ATTENDANCE

Regular and punctual attendance is important in order to fulfill the educational needs of every child. The school day begins promptly at 9:00am. Students need to be in their seats and ready for instruction.

The education of each child can be seriously affected by absences. Your child's success at school depends upon regular and consistent attendance. Most subjects are taught in sequence requiring the understanding of each concept in the order of its presentation. Persistent absenteeism creates a genuine hardship for a student and is regarded as a very serious problem.

Students granted an excused absence will make-up all class work generally within 48 hours to receive a grade.

    
BATHROOM BREAKS

 If a student needs to use the bathroom, the student must raise their hand and wait for permission from the teacher in order to use the bathroom. Bathroom breaks are designated throughout the student day.  Taking a bathroom break during instruction is not allowed since students may miss out on important information needed to complete classroom assignments.


BIRTHDAY TREATS

Birthday celebrations are allowed during the school year.  Please give advanced notice to the teacher and send in appropriate items in order to serve the treat. Healthy snacks are encouraged.


CLASSROOM LIBRARY

Our classroom has a library created with the purpose of motivating students to read for various purposes which include reading for fun, reading to practice a reading strategy/skill, or reading to practice fluency. Students will be sent to the classroom library during the following times:

    * Differentiated Instruction / Learning Centers
    * Sustained Silent Reading
    * Free Time
    * If Instructed by the Teacher


COMMUNICATION

Open lines of communication are vital elements in any school program. The relationship between school and home is always better enhanced through discussion of mutual problems, grades, proposals, or programs. We invite and urge parents to participate in any way possible in order to further enrich their child’s potential.

Parents may communicate by:

    * Writing a note and sending it with the student
    * Placing a phone call during school hours to (717) 432-8691 ext. 1500 to speak to or leave a message for Mr. Eyster.
    * Scheduling a conference during a time that's convenient for both the parent and the teacher by calling the school at (717) 432-8691 ext. 1500.
    * Visiting Mr. Eyster's website at /webpages/seyster/
    * Writing an email to Mr. Eyster at seyster@nycsd.k12.pa.us

Mr. Eyster will communicate by:

    * Sending notes, letters, notifications, or announcements with the student or by mail.
    * Making phone calls to parents to talk about student progress.
    * Sending student progress reports, report cards, and/or notes.
    * Posting information in Mr. Eyster's website.
    * Writing emails to those parents who have email accounts.


CONFERENCES

We appreciate the interest you express in the progress of your child. Parents are welcomed to schedule conferences with the teacher throughout the year to discuss mutual problems, grades, proposals, or problems. Conferences may be arranged with the teacher at a mutually convenient time and setting and they may be requested by the parent, teachers, or administration. To schedule an appointment for a conference, please call (717) 432-8691 ext. 1500 to speak to or leave a message for Mr. Eyster.


HOME LEARNING/HOMEWORK POLICY

Home Learning is an integral factor in fostering the academic achievement of students and in extending school activities into the home and the community. Home Learning should provide reinforcement and extension of class instruction, and should serve as a basis for further study and preparation for future class assignments. Students will receive home learning assignments every day, Monday through Friday. If the assignment is to be written, students are expected to return the completed assignment each day. Parents are asked to please review their child’s home learning every night. Older children may have longer assignments, which are due within a few days or a week.

Frequency and Quantity of Home Learning Assignments for Students in Fourth Grade

Fourth Grade: Daily (5 days a week) for 20-40 minutes

These times do not reflect the additional 75 minutes a week that are required to be devoted to daily independent reading, which needs to be done every day MONDAY-SUNDAY. During these 75 minutes a week, parents may either read to their child or listen to their child read.



LINING-UP

Students will be instructed to practice the following guidelines when lining-up:

Looking forward
Inner hands
Nice and quiet
Everyone's in a straight line

The above acrostic poem is an instant reminder for students to line-up correctly. Students immediately remember that:

    * They must look ahead to see where the line is going;
    * They should keep their hands "in" by placing them on their sides for a straight posture;
    * They need to be nice and quiet while walking in line;
    * And finally, they will form a straight line by following the stated guidelines.


LUNCH ROOM

Students are expected to maintain positive behaviors while having lunch in the cafeteria. Parents are encouraged to discuss the following expected cafeteria behaviors:

    * Enter the cafeteria quietly and wait quietly in a single file line.
    * Speak in a low, soft voice.
    * Remain seated once you get your food. No one is allowed to leave their seat without permission of an adult.
    * Keep food and wrappers inside the trays at all times.
    * Keep your area clean. Pick up what you drop and dispose of any trash you see.
   

MORNING PROCEDURES

As students enter the classroom they are expected to sit at their assigned seats and begin to take out any necessary school tools from their book bags. Students should hand in all homework assignments, sign in, sharpen pencils, and hand in any forms to the teacher.

Once students have gotten ready to begin the day, they will be expected to begin their "Morning Work"  as listed on the front board.  After attendance has been taken, the teacher will then review the morning work assignment with the students before continuing with the day's lessons.


PENCIL SHARPENING

Students are required to come to class prepared with at least 2 sharpened pencils. Students may sharpen pencils before school starts, before and after class, and at the end of the day.


PERSONAL POSSESSIONS

Students are urged not to bring any expensive or valuable jewelry, electronics, toys, or other possessions of value to school. Any toys or video games that are brought to the classroom will be confiscated by the teacher and will only be returned to the parent.


REQUIRED SUPPLIES

Students are responsible for coming to class prepared with the following necessary supplies to be successful.

    * One Book Bag
    * Two Sharpened #2 Pencils (or more)
    * 1 or more Erasers
    * Assignment/Agenda book (provided by the school district)
    * Homework Folders (provided by the school district)


SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS

Our class will participate in a monthly book club sponsored by Scholastic called "Arrow". Students will receive a book club flyer every month that will feature book selections which range from a wide variety of reading levels. Moreover, the prices are reasonable and the class will earn bonus points for each item ordered. These points will be redeemed for books to improve our classroom library! The flyers will go home with the students, and parents are free to discuss the featured books with their child. Please note that participation in this book club is strictly OPTIONAL.

In order to assist parents with book selections, the teacher will make recommendations once a month.  If parents decide to purchase any books for their child, they will need to fill out the form on the back of the book club flyer, enclose either cash or a check made out to "Scholastic", and send both the flyer and the payment to the teacher (Mr. Eyster). The teacher will then turn in the order and payment to Scholastic. Once the order is placed, delivery will generally take less than 2 weeks and the books will arrive to the classroom to be distributed to the students who purchased them.


STUDENT PROGRESS

Student progress monitoring is an ongoing process throughout the marking period.  Report cards will be given at the completion of each nine-week period.


WATER FOUNTAIN USE

Procedures for water fountain use are similar to those used when students need to use the bathroom. If a student needs to drink water during the class period, the student must raise his or her hand and ask for permission to drink water. The student will then need to take a hall pass before leaving the classroom. Students will only be given permission to use the water fountain one time in the morning, one in the afternoon, sometimes following recesses, and after coming back from Specials.  Students may also use closed-lid water bottles as well.