I am very excited for this school year and all that it holds. I used to send home a Ninth Age Parents' Survival Guide on the first day of school, but I am posting it here which will give you the information sooner and save a few trees. This post will remain here on the blog for the entire year (though it will be pushed lower by subsequent posts) so you can use it as a resource as you see fit.
How much homework will there be each evening? I send a homework sheet home on Monday that lists the boys’ assignments for the week. (I also post it on the blog by Monday afternoon, so that you can have access to it.) The goal in the Ninth Age is that the daily homework assignments can be completed in thirty to forty five minutes. Spelling and math homework are given nearly every night and Spanish homework is given on the day that the class meets and should be completed before the class meets again. Science homework is usually given on Tuesday and needs to be completed before the science class on Friday. It is likely that there will be some nights that your son spends more than forty-five minutes on homework and many nights that he spends less than thirty minutes. There may be a bit of an increase in homework the night before a test. If your son is consistently spending more than forty-five minutes on homework and seems distressed by the workload, please get in touch with me so we can discuss the issue and resolve it. I say this in particular with math homework, which can increase after we have broken up into math groups.
How much help should I give with homework? The simple answer is, as little as possible. For example: If your son is struggling with math and you help him on the homework, he may or may not understand the concept the homework is based on. His teacher may assume from his stellar homework that he fully understands the concept and move on with the next day’s lesson. If he attempts the homework but gets some problems wrong, the teacher will know that he (and very likely many others in the class) needs to review that particular skill before moving on. If your son asks you for help, my advice would be to give him encouragement and help him get started but then pull back and allow him to attempt the work on his own. You can certainly look over the homework to see that he has completed it, but please do not point out errors and have your son fix them for the reason stated earlier.
Are there any supplies I need to buy for my son to bring to school? Your son will be provided with all of the school supplies he needs for school. Please do not purchase a binder for your son to use in school. I have a system that I use to help keep the boys papers organized and it has proven quite effective. If you have questions about sending things in we can discuss it at Parents’ Night or earlier if you contact me before then. Your son will have the opportunity as the year progresses to bring in show-and-tell type items when it relates to a subject we are studying. This is completely voluntary, and I will be discussing this with your son in the first few days of school. The most important thing that I tell your son is to ask permission from you before bringing in anything from home.
What group will my son be in for math and reading? This is an excellent question, which has no simple answer. Groupings are based on a number of factors including the group he was in last year, recommendations from last year’s teacher about the appropriateness of the group for your son, and other factors. Our goal is to put your son in the group where he will have the most success this year. Putting a student in a group that is not appropriate is a recipe for disaster. The groups are adjusted throughout the year as needed, but you will always be aware of any changes affecting your son before the change takes place. If after your son is in a group you would like to discuss it please feel free to contact me.
How does my son get his work on a day he misses school? If your son is absent for any reason I will collect the assignments that he misses and record them on a sheet. Toward the end of the day I will collect all of the books he needs and send them home in whatever fashion you select on the new Calvert website link which can be found
here. Last year I was able to email most work (the use of a scanner meant that even textbook pages could be emailed) during the school day which was a popular option for parents for many reasons. When your son returns to school I will work with him and help him get caught up. If you know ahead of time your son will be out, you can let me know and I will attempt to get some work for him before he leaves, but it may not be possible to get all of the work together. You can consult the daily schedule that will be posted on the blog so that you can schedule any necessary appointments during a time he will minimize the number of classes missed. Certain classes like art, music, art history, recess, and P.E do not require any work to be made up, so you may want to try for those times.
What should I do if my son says that he is having problems at school? Problems at school can come in a number of shapes and sizes but generally fall into two categories, academic and social. If your son is coming home and is having trouble with a class or with a classmate the best thing to do is contact me. We can make a plan to address the problem and resolve it.
What time should my son get to school? Students may come to the classroom as early as 8:00 each morning but classes do not begin until 8:30. The half hour period from 8:00 – 8:30 is a time for your son to get ready for the day. Each day I put a list of things to do on the board that will help your son out. Boys use the time to straighten their desks, sharpen their pencils, show me their spelling homework, talk quietly with friends, do optional enrichment activities that vary from day to day, and work on correcting folder papers . I put folder papers that need to be corrected in the students’ mailboxes before they come in to school. Having a chance to work on these will aid them as the day progresses. The choice is yours about when your son comes to school, but anywhere from 8:00 to 8:15 is a good time to shoot for. This will give your son the time he needs to get ready for the day and do his best in school.
What is the best way to reach you if I have a question? That whole carrier pigeon thing I tried last year was a complete bust, so I won’t be suggesting that again. There are a number of ways to contact me but the best is to send me an email. My email address is
showe@calvertschoolmd.org, and I check it before, during, and after school. You may also send notes in with your son. At 8:30 I collect all notes about carpool changes and send them to the front desk so you can send a note in if you would like. The last option is that you can call me at home. This is a particularly useful option if there is an issue with the homework. If a two minute phone call can stave off a thirty minute battle over what homework is due tomorrow please call. I am home most evenings and you can safely call until 10:00 P.M.
Can you believe that tomorrow is the first day of school? I can't!! It seems like it has taken forever to get here, but at long last it is upon us...see you in the morning!!!
