Welcome to 4th Grade with Miss Amis!

WELCOME BACK!

This week begins a brand new school year for all of us and I am so excited to be able to welcome you to the fourth grade and to our classroom! I am confident that our classroom will be a place of safety and learning.

The following pages are goals and expectations for my class this year. I’m looking forward to a great year! Thank you for supporting your child in their growth and learning this year!

All About Miss Amis

Teaching Experience

This is my 8th year teaching 4th grade and I absolutely love it. I get so much joy and fulfillment out of being a teacher and am so excited for this year. I may be biased, but I think 4th grade is the best and can't wait for the fun and learning that we will have together!

I grew up in Riverton, Utah and am the oldest of four kids. Right now, I live in Daybreak. I love spending time with my family, especially when we get to go jet skiing. Jet skiing is one of my very favorite things to do during the summer! I enjoy spending time with my friends and traveling. I also LOVE to read. My family has two dogs that I ADORE and I love going home to see them during the week.

My Life Outside of School

My favorite food is spaghetti

I love going to concerts

One time I even met Taylor Swift at a concert!

My favorite color is

I love watching and going to Jazz games

Classroom Expectations

Expectations for Students

-Come to school prepared to work hard and learn!
-BE KIND to yourself & to others
-Participate in class and share your thinking
-Be respectful to all students and teachers
-Be responsible for your learning and your materials

Expectations for Parents

-Be positive about your child's learning
-Encourage students to have a positive attitude about their learning
-Contact me immediately if you have any questions or concerns
-Help when and where you are able, we are in this together!

Positive & Negative Consequences

Positive

Negative

When students make good choices they will be able to move their clothespin along the letters in our classroom that spell the word "LEADER". Each time students get to the "R" in "LEADER" they will be able to choose a prize from our classroom prize box.

Each student will have a card inside their personal pencil box with the colors green, yellow, and red. When students make choices that break school or classroom rules, or disrupt learning, they will be asked to move the paper clip on the card.

Green= doing great (where students start each day)

Yellow= warning

Red= Think Time

Homework

Throughout the past few years there has been a lot of research done on the effectiveness of homework in elementary schools. Through research synthesized by John Hattie, a researcher from the University of Melbourne, he found that homework’s effectiveness at the elementary school level has a limited effect on student’s growth. For this reason, I have decided to only send home reading homework. I am glad to share the research if you have any questions.

On the next few pages, I will give you more information about how homework will look this year.

Reading Minutes

I will send home a reading calendar the first week of school to keep track of your child’s reading minutes. Because your child will only be required to read each week, I expect them to read five days a week for a minimum of 20 minutes. I don't care which 5 days you choose to read. Students may read anything to receive their reading minutes (e.g. magazine, novel, graphic novels, etc.) Please sign in the box at the end of every week and return the whole calendar inside your student’s homework folder every Friday. I will send their folder back with them that same day.

Lexia Units

Lexia is an online reading program that the entire school implements in the classroom. All students must meet their Lexia units each week. The amount of units your child is required to meet each week is based on the number of minutes your student is assigned. Minutes are assigned to students based on reading level, comprehension skills, and decoding skills. Students will have the opportunity to complete most of their Lexia units at school. However, any additional units that your student does not meet at school will need to be done at home. If your child consistently struggles to meet his or her Lexia units each week, we will create a personalized plan for him or her together.