Dear Families,

Welcome to a new school year! I am looking forward to a fun-filled year of learning and building relationships!

My Contact Information:

Please call or email with any concerns or questions you might have. I believe in strong communication between school and home. If you ever feel confused, frustrated, or extremely pleased….I want to hear from you! ☺ My School email is amanda.pearcy@idahoartscharter.org. School phone is 463.4324 ext. 339. If I am unable to answer my classroom phone, please leave a voicemail, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

I find correspondence with email to be the easiest, please make sure I have a current email address from you so that you are receiving my weekly updates and reminders. If you need my emails to go to more than one email address, let me know. I rarely send home hard copies of class information. Most correspondence will be through email, phone contact or on my website.

Homework:

I will be keeping you informed as to what topics and skills we are working on in class. Please take a moment each week to ask your child about these topics, have them demonstrate their learning to you and even give them related activities/practice problem to do at home. For example, if the math topic for the week is rounding numbers using a number line, encourage your child to show you how they use a number line to round. Please be patient if your child cannot demonstrate exactly what we learned in class. It takes time and a lot of practice to master the skills, and I don’t want students to feel discouraged if they are not getting it right away. Also, I know it can be frustrating because some of the strategies/activities we are doing in class will be different than what you are used to and maybe even confusing. I will provide video tutorials with some of the strategies that you can watch and discuss with your child. I assure you we are very intentional about the strategies we teach students and we believe they will lead to better understanding.

In addition to the "homework" of frequently discussing what your child is learning in class, I do ask that students read 20-30 minutes a night. This can include books, magazines or any kind of text. Having a parent or sibling read to the student is also an option until they can work up the stamina to read independently for that length of time. Reading is a integral part of our everyday lives and daily reading will help our students become confident readers.

If you would like to have your child practice educational skills appropriate for 4th graders, you can refer to a list of websites I have gathered on my website under “Useful Links.” Keep in mind that I also have 3rd grade materials on my links due to teaching both grade levels every other year.

Behavior Expectations:

Behavior expectations and procedures are discussed and practiced with the students during the first few weeks of school. I include students in the process of setting expectations. It is important that individuals feel safe, comfortable and included in the classroom, therefore I need the students’ input in deciding and defining our expectations. I like to recognize students who are doing their part in contributing to a positive learning environment while helping others to work in that direction. One thing that has always been important to me is to love each student for who they are. I appreciate differences, and I also appreciate respect. I expect students to respect themselves, their education, our school, and others around them. On occasions where students are having difficulty following the expectations we have set as a class, I will work with the student to come up with a solution to the problem. Parents and administrators will be included in this process if the problem is persistent over time or is severe in nature.

Grades:

Learning is a process. I want students to feel confident and persevere when things are challenging. Grades will reflect students' current understandings, but it is important that students are given the opportunity to grow and improve. If a student is not satisfied with their grade on any assignment, quiz or test, they are welcome to practice and redo their work to turn in for a better grade.

Snacks and water:

Our brains need fuel to run. Please allow your child to bring a healthy snack if needed. They will be able to eat their snack during our morning movement break. We eat lunch at 12:30 this year so students tend to get very hungry before lunch comes around. Water bottles are also encouraged. Students are asked to only bring water in their bottles. Juice and flavored water will only be allowed at lunch time in the cafeteria. Please make sure water bottles are marked with your child's name.

Lost and Found:

I am amazed at how overflowing our lost and found becomes each month. Please put your child’s name on all water bottles, lunch bags, sweaters, jackets, and coats. If a coat goes missing, you are always welcome to check the lost and found area located in the short hallway to the left of the library.

Getting Involved:

Parent volunteering has been limited this year, however there are still opportunities to stay involved with our school. You can stay involved by reading teacher emails carefully, reading Mrs, Fleshman's primary press monthly newsletters, and attending our monthly PTO meetings.

Lastly, please check out our classroom website once in a while. I will post updates and special announcements on this website. Our class website can be found on the school website on the “Staff Directory” tab. Click on the world icon by my name.

Thank you, in advance, for a wonderful, positive school year!

Amanda Pearcy