Homework
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Homework is a chance to practice a skill at home, repeatedly with parent supervision, help, or just checking answers for redirection. Homework helps students develop indpendence, organizational skills, and helps them set a pattern of reinforcing their learning outside of the school day which is necessary to reach their highest potential. The homework and study patterns that are set up now are crucial in helping them prepare for the rigor of the next grade. Homework is a percentage of each subjects' grade, but learning to read or to master math standards, or to demonstrate mastery on assessments will not happen without additional practice and support at home. Homework will not be returned as you would have already seen it and checked your student's answers before it was turned in.
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Homework comes home nightly in blue plastic homework folders. One side is "Bring Right Back" and the other is "Left at Home". All homework is written daily in their planners. Please have your child be responsible for unpacking his/her own backpack and showing you their blue folder and planner. Students should empty out the Left at Home side nightly. You should sign the planner every school night.
Homework will be mostly math and reading and should take about anywhere from 20-35 minutes not including required nightly reading.
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This is the homework policy statement from the 2019-2020 SOG Handbook:
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-The Academy recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children. As such, the Academy stresses the crucial need for parents to establish and monitor homework time, free from television, video games, and other distractions. Older students often receive long-term assignments to help them learn how to plan ahead and budget their time.
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-Teachers assign quality homework for each school night, within the following average guidelines: Kindergarten 15 to 25 minutes, 1st and 2nd Grade 20 to 35 minutes, 3rd and 4th Grade 30 to 45 minutes, 5th Grade 40 to 60 minutes. These homework guidelines do not include nightly reading in grades K-5.
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-Under ideal circumstances, this formula would show the maximum time spent on homework at a particular grade level. Keep in mind, however, that there will be times when a “twenty-minute assignment” may take a given student longer to complete. Anxiety, distractions, uncertainty about the assignment, and other factors can have an impact on these guidelines. If, however, homework 4 assignments routinely take your child longer than recommended to complete, please notify the teacher immediately. Together, you can examine the problem and make necessary adjustments.
If a student is spending excessive time on homework with little likelihood of satisfactory completion, the parent should help the student find a reasonable stopping point and then attach to the homework a note detailing the time spent on the incomplete assignment. The teacher will accept the homework for this occasion and will then contact the parent to review the circumstances. The Principal should be brought into the conversation, if these steps do not remedy the situation or if this is a repeated occurrence.
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-Homework may be assigned during long weekends, but it is not assigned the day of a vacation period to be due the day classes resume. Vacations would include Fall break, Thanksgiving break, Winter break, and Spring break. All homework assignments are to be completed before the beginning of the class for which the work was assigned. Failure to complete homework will be dealt with according to the individual teacher’s discretion. Teachers are asked to contact parents if three or more homework assignments are not turned in on time during any marking period.
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Grading:
E 90% - 100% Exceeding Expectations
M 70% - 89% Meeting Expectations
P 60% - 69% Progressing
N 59% or below Needs Improvement
