Classroom Policies and Expectations

Lunch: 11:00-11:38. You will have 15 minutes of recess and 15 minutes to eat.

Snack: There will be an PM snack in our class. Please send a small, healthy snack, such as, fruit, veggies, cheese sticks, yogurt/Gogurt (send a spoonJ), or granola bar. Please NO sugary or chip type snacks.

Toys: Please NO toys! We do NOT have sharing time or show-and-tell in second grade. Items from home often become a distraction and usually end up being confiscated. This includes, but is not limited to, make-up, purses, vending machine prizes, electronics, and collector cards. Please leave these things at home and invite your friends to your house to see your treasures!

Planners/Folders: Planners and Homework Folders are being provided for every child at River Oaks. This will be our main form of communication between the classroom and home. We will be recording our assignments and homework daily in the planner. I may also write notes regarding assignments or behavior as needed. Your student’s job is to go over the planner with you every day. I ask that parents or guardians sign the planner every day. This is to ensure that you know what is happening in your child’s life at school. It will also keep your child accountable for homework and other responsibilities. Please check your child’s folder nightly. Please go over the work and notes that are sent home and return any forms or homework the next day.

Homework: Every student is expected to read for at least 30 minutes every day. Your child will be bringing home a bag of “Good Fit Books” every day. A Reading and Spelling Menu will be coming home weekly. Students are to pick a choice from each side daily and complete it in their homework notebooks. Homework notebooks and menus will be collected each Friday. Math assignments are expected the next day. All assignments will be in the planner. The planner needs to be signed daily by a parent or guardian.

Grading: I give participation grades for many homework assignments and lessons that we do in class. These papers will be marked with a check or smiley face (credit given). Late papers will be marked as such. Any assignment not turned in will affect their Responsibility grade. Any student who is absent will be given one day per each day absent to make up the missed work.

Corrected work will be sent home weekly. Please review these papers with your child. This will be the best way to know how your child is faring in school.

Dearborn Schools’ report cards are based on the state and national benchmarks and standards. Your child’s independent work on class assignments and assessments will provide evidence of your child’s proficiency on those benchmarks.

Supplies: Here are some suggested supplies that your child may wish to have.

Crayons (no larger than 24 count), colored pencils (12 count), glue stick, erasers, pencils, scissors, a dry erase marker, and a pencil pouch. Please remember to mark your child’s name on everything that comes to school (that includes lunch boxes, backpacks, coats, sweatshirts, etc).

You may also wish to donate a box of tissues (Kleenex), a box of gallon and quart sized zip-topped baggies (Ziploc), and a ream of copy/computer paper for classroom use.

Lockers: We have NEW lockers this year! YAY! To help keep them looking like new, students are not allowed to put any kind of sticker, tape, or adhesive on them inside or out or mark them in any way. Also during the winter, students’ boots will be placed on the floor in FRONT of their locker. Water and salt together rust metal quickly. The lockers are smaller, so we have more lockers now and students will not have to share. Since they are smaller, only the supplies that students need for the day should travel to school in their backpacks. Please empty backpacks and folders daily. There is adequate room for a winter coat, lunch box, spare shoes, and an empty backpack.

Birthdays: Treats are welcomed! Please make sure that all treats are the same, are individually portioned and/or wrapped, and that there is enough for all students in our class. We are currently at 22 in our class. Please NO drinks or juice boxes. We will celebrate birthdays during our afternoon recess. If you send candy or goody bags, they will be passed out at the end of the day.

Parent Volunteers/Chaperones: All parents who want to help out in the classroom or chaperone field trips must by district policy have a current parent affidavit on file with the district. This affidavit takes 10 business days to be approved and is good for three years. If interested in volunteering or chaperoning, please see Ms. Debbie in the office. Our class will be going on several field trips this year, so please get those forms in now.

Expected Behaviors at River Oaks

Below you will find a link to the Behavior Expectations Matrix that was sent home at the beginning of the year. Please encourage your student to follow these expectations. Students who choose not to follow the expected behaviors will receive consequences for their choices.

River Oaks Behavior Expectations Matrix

River Oaks has implemented the Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS). More information will be coming home regarding this program. We have 3 main rules in our classroom.

1. Be Safe.
2. Be Respectful (kind).
3. Be Responsible.

All behaviors fall into one of these categories.

If you choose to not follow the rules, the consequences are:

1. First offense – verbal reminder.
2. Second time – miss 5 minutes of recess and move their clip to blue.
3. Third time – an appropriate consequence and move their clip to purple.
4. Fourth time – Sent to the principal’s office and move their clip to pink.
5. Students can also move up a clip by exhibiting good behavior and expectations. Students may earn up to red, which is “Outstanding.” However, once a student is on pink, they are unable to clip up that day due to the seriousness of their behaviors.

Severe Clause: Violent or threatening behavior will be sent to the principal’s office immediately.

We also use a conflict resolution strategy to aid students in solving their own problems peacefully and independently. It is called “Debug.” There are 5 steps that a child may go through to solve a problem. Your child would start at level 1 and only proceed to the next level if the problem persists. Involving an adult is the absolute last measure.

Debug:

1. Ignore the problem.
2. Move away (if possible) from the problem.
3. Talk friendly to the source of the problem.
4. Talk firmly to the source of the problem.
5. Get adult help.

Please encourage your child to use this method in working out his/her problems.

Thank you for your support! I am looking forward to a great year working with you and your child!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Jeanette Fowler

fowlerj@dearbornschools.org