General Information, Policies, and Philosophy

 

We are pleased and excited to spend this school year with you and your children!
 
Outlined here are a few of the classroom policies, schedules, and other assorted information.
 
There are 3 players in a child’s education: child, parent, and teacher.

 

1.  Parents are responsible to get their children to school on time, providing them with a good breakfast, a healthy snack and lunch, and a good night’s sleep.
2.  Students are responsible to do their best to learn, and to be prepared for the lessons.
3.  Teachers are responsible to have the lessons and environment prepared.
 
We practice the following classroom rules:

 

• Cooperate with your teacher and classmates.

• Respect the rights and property of others.

• Carry out your basic student responsibilities:

     *Keep track of your own supplies and assignments.
    *Manage your time responsibly. Allow enough time to complete your work.
    *Ask for help when you need it.
    *Do your own work.
    *Accept responsibility for your work and own choices.

 

We are redesigning our classroom discipline policies and will update you when they are finalized.

​

WHAT TO EXPECT

​

Seating Arrangements
Our students do not sit in a certain desk and/or in a certain row all day long. Our students sit in groups. It helps with the collaborative learning process. It fosters a sense of community. We like to allow the students the opportunity to work together on assignments, and peer tutoring works wonders! That is why we have a policy of “Ask 3 before me.” Being in a multi-grade classroom of 34 students, there is a high probability that at least 3 students can help with the problem at hand.

​

Some students may have a difficult time sitting in a group setting. That is why we have individual seating areas throughout the classroom. Children also have the opportunity to work on the floor since many hands-on materials are large layout jobs. Even if the child doesn’t have a large layout job, they can still work on the floor if they feel comfortable that way.
 
Student Organization
We have a system set up to help foster organization among the students. Each student is given colored-coded folders for their work, a planner for important information to go home, and a weekly work plan. The weekly work plan shows them their assignments for the week in every subject. It will tell them what lessons they have and what extensions will be done. Each day, they have the “freedom” to choose which job they do first, with the exception of the lessons. On Monday, they may feel like doing math first, but on Tuesday, it may be spelling. They have that freedom. 

Every time they finish a job, we have them check it off, cross it off, etc. By Friday, they need to have all the jobs done for the week. Any work that they have not finished goes home as homework.
 
Friday Electives
The 4th-8th grade teams have gotten together and brainstormed a list of Friday Electives.  Kids have the opportunity to sign up for an elective. Each elective course runs approximately three weeks. On Fridays from 2:00-3:00, the kids have the option of electives. Each teacher has a different elective to offer. There may be soccer, tumbling, music, building birdhouses, bottle rockets, web design, etc. To be eligible for these Friday electives, the students have to have a certain percentage of their work done for the week. The deadline for this is Thursday at 3:10 pm. If they do not have the right completion rate, they will go to study hall during the elective time. More information to come as the year starts.
 
Team Teaching
Here at MMCA, we have two teachers in every classroom. This fosters the team teaching environment. It helps your child as well! In a traditional public school 4th or 5th-grade classroom, your child would typically have one teacher with 34+ other classmates. Here in Coral Room, your child will have a class size of 34 with two teachers. That’s a 17:1 ratio. Each classroom breaks up their teaching assignments differently. In the past, we have broken up our teaching responsibilities based on our strengths and likes. We both have a general understanding of what each child is doing and what they are capable of, but we may have to confer with one another if you have a specific question about something.
 
Teaching Assignments:

 

Mrs. Boothby:

1. Math

2. Technology

3. Art

​

Mrs. Crouch:

1. Writing

2. History

3. Language Arts

4. Reading

5. Spelling

​

Ms. Cooper:

1. Science

2. PE

3. Character Ed

4. Spanish

 

Communications:
Good communication between us will greatly increase the quality of your child’s experience at school. Your child has a “home folder” in the classroom where they put their homework, and we put office/classroom communication in. They are to take their folders home each day.

​

Our email is up and running. The best way to communicate with us is through email or a note. We also send home progress reports through email, which sometimes have whole-class and/or specific child notes.

​

 Uniforms
We have a uniform policy at MMCA. This is to promote academics and not have the students focus on what each other is wearing. It puts everybody on a level playing field so to speak. It is imperative that your child adheres to the uniform policy. If you are unsure as to what this policy is, follow this link. If your child is not in uniform we will send them to the office for a change of clothes. If the office does not have something in your child’s size, they will call home and have you bring a uniform for your child before they can go back to class. To stop this from happening, please give your child the “once over” before leaving the house in the morning.
 
Snacks
Snack time will be incorporated into class time this year. We will not be having snack recess anymore. It will just be a small snack break for the students when they are starting to get hungry. It's not at a set time, and it's considered a working snack, meaning that they get their snack and continue to work on whatever assignment they are on. We promote healthy snacks at our school.  Some examples of healthy snacks are:

• cheese and crackers

• pretzels

• string cheese

• fruit (apples, berries, oranges, grapes, bananas, melon, dried fruit)

• vegetables (sliced cucumbers, carrots, celery)

• hummus and pita bread or crackers

• trail mix or granola

• yogurt

• sandwiches or wraps

​​

Please be sure to send in a water bottle with your child. If your child does not like drinking just plain water, there are flavored waters or individual flavor packets to add to their water.  Please Note: flavor packets will not be allowed inside the classroom for fear of staining the carpets or counters. They will need to be mixed with the water outside. It gets hot in Rocklin until almost November. They need to stay hydrated. Please do not send in sodas; all it does is give your child a sugar rush and deplete them of important nutrients needed to sustain themselves.
 
Lunch Time expectations
We use grace and courtesy at all eating times. The children are supposed to have two cloth napkins with their lunch.  One is used as a placemat for their food, and the other is placed on their lap. We instill restaurant manners. We do not sit on our feet or yell to a friend two tables down. We are to use quiet voices, chew with our mouths closed, clean up after ourselves, etc. The children are given 20 minutes to eat, which is plenty of time if they are not socializing the entire time. They have plenty of time to socialize on the playground. 

Lunches are to be healthy, just like the snacks. Please make sure your child has a well-balanced and nutritious meal. Once again, there are no sodas or candy. There are plenty of healthy snacks that can be eaten as a dessert if your child must have one, like oatmeal cookies, fruit salad, etc. Please try to stay away from processed food such as pre-packed lunch items like Lunchables. They are high in fat, sodium, and processed ingredients. Many are coming with soda and candy these days, and we will not allow your child to eat such items since they are not allowed. Please do not send your child to school with items from fast food restaurants either. We understand that lives can get hectic, but we should not make it a habit to send them in.
 
Lunch Time & Snack time requests- Going Green
With the direction of our very own student council, we have been working on being mindful of the waste we generate in our classroom.  Assistance wtih this direction would be appreciated by sending in reusable bags or containers for snacks and lunch, buying in bulk and avoiding smalll convenience packaging.  We compost left over food waste in our school garden and would like to get to a point where we dont have wrappers to throw away after snack and lunch.
 
Toys and Games
Toys and games are to be left at home. They become a distraction in class. There is no need for a toy or game to come to school. They do not need to have it at recess, before or after school, or when they are done with their work. No matter how many reasons they give us, they are not necessary to their education. Plus, as a parent, you spent good money on those toys, and we don't want to see anything happen to the toys or have them lost. So, if we see a toy or game, we will ask your child to put it in their backpack so they can go home. If that warning does not work, we will confiscate the toy and put it in our respective Toy Jails. Each of us has a special spot for confiscated toys. Some toys can be given back at the end of the day, at the end of the week, or only if the parent comes and claims it. It all depends on how serious the problem is.
 
Weekly Progress Reports
We use a grading software system to keep track of your child’s assignments. Their scores range from 1-50 points depending on the amount of work and the importance of the assignment. Your child will not be awarded the points UNLESS they have completed the assignment with 100% mastery. Anything with a blank means the assignment is missing. If it is marked with "corr" your child has corrections. Lastly, if there is an "inc" that means the assignment is incomplete. This is a great way to understand what your child has accomplished each week. You will get these reports sent directly to your email, so make sure we have your correct email address on file.

​

​