To help us make our year as successful as possible, we will be setting goals as a class and as individuals.  Our classroom goals will center around creating a positive learning environment in which all participants are valued, encouraged, and challenged to be their best selves.  As individuals, we will set goals for school, home, and the future.  We will monitor our progress toward meeting our goals as the year progresses and revise them as they are met and exceeded.

We will also keep track of our growth in areas such as reading, writing, math, and mindfulness using data from class assignments, assessments, projects, and reflections.

All goals, updates, and data analysis will be housed in our binders.

At Ida Jew Academy & Valle Vista Elementary, we follow the 3 B's -- be respectful, be responsible, & be safe.   As a class, we will describe what the 3 B's look and sound like within our classroom and across campus in order make clear expectations for all in our learning environment.  We also follow the Peace Builders Pledge in which we agree to praise people, give up put downs, seek wise people, notice and speak up about hurts we have caused, right wrongs, and help others.

Class Cash & School Tickets

To reinforce a positive classroom environment and make things fun, we have Class Cash.  Students may earn Class Cash in many ways.  Some of those ways include:

• Meeting class expectations without being reminded

• Going out of their way to help a classmate or adult

• Stepping out of their comfort zone to try something new

• Consistently demonstrating positive character traits

• Completing and returning homework and reading on time

• Having a caregiver sign the bottom right hand corner of their planners on Monday evenings, indicating they have reviewed the events, reminders, and spelling for the week

• Having remaining bathroom tickets on Friday afternoons

Students may also earn school tickets for demonstrating the three Be's around campus. These tickets may be spent at the school's student store.

Prizes & Coupons

At the end of the day, students will count up their class cash and record the total in their planners.  On Fridays, students may purchase a prize from our prize basket for $12 or a coupon for $15.  Coupons include:

• Extra Recess or Choose a Game for the Whole Class

• Skip Morning Work or One Night of Homework

• Draw on the Whiteboard or Select a Story for the Class to Hear

• Pick a Pen or a Class Job for the Day

• Teacher Helper for the Day or Eat Lunch with the Teacher

• Wear Your Favorite Hat to School or Wear a Crown as King for the Day

• Take Your Shoes Off in Class or Wear Slippers in Class

• Be the Line Leader or Tell the Class a Joke

• Sit by a Friend for the Day or Sit at the Teacher's Desk

• Extra Tech Time or Sharpen Your Pencil Whenever You Want

• Teacher Phone Call Home (to share how awesome you are)

Bathroom Tickets

Students receive four bathroom tickets each week.  Any tickets left on Friday may be traded in for Class Cash.  If a student needs to use the bathroom during class more than four times in a week, they may use Class Cash.

Warm Fuzzies

To keep the positivity going, we have a jar for Warm Fuzzies.  Whenever the class is doing well during a lesson or work time, receives a compliment around campus, or is just generally making good choices that demonstrate strong character, Warm Fuzzies are added to the jar.  When the jar fills up, the class decides how they would like to celebrate.  Some ways classes have chosen in the past are bring a plushie to school, extra recess, free time, and tech time.

Kudos & Class Meetings

In addition to the clothespin system and Warm Fuzzies, we maintain a Kudos Box.   If students have a compliment to pay a fellow classmate, he/she may fill out a Kudos card and put it in the Kudos Box.  We read Kudos cards just before dismissal on Fridays.  The recipient of the Kudos card gets to take it home or may opt to post it in the classroom.

If students have a concern with a fellow classmate that cannot be resolved in another manner, students may add the issue to the class meetings requests.  We then hold a class meeting to problem solve as a class and come to a consensus regarding the issue. 

Attendance Matters

The best way to learn is to be present, so each day a student arrives on time ready to learn, they get to write their name in a box on our attendance incentive poster.  Once the grid is full, I will choose 5 boxes similar to the way Bingo numbers are called.  Students with names in the boxes called will be able to choose a prize from the prize basket.  Then the poster will be cleared of names and we start again.  Each month, there will be a new poster to help motivate us to be there on time and ready to learn.

Our school also has an attendance incentive.  For each day we have the whole class present on time, we get to cross of a letter on the "We love IJAVVE!" poster.  When all letters are crossed off, the class earns a free dress day.

Awards & Honors

As a school, we honor one student a month at a Student of the Month celebration.  Students are selected for demonstrating the month's character trait.  We also honor students in various categories at trimester assemblies.

In class, each month, we will honor our Biggest Reader.  The student who has read the most based on their weekly reading log gets to choose a book to keep and gets their picture posted on the classroom "We Are Awesome!" bulletin board and in ParentSquare.  Students who read at least 150 minutes each week in a given month from October to April will receive a certificate for a free personal pizza at Pizza Hut thanks to the Book-It! program.

We also have the occasional class spelling bee.  Spelling Bee champions win a $10 gift card and get their picture posted on the "We Are Awesome!" bulletin board and in ParentSquare.

Homework Schedule

Reading Logs: On the back of each planner page is a reading log for the week.  Here, students write down the date, title of what they are reading, and the number of minutes they read for the day.  The goal is to read 150 minutes a week.  I know weeknights are busy, so reading logs are not checked until Monday mornings, allowing for additional reading time over the weekend.  Please help your child total the minutes and then sign the logs so that your child can earn Class Cash Monday mornings.  Those who read more than 150 minutes get double the cash!

Homework: Homework this year comes in the form of a choice menu.  For each day, Monday through Thursday, students are offered 2 options of assignments to complete.  All assignments are due on Friday mornings.  Each assignment completed earns Class Cash.  

Daily Schedule

• 8:25 - 10:00       Crew, PE, & ELA

• 10:00 - 10:15     Recess (10:15 - 10:30 on Early Dismissal Days)

• 10:15 - 11:40     Math*

• 11:40 - 12:15     Lunch

• 12:15 - 12:50     ELD

• 12:45 - 1:45       ELA

• 1:45 - 2:20         Social Studies, Science, VAPA

• 2:20 - 2:35         Pack-Up & Dismissal (1:20 - 1:35 on Early Dismissal Days)

*Dance on Mondays from 10:40 - 11:10, Library on Tuesdays from 10:15-10:40, & Mindful Life Project on Thursdays from 11:10 - 11:35

Uniform Policy

• Bottoms:  Navy blue pants, skirts, jeggings, sweatpants, or jumpers; black pants, jeans, or sweatpants

• Shirts: Navy blue, white, or forest green collared or non-collared shirts and school/MPAS-sponsored shirts

• Sweatshirts/Sweaters:  Black or forest green sweatshirts

• Jackets: No red or royal blue

• Shoes:  Black, white, or brown, minimal accents of color, close-toed -- no sandals, heel-less shoes, or Crocs

• Hats or Head Coverings: To protect oneself from weather or for religious purposes only

• Sunglasses:  To protect oneself from weather only

• No red or blue clothing nor items with insignias from non-school clubs, organizations, sports teams, or gangs

Celebrating Birthdays

Everyone loves a great birthday celebration, but with food allergies and time constraints, it is becoming increasingly challenging to celebrate with cupcakes, cookies, and other treats.  Because of this, we are doing something a little different this year.

In celebration of your child's special day, I will give your child a birthday bookmark, certificate, and bracelet, and your child will get to choose a class coupon!  We will also sing to them if they'd like us to.

If you would like to bring something for the class, I ask that you choose from the following options:

• Donate a book or learning game to the class

• Donate a book to the school library

• Bring a goody bag of small prize-type toys or treats for each student

• Bring a birthday or decorative pencil for each student

Thank you in advance for your cooperation!