HOMEWORK POLICY
Dear Parents,
Hello, my name is Mr. Iwase, and I will be you child’s teacher for this school year. I need
your support to maximize you child’s learning in school by helping me enforce the importance of
homework. I believe that homework is a valuable tool that:
1. Reinforces and extends the skills your child learns in school.
2. Prepares them for upcoming lessons.
3. Reviews/refreshes skills that have been already learned, so that they are not forgotten.
4. Teaches responsibility for their own learning.
5. Creates a bond between the home and school.
I expect students to try their best on all homework assignments and to follow directions
given. I also expect assignments to be legible, and for students to do the work on their own and
only ask for help after they have given it their best effort and have referred back to class notes.
COMMUNICATION TABLET
Students were issued a “communication tablet” at the beginning of the school year. This
tablet will be used for the students to write down homework assignments in. Please go over your
child’s work by checking that the assignments listed in the homework section are completed and
initial or sign the bottom every day. It will also foster communication between the home and school
as well. If there is a message that I would like to relay to you, I will list it down under the daily
assignments. Please initial and/or respond back to the message to assure me that you have
received it. I can also use the same procedure when you write messages for me as well (for
example, if your child had difficulty completing the homework and you were unsure of how to help,
please notate this so that I know that there was effort to try and complete the assignment), as I will
also initial and/or respond. Feel free to ask any questions and list any comments or information
you want me to be aware of. In this way, I hope to encourage and foster communication between
the home and school.
Every month or so (or at least once or twice a quarter), I will send home a list your child’s
missing assignments home in the tablet (the students will be made aware of the missing work
weekly). Please make sure that you sign/initial to acknowledge that you have seen it and are
aware of this information. Any work that is considered late is the student’s responsibility to
complete and turn in (after serving the consequence for incomplete assignments). I cannot keep
asking the student for the work that they did not turn in (it needs to be their responsibility too).
FREQUENCY OF HOMEWORK
Students will receive homework virtually every night during the school week. Homework is
rarely assigned over the weekend (unless the student has “catch up” work or a long-term project to
complete), as I encourage students to spend time with family and have some fun and relax (the
reward for working hard during the week). Work to be expected includes: daily readings (done
nightly for SFA reading program), math (weekdays), spelling (packets and tests done every other
week) and at times work from science, social studies or writing.
CONSEQUENCES FOR INCOMPLETE ASSIGNMENTS
If a student does not complete his/her homework from the previous night, students will
sacrifice the recess to catch up on the missed work (the logic is that if the students fail to complete
the work at home, they must do it during his/her free time at school). Failure to work at recess will
result in sentences (as a reminder to the student) and a call to the parent for permission to
complete the work afterschool. In addition, student loses Eagle Fun Day points for homework.
If a student continuously fails to complete assignments, certain other actions may need to
be taken which may include: having the parents sign the communication tablet daily (which should
already be done) and/or a parent-teacher conference. Please remember that with the changes to
the report card, it is very important that your child keeps up with the work in order for me to
properly assess them in accordance with the standards and GLO’s.
ABSENT WORK
If a student has an excused absence, the child may make up any missed assignments. It
is the student’s responsibility to get the work from either the board (where the work is written daily)
or requesting the work from the teacher. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out the missed
work. Students will have 2 days to turn in the absent work without penalty or it being considered as
“late”. The exception is any assignments in which the student was given 3 days or more to
complete, in which case the work is due upon the student’s return to school.
PARENTS’ ROLE
I feel that parents are the key to making homework a meaningful and positive experience
for the students. Therefore, I am asking all parents to please make homework a top priority. This
includes providing necessary supplies to do work, a quiet homework environment and daily
homework time as well as praise and support (and discipline if needed).
Parents should help their children with homework if they are unable to solve it on their own
and after they have given it their best effort and referred back to class notes. In no case, however,
should parents do the homework for the child. Please remember that we are trying to build
independent learners that have the skills to problem solve for themselves, but who are also able to
find the help that they need when they need it.
Thanks for all of your support. I look forward to working with all of you in hope that
together we can make this year a meaningful experience for your child. If you have any questions
or need to discuss anything, please contact me through the school at 689-1290, and I will return
your call as soon as possible if you are unable to get in touch with me immediately.
Sincerely,
Mr. Iwase
This is to acknowledge that I have read the “homework policy”, and understand what is expected of
me regarding homework this school year.
______________________________
Parent’s Signature
______________________________
Student’s Signature