Parent Handbook

Dear Parents,

I am very excited and pleased to welcome you to a fun and challenging fourth grade year.  I am anxious to begin the school year with the students.  We will have a great learning experience together!  

To start off the year right, I am including this parent handbook that will be kept in your child’s L.I.G.H.T.H.O.U.S.E. binder throughout the year.  This has been assembled to help you understand my homework requirements in conjunction with other important information that will help make this a very positive and rewarding year.  I feel that open lines of communication between the parent, student, and teacher are key in promoting an educational climate that is conducive to learning.  Please feel free to contact me at any time if there is ever a question or situation you would like to discuss. 

Sincerely,

Jennifer Bracke

Mrs. Bracke’s Fourth Grade Class Schedule

 

8:45-9:15       Arrival & Morning Routines/Clubs/Pledge of Allegiance

9:15-10:45      Reader’s Workshop

10:45-11:25      Specials (Look for the special’s schedule in the calendar section of the L.I.G.H.T.H.O.U.S.E. Binder)

11:30-11:45      Read Aloud

              

11:45-12:35      Writer’s Workshop

12:35-1:05     Lunch

1:10-1:40        Recess (3-5 Playground)

1:45-2:50       Math

2:50-3:35      Social Studies (with Mrs. Bracke) or

               Science (with Ms. Wade)

3:35-3:40      Pack Up/End of Day Procedures

3:40           Dismissal

Behavior Management Plan

Class Rules:
1. Listen and Follow Directions Quickly

2. Keep your Hands, Feet, and Objects to Yourself

3. Raise your Hand for Permission to Speak

4. Respect All Classmates and Teachers

Clip It Behavior Chart:

Our classroom will use a clip chart to monitor behavior.  A clip chart is a great tool that allows students to be recognized for positive behavior, while discouraging negative behavior

Each student has a clothespin, or clip with his or her number on it. Everyone will start on green at the beginning of each day, and clips can be moved up and down throughout the day based on behavior.

In your child’s LIGHTHOUSE binders, under the Data section for that quarter they will record each night the color in which they ended the day.  Please check this each night as a way to stay involved and on top of your child’s classroom behavior.

Classroom Procedures/Routines:

Arriving at School:

Students arrive at school between 8:45 and 9:15 each morning.  When they get to school there are expected to copy their homework into their agenda, put any homework worksheets in their binder and then bring their binder for the teacher to check (for the first quarter, the rest of the year, they will be expected to do this independently). This is also the time for them to make sure they have at least two sharpened pencils, their materials are organized for the day, work on any unfinished work, or practice a skill in which they may need more help.  In addition, there are some clubs and activities in which the students are encouraged to participate.  Please see the Morrisville website for more information regarding student clubs.  There are lots of them for every interest level!

Bathroom Policy:

Students are allowed to use the bathroom, as long as I am not in the middle of a whole group lesson.  They are to fill out the Bathroom Sign-Out notebook and record the date and the time out/in. 

Snack:

All students may bring a nutritious snack and a bottle of water to school everyday.  They may keep the water bottle at their seat to drink from throughout the day.  Snack time will be during Reader’s Workshop this year and will be a working snack.

Homework:

Homework will be given Monday through Thursday nights, with the exception of special assignments/projects that may require completion over the weekend.  Your child will be expected to complete their assignments on time and done to the best of their ability.  If they are having difficulty with a certain problem or concept, please write me a note/email and I would be happy to help them with it during morning work. The assignments will be written in their homework agenda.  Homework will be checked daily and it counts as part of their work habits grade.  Homework should take no more than 50-60 minutes each night to complete.  If your child is spending much more time than that on homework, please contact me, so we can together develop a solution.  Typically, your child will be expected to read for 20 minutes each night and complete a math assignment that will practice the concept that we are currently learning.  In addition, every Monday, your child will receive a weekly Math Review activity that is expected to be turned in on Friday and they will be expected to study their Wordly Wise vocabulary to prepare for their assessments that will be given every two weeks.

4^th Grade Curriculum:

Reader’s Workshop:

In Reader’s Workshop, the students will be given tools for selecting and comprehending both fiction and nonfiction texts.  The structure of this reading block will go as follows:

·      9:15-9:30 Reader’s Workshop Mini-Lesson - These mini-lessons will focus on a specific reading strategy being modeled for the class.  Some topics might include: making inferences, finding the main idea, identifying text structure, recognizing the difference between firsthand/secondhand accounts, and etc.  The students will also keep helpful notes in their Literacy notebook.

·      9:30-10:30 Daily Three (Read to Self/Work on Words/Work on Reading) - This is a time where the students will work on building their reading stamina through independent book selection.  Here the students are responsible for selecting their own “just right” books to read and they should be working on being able to read these self selected texts for the full 30 minutes.  They will also have weekly “Work on Reading” tasks to complete, in addition to Wordly Wise.  During this time, the teacher will be pulling students for guided reading groups, book clubs, individual conferencing, or to conduct reading assessments. 

·      10:30-10:45 Vocabulary Mini-Lesson – These mini-lessons will focus on building your child’s vocabulary through Wordly Wise program, as well as modeling how to decode unfamiliar words using strategies such as using context clues, looking for appositives, and using what they know about prefixes and suffixes to determine word meanings.

Writers Workshop:

For Writer’s Workshop, the students will begin each day with a 10-15 minute mini-lesson, where the teacher will model a specific writing strategy.  Then, they will have an opportunity to practice that strategy and it will end with the students gathering back together to share what they have written with either a partner or a small group.  The students will go through the writing process from brainstorming a topic to write about to publishing their final copy and having an opportunity to share it with others.  Below are the specific writing genres that we will practice each quarter:

      

Quarter One: Personal Narratives & Realistic Fiction

       Quarter Two: Informational Writing & Research Reports

       Quarter Three: Opinion Writing

       Quarter Four: Persuasive Writing

Math:

Each day in math, we will begin our lessons by checking the previous night’s homework and clearing up any misconceptions or questions that the students may have.  Then, the students will meet on the carpet for a mini-lesson on the concept to be covered.  The students will be taking notes in their math journal (which may be brought home to use as a reference, if needed) and then they will transition into group work, math centers, or independent practice (it will vary based on the lesson). 

Social Studies:

The students will spend the first four weeks of every quarter learning Social Studies with Mrs. Bracke.  The students will keep a social studies notebook that they will be able to reference throughout the quarter and on some assessments.  In fourth grade, the students learn all about our great state of North Carolina.  Below are some of the specific concepts that the students will cover each quarter:

       Quarter One: History of North Carolina

       Quarter Two: Local and State Government in North Carolina

       Quarter Three: Economics in North Carolina

       Quarter Four: Geography, Environment, and Culture in North Carolina

Science:

The second four weeks of every quarter, the students will go to Ms. Wade (the other 4^th grade, track 4 teacher) for Science.  She uses science notebooks and lots of hands-on labs to provide the students with an interactive and investigation based approach to learning.  Below are the science kit topics that the students will learn about each quarter:

       Quarter One: Animal Studies

       Quarter Two: Magnetism & Electricity

       Quarter Three: Earth Materials

       Quarter Four: Landforms

Parent Communication:

Friday Folder:

Every Friday your child will take home a Friday Folder that will include your child’s in-class assignments, homework, and quizzes.  Homework or other practice assignments that we work on together in class will be checked and assigned a “P” for “practice”.  The other assignments/tests will be graded according to the standard based grading system.

Standard Based Grading (from the student’s perspective):

1 = I don’t understand.

2 = I sometimes understand, but still need help.

3 = I understand and have mastered the concept.

4 = Now, that I have mastered the concept, I can extend my thinking or show it in a  

    new way. (Remember, not all objectives, have the opportunity for a level 4). 

Bracke Bugle:

The Bracke Bugle is our class’ newsletter.  It will be sent home electronically (through email, unless you request a paper copy) each Monday or posted online to our classroom website while I am out on maternity leave.  The Bracke Bugle will always include an overview of what your child will be learning for the upcoming week, important questions you can ask your child to reinforce what they are learning, and any other important information or upcoming events.

L.I.G.H.T.H.O.U.S.E. Binders:

The students will be keeping a binder throughout the course of the school year that will serve as an organizational tool and their data notebook.  In this binder they will keep track of writing samples, common assessment data, and other types of items that we choose to graph.  This notebook will travel between home and school each night.  Please leave any assessments in this notebook, as we will need to reference them throughout the year.

Parent/Teacher Conferences:

I hold mandatory parent/teacher conferences twice a year.  The first conference will be held near the end of second quarter and the second one will be held in the beginning of fourth quarter.  However, I am always willing to meet with you if an issue or concern should arise at another time during the year.  It is very important to me to keep the lines of communication open between school and home. 

How to Contact the Teacher:

The absolute best way to reach me is through email.  My email address is jbracke@wcpss.net and I check my email several times throughout the day.  However, you may also reach me directly at school by calling the front office, 460-3400.