Classroom Guidelines

Absences

If your child is absent, please contact the attendance office in the morning, so we know about the expected absence. I will put all "missed work" into a folder for your child to take home once he or she returns to school. Your child can make up any missed work when he or she feels better.

When your child returns to school, please also send a note to me about the absence for our NYS records. Also, it's helpful to know if your child has strep throat, pink eye, etc., so that we may take the proper precautions in class.

Birthday parties

We will celebrate birthdays in class. Please send a note to me at least one week in advance, so that I can plan for a "party time." Please send in a "peanut-free" party treat for each child in the class, as well as napkins or plates. If you have any questions about appropriate treats, please contact me.

Behavior Plans

We use the "stop light" behavior plan in our classroom. There is a picture of a stop light on our front chalkboard, and each student has a magnet with his or her name on it. At the start of each day, everyone's magnet is on the "green" light. If your child talks during lesson times, pokes or disturbs classmates, etc., I will warn the student to stop the misbehavior. If the behavior continues, I will put your child's magnet on "yellow," which indicates he or she needs to "slow down." If the student corrects his or her behavior, I will put the magnet back down to a "green light." Usually, this signal is enough of an incentive for children to make better choices. If however, the child continues to misbehave, I will put the child's magnet on the "red" light. At this point, I will send home a note to the parents indicating that there was a problem in class. The note will state the misbehavior, and I simply ask you to sign the note and return it to me so that I know you're aware of the incident. I think it's very important for you, the parents, to know if there are any difficulties so that we can work together to improve your child's behavior. Please know that very few students earn a "red light," because most students really want to follow the rules! I've used this behavior plan in the classroom for several years, and it's been pretty effective.