Welcome to the 4th grade...Round 2

Ok. Today was a rough day folks. From the get go, I was cracking down on the talking, transitioning without their voice, and taking their education seriously. We ended the day with over $2000 collected in strikes ($50 each). Many kids have missing work, incomplete homework, and silly answers that they are trying to pass off as hard effort. This is the 4th grade! We are not here to do a worksheet and then move on. We are here to learn and apply it to all other areas of our lives. If we learn to capitalize proper nouns in Language class then we also capitalize them in Social Studies. It is not about a piece of paper that gets graded and then tossed in the garbage eventually. It is about learning for meaning and life. I am extremely frustrated with some of these kids trying to play like they don't know stuff. They do know it, they just don't apply it. Enough is enough. Now, I am just repeating the phrase choices...consequences. 4th grade is not a place to come in and be silly and joke around. We have serious stuff to do, and I need them to be ready to learn all that they can. Please talk with your child tonight about this. Ask them if they are ready to be a real 4th grader and how they are going to do that. Answers should include, using readable handwriting, looking up answers instead of guessing, trying before answering, listening to directions (ask them why they had to bring home their homework in math today instead of getting class time to work on it), and be an active participant in class (which means to stop waiting for others to give you the answer and start finding the answer and sharing equally with the group). Backpacks are heavy tonight. Choices...consequences. If you talk with your child tonight, write the word SERIOUS in the planner and they will earn $100 tomorrow. I appreciate your home-school support on this one. It will pay off in the end, I promise. Thank you.

Students that wear red, white, and blue tomorrow for Veteran's Day will earn $100.