Orientation Packet ~4 th Grade~

Orientation Packet ~4 th Grade~

~GENERAL INFORMATION~ ARRIVAL AND AFTERNOON PICK UP: The teacher s aides will be at the back entrance from 7:40 until 8:00 to assist in arrivals. Any child who arrives after 8:00 is considered tardy. You will receive specific carline/carpool procedures from the office on Orientation night. You will also receive a family name placard. Parents should post their name placard in the side window of their vehicle all year when entering carline in the afternoon. If someone is picking up your child other than yourself, or if your child is to ride home with another student, please make sure this information is communicated to the school either through the office or the classroom teacher. ASSIGNMENT PLANNERS: Students are expected to copy their assignments into their planners each day. Students should write down all of the assignments exactly as they are written on the board. Please read over the information in your child s planner so that you are aware of homework, special assignments, upcoming tests/quizzes, and notes that may be sent home. Be sure to sign your child s planner EVERY night. LUNCH: Providence offers catered lunches which you can order for your child for Monday through Thursday. Lunches will be offered some Fridays as a fundraising project for secondary classes. Lunch orders are placed one week in advance. Orders received after Thursday of the ordering week will not be processed. The office will bill you monthly for purchased lunches. If your child is sick on a day you have ordered him/her a school lunch, you can call the school office before 8:30 a.m. and cancel his/her lunch. If you do not call in, you will be billed for the lunch because it was prepared and sent to the school. You will need to send a packed lunch with your child every day until after Labor Day. Please remember that you need to send a drink for your child with lunch unless you order milk. You may order milk only, even if you do not order a catered lunch. When you send a drink, please do not send red drinks or any drinks in a glass bottle. Different lunchroom helpers will be responsible for helping clean the lunch tables each week. Students are expected to have good table manners and voice control during lunchtime.

HOMEWORK, MAKE-UP WORK, AND GRADING: Homework plays an important role in the education of each student. Academic reasons for homework include providing practice in needed skill areas and reinforcing concepts presented in class. Homework also promotes responsibility and also helps a student learn good work habits and how to budget his/her time. Many efforts are made and opportunities given for students to finish homework assignments within the framework of the school day. Please understand, however, that some students are able to complete homework assignments at school while others may require time at home to complete assignments. Written homework is not typically assigned on Wednesday evenings or over the weekend, but occasionally this is unavoidable. Students should copy homework assignments into their planners each day. Parents should sign or initial the sheet, once all homework is completed, and students are responsible for bringing their planners and their completed homework to school each day. When classwork is missed because of absences for illnesses or doctor/dental appointments, work will be placed on the homework table that is located in the 6 th grade hallway. Work may be picked up by the parents. The student will be given adequate time to make-up work and tests after returning to school (generally one make-up day per each day the student is absent). If there is a voluntary absence (such as for a vacation), all work will be given upon the return of the student to school. No work will be given in advance. Students receive grades for classwork and homework, quizzes, and tests. Major projects and assignments typically count as test grades, and students will know well in advance when these are due. Grading Scale: A+ (98-100), A (93-97), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (72-70), F (69 and below)

VOLUNTARY ABSENCES: If a student is going to be absent for an extended period of time, the parents should notify the principal and the child s teacher in writing explaining the circumstances. Notification should be made prior to the voluntary absence. RenWeb allows families to access assignment information for any extended voluntary absence. When accessing RenWeb for assignments, check both the lesson plan and the homework sections. The lesson plan section gives information about what is being covered and completed during class. The homework section gives the assignments that are to be completed outside of class. Tests and quizzes will be proctored when the student returns to school following the vacation, trip, etc. TUESDAY FOLDERS: Folders are sent home each Tuesday. Please take time to go through your child s folder and return the folder the following day. Office information, such as order forms and billing information, is sent home in the Tuesday folder of the oldest elementary sibling. Your child s graded papers for the week will also be in the Tuesday folder. Please sign the papers that are stapled together and return them to school. Also, look for a weekly letter from the teacher to keep you informed of what is happening in class. BIBLE TRANSLATIONS: The students may memorize their weekly Bible verses from the English Standard Version (ESV) or the King James Version (KJV). CURRICULUM OVERVIEW: In grades 3-6, we transition from the self-contained classroom to the fully departmentalized program in the secondary. Starting in 3 rd grade, the students split their day between two teachers for their core subjects. One teacher teaches Language Arts (Grammar, Literature, Spelling, and Composition) and the other teaches Math, Science, and History. Bible is taught by the homeroom teacher. Having multiple teachers allows the students to develop skills in working independently and dig a bit deeper into the content areas. In addition to the core subjects, students have specialized teachers for Art, Music, Latin, and PE. Parents may access Course Descriptions for every subject taught (Elementary and Secondary) on the Providence Academy website under the Academics tab. Parents may also access a Literature list for grades 2 12 under the Academics tab.

DISCIPLINE GUIDELINES: Philosophy: Learning is an active process. Each student must participate 100% in each lesson. Interaction between teacher, students, and lesson material is essential to make learning challenging and exciting. A classroom environment should be relaxed and fun, yet structured and stable. The following guidelines are established to create an optimal learning atmosphere which will allow us to use time efficiently while learning and enjoying our new thoughts and conquests! Basic Guidelines for All Students: Follow all directions completely and immediately. Pay attention fully, and participate in all lessons. Resist the urge to multi-task. Complete all assignments fully and to the best of your ability. Respect all people and property. No disrespect will be tolerated. Talk only when appropriate and with proper level of volume. There should be no running or horseplay in the room or anywhere inside the school building. Raise your hand when necessary. Remain in your seat. Students receive a conduct grade on their quarterly report card. The conduct grade is included in the calculation when determining honor roll. CLASS PARTIES AND BIRTHDAYS: We will celebrate several holidays and events with various types of parties such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine s Day, Easter, and the End of the Year. Teachers work with room moms, PEP, and other volunteers to coordinate these events throughout the year. We love to celebrate birthdays. Usually birthdays are celebrated by bringing in a special treat to share with the class. The best time to do this is during our lunchtime. Cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches, cookies, and donuts make good treats for birthday celebrations. Please notify the teacher in advance if you will be sending in a birthday treat. We will have a celebration in May for all of the students that have summer birthdays.

FIELD TRIPS: Field trips are considered a valuable educational opportunity for elementary students. Students typically go on four to six field trips per school year. Parents are always needed to drive and chaperone on field trips. School policy states that younger siblings cannot accompany parents on field trips. PARENT AND GRANDPARENT INVOLVEMENT: There are several opportunities for parents (moms, dads, and grandparents) to help in the classroom: A volunteer is needed on Tuesday afternoon to make sure everything gets put in the Tuesday folders. It is very helpful to have someone unstuff Tuesday folders on Wednesday mornings. Parents and grandparents are needed to drive and/or chaperone on field trips. Volunteers are needed to help with special school/class projects like decorating the door for Reading Week. Parents and grandparents are welcome to come and share a special talent or interest with the class, or to tell the class about their profession (dentist, engineer, doctor, etc.) Please remember to check in with the office whenever you are at school helping or visiting. This helps create a safe environment for the students, and it gives the office personnel a record of who is in the building in case of an emergency.