Mostly+for+Parents+and+Guardians

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from Parents/Guardians.

Click on files below the bullet points for more information
Absences for Illness
 * There is no need to email me for homework for an absence due to illness. Check this site to get an idea of what you need to do when you get back and what handouts or deadlines you missed. THEN ask me questions.
 * Students should take the time to feel better and catch up upon return to school.
 * Students have as many days as they were out to make up work.
 * **Schedule a time to make up missed quizzes, tests, or projects within a week of returning to school. __YOU__ must remember to do this.**

= How much is enough time on homework? =
 * Students should expect to spend an average of **between 20 and 30 minutes of FOCUSED effort** on ELA on the nights I assign work--which averages 3-4 nights a week.
 * ==In my experience, MOST Ahern students stay caught up and put in honest effort on each assignement.==
 * ==If the load on a particular night adds up to more for your student, the student need only have a note from a parent/guardian stating the work was honestly attempted and the student will be given a one day extension.==

= Is late work O.K ? =
 * == Late work will NOT be accepted without a note from a parent/guardianstating that the student worked with focus for 20-30 minutes but still could not complete the assignment. FOCUSED effort means the work is attempted without texting, Facebook, T.V. or sibling arguments. I do not expect any student to spend hours on one assignment. I want learning or practice to happen--not frustration.==


 * ==The **exception to this is for project work or multi-day assignments** . If a student receives an assignment on a Monday that is due Wednesday and waits until Tuesday night to start--the student should expect to put in BOTH night's effort (40-60 minutes) before asking for a parental excuse note. If student digs a hole--the student has to deal with that. Parent notes in this case should specifically state that the child worked on EACH night of the assignment.==


 * ==**Sometimes work becomes homework because a student did not use time wisely in class. **Before writing a note, double check this site to see if the work was started in class. I often give 40 -60 minutes worth of work, but anticipate that 20 will be done at school and 20-30 at home. It has been known to happen that students doodle through the school time and then complain that there is too much work left when they arrive home.==

= What if homework ALWAYS takes a student longer than the recommended 20-30 minutes? = ==If there are __**chronic problems with homework**__ taking too long, the student may need to __stay after for help, or may have to find a different environment to work in.__ Sometimes a TOO--quiet space causes some students to drift away from tasks, while the kitchen table may be too noisy for others. Sometimes staying after to work in a classroom provides the necessary focus.==

=** Vacation Homework Requests **=



=** Class Expectations Welcome Letter/ Homework policy **=



====Click below for my letter on "How to Help at Home". Section 3 of the letter includes extra credit options that can be pursued throughout the semester. NO extra credit projects can be initiated the last 2 weeks of any grading period. ====
 * How to help with homework/ extra credit options **

Many one and two day only extra-credit options are listed in daily class reviews.


=** Curriculum Night Powerpoint slide show **=