Chers Parents,                                                                 September 4, 2012

A warm welcome to this 2012-2013 school year!

As many of you may know, Mlle Papillon gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Louis early this summer. For the first three months or so of this fall, she will be out on maternity leave. Mme Myers (Mahin) will be filling in for Mlle Papillon until her return! Please see page attached to this letter to introduce her!

We are both thrilled to be back this year, teaching fourth grade, and embarking in this new journey with your child. We hope that you will join us in providing your child with the support and help that are so critical to his or her education and personal growth.

ESTABLISHING COMMUNITY: In order for everything in our classroom community to run smoothly, and for everyone to feel that they are learning, growing and having fun, we will take the time these first days/weeks to establish some class-generated guidelines by which we all agree to live. I believe that in order for all students to learn effectively, we need to create an environment in which everyone feels safe and respected. Community building will be a central component throughout the year, and the major focus of our first days/weeks together, as it will make the academic curriculum much more meaningful.

MORNING MEETING: We will have a morning meeting every day, during which we greet one another, share something about our lives, have a short team-building activity, and end with important announcements/discuss important issues affecting our class. These meetings usually last 15-20 minutes and we believe they are an excellent way to begin the day.  This year 4^th graders have specialists from 8:35-9:25, so morning meeting will take place immediately upon return from specialists.

NEWSLETTER: Our goal is to keep you updated each week with a newsletter in this format (a bit shorter, normally). It will go home most Fridays and include a summary of what we have been working on, as well as a look at what’s upcoming. We send this letter ELECTRONICALLY so it is very important that we have your email address. If you would like a paper copy, please let Mme Myers know, otherwise it will be sent electronically.  Please, if you haven’t yet done so, provide us with your email address.  We will also post each newsletter on our web page on the school’s web site. Throughout the year, we will update our class web page, on which you will be able to find information about Mlle Papillon, our daily schedule, important dates, our curriculum, pictures etc.

HOMEWORK/COMMUNICATION FOLDER:

LA CHEMISE: For information and homework coming home, we use a format with which almost all students (and you) are likely familiar. Each student will have his/her own COMMUNICATION FOLDER (la chemise) in which all information will travel to and from school. PLEASE reinforce with your child the fact that it is important to keep track of this folder and its contents. It needs DAILY ATTENTION at home.

HOMEWORK: Students will have math homework on average four nights a week, as well as a “Calendrier de lecture” (reading log), which is to be completed throughout the week and returned every Friday. This requires your signature, so please be aware of this.  For this reading log students are to read at least 20 minutes per night, twice in English and twice in French throughout the week, and then write ONE SUMMARY in the space provided.  The summary can be done any day on those 20 minutes of reading, and can be in French or English.  Other than this reading log homework is ALWAYS DUE THE NEXT DAY, unless otherwise stated, however late is better than not turned in at all.

FORMS: There are 4 forms that need to be completed and returned before the end of the week. Please find them in the COMMUNICATION FOLDER, which will come home and return to school with the students EVERY DAY (preferably with the homework completed and any forms filled out). 

The 4 forms that need to be completed are:

                                    1. Emergency Information

                                    2. Field Trip Permission

                                    3. Media Permission

                                    4. Internet Permission

Thank you in advance for returning these forms in a timely manner, and to those of you who already completed them at the Open House.

PLANNERS: In 4^th grade the students begin using daily planners (often referred to as “agendas”). They cost $7.00 each and you can pay with cash or a check payable to LNFI. In these planners, the students will record two or three things they did each day, as well as note their homework assignments and any upcoming events or forms that need to be completed. Please try and get in the habit of looking at the planner daily with your child. It’s also a way for them to recall what we did, so when you ask “What did you do in school today?” they will have a reference. We are strong proponents of helping students to become responsible, and this is one piece that helps them greatly.

SCHEDULE: This year, the students will have a new rotating Specialist schedule. For two weeks they will have Science (Mme Bissoy) everyday; then for four weeks they will rotate, every other day, between Phy. Ed. (Mme O’Connor), Technology (Mme Lacey), Art (M. Retnani), and World Cultures (Mme Anderson). Then they will go back to Science for two weeks, everyday. The next four weeks they will rotate, every other day, between Phy Ed. and World Cultures (Mme Anderson).  Another change this year, are two supplementary preparation periods where teachers will meet in Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s).  In our class they occur every Tues and Wed from 1:15-2:05, and the students will rotate between Mme Vang, who will do some art extension activities in coordination with M. Retnani, and Mme Bissoy for science.

BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL

CLASSROOM SYSTEM: Our behavior system is quite straightforward. Students start the day with a green card.  If a student is misbehaving, based on the classroom rules we make together, We will give them a verbal reminder. The second warning results in their card changing from green to yellow. On the third redirection the student’s card will change from yellow to red, and will be accompanied by a “refocus form,” which they will complete, bring home for a parent/guardian to sign, and return to me the following day. This is aligned with the “Time to Teach” program, which is a proactive behavior management program designed to help avoid disruptive behavior with a reminder of expected behavior and a time to “refocus” if the expected behavior is not resumed. It is designed to be pro-active and to encourage students to examine their behavior and what they need to do to change that behavior.

         DETENTION:  If three “refocus” moments are necessary during the week, or if a student is overly disruptive, they may be assigned academic detention for the following week. Parents will be notified with a detention slip, which is to be SIGNED and RETURNED the following day. The day/time of the academic detention will be indicated on the form. During their academic detention, students will work on the assignment they missed while misbehaving.

CAFETERIA: Good behavior in the cafeteria and following cafeteria rules is expected. Those students who follow the rules and behave as expected will be rewarded from time to time with a blue ticket. This blue ticket will allow you to choose from a variety of prizes.

Choosing where you want to sit in the cafeteria is a privilege. When you choose NOT to follow the rules in the cafeteria, or misbehave, you will be given a red card.  The red card system works as follows:

·      1^st red card  = assigned seat for one (1) week

·      2^nd red card = assigned seat for two (2) weeks

·      3^rd red card = assigned seat for four (4) weeks

·      4^th red card = assigned seat for eight (8) weeks

·      5^th red card = dismissal from school

·      6 or more red cards = suspension from school, parent conference and a contract with the school

BREAKFAST: is free for all and available starting at 8:10 a.m. Our program is called “Breakfast to Go,” which means that all students will take their breakfast up to their classroom and eat it there.  As we leave at 8:33 to go to specialists, BREAKFAST MUST BE EATEN BY THE TIME WE LEAVE.

LUNCH: Our lunch is from 12:00-12:30. Students are assigned a pin number to enter into the computer each time they eat. You may prepay meals online and check your child’s balance at www.pamslunchroom.com. You may also send in cash or checks.  Checks can be made to St. Paul School’s Food Service and your child’s name (or pin number if you know it) should be written on the memo line. Please put your money in an envelope labeled “Lunch Money” and “Papillon/Myers” or ROOM 2117, and we will make sure it gets to the cafeteria.

DISSMISAL: WE CANNOT CHANGE THE WAY YOUR CHILD GOES HOME UNLESS I HAVE A NOTE OR PHONE CALL OR EMAIL FROM YOU OR THE OFFICE. If you need to make a change during the day, please call the office and leave a message with Kris Blomgren. She will contact us before the end of the day. Also, if you are picking up your child early, you must sign them out in the office.

THANK YOU for taking the time to read this information. Our hope is for all to have a year filled with growth (both academic and social), success and fun.  Please feel free to email (preferred) or call with any questions.  We look forward to working with you this year.

Merci beaucoup! 

Sincerely,

   Mlle Papillon & Mme Myers

colleen.mahin@spps.org