Homework info

Dear Life School Parent or Guardian,

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! My name is Nicholas Miller, and I will be your student’s 4th grade Writing. We are going to have a very successful and productive year as we continue growing as scholars and as members of this community.

First things first, I’d like to tell you a little about myself.  I graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Kinesiology. Over the past few years I have developed a passion for working with young people, and I know the value and importance of a quality education. I was referred to Life Schools through Teach for America (TFA), a national organization that partners with school districts across the country to recruit and place teachers in classrooms.  This will be my second year at Life School.

The classroom theme for this year is Going Places. When others talk about your son or daughter I want them to say he or she is going places; in school and in life. I have set high expectations for this year and will give students the necessary skills and tools they need in order to reach those goals.

I believe every student is capable of reaching their full potential. This is possible, but only with our combined effort. I know your schedules may be busy, so I want to extend myself out to you as much as possible. I do not believe my time with your son or daughter is limited to traditional work hours. I am willing to meet in mornings, evenings and even on the weekends. Please remember that I am flexible and willing to work with you to meet your student’s needs.

That being said, I want to establish an open line of communication with you. If there is anything you need, please feel free to text, call or email. Information for remind 101 (a very important notification system) is listed below.

Please Sign Up for Miller’s Remind 101

ALL Parents: Text the message @4b2n to phone number 81010

Parent Name: ________________________        Date: _________________________

Signature: ___________________________        Email: _______________________________

nicholas.miller@lifeschools.net

214-517-3793

goingplaceslife-school.blogspot.com  (Classroom Blog!)

Homework (Two Parts)  Beginning August 24th

Sight Word Work

Every two weeks, students will receive Sight Words. These are words that are important for Fourth Grade students to know how to spell correctly and use correctly. There will be a sight word quiz every other week on Fridays. The Sight Word Homework Includes the following practice for each word.

Write each word using stairstep spelling

ex.

Write each word using it in a sentence

ex. The soldiers were ready to leave for boot camp.

Write the definition of each word

    ex. To be ready means to be available when asked or to be willing.

Write each word five times

    ex. ready,ready,ready,ready,ready

Journal Check

On the Fridays when no sight word quiz is given, students will have what are called journal checks. Students should be using their own journal (which stays at home unless it’s friday) to write EVERY DAY, even if it is only half of a page. The journal check will be based on the honesty system. I will collect a few journals at random. If there are no entries for that two week period, the student will receive a zero for homework.