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__**St. John's Elementary Parent Page﻿**__
====This is the place for parents to come to talk about their questions they may have about upcoming topics that are going on within the classroom and/or school. Please feel free to contact the school or email the teachers with any questions you may have. ====

__School Trips __
====Here at St. John's Elementary we feel that trips are a great way to motivate and interest students in learning. Students are motivated and interested about a topic being taught when teachers plan an educational trip regarding what was taught in class. All letters regarding school trips will be sent home. Parents are asked to read over the trip information and sign the slip with the fee that is asked to give by the due date. Chaperones are encouraged to attend! ====

__School Fundraising __
====Fundraising is an important part in keeping our school alive. We will have different school fundraisers throughout the school year in order to reach our goals. We work with [] in order to make our school fundraising successful. Please feel free to visit this site in order to become familiar with these events. ====

Your second graders are being graded on their homework, classwork, class participation, quizzes, projects, and tests. Although you may feel at times your child is having difficulty with a project or homework, if for some reason they are unable to complete the task on their own, or mostly by themselves, please email or call one of the teachers so that we can help your child with that assignment and possibly re-instruct the base lesson. Homework...10% Classwork...10% Class Participation...10% Quizzes...20% Projects...25% Tests....25%
 * __Grading Policy __**

Total 100%

__Test Schedule __
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Students are required to take the New York State Examination Tests. All the information regarding examination schedules can be found on these websites: [|State Assessment] [|Examination Schedule] [|NYS English as a Second Language Tests] [|New York State Alternate Assessment] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">In class tests are given after a unit of study is completed. However, every week students will take a spelling test in which words will be given every Monday for students to learn the spelling and the definition of each word for Friday's test.

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__**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Parent-teacher conference sign-up **__
====<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Parent-teacher conferences have historically been a scheduled annual event, where parent meets with a teacher and the teacher informs the parent of the child's progress. More recently, research has shown that parent involvement has a significant influence on student performance. The new focus is toward promoting a partnership between parents and teachers, where there is a cooperative relationship between the two parties working together to help the child achieve success. ====

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">There will be two parent teacher conferences which will be held in November and April. Information will be sent home prior to that date to sign up.
__**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Homework assignments **__ <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Please check students homeowork pad when they arrive home. Students will be told to write down their homework in their homework pad everyday. If you notice your child is not writing down any homework please email their teachers in regards to this.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">__**Here are general Homework Tips for Parents**__
> Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going. > Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance. > Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates. > Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires. > Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook. > Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her. > Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher. > Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong skills. > Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are. > Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in. > Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind on an assignment. > If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard, celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Help your child with time management.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Be positive about homework.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When your child does homework, you do homework.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Stay informed.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Reward progress in homework.