2016-2017

Back to-School
Handbook
UNITY
I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young childs mind
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher:
The tools she used were books and music and art,
One was a parent
With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.
And when at last their work was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought.
For the things they had worked into the child
Could never be sold or bought!
And each agreed they would have failed
if they had worked alone.
For behind the parent stood the school,
And behind the teacher stood the home!
~Ray A. Lingenfelter

Lori Arbucci
4th grade, Room 31
Paradise Canyon Elementary School
larbucci@lcusd.net

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM APPROACH

The seven principles are:
1. The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.
2. How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and
content go hand in hand.
3. The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.
4. There is a set of social skills children need in order to be
successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion,
responsibility, empathy, and self-control.
5. Knowing the children we teach individually, culturally, and
developmentally is as important as knowing the content we teach.
6. Knowing the families of the children we teach and inviting their
participation is essential to children's education.
7. How the adults at school work together is as important as
individual competence: lasting change begins with the adult
community.
The six teaching strategies are:

1. Morning Meeting: A daily routine that builds community, creates a

positive climate for learning, and reinforces academic and social
skills.
2. Rules and Logical Consequences: A clear and consistent approach to
discipline that fosters responsibility and self-control. Types of
Logical Consequences: 1) You break it, you fix it 2) Positive TimeOut 3) Loss of Privilege.
3. Guided Discovery: A format for introducing materials that
encourages inquiry, heightens interest, and teaches care of the
school environment.

4. Academic Choice: An approach to giving children choices in their

learning that helps them become invested, self-motivated learners.
5. Classroom Organization: Strategies for arranging materials,
furniture, and displays to encourage independence, promote caring,
and maximize learning and positive social interaction.
6. Family Communication Strategies: Ideas for involving families as
true partners in their children's education.

HOMEWORK
Homework Philosophy:
Homework is a vital part of a childs instructional program at Paradise
Canyon. At times, especially in the early years, homework will require
parental support, but parents are not expected to re-teach a lesson or
to do the homework. I believe that homework should be:

Purposeful
Meaningful (including reading for pleasure)
For review
A way to Frontload information
Connected to class learning
Build responsibility and instill good learning habits
A way for parents to be connected to learning

Homework is written in your childs agenda at the end of each day. Parents,
it is suggested that you sign or initial your childs agenda each night, but its
not mandatory. In addition to homework assigned each day, fourth grade
students are expected to read a minimum of 20 minutes AND it is suggested
that they also practice typing for a minimum of 5 minutes each day.
HOMEWORK IS DUE IN CLASS THE NEXT DAY
(Except on rare occasion!)

If at any time, your child is working on his/her homework assignments

for an excessive amount of time, please contact me.
Please note: The purpose of homework in our class is for students to practice
skills that have been previously taught, in order to retain the material. The
homework is developmentally appropriate for 4th grade students. Some students
may take longer than others to complete HW assignments, and some might
complete them in less time. *If you feel the need to have your child spend more
time each night doing homework, please see the attached list of Family
Activities for some ideas. Having your child practice typing more than 5 minutes
& read more than 20 minutes are GREAT ideas students who read more are more
successful in school and in life!

READING: As your child reads each night, they should be practicing

good reading strategies. Such strategies include: re-reading for
understanding, monitoring his/her own thoughts, clarifying for
understanding, connecting ones own experiences to those of the
characters in the story, predicting, looking at and thinking about the
illustrations, deciphering the meaning of unknown words by examining
how theyre used in the sentence, looking for cause and effect, and
more! Reading for homework can be done either 1) silently to
themselves, 2) out loud to a parent, or 3) parents and children can read
to each other.

GRADING
Writing

Reading

Language

Focus:
30%

Weekly
Quizzes:
30%

Grammar:
30%

Craft:
10%

Theme
Tests: 20%

Spelling:
10%

Math
Tests: 60%

Social
Studies
Tests:
60%

Science
Tests:
60%

Projects &
Structure &
Writing
Assignments: Projects &
Projects &
Organization: Story
Conventions: 40%
Assignments: Assignments:
30%
Frames/Text 30%
40%
40%
Dependent
Support:
Questions:
Vocabulary:
30%
30%
30%

AR Scores:
10%
Book
Reports:
10%

BIRTHDAYS and CELEBRATIONS

The teachers at school welcome class parties, but would like to

adhere to the District Policy of providing non-food items (only) for
birthday celebrations. Here are some age-appropriate ideas:

Bookmarks
Pencils
Erasers
Pens
Friendship bracelets
Key chains
Buttons
Stickers
Lanyards
Book(s) for the class library
Temporary tattoos
Bubbles
Craft kit/bag

*We will be able to provide food at our winter holiday party, as well as
our end-of-year party. These food items will not contain any foods that
pose health risks to the students in our class.

Helping Your Child At Home

How can I help my child at home? That is a question most asked of a teacher by interested
parents. Here are a few suggestions that may be of help to you.

1.

Remember that your attitude toward school and the teacher is reflected by your child in

his or her attitude toward school and the teacher. It is important that you be discrete
in front of your child if you are upset about any aspect of school.

2.

When papers are brought home, look at them; comment on them; go over them with your
child. Show genuine interest in your childs work.

3.

Give your child some responsibility at home- some small jobs that are his/hers alone to
do. Follow through to see that the child did do the job. Do not do the job for your child.
It takes lots of patience, but it pays big dividends later on.

4.

Be sure your child listens when you are speaking to him/her. Paying attention is one of
the most important things a child can learn to do, and one of the biggest helps to a
teacher.

5.

See that your child does her/his homework each night. Be sure to designate a quiet
place with a flat surface where your child can write. This space needs to have sufficient
lighting and be free of distractions. Having a box of homework supplies is very
beneficial (sharpened pencils, erasers, crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue stick,
scissors, ruler, dictionary, paper).

6.

See that your child gets plenty of sleep- 10 hours is optimal.

7.

Control and censor TV programs, and apps & activities on electronic devices. They can be
instructional and relaxing in proper doses, and at proper times.

8.

Be firm and decisive in your answers, especially with YES and NO.

9.

Be consistent in your demands and privileges of anything that pertain to your child.

10.Support your child in his/her activities, but do not make excuses for her/him.
need to learn about consequences.

Children

Enjoy your child! Be a part of new discoveries, but dont take them over. Your child needs the
opportunity to discover, learn, and grow on his/her own!