Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions
of students and parents.
- May my child bring bottled water to class?
- What is the grading scale?
- May my child bring birthday treats to school?
- When is Mrs. Wolf available to talk with parents?
- What nights does my child have home practice?
- What additional supplies will my child need each school day?
- How do I know if my child is doing well in school?
- My child has an M on his/her progress report. What does that mean?
- My child was absent. What work does he/she have to make up?
- When does my child have P.E.?
- What is the extra credit work policy?
- How is the spelling grade determined?
- I called and left a voice mail message. Why is my child's absence unexcused?
- Why didn't my child receive a citizenship award this trimester even though he/she behaved appropriately?
- So what if my child didn't follow directions. The answers are correct.
- What are the classroom rules?
- How will my child be rewarded for following the rules?
- Why isn't there a column for the author's name on my child's Home Reading Log?
- Why must my child restate the question in his/her answer?
- What is a Mad Minute quiz and how is it graded and recorded?
May my child bring bottled water to class?
Yes!
Because we live in a desert, playing outside can cause
dehydration. Having bottled water will prevent this from
happening. It will also cut down on classroom water break
interruptions.
However, bottled sports drinks, colored punches, etc, are
prohibited. If the bottle were to spill, the liquid would stain
the carpet.
What is the grading scale?
A = 90% - 100%
B = 80% - 89%
C = 70% - 79%
D = 60% - 69%
F = 0% - 59%
May my child bring birthday treats to school?
Yes, store bought treats may be brought to school. However, they
will be distributed as a lunch time snack only.
When is Mrs. Wolf available to talk with parents?
She is available to speak with parents before or after school and
during the classroom prep period. Parents may also contact Mrs.
Wolf by e-mail: Leslie_A_Wolf@interact.ccsd.net
What nights does my child have home practice?
The first day of each new week, a Home Practice Matrix will be given
to your child at the end of the school day. One matrix
activity is to be selected and completed each evening, Monday
through Thursday. Once an activity is completed, an adult must
sign and date the matrix square. Your child is to return the
matrix each school day so that Mrs. Wolf can record the
activity's completion. The matrix will be recorded and returned
immediately so that a different matrix activity can be completed
each evening. Each activity should take no more than 10-15
minutes to complete. Students should also read nightly for at
least 20 minutes to help master fluency and comprehension.
Remember to record the evening's reading on the Home Reading Log.
Your child is to return the Home Reading each Friday because
it is an important component when determining your child's
citizenship grade.
What additional supplies will my child need each school day?
No additional supplies must be purchased. The district has
supplied all materials that your child will need to complete
daily tasks. However, if a parent wishes to purchase school
supplies, please refer to the third grade supply list that was
provided by our school or is located at http://schools.ccsd.
net/forbuss. Hand-wipes, paper towels, and facial tissues are
always in high demand and would be especially appreciated.
Additionally, large notebooks, boxes of crayons, markers, pencil
boxes, etc. take up a great deal of space and, if purchased, will
be stored in student book bags to conserve precious desk space.
How do I know if my child is doing well in school?
A progress report will be sent home every other week or may be viewed
on ParentLink on a daily basis. Both will provide you with your
child's individual assignment grades, per subject, each assignment's
title, averaged grades, and a list of missing work. The report
should be signed by a parent and returned with your child the
following school day. If there are any questions or concerns, please
note them on the report and Mrs. Wolf will contact the parent as soon
as possible.
My child has an M on his/her progress report. What does that mean?
If your child does not put a heading on the assignment, forgets
to turn it in, or misplaces it, the assignment is considered
missing and an M is given. If the assignment is later found,
for each day that it is late, 10 percentage points will be
deducted. After two weeks, if the assignment has not been
returned, the grade will be changed to an F.
My child was absent. What work does he/she have to make up?
If your child was absent, the work that is to be completed is in
his/her wire basket. This work may include any worksheets,
activities, or projects that he/she can complete independently.
Any work that was done in class that needed specific teacher
instructions or special materials will be excused. Your child
has two days to complete the work. It will be considered
incomplete and not be accepted after those two days.
When does my child have P.E.?
Forbuss Elementary is on a seven day rotation schedule. Our prep
time is from 12:35-1:25, with two exceptions. On C days, our prep
time is from 2:25-3:15 and on G days, our prep time is from 1:30-2:20.
The seven day rotation schedule is as follows:
A = art
B = P.E.
C = library
D = science
E = music
F = P.E.
G = science
A calendar will be sent home prior to each month's schedule and
can be found on the classroom website: Specials Rotation Calendar.
What is the extra credit work policy?
There is a school-wide no extra credit work policy.
How is the spelling grade determined?
The spelling grade is determined by writing in all content and
subject areas. A spelling grade is categorized in reading: word
analysis. When a student writes a paper, reading response, or any
other written assignment, a spelling grade is given. If there
are no spelling errors, 100% is earned. If there is one error,
90% is earned. If there are two spelling errors, 80% is earned.
If there are 3 errors, 70% is earned. If there are 4 or more
spelling errors, 60% is earned.
I called and left a voice mail message. Why is my child's absence unexcused?
A telephone message or a verbal reminder are no longer considered
acceptable responses to your child's absence. A legibly written
note, with the student's identification number, must be received
within three days of your child's absence for it to be considered
excused. If a note is not sent within three days, the absence is
considered unexcused and will not be reversed at a later date.
Why didn't my child receive a citizenship award this trimester even though he/she behaved appropriately?
The citizenship award is given to those children that receive E's
in all eight categories of the Learning Behavior section of the
report card. Classroom behavior is only one measure of the
citizenship grade. Home practice is also used to determine
citizenship. If the home practice matrix was submitted each day,
and the home reading log was submitted each Friday, an E is
earned. If one of the four was missing, an S is earned. If two
or more were not submitted, an N is earned.
So what if my child didn't follow directions. The answers are correct.
In order to be successful test takers, children must be able to
follow verbal and written directions carefully and correctly.
Standardized tests use specific question words. If children are
not in the habit of reading and following directions exactly,
test results will be poor. Making children accountable for these
skills will create appropriate test taking habits and will lead
to better test results.
What are the classroom rules?
1. Follow directions the first time they are given.
2. Keep hands, feet, and other objects to yourself.
3. Use inside voices indoors.
4. Raise your hand and wait to be called upon before you speak.
5. Have all materials and supplies at your desk and be ready to
begin working when the bell rings.
How will my child be rewarded for following the rules?
When children follow the rules, verbal praise will be given
immediately. Other possible rewards include prizes, notes home,
and tickets to purchase items from our classroom store.
Why isn't there a column for the author's name on my child's Home Reading Log?
Children often misspell authors' names when recording them on
their reading logs, causing undo frustration when trying to
identify a particular book's AR test...the author's name is not
the only way to locate a desired test. However, if the book's
title is common, i.e. Rocks, your child should also write the
author's last name next the the book's title.
If your child records the AR reading level of a particular book
on his/her Home Reading Log, he/she will be able to locate
and take a test without difficulty or fear of taking the
wrong test. If the book does not have its AR level written on
its cover, it can be found on the website, www.arbookfind.com.
Why must my child restate the question in his/her answer?
When writing answers to questions, students should get into the
habit of restating those questions in their answers. This simple
practice will help them later when taking the fifth grade writing
proficiency test.
When the fifth grade writing proficiency test is scored, students
are often given numerous points if the prompt is simply restated
in the first paragraph: just as they have practiced restating the
question in their answer when completing third grade assignments.
What is a Mad Minute quiz and how is it graded and recorded?
An important third grade mathematics objective is to immediately
recall addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts. To reach
this goal, the Mad Minute quiz was created. A Mad Minute quiz is
an individualized, 13 question math facts quiz taken during a
one-minute interval.
Before the quiz begins, students record the fact on which they
are trying to master on their goal chart. They then write that
digit in each blank of the quiz and turn it over. The timer is
set for one minute and the entire class begins together. Once the
time has elapsed, the quiz is checked in class by the student and
his results are recorded on his goal chart. If he earned 100%,
he goes onto the next digit and the 100% is recorded in the grade
book. If the student does not receive 100%, he has not mastered
that fact and will take a similar quiz the following day using
the previous day's fact. The score is recorded in the grade book
as an M. Students do not move onto the next fact until they have
received 100% on that particular fact. The M is then changed to
100% in the grade book. This ensures mastery of that fact.
During the first trimester, students will take addition and
subtraction Mad Minute quizzes. During the second trimester, the
Mad Minute quiz focus will be on multiplication and during the
third trimester, the children will take Mixed Mad Minute quizzes
which will test addition, subtraction, and multiplication
memorization.