Family Mrs. Stewart’s class is a family! There may be peers that aren’t your favorite. That’s normal. It’s also normal that there is most likely someone in your family that may not be your favorite, but they’re still family. We will watch each other’s backs and support each other NO MATTER what happens in and out of this room. What are some ways that we can act as family?

Morning Procedures When you come in every morning, be sure to unpack your bookbag and hang it and neatly on the hook with your number. We will not be going into bookbags during the day so please get all needed materials out first thing in the morning. Please zip all zippers and keep the closets neat. The next thing you should do is sharpen ALL pencils for the day. If you have 2-3 pencils sharpened before the start of each day, that should be sufficient to get you through the day.

Lunch Choices Every day, I will have the lunch choices written on the small board. You should make your lunch choice by marking 1, 2, or H beside your name and under the correct day of the week. Once choices are made, I will submit orders to the cafeteria, and we will line up according to your choice before lunch. If you have lunch/ice-cream money, bring it to me, and I will put it in an envelope with your name on it and send it down with the lunch count. Please don’t leave money lying around.

Attendance School begins at 7:45. Please be here on time in order to have the most successful year. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to ask me for makeup work and to ask me questions about what you missed and what you need to do to catch up. Please encourage your parents to make doctor appointments, leave for out of town, etc. AFTER school hours. School is out at 2:50.

Agendas It is required that you purchase an agenda. They are $2.00. Every morning, you will write down your homework in your agenda. Every night, you MUST get your agenda signed. Agendas are an important tool to keep yourself and parents informed. Occasionally, I may write notes to your parents in your agenda. They may be positive or informative. We will have an agenda checker. More on that later.

Homework Homework is a very important part of school. It’s your time to practice concepts and review what we’ve learned at school. If you don’t do your homework, there will be consequences. We’ll discuss these in the behavior plan.

Lining Up When we line up we are silent. When we line up we are silent. We will line up in numerical order. We will line up in numerical order. Everyone should stand in their own square and respect personal space by standing still and facing the front. Everyone should stand in their own square and respect personal space by standing still and facing the front.

Lunchroom Expectations We go to lunch at 11:47. We will start washing hands, lining up for lunch, and leave for the cafeteria at 11:40ish. We will line up in order of H, 1 and then 2. We will walk silently through the hallway and into the lunchroom. We are assigned to Line 1. Please remember to ALWAYS say please and thank you to all lunch ladies/cafeteria workers.

At your seat… During lunch, please sit facing forward with both feet in front of you. During lunch, please sit facing forward with both feet in front of you. It is polite to place your napkins in your lap and to keep your space neat. No one wants to look at your nasty napkin lying on the table beside them. It is polite to place your napkins in your lap and to keep your space neat. No one wants to look at your nasty napkin lying on the table beside them. Keep your mouth closed while chewing and NEVER talk with your mouth full. Keep your mouth closed while chewing and NEVER talk with your mouth full. If you need to sneeze or cough at the table, please use your napkin to cover your mouth and say “excuse me”. If you need to sneeze or cough at the table, please use your napkin to cover your mouth and say “excuse me”.

Dismissing From the Lunchroom When it is our time to go, 12:17, we will dismiss one side at a time. As we stand, please check under the table around your area and be sure that you pick up any trash/food. Even if it’s not yours, you need to respect the custodial staff and help pick up. We will walk silently back to the classroom.

In Class If you have a question, raise your hand and hold up your pinkie. To answer a question, simply raise your hand. If you have a comment, raise your hand in the shape of a “C”. If you need water raise your hand and use the sign for water. If you need to use the restroom, raise your hand while signing the restroom sign.

Transitions We will have many transitions throughout the day. When we’re moving from one subject to another, our goal is to be ready for the next subject in 15 seconds. Transitions are NOT the time to chat with your friends, sharpen pencils, or get water. It is a time to get your things together and to get your mind prepared for the next subject and your ears ready for my instructions. If we waste time transitioning, I will waste your recess/lunch time.

Desks While these desks are yours for the school day, they do not belong to you. You must respect them as others’ property. We will not keep books in the desks. Only folders, spiral journals, agendas, and pencil boxes may stay in your desks. Trash in desks is a sign of laziness and disrespect. I will periodically do ‘desk checks’ and there will be rewards for those that have their desks neat and orderly, as expected.

Restroom Etiquette When using the restroom, please remember to flush the toilet. PLEASE ALWAYS wash your hands. Before washing your hands, go ahead and get the paper towels that you’ll need. Wash your hands and use the paper towels to turn off the water. This way, you’re not using your CLEAN hands to turn off the DIRTY handle and paper towel holder. The restroom sanitizer should be placed on your desk before you leave, and returned to the table when you return to the room.

Water I am more than happy to let you bring water into my classroom. It may stay on your desk as long as it doesn’t become a distraction. You may not get up at any time you please to get water. Do not bring any liquids other than water into my classroom unless given special permission such as an incentive day.

Nurse/Illness You must be severely ill to go to the nurse. I have band aids and you must be bleeding enough to need one. A speck of something doesn’t require a band aid. If you have a medical issue that I need to know about, please let me know. If you feel that you’re about to lose your cookies, please leave my room immediately, or get the trashcan and go into the hallway.

Packing Up At the end of the day, after specials and R & A we will pack up. Double check your desk and agenda to make sure that you have all the needed materials for your homework that evening.