Dear Family,
Welcome to fourth grade! We are so excited to start a new year and that your fourth grader will be spending it with us! Fourth grade is unique because there are two teachers. Mrs. Plumhoff has taught fourth grade at Calvary Christian School for 18 years and is happy to be sharing the fourth grade class this year with Mrs. Anderson, who was the third grade teacher last year and is thrilled to spend another year with last year’s class. We both love teaching and we love children and can’t wait to get started. We are praying for a year of growth for your children, both academically and spiritually and we’ve been very busy in the classroom this week preparing for the first day. Feel free to come in before school starts to see the room and visit with us. We would be happy to answer any questions you have!
Mrs. Plumhoff teaches from 8:00-11:30 and will bring the students to lunch. Her subjects are English (grammar and writing), reading, spelling, and math. Mrs. Anderson teaches from 12:20-3:15. She will pick the students up from recess. She teaches Bible, science, and Heritage Studies. Mrs. Plumhoff also teaches Spanish to kindergarten-8th graders.
Attached to this letter is a 4th grade handbook. This handbook is your guide to a successful fourth grade year. It will explain our schedule, and the procedures that we follow in fourth grade. Please read the handbook, sign the form on the last page and send the form with your child by Friday, September 6th. We will be teaching procedures to the fourth graders during the first couple weeks of school. If you have any questions or concerns about the handbook, the school year or regarding your child, please feel free to contact Mrs. Plumhoff or Mrs. Anderson. It is going to be a super year!
Feel free to come down on the first day to take pictures and settle your student into our classroom. See you on Tuesday, September 3!
Mrs. Jennifer Plumhoff Mrs. Sandy Anderson
616-901-1301 616-916-8399
[email protected] [email protected]
Home FoldersIn fourth grade, students begin using Home Folders. If students have unfinished assignments throughout the day they will put them in their basket. At the end of the day it will go into a pink Home Folder. Mrs. Anderson will keep track of who takes their folder home. Generally, most students finish all of their assignments during the day. We will also put important notes in this folder. Please return the Home Folder to school the next day with the completed assignment. It is our goal to work with you as parents to help teach our students to be responsible for their own work. This is definitely a process and they will need your support and ours as they learn.
Make-Up Work
If your child is going to be absent for any given day, feel free to call the school office and arrange to pick up the work that he or she is missing. It is important to complete make-up work in a timely fashion so students can be prepared for future learning. Special accommodations will be made for extended illnesses and long trips. Please send make-up work and books back to school with your child even if the work isn’t finished yet so they can work on it during down time in the school day.
Re dos and Missing WorkIf your child is missing any assignments we will put a note in their Home folder explaining what is missing. Please encourage your child to finish their missing work and return it the next school day.
When a child receives a grade lower than a B they will be required to redo that assignment so that we can ensure that your child has learned the necessary material for success. We often have time to fix assignments in class but they may bring something home to fix from time to time. The grades will be averaged and the new score recorded. A child may choose to redo any assignment that receives a B or better for an averaged grade as well.
Math and English Test Re dos
We allow students who get less than 100% on a math or English test to relearn information and retake the parts of the test that they did not understand. This will help ensure that students learn all necessary information before moving on and will also improve their grade. Here is how it works:
1. If your child receives a 79% or below, we will send the test home in your child's home folder. Please help your child fix their mistakes and return the test to school. If you need our assistance in this process, attach a note to the test and we will help your child at school. Once the test is fixed, we will administer a new test at school.
2. If your child receives an 80% or above, we will send it home in their Friday folder. As you look through their papers, you can choose to have them fix their test. Send it back in and we will administer a new test.
Friday Folders
Every Friday, student work, school notes, and teacher newsletter will be sent home in their Friday folder. Please review the material in the folder and return the folder on Monday. It is important to read all notes and newsletters so that everyone is aware of important events and tests that are taking place in fourth grade. If you would like us to send the newsletter via email rather than get a paper copy, please email Mrs. Plumhoff and we will do so.
Book Reports and Reading Goals
Students improve their reading skills by reading. It is Mrs. Plumhoff’s desire to help students become life-long lovers of books. To encourage this, students are required to read a chapter book and 2 short non-fiction books each month and complete a short report for each. Book reports will be part of your child’s reading grade. Many students are able to finish these assignments in class when they have finished other work. We also encourage students to read more books than the required chapter book and non-fiction books. Students who go above and beyond the requirement will receive 20 tickets for each extra book read. As a bonus, from October-March they will also receive a certificate for a free personal pizza from Pizza Hut (Book-it program) for reading their chapter book. We would appreciate help from home with book reports. To help you with this we will include a book reading chart in the right pocket of your student's Friday folder every week that will document how far they have gotten with these book reports. This chart will be updated during the week. Thank you for your help with this.
Behavior Expectations1. Treat others with love and respect. (1 John 4:7)
2. Do all your work as if working for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)
3. Listen and obey. (Exodus 20:12)
Students will receive 10 tickets at the end of each day for following classroom expectations. Tickets can be spent at our classroom store once each month.
ConsequencesStudents who do not follow classroom expectations will first receive a verbal warning. Subsequent misbehaviors will be recorded on the teachers' clipboard and result in a loss of five tickets, then 10 tickets at the end of the day. Parents will be contacted at the teachers’ discretion.
Birthdays
If you wish to bring something to celebrate your child's birthday we ask that it be something that students can eat during morning fruit break or for dessert at lunch. In place of birthday treats you are welcome to donate a game, book or puzzle to the classroom in your child's honor for all of the students to enjoy.
Specials Schedule
P.E. - Tuesday and Thursday
Music - Tuesday and Friday
Computers - Monday and Thursday
Media (Library) - Monday
Art - Friday
Spanish - Wednesday and Friday
Chapel - Wednesday
Parent Opportunities
We appreciate the help and support of all of our parents. We cannot succeed without you. You are important!
Welcome to fourth grade! We are so excited to start a new year and that your fourth grader will be spending it with us! Fourth grade is unique because there are two teachers. Mrs. Plumhoff has taught fourth grade at Calvary Christian School for 18 years and is happy to be sharing the fourth grade class this year with Mrs. Anderson, who was the third grade teacher last year and is thrilled to spend another year with last year’s class. We both love teaching and we love children and can’t wait to get started. We are praying for a year of growth for your children, both academically and spiritually and we’ve been very busy in the classroom this week preparing for the first day. Feel free to come in before school starts to see the room and visit with us. We would be happy to answer any questions you have!
Mrs. Plumhoff teaches from 8:00-11:30 and will bring the students to lunch. Her subjects are English (grammar and writing), reading, spelling, and math. Mrs. Anderson teaches from 12:20-3:15. She will pick the students up from recess. She teaches Bible, science, and Heritage Studies. Mrs. Plumhoff also teaches Spanish to kindergarten-8th graders.
Attached to this letter is a 4th grade handbook. This handbook is your guide to a successful fourth grade year. It will explain our schedule, and the procedures that we follow in fourth grade. Please read the handbook, sign the form on the last page and send the form with your child by Friday, September 6th. We will be teaching procedures to the fourth graders during the first couple weeks of school. If you have any questions or concerns about the handbook, the school year or regarding your child, please feel free to contact Mrs. Plumhoff or Mrs. Anderson. It is going to be a super year!
Feel free to come down on the first day to take pictures and settle your student into our classroom. See you on Tuesday, September 3!
Mrs. Jennifer Plumhoff Mrs. Sandy Anderson
616-901-1301 616-916-8399
[email protected] [email protected]
Home FoldersIn fourth grade, students begin using Home Folders. If students have unfinished assignments throughout the day they will put them in their basket. At the end of the day it will go into a pink Home Folder. Mrs. Anderson will keep track of who takes their folder home. Generally, most students finish all of their assignments during the day. We will also put important notes in this folder. Please return the Home Folder to school the next day with the completed assignment. It is our goal to work with you as parents to help teach our students to be responsible for their own work. This is definitely a process and they will need your support and ours as they learn.
Make-Up Work
If your child is going to be absent for any given day, feel free to call the school office and arrange to pick up the work that he or she is missing. It is important to complete make-up work in a timely fashion so students can be prepared for future learning. Special accommodations will be made for extended illnesses and long trips. Please send make-up work and books back to school with your child even if the work isn’t finished yet so they can work on it during down time in the school day.
Re dos and Missing WorkIf your child is missing any assignments we will put a note in their Home folder explaining what is missing. Please encourage your child to finish their missing work and return it the next school day.
When a child receives a grade lower than a B they will be required to redo that assignment so that we can ensure that your child has learned the necessary material for success. We often have time to fix assignments in class but they may bring something home to fix from time to time. The grades will be averaged and the new score recorded. A child may choose to redo any assignment that receives a B or better for an averaged grade as well.
Math and English Test Re dos
We allow students who get less than 100% on a math or English test to relearn information and retake the parts of the test that they did not understand. This will help ensure that students learn all necessary information before moving on and will also improve their grade. Here is how it works:
1. If your child receives a 79% or below, we will send the test home in your child's home folder. Please help your child fix their mistakes and return the test to school. If you need our assistance in this process, attach a note to the test and we will help your child at school. Once the test is fixed, we will administer a new test at school.
2. If your child receives an 80% or above, we will send it home in their Friday folder. As you look through their papers, you can choose to have them fix their test. Send it back in and we will administer a new test.
Friday Folders
Every Friday, student work, school notes, and teacher newsletter will be sent home in their Friday folder. Please review the material in the folder and return the folder on Monday. It is important to read all notes and newsletters so that everyone is aware of important events and tests that are taking place in fourth grade. If you would like us to send the newsletter via email rather than get a paper copy, please email Mrs. Plumhoff and we will do so.
Book Reports and Reading Goals
Students improve their reading skills by reading. It is Mrs. Plumhoff’s desire to help students become life-long lovers of books. To encourage this, students are required to read a chapter book and 2 short non-fiction books each month and complete a short report for each. Book reports will be part of your child’s reading grade. Many students are able to finish these assignments in class when they have finished other work. We also encourage students to read more books than the required chapter book and non-fiction books. Students who go above and beyond the requirement will receive 20 tickets for each extra book read. As a bonus, from October-March they will also receive a certificate for a free personal pizza from Pizza Hut (Book-it program) for reading their chapter book. We would appreciate help from home with book reports. To help you with this we will include a book reading chart in the right pocket of your student's Friday folder every week that will document how far they have gotten with these book reports. This chart will be updated during the week. Thank you for your help with this.
Behavior Expectations1. Treat others with love and respect. (1 John 4:7)
2. Do all your work as if working for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)
3. Listen and obey. (Exodus 20:12)
Students will receive 10 tickets at the end of each day for following classroom expectations. Tickets can be spent at our classroom store once each month.
ConsequencesStudents who do not follow classroom expectations will first receive a verbal warning. Subsequent misbehaviors will be recorded on the teachers' clipboard and result in a loss of five tickets, then 10 tickets at the end of the day. Parents will be contacted at the teachers’ discretion.
Birthdays
If you wish to bring something to celebrate your child's birthday we ask that it be something that students can eat during morning fruit break or for dessert at lunch. In place of birthday treats you are welcome to donate a game, book or puzzle to the classroom in your child's honor for all of the students to enjoy.
Specials Schedule
P.E. - Tuesday and Thursday
Music - Tuesday and Friday
Computers - Monday and Thursday
Media (Library) - Monday
Art - Friday
Spanish - Wednesday and Friday
Chapel - Wednesday
Parent Opportunities
- Field trip drivers and chaperones
- Volunteering time to help students in the classroom
- Sharing a hobby or career with the class (see Mrs. Plumhoff or Mrs. Anderson)
- Donating items needed for the classroom:
- items for classroom store ie. dollar store prizes, stickers, games, books etc.
- Bandaids, paper plates, paper bowls, napkins, plastic forks and spoons
- items for classroom store ie. dollar store prizes, stickers, games, books etc.
We appreciate the help and support of all of our parents. We cannot succeed without you. You are important!