Class Handbook
Communication
Daily Communication/Behavior Sheet
We will begin to send home “Daily Folders” every day to report to you your child’s behavior for the day. The sheet will show the following:
Star Student- Pink (I went above and beyond)
Seal of Approval- Blue (I put in extra effort)
Ready for School- Green (I did as I was supposed to)
Quit Horsing Around- Orange (I had to have a few reminders)
Shark- Red (I had to have lots of reminders)
Please look at this sheet with your child every afternoon/evening when you talk about their day. Please sign and return the Communication sheet in their Daily Folder the next day. This is the best way to communicate with me since I check folders every morning usually before 11:00.
Newsletter
I will put up a weekly newsletter every Wednesday on my class website. (http://julialanier.weebly.com/) under newsletters. Please look over this so you can stay informed on the details of our classroom including the weekly specials calendar and reminders about important dates.
Wednesday Folders
Wednesday Folders are sent on a weekly basis and will contain important school and classroom information. Please look over these and discuss your child’s work with them. If you have any questions about the work or contents of the folder, please address it on the Daily Communication Sheet. Wednesday Folders need to be emptied, and returned on Thursday (please return folder inside the XL Ziploc bag).
My email address is [email protected]. Please be aware that it may take up to 24 hours to return emails. I usually check emails before school, but if you need to let me know something important in the morning before school it is best to call the school. Any important information such as a change in transportation must be in writing and in your child’s folder, not sent in an email.
School Phone
562-6181 School Phone, leave a message with office.
Conferences, Interims & Report Cards
To document your child’s academic, social and physical progress, I will send home 4 quarterly report cards this year. In between those I will send home interims/progress updates. There will be opportunities for us to have a conference to discuss your child’s growth. According to JDE policy, all conferences must be scheduled and cannot be “drop in.”
Attendance
Absences
Please see the JDE handbook. It is very important that you send a dated note with the reason for the absence within 2 days of the absence.
Tardy Slips
If your child arrives in the classroom after the 9:15 bell has rung they are considered tardy and need to get a tardy slip from the office. Please walk them into the office and help them through this process.
Checking out early
If your child leaves early you must first visit the office and have your child signed out there. The office will call the classroom and we will send your child to the office.
Attendance is monitored by the administration. You will receive written notes after your child reaches a certain number of absences or tardies. Please try and avoid this by having your child at school on time each school day- thank you!
Transportation & Notes to the Classroom
According to school policy, if your child will not be going home in his/her usual manner, you must send me a written note which will be approved by the administration. Without a note, he/she will be sent home the usual way. Please be sure to include the date the child will be using alternate transportation and a parent signature. We will check their Daily Folder for notes each morning. For the ease of your child, please try and keep transportation as consistent as possible. If your child is a walker or in carpool, you MUST have your tag with you or you will be asked to go to the office to check your child out with proper ID.
Early Release
School will dismiss at 1:15 during the year for “Early Release.” Please see the website and newsletters for more specific dates. We will eat lunch 10 minutes earlier on Early Release days.
Dress
For safety and comfort in the classroom and on the playground, please follow the JDE handbook for dress code requirements (no flip flops, backless shoes, spaghetti straps, etc). Please wear shorts under dresses and skirts too. Please wear tennis shoes on PE day.
Discipline
We have high expectations in our classroom and school so that all students can learn and succeed in school. Please help your child adhere to our school and classroom rules.
P- Practice Safety
A- Acts Responsibly
W- Works Hard
S- Shows Respect
Lunch
Learning Numbers
Please assist your child in learning their Student ID number (lunch number). This number will also help them log onto school computers for centers.
Lunch Accounts
Our class will eat lunch in the cafeteria between 11:20-11:50. Please see information online regarding the daily menu and prices.
-“General Account”- they can have lunch, breakfast, and “treats” (ice cream, chips, etc.) whenever they want
-“Lunch”- they will only be allowed to eat the lunch food served, no extras
Please monitor your child’s account; we cannot do this as teachers. When your child’s account gets very low, they will send home a sticker (not a letter) but often students lose these. If a student does not have money, they will have to have fruits and vegetables only for lunch.
Even though it seems long, lunch time for us goes by fast. The children do not have a lot of time to go through the line and finish all of the lunch food provided to them. It is a good idea to only buy treats one day a week.
Come Join Us!
We would love to have you join us for lunch! For the first month of school we are still learning the routines but starting in September we would love the company! Please go to the office first to get a visitor’s tag and then meet us outside of the cafeteria doors. If you plan to bring your child something for lunch instead of having them carry their lunch to school please remind them that morning so they do not get concerned at lunch time before you get there!
Breakfast
If you want your child to eat breakfast in the cafeteria please put “General” on the memo of the check, or write “Breakfast & Lunch.” Please discuss with your child whether you want them to eat breakfast at school or not.
Snack
Students will bring a snack from home. Some good ideas for your snack day include fresh fruit, carrot sticks, granola bars, yogurt/gogurt, goldfish, and apple sauce. Please do not send “junk food” for snack (ex: chips, fruit gummies, or desserts). Also NO fruit cups as they tend to be very messy. Please remember to pack your child with an extra water bottle (no juice boxes) for snack.
Recess
We have 30 minutes of outside time each day. This time is very important for the children to exercise and use muscles and loud voices that they cannot use indoors. Please make sure your child wears appropriate shoes to school so they can participate fully in recess. If it is raining WE WILL have indoor recess! Indoor recess consists of "free play", i.e. coloring, board games.
Grading & Academic Expectations
Standards Based Grading
In order to better inform you of your child’s mastery of specific skills and knowledge, the county has adopted Standards Based Grading. This type of grading measures student progress in line with the standards set in place by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Other information related to your child’s progress and overall strengths and needs will be found in the comments section of any grading documents/report cards. Students are graded on a 1-4 scale and for academics the scale is determined in the following way:
4-exceeds targeted grade level standards
3-proficient in grade level standards
2-inconsitient performance of targeted grade level standards
1-insufficient performance of targeted grade level expectations with support
I, WH, P
You may see these letters written on your child’s work to help you understand how they accomplished their work. “I” means it was done independently, “WH” means the work was completed “With Help” from an adult and “P” means the work was classroom practice.
Homework
The children will have homework this year. We will start assigning weekly reading/homework in August.
Birthdays
Birthdays are a very special time! As a class we make a birthday book for your child on or around their special day. This is a great way for us to incorporate literacy into the celebration. If you would like to provide a special treat on your child's special day, per WCPSS policy, it must be store bought. You are welcome to come in for the celebration and it is optional to bring in a birthday book. If you decide to bring in a birthday book, please wrap the book and the child will open it up in front of the class. The book will be dedicated to the classroom and we will read it to the class that day.
Toys/Sharing Things From Home
Please do not bring special items from home.
Extra Clothes
Please make sure you have sent in your extra set of clothes for your child (weather appropriate clothing, socks, underclothes) in a sealed Ziploc bag with their name on it. These will stay in the classroom until they are needed or until the weather changes significantly enough for a more “appropriate” set.
If your child needs to use their clothes or an article of clothing from their bag, please send in replacement clothes or a replacement article the next day of school in case they need them again.
Volunteering
We will need volunteers for the classroom, field trip chaperones and special events. Thank you to those who have already expressed an interest. In order to volunteer for these you also must complete the background check.
Background Check
The background check can be done in the media center or on one of our classroom computers at a time when students are not present. You must fill out the information and then be approved in order to volunteer. Please allow 1 month for the process to be completed. If you completed a check last year, you must reactivate on a school computer.
Your Information
If you move or change phone numbers over the course of the year please let me know as soon as possible. You can send in a note or send me an email. Even if you let the office know, please let me know as well for safety reasons and so I can keep an updated student directory- thank you!