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//Mrs. B’s// // Classroom // ** Live, Laugh, Love, and Learn * Children First! ** WELCOME About Me...
 * // School will start July 26, 2010. We will be doing many fun and exciting things during the school year. I would like to personally invite all parents to be involved in their child’s education. Please feel free to drop in and share your talents with the class. We are always looking for people to help in the classroom, serve as guest speakers, and be mentors to our students. //**

I am a sixth year teacher and cannot express my enthusiasm to be at Daybreak Elementary. I recently completed my Masters Degree in curriculum and instruction in 2008 and my Gifted and Talented endorsement in 2009. I graduated in 2005 from Utah State University with my degree in Elementary Education. I also have a degree from Weber State University in Musical Theatre. I love drama, dance, and singing. I try to incorporate fun ways of learning into our classroom. I love to have fun, but am extremely structured when it is work time. I can’t wait to meet you and share this important year with you!

**//babcock6.wikispaces.com//**

This year I am going to try something new to help keep people involved with what we are doing. I have created a wiki to incorporate technology and our classroom. This will allow parents to view what we are doing in class (assuming I can keep it updated.) I hope that I will be able to keep scanned copies of assignments on the site for students that are absent of happen to lose an assignment. Please check it to familiarize yourself with how things will run in our class.

Computer Lab Please make sure you have returned a signed permission form for computer use. We do a lot in the computer lab and the faster we get those in, the faster we can get started! Jodie Simpson is heading up the lab this year. We are so lucky to have her!

Calling All Volunteers! Sixth grade is usually an age where parents think they are not wanted in the classroom. I need help! I always need help with parties. We usually try to do a Halloween Party, a Valentine’s Party, and a Shakespeare Cast party. In years past, I have ended up with these additional responsibilities. I understand that parents have to work, so if I will try to send requests for donation items to help keep sixth graders motivated and happy. We often times will earn “reward activities” for a job well done. Please help in anyway you can! Let me know if you can come in and help or would like to head up the room mom position.

Attendance It is so important for your child to be punctual and present in school each day. There will be rewards for those with excellent attendance and punctuality through out the school year. I understand families have vacations or activities, which must at times be attended. Please give me advanced warning in these cases and I will prepare a vacation packet which will take the place of classroom activities. If your child is absent due to an illness, work will be sent home when s/he returns. Students will have three days for each day missed to complete the missed work. Discipline We will use Think Time. Students are given one warning. If the behavior is repeated they will be sent to Think Time. Severe behaviors will not be given a warning, automatic Think Time will be given. Students who acquire more than three Think Times in a week will receive the following: 1. parent phone call 2. lunch detention If issues are not resolved, parent meetings and involvement of the administration may occur.

Planners Students will daily bring home a completed planner. Please initial the planner daily. I hope this will help train students to be responsible for their daily work so it will help them to prepare for Jr. High School. If you have a concern or comment please feel free to include it in the comment section of the planner. Grading I will be calculating grades weekly. Thursday, before I leave school, is the due date for weekly work. Each student that completes all weekly assignments will earn the privilege of the 6 th grade super student activity. Students that are not prepared Friday morning go to study hall to finish any unfinished assignments. Home Reading One of the most important and effective things you can do with your child to help them be successful is continued home reading. Sixth grade requires 30 minutes reading each night of the school week (Monday – Friday) to earn a 4 (excellent) in independent reading on the report card. Please record student daily reading minutes on the page sent home each month. Please sign these and return this reading record at the end of each month. Friday Notes I send notes home EVERY Friday with the exception of short weeks. Please ask you child on Friday where their note is. They will have either a “Wahoo” which means they completed all their work or a “Missing Work Note” which will be a list of the assignments yet to be completed. Please sign any missing work notes and help your child get things finished and turned in. This often is where grades start to drop. If students don’t keep track of missing work, it can turn to a zero before they get it taken care of. Progress Reports At the end of each month a progress report will be sent home informing you of your child's grade to date for the term. This is a perfect opportunity to address any concerns about your student's grade.

Communication Please feel free to contact me at wendy.babcock@jordan.k12.ut.us or call me at school and leave a message (302 -0553). I check my e-mail more frequently than phone messages.