Welcome to Miss. Burdick's 4th Grade Website

Miss. Burdick
Anza Trail School- 4^th Grade
Classroom Policies and Procedures

Dear Fourth Grade Students and Parents,                                    August 4, 2009

            Welcome to a new school year! My name is Stephanie Burdick and I am very excited to be your teacher this year!  I have planned many exciting activities to help you learn this school year.   I hope this year will be as fun as it is educational.  We will work hard to form a close classroom community that supports a safe learning environment, creative imaginations, hard work, and the skills needed to become a good citizen.  Fourth grade can be a very challenging year, so I hope this packet will help both students and parents get organized for success. 

Classroom Rules

            During the first week of school we will be discussing the importance of having and following classroom rules.  Below you will find what I believe to be the five most important classroom rules.  I believe that following these rules leads not only to a good student, but also a great citizen.  I expect these rules to be followed at all time.

1.      Show respect for yourself, other students and teachers.

2.      Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself.

3.      Raise your hand if you have something to say.

4.      Keep your area clean and organized.

5.      The Three B’s: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.

By following these five simple rules and going along with the daily procedures that we will establish within the first week, all students are bound to be successful this school year.

Discipline Plan

            As with any set of rules, there are both rewards and consequences for following or not following the guidelines set in place.  The following will detail both rewards and consequences.

Rewards
            Each week students will be given a set of six tickets.  Students will be expected to treat these tickets like money.  Lost tickets will not be replaced, and stealing tickets is unacceptable.  The tickets will be used for a variety of opportunities in class.  The most popular use for the tickets is on Fridays when students will have the chance to ‘purchase’ prizes with their tickets.  Students may only buy one prize at a time, so it will be up to them whether or not they want to save up their tickets and buy one large prize or buy something small each week.  In addition to the prizes, students who have been working hard and have not had discipline issues can also expect positive calls, emails, or notes home. 

Consequences

Each student will have a set of colored cards on their desk (green, yellow, orange, pink and red).  Each color represents various stages of the discipline plan.  The following is a list of what each color represents.

·        Green:  The student is on task and doing what he/she is supposed to be doing.

·        Yellow:  The student has had a warning by the teacher and needs to refocus, get back on task and change the behavior.

·        Orange:  The student will be sent out of the classroom (hall or another classroom) to cool off and reflect about his/her behavior.  The student will also be required to fill out a behavior form which will help them make a plan to change the behavior.  Depending on the situation, I may require this form to be sent home to be signed by a parent.

·        Pink:  The student will serve a lunch or after school detention and parents may receive a phone call, depending on the situation.

·        Red: The student will visit the principal’s office and parents will receive a phone call about the issue.

Attendance

            All students need to be in school and on time every day.  Every missed day is a missed opportunity to learn.  I do realize that certain issues arise and students may have to be absent.  Please keep both the school and myself informed on such occasions. 
            Students can make up their work only if they have an excused absence (this requires a signed and dated note from a parent).  All missed work will be left on the student’s desk for them to pick up upon their return.  Students will have the same amount of days to make up the work as he/she missed.  For example, if a student is absent for one day, he/she can retrieve his/her work the following day, have that evening to complete the work, and return it the next day.  If the work is not turned in by this day, a zero will be given for the missing assignment(s). 
            Students are expected to be in class, with all of their supplies by 7:30 am when the second bell of the morning rings.  The first tardy will be a free-be.  However, each subsequent tardy will result in first, a lunch detention, then after school detention, and if the behavior continues, it could result in in-school suspension.

Homework

            There will be homework assigned everyday of the week except for most Fridays.  Please hold your child responsible for doing their homework a nightly basis.  It is important that students learn responsibility and reliability now because in the years to come, students will only have more and more asked of them.  The foundation must be laid now in preparation for the future. 

            Any student who turns in homework that is grossly incomplete or misses an assignment (without being absent) will be assigned after school study hall that same day.  The student will go to the office, call home to make arrangements for getting home at the end of the day (students may ride the activity bus, walk, or be picked up), and then report to the office that day after school and wait for the responsible teacher to come and get them to take the study hall students to their classroom.  If for some reason the student cannot attend study hall the day that they are assigned, they will need to go the following day.   In that case, I would hold on to the missing assignment so that the student can complete it the day they do attend study hall.

            Included in the homework each night, students are expected to read for at least 20 minutes.  Each week students will need to turn in a reading log and their reading journal describing what was read each day.  Both will need to be signed by parents.  Reading logs and journals will start within the first month of school.  In total, homework should take students no longer then one hour each school day.  If it for some reason is taking longer, or seems to difficult, please contact me, and arrangements can be made.  The goal of homework is to help all students become and stay academically successful.

Grading Procedures

            In my classroom every assignment will be worth a certain given number of points.  They may be recorded as points out of a total or a percent; however 1 point will always be worth 1.  Nothing is weighed.  This means that a homework point is worth the same as a test point.  I believe this system allows all students the chance to succeed.  Because this grading system allows students to consistently earn points, there is no extra credit offered. 

Communication

            Communication between parents and teacher could be considered the most important part of a student’s education.  In cannot stress enough the importance of parent involvement and open communication with the classroom teacher.  The best way to reach me is through email, as I check this multiple times per day.  I will always try to return messages within 24 hours.  My email is sburdick@sahuarita.k12.az.us.  You can also contact me by phone at 520-625-3502 ext. 1768.  Please be aware that this phone line is shared between two teachers.

Books

            I have a large collection of classroom books, as does our grade level.  By signing this letter you are consenting to be financially responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged books that have become this way while in your child’s possession.  If this happens, you will be charged the price of the same book in new condition.

Movies

            Once a month, as a grade level, students who have good attendance and no study hall or discipline issues will be rewarded by watching a movie.  At times, the movies are rated PG.  By signing and returning this letter, you are agreeing to allow your child to watch PG movies if applicable.  The movies will have been reviewed by a 4^th grade teacher prior to showing. 

Snack

            Each morning students will have time to eat a healthy snack.  Students are welcome to bring their own snacks from home, or bring snacks for the entire class (store bought only).  If providing a snack for the entire class, please avoid all peanut and peanut butter products.  Anything brought in will be stored in the classroom, and used when needed.  For this reason please make sure that classroom snacks are non-perishable.

Parent Volunteers

            I love to have parent volunteers in my classroom.  Once a week, on Wednesdays, I will be holding centers in my classroom, and could use some help.  Additionally, I can always use help for classroom parties, grading, decorating, along with other activities.  Please allow me about a month with my new class before expecting to come in and help.  There is a volunteer interests section of this letter that you can fill out and return to let me know if, and what, you would like to help with.

            If you plan to be a classroom or school volunteer, you may want to attend the volunteer training offered at Anza Trail.  Any regular volunteers are required to take this training. 

Supplies

            There are a few things that every student will need to bring to school by Monday, August 10, 2009.  When each child has these supplies, it enables all of us to smoothly work together.  I have included both the general 4^th grade supply list (given with report cards at the end of last year) and my own class list.  Please do your best to acquire all of the items on the lists. 

General 4^th Grade Supply List:

ü        For Individual Use:
1 pair of scissors for kids
1 box of colored pencils or crayons
2 folders with pockets
2 pens (not black)
1 highlighter
1 large glue stick
1 pencil sharpener with lid
several pencils
several pencil top erasers

ü       For Class Use:
loose leaf lined paper
tissue
#2 pencils
1 box of dry erase markers
hand sanitizer
band aides
antibacterial wipes
computer paper

Miss. Burdick’s 4^th Grade Supply List (these items in addition to the general list

In addition to the general 4^th grade supply list, the following are items that I highly recommend and encourage for students in my class.

1 1-inch white 3 ring binder
1 package of clear page protectors
3 spiral notebooks
1 composition notebook (pages are sewed together, cannot be torn out)
7 sturdy pocket folders in solid colors. They will get a lot of use, and will need to be replaced if damaged.
Highlighter(s) - different colors recommended.
Red pen(s)
ruler
pencil bag to hold items.  Bags are preferred, as boxes do not tend to fit in the desks.

Final Word

            My goal this coming year is to prepare students for future years to come.  It is my hope that when you leave 4^th grade, you will be ready for all the excitement and hard work that 5^th grade and middle school have to offer.  It is also my hope that we will all work together to form a safe, fun, and exciting class room community.  Fourth grade is a challenging year, but it is also a fun one.  I will do all that I can to make sure that all students are safe, happy, and learning.  Please feel free to come to me with any problems or concerns that you might have. 

            Thank you for taking the time to carefully review this packet, by doing so you are taking a positive first step into 4^th grade and what lies ahead.  This is going to be a great year!

Stephanie Burdick

sburdick@sahuarita.k12.az.us    or 520-625-3502 ext. 1768

Please take a few minutes to fill out the following pages, and return ONLY pages 8-10 by Friday, August 7, 2009.

My child and I _________________________________________ have read
                                                       _{(please print parent name(s))}
Miss. Burdick’s beginning of the year policy letter and understand her policies and classroom rules.  I also understand that procedures are subject to change and that I will be informed if such a change were to take place.  I have also reviewed the policy letter with my child and made sure that they understand the importance of these classroom policies.  By signing this I also consent to my child being allowed to occasionally watch PG movies as a 4^th grade reward and agree to replace any lost, stolen, or damaged books when said book was in my child’s possession.