lot of time planning, researching, and coordinating. This leaves scant few minutes for unexpected diversions.
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Birthdays
If you would like to recognize your child's birthday with the classroom and bring a snack to share with her/his peers, please contact me to arrange a day to bring snacks just before recess or lunch. Snacks must be store-bought (not homemade), and should be easy to serve and quick to clean up. Please be mindful of any class allergies (ask me).
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Cell Phones
Phones are not permitted in the classroom. If a child keeps one outside in their backpack, they must:
• leave it in their backpack between the hours of 8a and 2:30p
• assume full responsibility for its possible loss
• leave it 'off' during school hours
Violation of these rules may result in confiscation of the device in question, and a parent will be required to come in and retrieve it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Paper Management
Papers returned to students should be kept--either in their notebook, or in a file at home--until the next report card is issued. This will help avoid any confusion should Mr. Stern request fulfillment of an assignment that a student feels was already completed.
PLEASE NOTE: all submitted assignments are returned bearing a mark or notes from Mr. Stern. If a student cannot explain to his/her parent what the mark(s) signifies, the student needs to ask Mr. Stern for clarification. If an assignment is returned with notes, but without a grade, the student must rectify the problem spelled out by Mr. Stern's notes and resubmit the assignment. Until doing so, the assignment is considered 'missing.'
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Students leaving before end-of-day
The office must mark students who leave school early "Tardy--early leave" in the computer attendance system. These tardies appear on report cards just as 'late arrival' tardies.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The waste stream created by disposable water bottles is deeply worrisome. (Of the 50 billion plastic water bottles used by Americans in 2006, 38 billion were thrown away, unrecycled. That's enough petroleum based energy to fuel over 100,000 cars for a year!!) For that reason, I strongly encourage the use of re-usable bottles.
Water bottles may be kept on students' desks, provided they are not made of glass, contain only water and can be tightly closed. This privilege may be revoked if the bottles become distractions, and students are responsible for the proper disposal of empty bottles. (Names must be written on bottles to avoid confusion over ownership.)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rules
Our 3 classroom rules are:
• Follow directions immediately
• Respect yourself and others
• Get permission before speaking or leaving your area.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Discipline Progression
1st infraction of rules: Warning.
2nd infraction: Discuss problem for 10 min. of recess or lunch.
3rd infraction: 30 min. time out in another class; write out behavior explanation.
4th infraction: Parent conference regarding behavior.
5th infraction: Parent conference including principal, who may impose further consequences.
The infraction count resets each morning. Serious infractions may warrant skipping steps listed above.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Late / Absence Policies
Students need to be on time, on the yard with the class at 8:06 a.m. when the 2nd bell rings.
When your child is absent, a note or teacher/office contact is required to explain why. A hard copy is required. Oral contact is not sufficient.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bathroom Breaks
As students reach the 4th grade and mature, they are expected to take responsibility for planning ahead. As far as reasonably possible, this extends to bathroom breaks. In order to maximize instructional time, students should use the bathroom (and wash their hands) before school, during recess and at lunchtime, even if they might not immediately "have to." This will minimize the need to leave the classroom during critical instruction or practice time.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Required Supplies
Students need to come to class prepared to learn and work. See here for details.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Book Orders
In order to speed up the arrival of our book orders, I usually pay for the order online with my credit card. For this reason, it is easier to make any checks payable to William Stern when your child orders books.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Conferencing
Please e-mail me or phone the office whenever you wish to set up a conference, and I'll be happy to accommodate you.
Please understand that I am rarely able to stop whatever I'm doing to have an unscheduled conference, however brief. As you can probably guess, when I'm not teaching, I spend a lot of time planning, researching, and coordinating. This leaves scant few minutes for unexpected diversions.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Birthdays
If you would like to recognize your child's birthday with the classroom and bring a snack to share with her/his peers, please contact me to arrange a day to bring snacks just before recess or lunch. Snacks must be store-bought (not homemade), and should be easy to serve and quick to clean up. Please be mindful of any class allergies (ask me).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cell Phones
Phones are not permitted in the classroom. If a child keeps one outside in their backpack, they must:
• leave it in their backpack between the hours of 8a and 2:30p
• assume full responsibility for its possible loss
• leave it 'off' during school hours
Violation of these rules may result in confiscation of the device in question, and a parent will be required to come in and retrieve it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Paper Management
Papers returned to students should be kept--either in their notebook, or in a file at home--until the next report card is issued. This will help avoid any confusion should Mr. Stern request fulfillment of an assignment that a student feels was already completed.
PLEASE NOTE: all submitted assignments are returned bearing a mark or notes from Mr. Stern. If a student cannot explain to his/her parent what the mark(s) signifies, the student needs to ask Mr. Stern for clarification. If an assignment is returned with notes, but without a grade, the student must rectify the problem spelled out by Mr. Stern's notes and resubmit the assignment. Until doing so, the assignment is considered 'missing.'
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Students leaving before end-of-day
The office must mark students who leave school early "Tardy--early leave" in the computer attendance system. These tardies appear on report cards just as 'late arrival' tardies.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -