We are pleased and excited to start this school year with you and your children.

 

Outlined here are a few of the classroom policies, schedules, and other information.

 

Classroom Rules:

• Cooperate with your teacher and classmates.

• Respect the rights and property of others.

• Carry out your basic student responsibilities.

 

Basic Student Responsibilities:

• Keep track of your own supplies and assignments.

• Manage your time responsibly.  Allow enough time to complete your work.

• Ask for help when you need it.

• Do your own work.

• Accept responsibility for your work and other choices.

 

Everyday your student starts their day with 20 “Classroom Community” points.  When they make a choice that “breaks” one of our classroom rules, their individual star is moved down to 15 points.  If this happens, your student is placed on a “no talk, no travel” restriction.  If their star is moved down for a second time, resulting in 10 community points, your student will either return to the class or perform “community service” during the recess portion of their lunch recess.  If (and we don’t expect that this happens too often) your child’s star is moved to 5 community points, then they are required to complete a “Daily Behavior Report” (a half sheet printed on Aqua paper), take it home for your signature, and return it the next school day. Their star will not be moved back to 20 until the report is returned.  A star that has been moved to 0 will result in immediate removal from the classroom and disciplinary action will be taken by Mr. Boothby.  Ongoing issues may also warrant further parent-teacher communication such as e-mail, phone calls, and/or conferences. 

 

 

               Communication

 

Strong communication between home and school will greatly increase the quality of your child’s educational experience.  Friday folders will be sent home each week containing correspondences from both the school and the class.  Please read all information, sign necessary forms, and return the folder/forms to school on Monday.  We will be using Gradekeeper to track your child’s weekly work completion.   

 

 

You will be e-mailed a “progress report” of your student’s work completion on Wednesdays and Fridays.  This report will be generated by Gradekeeper and indicate whether or not your student has completed work assigned for the week.  Please keep in mind that this report reflects completion NOT understanding or accuracy.  Also remember that work in Aqua Room is assigned on a weekly basis.  Therefore, if your student has not completed assignments by Wednesday’s progress report, it doesn’t mean that they don’t plan on completing them in the next day or two.  The report is a nice way to discuss with your student strategies for time management in the classroom. 

 

 

Of course, if you have any concerns or questions during the year, please e-mail us for an appointment.

 

Contact Info:

 

Ms. Robyn Fratessa and Ms. Kristy Sherman:

aqua@mmcharter.org

916-630-1510 ext. 216

 

We kindly ask that you do not email or text our personal accounts/numbers with questions related to your student as we are committed to addressing all issues as a team.

 

                Daily Schedule

 

8:30 – 11:45: Lessons/Work time

11:45 – 12:35: Recess/Lunch

12:35 – 3:10: Lessons/Work time/Clean-up

 

Cultural Subjects: 2 hours per week plus enrichment activities

Step Up To Writing: Monday and Wednesdays

Computers: Tuesdays (4th) and Wednesdays (5th)

Ukulele: Friday mornings

Character Education: Friday

PE: Monday/Wednesday/Friday – Students are expected to bring athletic shoes!  If your student cannot participate in PE they MUST have a note or email from a parent excusing them from activity.

Electives: Friday afternoons

 

                   Policies and Procedures

 

Snack Policy: Students will have the opportunity to have a morning snack.   Snack time will be considered a “job.”  Students must have a cloth napkin with their snack.  They will use the napkin as a placemat and eat snack at a table.  Students may have a water bottle in the classroom.  No other beverages are allowed in the classroom.  They will not be able to drink juice/Gatorade/etc. in the classroom.  Please provide a nutritious snack (low sugar, high protein) and lunch.

 

No Waste Lunches:  MMCA, as a school, is working towards adopting a “no waste” lunch policy.  The garden committee is selling reusable sandwich bags.  Consider packing food in washable Tupperware or reusable packaging.  Send a cloth napkin and small table cloth to school in your child’s lunch.  Buy in bulk, rather than individually packaged items.  These are all ways in which we can instill a sense of ecology in our student body.

 

Drop off/Pick up: Morning drop off is from 8:10 to 8:30. Our work period begins promptly at 8:30.  If you arrive at school after 8:30, students must be checked in at the office.  They will not be allowed to enter class without a class pass (tardy slip).  Please do not drop your children off before 8:10.  You will be charged for before-school care prior to 8:10.

 

Pick-up time is from 3:10 to 3:20. Please do not leave your car unattended in the pick up lane. If you must get out of your car for ANY reason, please park in a designated parking spot. Also, we do not allow students to load into cars past the cross walk at the office. This is for safety reasons, so please do not ask for an exception. If you arrive later than 3:20 to pick up your child, you will need to park and walk to the after-school care room and sign them out.  If you would like to pick up your child at the park, please sign the release form in the office.  We cannot release children to the park without this signed form.  We urge you to be mindful of the fact that students at the park are there without adult supervision.

 

If you need to pick up your student early, please check in at the office.  The office will call the classroom and your child will be sent to the office to meet you.

 

Birthdays: If your child would like to celebrate their birthday at school, please send a healthy snack for each student (34). 

 

Indoor Shoes: The students may either wear socks or indoor shoes in the classroom.  They will remove their outdoor shoes and place them on the coat rack outside.  If they choose to have indoor shoes, they will be kept in their indoor cubby and kept at school (they will not go home).  Indoor shoes will be put on as they enter the room.  Indoor shoe recommendations include slippers, moccasins, or other soft, comfortable, quiet shoes.

 

Independent Study:  If you need to pull your student from school for an extended period of time (3 or more consecutive days) then please fill out an Independent Study contract, available in the front office.  We need at least 48 hours notice to assemble the work for your student.  Please make sure they complete the work so the absences are not recorded as “unexcused”.    

 

 

               Field Trips

 

We have several field trips planned throughout the year. Mrs. Boothby coordinates the field trips.  The cost of field trips for the year is $87 per child.  Pre-payment is required.  Payments can be made in one or two installments.  The first payment is due September 4, 2015.  Please make checks payable to Aqua Field Trips.

 

 

             Homework/Projects

 

Homework will consist of projects and unfinished class work.  Each student works at a different pace, and sometimes there are jobs that take longer than others. We are trying to adjust the workload so no one is overwhelmed, but at the same time not let them off the hook for daydreaming or chatting. Our goal is to help the students feel responsible for their learning and manage their time wisely. Any unfinished work for the day is to be taken home and completed that night. It should be turned in the next morning.

 

We strongly suggest that your child work on their Mathscore.

Mathscore:  http://mmca.mathscore.com/

 

The user name is the student’s first initial and last name (all lower case).  For example, ksherman.  The password is mmca123.

 

Other suggested websites:

There is a link on our homepage at http://mmcharter.org/ called Fun Links.  The page lists many websites by subject.  Additionally, we will be updating our website with the usernames and passwords for other websites used in class.

 

                Volunteers

 

Volunteers are a very important part of our classroom. By this age, the students are quite independent in the classroom. We are looking for volunteers to make materials, correct work, drive on field trips, and help with special projects.  Let us know immediately if you cannot make it on the day you are scheduled so that we can find an alternate.  Another way to help out (and earn volunteer hours) is to make purchases for the classroom.  If you purchase items that are needed in your child’s classroom, you receive one parent hour for every ten dollars you spend.  This is a great opportunity for parents who are not able to make it to campus to volunteer.

 

Back to School Night is for general classroom information.  If you would like to meet regarding your child specifically, please email us to schedule an appointment.  Thank you!

 

 

We look forward to a productive and successful school year!