Syllabus

Syllabus

Class Schedule:

Each student’s schedule is created based on their individual grade level and behavioral/academic needs. Schedules are individualized in the self contained classroom and can be shared with parent/guardians at any time if requested. Please know that as IEP’s change, schedules may change as well. 

Behavior sheets:

Behavior will be recorded on a daily behavior sheet. Any notes on the behavior will be recorded on that sheet. At the end of each day,  that will be in the back of the red take home folder. At the end of the week, we ask that you sign that sheet and have your student return it to me on Monday  we know week was discussed at home to keep kids accountable for their school behavior at home as well. That sheet will also have space to write any comments/questions that you may have and I will respond to those on Monday when they return to me.

                                           Classroom rules and expectations: 

Expectations

Guidelines

EXPECTED BEHAVIORS

UNEXPECTED BEHAVIORS

Communicate

Respect

• 
  
  Student is using appropriate comments, tone of voice, and non-verbal language when making requests to peers/teacher/paraprofessionals/ school personnel. 

• Raising Hand to Speak /Get Permission from Staff to Get Out of Seat/ School rules

• Keeping Hands and Feet to Yourself/ Maintain Personal Space Zone (e.g. two feet)

• Polite Responses to Questions/Answers/Wants/ Providing Verbal Support to Other Students (e.g. “good try, Johnny”)

Arguing/ Yelling/ Demanding and Screaming

Making faces/inappropriate gestures

Cursing/ name calling

Negative peer interaction (e. g. “why is she here, what are you looking at, you’re not sitting here?”, 

Horseplay/Invading Personal Space 

Threats / Intimidation / Fighting/ Destroying property and school building 

Actively Participate

Student is prepared for academic instruction and participating in class discussion/ group activities by answering questions when called upon, volunteering answers, and asking academic questions.

 Participating in Class Discussions/ Participating in Group Activities

Answering When Called Upon/ Volunteering  Academic Answers

Asking Academic Questions/ Prepared for Academic Instruction

Sleeping/ Talking During Instruction

Not correct task when prompted/ Refusing to complete assignment

Ripping work and papers/ clearing the desk or area

Not answering when called upon/ Avoiding the work or task 

Shutting down/ head down on desk/refusing to work with a teacher 

Taking 

Responsibility

Student will acknowledge their behavior through visual strategies, think sheets, conversation, hurdle help, proximity control, restorative justice, reflection sheets, and expected and/or  unexpected behavior charts

Accept corrective feedback 

Discuss behavior with adult by completing directed task 

Acknowledging positive and negative behavior/ Self-reflection on behavior 

Refusal (e.g. “you can not make me do this, I’m not doing that)

Not accepting actions (i.e, lying, blaming, excuse, “its not my fault”, “he/she made me do it”, “they did it first”, I didnt know”)

Refusing to discuss behavior choices

Refusing to accept behavior consequences

Self- Regulate and Stay Safe 

Student will utilize individual strategies presented and taught in order to de-escalate and move to the green zone

• Reset Area/Calm Area/Appropriate Zone

• Zones of Regulation

• Calming Cards/Techniques

• Social Stories/Behavior Mapping

• Break Card

• Breathing Techniques/Mindfulness

• Respond appropriately to Crisis plan/Code Word

Refusing to use any calming strategies 

Escalating verbally or physically to unsafe behaviors/ disruptive behaviors and not calming down

Clearing classroom/Physical escort/Hurting others or self/ crisis intervention and administration contact

Single Target Behavior

Student is using replacement behavior in order to extinguish target behavior. Specific to student as noted on the front of the daily point sheet and IEP goals. 

Staff will tally the frequency of the targeted behavior (i.e. spitting, hitting, kicking, screaming, crying, tantrum for the frequency of occurrence to develop strategies to decrease behavior or develop appropriate replacement behavior. 

Work Completion:

Students will be using a filing system in the classroom to keep track of their finished work and unfinished work. If a student has work that needs to be completed (their behavior has hindered their ability to finish said work), it will be done before “Technology Friday time, as a consequence. If there is no work to be finished, the students may participate in “Fun Friday.” 

Breaks:

We will offer break times throughout the day, in between subjects. During break time, the students are offered several choices- movement, read a book, draw/color, stretch, etc. They may sit quietly at their desk as well. Break time will be approximately 5-10 minutes at a time. 

Communication:

Home to school communication is very important. We will primarily use email and phone calls in order to communicate with you. If you send me an email or leave a voice message, I will get back to you within 24 hours per district policy. Please also check your student’s daily folder for any important notices that go home as well as their daily communication sheet.

We are no longer using google voice or talking points- both are no longer allowed by the district. Please contact me via classroom phone or email. 

Classroom Phone: (864)355-0337  (Any calls during the day will go directly to voicemail and will show up in my email and I will get back to you within 24 hours. If it is an emergency during the day, please call the front office and they will direct the call to my classroom.) 

Email: sbriggs@greenville.k12.sc.us 

Curriculum:

We will be teaching Greenville County Schools curriculum materials, depending on your child’s grade level and needs. The South Carolina Learning Standards will be followed as well as the Greenville County Schools Curriculum guide. We are using the GoMath series for Mathematics, plus other material to supplement when we feel necessary. For Language Arts, we will be doing word study/spelling and using the HMH program for Writing. Reading will be a combination of Guided Reading groups, HMH, iReady, Reading Horizon and supplementary programs for phonics and comprehension, depending on need. Some of the students are also mainstreamed into General Education where they will be following grade level standards and curriculum. 

State standards may be viewed using the following link:

http://ed.sc.gov/agency/Standards-and-Learning/AcademicStandards/old/cso/index.html

Field Trips:
Students who are mainstreamed for academic subjects will be invited on their grade level field trips. Depending on their behavior, an adult from our class will attend the trip with them, unless a parent/guardian will chaperone. Grade level field trip information will be sent home when it is available.
For students on an abbreviated schedule or fully in the self-contained classroom- we try to provide as many opportunities as possible to get the student into the community and/or invite community members into the classroom to interact with them. 

Grading Procedures:

Elementary school students will receive number grades for each subject beginning in 2nd grade based on the state grading scale. This grading system does not include first grade or kindergarten. The grading scale is as follows:

A= 90-100           B= 80-89 C=70-79 D=60-69 U= 52-69

E= Excellent           S= Satisfactory       

N= Needs Improvement            U= Unsatisfactory

**A floor of 50 will be applied to quarter report cards for elementary students (2-5).  The floor will NOT be applied to Interim Progress Reports.

Homework Policy

Daily homework is to read with an adult for approximately 20 minutes or 1 book per day. Your child can read to you, you can read to your child, or a combination of both. Daily reading builds confidence and skills, so the more the better! If you would like extra work for your student to complete at home with you, please let me know and I will get that for you on an individual basis. 

Snack:

Each child will be provided with one snack in the classroom and if they wish to have more, we request that a healthy choice be brought from home. Please do not send your child to school with any liquid other than water. If your child has any dietary restrictions please let me know as well as Nurse Kim.

IEP meetings:

IEP teams will meet for annual reviews based on your child’s IEP dates and you will be notified of those dates as they get closer. At any point during the school year, you as the guardian are able to ask for an IEP team meeting to be held if you feel necessary. I am also more than happy to schedule any informal parent meetings that do not require the entire team to attend, just reach out to me. 

Referrals/suspensions:

Even for students with an IEP, any behaviors that become unsafe to others or go against any school policy can be documented as a referral and may result in a suspension. Per district policy if a student meets or exceeds 10 days of suspension, the IEP team will meet immediately to discuss incidents and any future adjustments that need to be made. 

These behaviors include but are not limited to:
* Any physical harm done to any student or teacher/staff
* Threats to harm self/others

Our number one job and concern as a school team is safety of all students and staff that are in our building! 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have and thank you for trusting me with your child!! 

Email: gtoney@greenville.k12.sc.us

School Phone: 864-355-0336

*I will respond within 24 hours per Greenville County Policy