4th Grade Handbook
Mrs. Moore/Mrs. Pierce
St. John the Baptist School
2014-2015
Dear Parents,
We are very excited to start a new school year teaching 4th grade! St. John’s
is an awesome school! We will each tell you a little about ourselves:
Mrs. Moore- This is my 23rd year at St. John’s and I have taught sixth grade,
third grade, and now fourth! This change is something I look forward to because it
keeps me on my toes and challenges me to find new material. I also get to see a
few familiar faces! Since I worked with Mrs. Pierce last year, and we hit it off right
away, I am grateful to have her as my teaching partner again this year.
Mrs. Pierce-This is my 2nd year teaching at St. John’s and I am very excited
to be teaching 4th grade this year! I look forward to working with many new
students, as well as having some of the same students that we had last year. We
will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the
days ahead.
In fourth grade, we emphasize the importance of organization and
responsibility. Students are expected to keep their desks, cubbies, and backpacks in
order. Students are also expected to be responsible for themselves including their
choices, both positive and negative. Students should also take responsibility for
their homework and studying. Your support in these areas is greatly appreciated.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Our e-mail
addresses are kmoore@gracesystem.org and mpierce@gracesystem.org
Email is the best way to communicate with us during the day. We check our
email frequently. The school telephone number is 434-3822 and our extensions
are 507 (Moore) and 555 (Pierce). Please leave a voicemail, and we will return
your call as soon as possible.
This year we have an updated school website. Please go to
http://www.sjbhschool.org daily and click on My Teacher. Scroll down to find
our photos (Mrs. Moore is way at the bottom) and click on our names to access
our individual websites. These sites will provide important events, dates, and info
as well as daily assignments for the students. The weekly updates will replace the
student newsletter of the past.
We want to work with you as a team to help your children have the BEST
learning experience possible. Let’s get started!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kay Moore/Mrs. Melinda (Mindy) Pierce
Absences
If your child will be absent, please contact the school office at 434-3822 ext. 224. If possible, it
is also helpful to contact us via e-mail or voicemail that morning. If time allows, we will gather
the student's assignments to send home with a sibling or have it available for you to pick-up
after school. Students will be given the same number of days absent to make up any
assignments. (2 days absent = 2 days to make up homework).
If you are planning a family vacation or pre-excused absence, it is necessary to let the office
know as soon as possible. It may be an option to have assignments prepared ahead of time.
However, please understand that this is not always possible depending on time allowances and
lesson plans.
Altar Server Training
All fourth grade students will be trained to be altar servers at the beginning of the school
year. Students will then make a choice whether or not this would be something that they
would like to do. Altar servers are needed at the K-4 Mass on Wednesdays, as well as some
weekend masses. This is an excellent way for students to serve the Church.
Arrival/Dismissal
Students arriving to school on the bus will enter the building at Door #6 and then proceed to
the playground until 8:05 am. Students who are dropped off by parents or bike/walk to school
will enter the building at Door #4 at 8:05 am. A teacher will open the doors at 8:05 am and
students will then proceed to Room 13. Students arriving after 8:05 am will be required to
enter at Door #1 (Main Entrance) and check in with the office before proceeding to the
classroom.
Students will be dismissed at 2:55 pm. Students will be divided into two groups: walkers and
bussers. Walkers will include students being picked up, going to Extended Care, going to
after school sports/activities, and students walking or riding bikes. Students being picked up
will proceed to Door #2 to wait for their ride. It is important that students pay attention and
notify a teacher when they see their ride. Students must be escorted by a teacher to their car.
Bussers will proceed to Door #6 to board busses located on Glendale Avenue. Teachers will
supervise students as they go to their busses and remain until their students are safely on
board.
If your child’s after school destination changes during the day, please call the office no later
than 2:20 pm.
Assignment Notebooks
Each child will have an assignment notebook (provided by the school). This is an important
tool to help your child with daily organization. The day's assignments are written on the
board. Students are required to write down all assignments given. Each night, please check
your child’s assignment book and sign to verify that you have seen it. We will check students'
assignment notebooks in the morning to verify your signature, and again during the day to
see that students have filled in all requirements. Late assignments will be stamped in the
notebook as “late” so watch for those. We will also have your child write down the color
he/she is on the behavior chart. (See Classroom Consequence Chart.)
Assignments & Tests
Homework is work that is not completed at school, projects, or skills that need to be practiced.
Students should expect to have a Math assignment M-Thur nights. With Math, it is
important for students to practice skills learned at school that day. Students will also be
required to read at home on a regular basis. We will try to keep the assignments to a
minimum for the weekend, so students have time with their families. Please contact us if your
child consistently experiences difficulty completing homework assignments or has trouble
finishing within a reasonable amount of time.
Late assignments are reduced by 5% of the total score. If incomplete work becomes a problem,
you will be notified. We will work together to devise a plan to help your child. We correct
many assignments together in class, so please reinforce the importance of meeting deadlines
with your child. Any student who scores less than 77% (D+) on an assignment has one week
to make corrections and turn it back in. Students can earn up to half of the lost points back
with correct answers.
Tests are typically given at the conclusion of a chapter or unit. Students and parents will be
notified in advance of any upcoming tests. Students who score less than 77% (D+) on a test or
quiz will have one week to make corrections. These corrections are required. Corrections
should be made directly on the test in a different color pen or pencil. All work should be
shown. The original answer should be left directly on the test so as to compare the incorrect
answer with the new answer. The student can increase their score to a passing grade by doing
corrections.
Communication
Communication is essential to a successful and smooth running school year. Here are some of
our areas of communication:
1) Weekly Envelopes - These are sent home each week on Wednesday. Please review the
contents and return the envelope to school by Friday. The envelopes frequently contain
flyers of upcoming events, permission slips, and important forms to be returned.
2) Friday Blue Folders - Each Friday (or the last school day of the week), the Friday folder
will be sent home. This folder will contain graded assignments and tests. Please review
each assignment and test with your child. The contents should be kept at home unless
students are making corrections or the paper is on the Return to School side of the
folder. The back of the folder contains a correspondence sheet that should be signed
each week. Please include any important comments in the space provided. Friday
Folders should be returned to school on Monday.
3) Class Website - Our class website can be found at http://www.sjbhschool.org
Go to the My Teacher tab and click on 4th grade. You will see all the teachers your
child has (including Encore subjects). Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for Mrs.
Moore! Click on the teacher’s name to view their own site. The websites will contain a
class schedule, the classroom handbook, upcoming events, homework assignments, and
classroom updates. The "Assignments or Homework” portion of the blogs will be
updated daily. "Important Events" and “The Week Ahead” will be updated weekly.
4) Assignment Notebooks – We will be checking assignment notebooks daily. This is a
great place for you to jot down a quick note or question. In addition, please review your
child’s assignment notebook each night and initial to verify that you’ve seen it.
5) Conferences - Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for the end of October. This
will be an excellent opportunity for us to touch base about your child's year thus far. If
you would like to meet prior to that time to discuss concerns or questions, please
contact the appropriate teacher.
Discipline & Behavior Management
Our school-wide discipline program is called “Discipline with Purpose”. This program focuses
on fifteen important skills. In fourth grade, we will continue our skills with Cooperation,
Reasons for Rules, Completing a Task, Leadership and Communication. These skills build on
prior skills (Listening, Following Instructions, Asking Questions, Sharing,and Social Skills.)
These are life skills that will help students appreciate and interact with one another.
The school-wide rules include:
1. I will respect God, others, and myself.
2. I will contribute in a positive way to the learning environment.
3. I will follow classroom procedures.
In our classroom, we will follow all school rules and procedures. In addition, we will follow
our classroom rules. Our classroom rules are bible -based and have a corresponding scripture
for each.
Our Classroom Rules include:
1. Support one another.
2. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
3. Be respectful of others and their property.
4. Always do what is right.
5. Have a positive attitude.
6. Love God and love others.
As a class, we will focus our time learning and working on all these important rules. We will
know what these rules look and sound like in our classroom and school.
When a student fails to follow our Classroom Rules, we will use our Classroom Consequence
Chart. We use a familiar color chart system. Each day, students will begin on Green (Doing
GREAT!) When a student fails to follow a rule, they will move to the Yellow (Make Better
Choices) part of the chart. This is a warning. If they continue to misbehave, they will then
move to Orange (Teacher’s Choice). The teacher will choose a consequence for the student
which may include missing iPad time or recess. Finally, if a student continues to show an
inappropriate behavior, they move to Red (Parent Contact). We will contact you directly if
your child is on red.
Students who maintain a Green throughout the day will receive one punch on their punch
card. Students will also have the opportunity to move to Blue (Impressive!) and Purple (Role
Model) for displaying positive behaviors. When a student earns blue or purple, they will
receive two or three punches on their punch card. Example situations include, but are not
limited to, helping another student without being asked, saying something kind to a younger
child, or keeping a clean and organized space on a day that we do desk checks. After a student
receives 20 punches in his or her card, they will choose a reward from a list of items. Rewards
include receiving a free time coupon, a no homework coupon, a special treat from the treat
basket, lunch with teacher at school, etc.
Field Trips
The class will take several field trips this year. In Spring, we will take an all-day field trip to
Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, Brown County Courthouse, and Neville Museum. In early
June, we will take another all-day field trip to Heritage Hill Historical Park.
We would love to include all parents who wish to attend as chaperones, but this is sometimes
impossible due to restrictions placed on us by the organization we are visiting. We will
attempt to use each parent that wishes to participate at least once. We will notify you when
you will be needed as a chaperone.
Fourth Grade Curriculum
Reading We will be using the Daily 5 Reading Program during Reading time. During each Reading
class, students will either participate in small group instruction, one-on-one reading
instruction, or will be completing one of the components of the Daily 5 Program (Read to Self,
Read to Someone, Work on Writing, and Word Work). During instruction time, we will be
exploring a variety of texts including poetry, novels, non-fiction texts, and short stories. We
will keep a Reading Notebook and Work on CAFÉ skills (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency,
and Expanding Vocabulary).
As part of reading, students will be given a monthly Reading Calendar and a suggested genre.
September: Fantasy/Fiction
October: Mystery
November: Life of a Saint
December: BINGO
January: Biography/Nonfiction
February: BINGO
March: Classic
April: Information (Travel) or Sports
May: Your Choice!
They are expected to read at home outside of school for at least 15 minutes per day. Students
are encouraged to read books and magazines that are at their reading level and age
appropriate for them. We also encourage reading with your child, each reading a paragraph or
a page. This helps your child increase their vocabulary, improve fluency and expression, and
comprehend more.
Scholastic Book Orders will be sent home often. Please place orders online through
Scholastic’s website using our code : DYGXV Each book that is purchased will earn bonus
points that can add books to our classroom library.
Language Arts/Writing Throughout our school, Six Trait Writing is the emphasis during writing class. Students will
complete mini-lessons for each trait, and then put them together as part of the writing process.
In fourth grade, we focus on narrative, opinion/persuasive, and informative/explanatory
writing. Each unit also consists of specific grammar skills . Grammar skills include the proper
use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Religion We have a brand new Religion text! Our Religion textbook is Alive in Christ. After we
complete a chapter, there will be a test or other assessment. During this year, students will be
learning a lot about God’s covenants with His people, and the laws he gave them to live by the
covenant. We will also cover the different seasons of the church year, the Sacraments, and
focus on the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Students are encouraged to practice and
master certain prayers. These prayers will be sent home with each student. Please pray
together at home.
Math Our Math textbook is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Math Expressions. This year, we focus on
multiplication, long division, and continue work on problem-solving strategies. We will cover
measurement and weight using standard and metric units. Students will be introduced to
adding and subtracting fractions and decimals.
Please practice multiplication math facts with your child frequently. Also, include your child
in projects that involve measuring and weighing items.
Science We use the McGraw-Hill Science Series. In addition to the textbook, we will use the Electric
Circuits Einstein kit in the Spring. Our units focus on Life (Plants and Animals), Earth
(Planets and Weather), and Physical Science.
Social Studies The Social Studies textbook is The Wisconsin Journey. The Wisconsin Studies Weekly Newspaper
correlates with our textbook. The topics include early explorers, Native Americans, fur
traders, and miners. State symbols and map skills are emphasized as well as the branches of
government. Most of our field trips further our exploration of Wisconsin history. The third
trimester will focus on a study of the Regions of the United States.
Grading Scale
The grading scale for fourth grade is as follows:
99 – 100% A+
95 – 98% A
93 – 94% A91 – 92% B+
87 - 90%
B
85 – 86% B83 – 84% C+
79 - 82%
C
77 – 78% C75 – 76% D+
70 – 74% D
69% D-
<69%
P (Progress shown but still below level) or U (Unsatisfactory progress)
Liturgy
Grades Kindergarten through fourth grade participate in Liturgy on Wednesdays at 8:30 am.
Certain weeks we will have an All-School Mass instead of the K-4 mass. It may be on
Thursday morning instead of Wednesday. See the school calendar or class website for specific
dates.
In fourth grade, students will have a Kindergarten buddy to sit with during Mass. This is a
special responsibility for our class. Fourth graders assist the Kindergarteners with the
songbooks, sitting, kneeling, and standing at the correct times, and being reverent during
Mass.
Parents and family members are always welcome to join us for Mass. We welcome you to sit
with your child and his/her class at Mass, rather than pull your child to sit with you
somewhere else. We will make room for you. If you have more than one child at school,
perhaps you can alternate sitting with each one.
Snacks, Water Bottles, & Birthday Treats
The students are given time for a small, nutritious mid-morning snack at about 9:30 am each
day. Students should bring in their own snack. We will not have a community snack system.
Snacks should include healthy foods such as granola bars, crackers, fresh fruit, fruit snacks, or
string cheese.
Students are permitted to have water in a bottle throughout the school day provided they use
it properly and keep it near their desk (and not rolling around the room!). Please do not send
in juice, lemonade, Gatorade, Kool-aid, etc. without prior permission.
Students are permitted to bring in a birthday treat to celebrate on their special day! If your
child's birthday does not fall on a school day, we can arrange another day to celebrate.
Supplies: Please check with your child occasionally to see if they are in need of any new
supplies.