Dear 4th Grade Parents,
August 29, 2016
Welcome to Fourth Grade! I am Kathy Baker and this is my 16th year teaching, but my 3rd year in 4th grade. As an alumnus of Michigan State with a Masters in Science, I am a Spartan Fan. I have 4 children (Zac, Nick, Tori, and Joey.), and my oldest is a college sophomore and playing football at Davenport University this year. Nick, a senior, and Tori, a freshman, attend Lansing Catholic High School. Joey, my youngest, is a 7th grader at St. Gerard. We feel very blessed to have our children attending Catholic schools. My husband, Jim, and I love football so this time of year is very exciting for our family. I know you may have many question, and I am hoping that this letter answers many of them.
Fourth grade seems to be a big transition year as they gain confidence and do many new things:
*The 5 Pocket Expandable Folder
will be used and taken home daily.
**Please label the file folder in the following way:
1. Religion- front pocket will also hold their assignment notebook
2. Math
3. Language Art
4. Social Studies
5. Science
*New Grading System
Grade Effort
and Conduct
92-100 A 1 Above Average
82-91 B 2 Satisfactory
72-81 C 3 Needs Improvement
62-71 D
61 and Below = F
In Fourth Grade, we stress RESPONSIBILITY. We expect each child to be responsible for his/her own supplies, assignments, and total behavior. You should expect your child to have homework every night, with a lighter load on the weekend. These assignments will usually be something assigned during class time, which the student will have to complete at home. This work will be kept in their expandable folder. This folder will go home every night and be brought back the next day. Keeping this folder organized will be extremely beneficial for the student.
Assignment Notebooks, an important organization tool, needs to be read and signed by a parent daily. Parents are encouraged to write comments for teachers and/or students in the assignment notebook.
If your child is absent, an assignment sheet will be filled out. Please request homework when you call in the absence. It is the student�s responsibility to get those assignments done and turned in to the teacher. As mentioned in the St. Gerard Student Handbook, NO homework will be given in advance for vacations.
Parent Volunteer
opportunitiesJ
(A sign-up was posted at open house- contact me if you have further
questions)
Auction Coordinator Party coordinator Party supply donations
World of Art- teacher/helpers camp supply help (getting organized before we go)
Room helpers (various projects, experiments and/or small group helper)
**Remember that all volunteers need to be Virtus trained. The next Virtus training at St. Gerard will be on Monday, Oct. 3rd, at 6p.m. in the Parish Hall.
Daily Schedule: Your child�s schedule has been included for you to keep at home. Students will also have a copy for their file. Please note that the class labeled �Language Arts� means Reading, English, and Spelling. Your child will go to Mrs. Shelby Hicks for Social Studies.
Supplies- reminder to label ALL supplies with your child�s full name and this includes Gym clothes and Art shirt. Gym clothes are to be brought to school in a small bag and left in their cubbies.
Donations: A few items we could use in class.
* See list sent home with Open
House papers.
Letter Writing: Fourth grade will be writing letters to friends and family members his year. We could use a donation of letter size envelopes and about 2-3 stamps.
Snacks: Students may bring a healthy snack to eat in the morning. Please pack something for them to eat daily.
Chapter Book: Students will be doing silent reading daily. If they have a book they are currently reading, please have them bring it to school. Otherwise, they can check books out of our classroom library.
**Bring all covered textbooks tomorrowJ Only the MATH workbook needs to be covered with clear contact paper. The rest of the workbooks do not need to be covered.
***************************************VERY IMPORTANT*********************************
The �Parent Meetings� are scheduled for Thursday, September 8th at 6:30pm. Start in Father Weber Hall, and then you will be dismissed classrooms. These meetings are a great way to learn details about 4th grade and camp dates too.
Thank you for sharing your child with me. Teaching 4th grade is a blessing. I am looking forward to working with you and your child. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Our communication is essential to your child�s education. If you have not signed up for Edline, please contact the office for information. I will send information out through the use of Edline. Look for newsletters and grades updated at least once a week.
Sincerely,
Kathy Baker
Email: [email protected] School: 321-6126