October 14, 2011

Dear Parents:

As we begin the second quarter, I want to make you aware of the expectations and responsibilities of our fourth graders.

· Students will lose 5% off their grade for late work, no names, or sloppy assignments. This could be significant – please encourage your child to pay close attention to due dates.

· Spelling – Starting with the second quarter, students will be required to complete the five curriculum words each week. These words will no longer be counted as extra credit. Students are given the five words on the first day of the week on their spelling list, and it is their responsibility to copy them into their purple pretest spelling workbooks. J

· Each night, your child is required to read aloud for 10 minutes, review multiplication or division facts for 5 minutes, and to complete other assigned work for the week. This practice is very crucial to your child’s success in the classroom. Please initial their homework steno each night after they have completed their homework. Thank you!

· Literature Festival Book Report – your child should be working on this assignment already. They will give a brief presentation on their book, in costume, on Friday, Oct. 28^th, during our Literature Festival celebration. Students should bring their costumes in a bag on the morning of Oct. 28^th. They will be given time to change into their costume after lunch.

· Students will complete another book report for 2^nd quarter. Students are required to choose a different genre (type) of book for this quarter’s report. Look for specific requirements in your child’s Book Report Booklet in their binders. J

These expectations have been covered with our class and are effective immediately. It is a pleasure to help our students grow in responsibility so they may succeed in fifth grade and beyond. I am confident they will rise to the occasion.

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Whitcomb