A Guide to the Elementary Classroom


Clothing

Since the children have achieved more consistent control of their physical abilities, no extra clothes are kept on hand. Children in the elementary environment wear school logo shirts daily, and dress according to the code outlined in the Parent Handbook.


Daily Schedule

Children in the elementary class should arrive at school promptly at 8:30am on a regular basis. This allows them to put away their things, say hello to friends, and get their belongings in order for lessons and meetings which start promptly at 8:45am.

The elementary class does not serve a morning snack on a regular basis. Please make sure that your child has a good breakfast every day. We have lunch at about 11:30am during the beginning of the school year, and by 12:00pm as the year progresses.

Lunch often takes place outdoors during nice weather. Additionally, we will have group sport games on an impromptu basis. Students may bring a hat/visor and an extra water bottle for extra hydration when they suspect nice weather. Sunscreen should be applied at home. Children who need extra sunscreen may apply it themselves in the bathroom before going out to recess.

Milk is not served to elementary students during lunch time. They should always bring a drink, and be able to drink from the container they bring. (Lunch is not transferred to plates or poured into cups as it was in the primary class.) Be careful of juice during nice weather as it attracts bees when lunch is eaten outside. Please remember to send any utensils needed as well as two cloth napkins daily. One napkins is used as a the child’s placemat.

Children are welcome to bring birthday treats or any other celebration treats to school to share with the class. All treats are served during lunch.

Dismissal takes place right at 3:00pm. Parents with children in both the primary and elementary should plan to arrive at 2:55pm for both children, rather than having to circle the driveway more than once waiting for the elementary students to exit.


Personal Belongings

The students are responsible for their own belongings. They have certain tools for their work that were listed our supply sheet, including pencils, pencil box, journals, binders, for example. When additional items from home become a distraction in the classroom, they are placed in the dismissal basket to be sent home at the end of the day. Body and hair jewelry can be a distraction. Lip gloss and lotions are only to be applied in the bathroom, and not shared.


Work Routines

Much of the work the children record onto paper will be entered into journals. Any loose papers are placed in a work binder. The children develop a portfolio of their work throughout the year is used as a reference tool for them to keep track of work completed as part of a series, or to refer back to notes from lessons. Parents are welcome to review the child’s journals and binders during conferences or after school by appointment. Because the students keep all work in the classroom, Thursday Folders are used for administrative papers only in the Elementary Classroom.


Homework

Formal homework typically begins around age nine (though it is determined on an individual basis), however, all students are expected to read for one-half hour each night. A book list is provided each year to help the students focus on great authors and classic titles. Please review our “Homework Information” sheet for more guidelines.

Additionally, each year the children in the elementary class prepare a Cultural Fair Project including a written report, backdrop, and optional experiment or model which they then present to the class and parents in May on Parents’ Night. Details are distributed at the end of March following the spring performance. All work for this project is completed at home. (Children who transition into the class mid-year are not expected to participate, though some choose to do so.)


Going Out

Going out” is an important part of the elementary environment. Children are given opportunities to interact with the community, plan events, learn how to get around safely, responsibly and respectfully. Parents of elementary students sign a blanket permission slip allowing travel within the immediate area (under supervision), to the library and local places in between here and there. In addition, we often attend Kennedy Center functions during the school year. Often both local and travel field trips are made in small groups and do not involve all children in the class. An older group may plan an event related to their studies, for example. Kennedy Center functions are often age-based. Privileges involving “going out” come with time in the class and independence. All events outside of the area require drivers, so we look for parent volunteers to help with those trips. The children wear their navy blue polo shirts, sweaters or vests on field trips.


Special Events

Throughout the year, the upper students in the elementary class are responsible for maintaining weekly pizza orders. We will also plan a few class luncheons for special occasions and holidays. The graduates in the class will plan and organize a fund-raising drive for a charity of their choice each year. In October we have a special day called “Halloween Heroes” where each student researches a historical or literary figure and then dresses up as that individual for a guessing game. In November and December the class serves food at the Thanksgiving Feast and Holiday Tasting Party. Our class focuses on preparation for the Spring Performance from January through March. Each child makes homemade Valentine’s at home in February to bring to school for their classmates. We have a special Egg Hunt and Egg Games Day just before spring break. Our class holds a Cultural Fair evening on the night of Parents’ Night. We bring the year to an end with a class luncheon at a restaurant and an exciting Field and Splash Day on the lawn. We appreciate parent volunteer help for many of these special events.