WELCOME TO
TH
4
GRADE!!!
MacArthur Elementary School
2014-2015
,
Welcome to MacArthur Elementary’s 4th grade! We
are looking forward to an exciting school year. We are
your child’s fourth grade teaching team. We say team,
because each of us will be teaching your child at some
point. We are a professional learning community and each
one of us will be invested in your child’s emotional,
physical, and mental well being. You are welcome to
contact any of us throughout the school year with any
questions or concerns about your child’s academics.
In this packet you will find information about our
procedures, schedules, and other important policies. The
success of your child is important to us, as it is to you.
We are eager to begin this year’s educational journey with
you and your child.
SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER: 651-6517
Mrs. Goll
Extension 3312
[email protected]
Mrs. Irminger Extension 3313
[email protected]
Mrs. Hughes
[email protected]
Extension 3314
GRADING
Report cards will be sent home with your child at the end of each quarter. You may
keep the report card each time, but please sign and return the envelope it was sent
home in.
We do not send home progress reports unless we see your child is receiving a D or
an F. We would also mail you a progress report if we noticed a big drop in your
child’s grades. Otherwise, it is your responsibility to check your child’s grades
through Skyward. We recommend that You may get to Skyward through the
following website: http://www.usd207.org/
You should receive a family password after you register so that you may log on and
check your child or children’s grades. Online grades are updated weekly. If at any
time you have a question about your child’s grade or missing assignments, please
contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible.
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DU
= 92-100
= 90-91
= 88-89
= 82-87
= 80-81
= 78-79
= 72-77
= 70-71
= 68-69
= 62-67
= 60-61
= 59 or below
Graded Work
Your child’s graded work will be sent home at the end of each week.
Please review the items and let us know if you have any questions or
concerns. You may place any permission slips or correspondence in the
binder also. Please keep all graded work at home, unless it says correct
and return.
Newsletters
The fourth grade team will email weekly newsletters to parents.
It is important to check your email on a weekly basis for important
dates and information.

Please send your classroom teacher an email message as soon
as possible, from an email account you check on a regular
basis.
Put your child’s name in the subject matter. Sending
a message will confirm that we have your correct address so
that you will receive any important information from us,
including the newsletter. The newsletter highlights special
dates, curriculum updates, and any important news.
Homework
Homework consists of a weekly reading response, a quarterly book
report, spelling homework, math practice, and any other work that
has not been completed during class time. Some students will have
very little homework and others will have more depending how each
child uses his or her work time during the school day. It is
appropriate for a fourth grader to have up to 40 minutes of
homework each evening. If your child consistently has to complete
hours of work at home, please contact us so that we can solve the
problem.
Student Planners
Students are issued a spiral bound agenda and this is kept in your
child’s large binder that he/she should bring home each day. This
is an important learning tool to teach students organizational skills
and responsibility. Each day, at a set time, students are to copy
all the assignments into the appropriate spaces. This is done as a
class. If you find that your child is not writing down his/her
assignments on a regular basis, please let us know so that we can
come up with a plan to check your child’s agenda at the end of
school each day before he/she leaves. We do encourage initiative
on your child’s part and parental involvement is essential to the
learning process. We encourage you to review the agenda with
your child each night and please sign or initial each day.
Snacks
Students are encouraged to bring a small healthy snack for the
morning time. Research shows that a small mid-morning snack will
help with concentration and performance. Please avoid sending
sugary treats and treats that contain nuts, instead try crackers,
veggies, fruit, or yogurt. At MacArthur we have several students
with peanut allergies and we need to respect these students’ right
to a safe learning environment. The students eat their snacks
quickly while changing subjects or during work time so make sure
the snack is quick and easy to eat. Students are also encouraged
to have a water bottle at their desk. Please send only pop-top lids
with small openings to avoid spills.
Birthdays
Birthdays are very special to children, and birthday treats are
always welcome. However, it is district policy that any treats
brought in must be done after 2pm. It is also school policy that
birthday party invitations are not sent to school unless an invitation
is available for every member of the class or gender specific
(Example: a girl gives an invitation to all the girls in her class.)
Flex Grouping
Whole group reading and math intervention groups are based on the
individual needs of each child and are placed based on pretests.
These groups change often based on the subject and skill being
taught.
Life-Skills
Life skills are the foundation to our classroom management. Lifeskills sheets are sent home when students need to be reminded
about using such character traits as effort, problem solving,
responsibility, and initiative. If your child brings one home, please
review the appropriate behavior, sign and return.