I am so excited to begin this new school year with each of your children! I plan to make this a stimulating and successful learning experience that will make all of our families proud to be a part of IICSN’s growing population. In an effort to create a positive learning environment, I have established some guidelines for this classroom.
Daily attendance is expected of every student; therefore I will not assign grades to attendance. However, it is important to remember that attendance is strongly linked to academic performance. It is expected of every student to actively participate in classroom activities, as this also affects their academic performance and understanding.
It is critical that every student feel comfortable and safe in his/her learning environment; therefore, we have established classroom rules to ensure every student has the greatest opportunity to be successful.
1. Always be your best and do your best.
2. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
3. Respect others and their property.
4. Take care of yourself and your belongings.
5. Follow the instructions.
If the student chooses to break a rule, then the student has chosen to receive the following consequences:
· 1st time-a warning
· 2nd time-the loss of recess and an action plan
· 3rd time-removal from the room and a phone call home
· 4th time-referral to the principal's office and an additional phone call home
*In case of severe behavior such as fighting, the discipline hierarchy will no longer be in effect. Instead, the student will be sent directly to the principal.
There is a school wide Discipline Plan in effect which supersedes our class consequences. If your child chooses to come to school and not follow the rules, this plan will be enforced.
There are also rewards for good behavior. Every completed homework assignment turned in on time counts as one sticker point. When the student fills up the sticker chart (25 stickers), they earn a trip to the Treasure Chest. In addition, there are “community” (table) points that the students earn for positive behavior in class. The community with the highest points on Friday earns “Lunch with Ms. Sims"
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 0-59%
Students will receive quarterly report cards. If the student is receiving a D or F in an academic subject or drops two grades within each quarter, you will be notified via an unsatisfactory report and the progress report. Additionally, in these instances, I will contact you privately to discuss the student’s progress. The goal is to ensure each student is performing to the best of his/her ability and achieves his/her greatest academic potential.
You should expect that your child will have some type of homework most everyday. You will always find the homework assignments written on an assignment log that is kept in the agenda notebook. It will go home everyday. I encourage you to set up with your child a scheduled time for homework each day. Students should be able to do most assignments independently, but do help if it is completely necessary. You and your child have my number, please do not hesitate to contact me with any homework assistance or clarification needs. If you notice that your child is not able to do an assignment on his or her own, please send a note to me on the assignment. I will contact you if your child is falling behind or turning in poor work.
If you have any concerns or are wondering why something is happening, please feel free to call or email me at any time. I welcome all concerns, ideas, and feedback that affect your child or our classroom. If something is not working, I am more than willing to talk. I welcome all feedback. My most important concern is the same as yours, the educational comprehension and growth of your child. Let us both work together for their success!
I look forward to a triumphant year,
Ms. Tara Sims
1600 E. Oakey Blvd.
