Info and Policies

Daily / Weekly Items:

Cell Phones: I understand that cell phones are an important tool in everyone's daily life. However, in the classroom, they become a major distraction. Students will place cell phones in a bin inside the classroom at the start of the day, and will not be given access to them until dismissal at 4:00 PM. If you need to get a message to your student during the day, please call the main office and have the message delivered that way.
Smart Watches: Smart watches are viewed as a safety feature for some families. Smartwatches are allowed at school only with appropriate use. No messages should be sent or received during school hours. For privacy reasons, no audio or visual monitoring through a smartwatch will be allowed. Failure to follow school guidelines on smart watches will result in student’s losing the privilege to carry or use this type of device.
Class Bank: Our classroom reward & accountability system promotes positive behaviors and financial independence as students learn to earn, save, and spend classroom dollars. Starting in September, students will have assigned classroom jobs for which they will earn a weekly paycheck. Similar to the real world, in addition to income, students will also have financial obligations in the form of rent (their desk), and utilities (computer and wi-fi). There will be opportunities to earn extra money in the form of bonuses for exceptional behavior and other good deeds; likewise, they may incur fines for failure to perform their classroom job, or behaviors that are out of line from the PLE Habits of Character. They will be responsible for balancing their account in order to have funds available to purchase items in the classroom store.
Water Bottles: Hydration is important! Please make sure your child comes to school each day with a leak-proof water bottle, containing only water. Students are not permitted to have flavor additions, alternative water drinks (coconut water, etc) or soda/energy drinks in the classroom - all of these stain our classroom carpets (spills happen daily). Students will be given opportunities during the day to refill their water bottles.
Snacks: There will be a snack time daily in the morning. Please send a healthy snack to school with your student. We ask that no candy be sent to school for snack time. Due to the severe allergies in our classroom, make sure that snacks do not contain peanuts or tree nuts.
Folders: Each week, your child will bring home a folder provided by the school. It will contain flyers from school, PTO info, class information, graded work etc. Please go through this every week and send back the empty folder the following day.
Backpacks and Supplies: Students are expected to carry a backpack to and from school each day. They should store their binder and pencil pouch in their backpack at the end of the day to take home. This ensures that homework and other necessary resources are readily available to complete their assignments. Other supplies (spiral notebooks, math workbook, computer, etc.) will remain in the classroom.
We are a peanut and tree nut aware classroom! Please help us protect our CREW; do not bring foods into the classroom which contain these allergens.

Homework

One of our goals in 6th grade is to prepare your child to enter middle & high school, where homework is a regular/nightly responsibility. Accordingly, your child will have daily homework this year to help them practice the various skills associated with homework: time management, prioritization, organization, independence and topic/lesson review.

Clever and iReady access from home (for students): http://student.dcsdk12.org/

Username: Lastname(first initial)(middle initial)@s.dcsdk12.org

Occasionally there is a number after the middle initial

Example: stairscd@dcsdk12.org or stairscd1@dcsdk12.org

Password: Dcsd(6 digit lunch number), Example: Dcsd234432

Toys and Fidgets

Toys are not allowed at school. They get lost, stolen, and/or broken and many times they contain gooey substances that stain classroom carpets and furniture. If your child brings a toy, I will ask them to put it in their backpack and not bring them back. This includes pop-its, squish balls, slime/putty, stuffed animals, etc. If toys continue to come in to the classroom, they will be confiscated and a parent/guardian will have to claim them from the school office.
When utilized correctly, fidgets can be a great tool to promote focus; however, they have become a major distraction to learning over the past few years. Students often use them as toys, which is not the intended purpose of the device. Therefore, fidgets will not be allowed in the classroom.
Our administration supports us in this policy. Unless your child has a legal document such as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 that directly specifies the use of a fidget as a modification to support academic achievement, fidgets will not be allowed and are expected to stay home.

Arrival:

School starts at 9:05 AM. Before arriving to the classroom each day, students should complete the "5 B's of Arrival."

Breakfast: Students wishing to eat breakfast will need to stop in the cafeteria first.
Bathroom: Following breakfast, students should stop by the restroom if needed to take care of business to avoid classroom disruptions.
Water Bottle: Arrive to class with a filled water bottle (water only, no additives).
Backpack: Students should remove all necessary supplies, binder, lunch box, snack, water bottle, phone, etc. and hang their backpack on the hook. All of these items should be taken home at the end of the day.
Board: Look at the board for any instructions, schedule changes, or other important information for the day.
Arrive to Class Prepared: Students should arrive to class each day with the following supplies in hand:

Binder
Charged Computer
Independent Reading Novel
Pencil Pouch
Any assignments or homework to turn in or work on during class.

Dismissal

PLE will continue to use PikMyKid for dismissal.

If there is a one-time change to your child's normal schedule - please call the office before 3:30 PM so that they can let your child and I know ASAP.
If there is a permanent change, you can email myself and the office so we can update the records for end-of-day dismissal routines.
If dismissal is changed for weather, you will be notified through the various district communications and someone listed in your child's emergency contacts will be required to pick up and sign out your child in the classroom.

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