Processes and Procedures

Process and Procedures – A.K.A The Flow of Things

Procedures are part of life. We follow procedures for using a telephone book, standing in line at the grocery store, attending a wedding, and approaching a traffic light. The reason we have procedures in life is so that people can function in society knowing the acceptable and efficient ways to do things. I share the following document with students at the beginning of the year to start our procedures and processes discussion.

There are also procedures in this classroom. By sharing common routines we establish our classroom culture and build a community with order and caring. By establishing this flow that is understood by all, we will have a relaxed classroom.

1. Enter the Classroom

Walk to class with normal talking voices as students working in class can be distracted by loud, running students right outside the classroom. Lower your voices below the stairs. Enter and exit quietly and calmly, one at a time through the door.

Do not enter the classroom if a teacher is not present. Whether you want to drop off your stuff in the morning or grab something at lunch, you must check that a teacher is in the classroom to enter it or ask for special permission (It’s the law!)

In the Morning

In the morning if you have extra stuff (PE clothes, a bulky jacket, lunch box, etc) that you won’t need during class, please hang or store these items on or by the pegs at the back of the class.

Class is open by 8:00 am and all students are welcome to be in the class for the purpose of quiet reading, homework or Now Work. Students may also use time before class to meet with the teacher or finish other school projects. If you’d like to play or chat with your friends, please do so on the playground or in the cafeteria.

All students must check in and prepare materials prior to going for breakfast or early recess. Remove materials for class including pencil, binder, and student planner.  Set homework that is due in labeled shelf. Stow backpack under desk or hanging from chair -not in walkway.

Retrieve iPad from charging station unless I have indicated otherwise on the Now Work board.  If Now Work requires iPad use, you may open the iPad. If it doesn't, keep your iPad Screen Down, Volume Off. You may stow it in desk.

Lunch count will be on a clipboard on the Big Table. It is your job to sign up for lunch count before beginning Now Work by putting a check mark in the correct date and name place. One student will be assigned to deliver lunch count to the cafeteria and attendance to the office every morning.

When the first bell rings at 8:20 you should start getting ready to head to class. You are expected to be in your seat  at 8:25 working quietly on Now Work by 8:28.

The second bell rings at 8:25 and if you are not in class at this time, you need to be moving VERY quickly to get to class. At 8:30 you will be marked tardy even if you have just arrived - you must be in your seat working at 8:30.

Begin Now Work quickly and quietly for each class and read all instructions carefully. Now Work will always be posted on the whiteboard or on the projector at the front of the class. Very occasionally, you may have specific Now Work on a sticky note on your desk.

2. End of Class Dismissal

We all know when recess begins and what time school lets out. If the teacher or another classmate is in the middle of speaking you wait patiently until the speaker is finished. The teacher dismisses class, not the clock or the students.

As you leave the classroom make sure you have everything you need for the next class or homework in your bag, your chair is pushed in and your desk is straight.

3. Giving Attention

The teacher asks for attention without speaking a word...just give me five! When the teacher raises her hand, all students follow these five steps:

1. Eyes on speaker

2. Quiet

3. Be still

4. Hands free (put things down)

5. Listen

There will be times that some students are facing away from the teacher, make sure that as a class you catch the attention of classmates who can't see the teacher to indicate it's time to Give Five. Any speaker, including students, may use this signal to ask for respect and attention.

4. SLANT

During class students SLANT:

Sit up straight

Listen and lean forward

Ask and answer questions

Nod your head

Track the speaker

Keep sweatshirt hoods down, hats off and no sunglasses - you all have beautiful eyes! Food, money and other non-academic items are stowed away. Water bottles may be out if they are capped between use and stored under or in desks. Chair legs stay on the floor.  

5. Speaking in class

You may want to ask a question or answer a question posed by the teacher or a fellow classmate. Perhaps I wasn’t perfectly clear on directions or another student is speaking off topic. Maybe you want to show that you agree or disagree with a speaker. There also might be times where someone in the class is struggling and you want to show them support. Please raise your hand quietly and trust that I will call on you.

6. Technology Use

Technology use will be high in this class. However, there will also be plenty of time we are not using technology. Whenever teacher asks for Screen Down, Volume Off, all iPads or computers must be closed. iPads may be used when teacher indicates Screen Up.

Free time on the iPads is very rare and will be indicated by the teacher. You may not have free time during transitions, or when you finish early unless you have teacher approval.

7. Cooperation

Working cooperatively is important in the world and in this class. We will be doing partner and group work throughout the year. When working with a partner or group ensure that you show respect by looking at the speaker, listening to what s/he says, using your words to show support or respectfully disagree.  When giving feedback to another student point out both strengths and weaknesses using specific examples. Suggest changes by using sentences that begin with "What if you...", "Would it be helpful if..." "As your reader I want to know more about...."

8. Transitions

Changing activities need not take up much time. I will let you know when we are changing activities and give you a two minute warning to wrap up your own work. I will let you know how much time we have for the transition and your job is to move quickly and quietly to put away materials and gather new materials.

Moving between classes will happen often. Ensure that you bring your main binder and a pencil to every class. You may be asked to carry your iPad between classes as well in which case, you should carry it with both hands and walk carefully.

Transitioning to PE has some special requirements. It is your responsibility to change into P.E. clothes and/or shoes prior to P.E. class. You will be marked down if you are not dressed appropriately for P.E. Before P.E. I will send anyone to the bathroom who needs to go. Students are expected to enter and move through the hall quietly and re-join class quickly and quietly - this is the same for students who are sent to gather P.E. materials.

As a class we will move to PE together. We do not need to walk in a line but it's important that we move together and that I can see you all as we walk. If we are going outside, we will go around the buildings, not through the hall so as not to disturb other teachers. Whether we are going to the playground or the gym, the first thing you do is get in a circle for stretching and directions - put P.E. materials including balls, flags, frisbees, jumpropes, etc. down and get into a circle for stretching.  I will appoint a student leader to lead stretching.

9. Visitors, Intercom and Phone Calls

When a visitor knocks or walks in there is no need to comment. The teacher will address the visitor and if needed pause class work.

When the intercom calls, listen quietly.

When the teacher is on the phone, please be quiet - if you need to speak, whisper.

10. Assignment Procedures

Labeling procedures should be followed on every paper you turn in. Each paper needs to have your full name, date, and a label in the upper right corner. Work should be completed in pencil unless otherwise directed. The same label is required on all typed papers as well. Further directions for each subject will be explained.

11. Classroom materials

You are responsible for bringing and maintaining a supply of lined paper, pencils, correcting pens and a calculator. If you do not have access to these items, please let me know privately before school. Due to a restricted budget, items such as glue sticks, colored pencils and pens will only be used for class projects and you must ask permission.  You have unlimited access to recycled paper.

12. Desk Organization

Keeping your desk orderly will be especially important since we will be storing the iPads in your desk at times. Keep food, snacks, and drinks in your lunch box - not your desk (one water bottle is permitted). Take home the extra stuff that accumulates that you don't need for school work. I will give 15 minutes of class time for desk clean out a month. I will check your desks approximately once a week and if they are overflowing or dirty, you will use your own time to clean it out.

13. Homework and Parent Notices

Make sure you have a special area in your binder where homework and notices are kept to make sure that they get done and/or delivered. Remember that you're not done with your homework until its put back into you binder and shows up at school the next day. Make it a habit to return all papers that need to move between home and school to one spot in your binder - like the very front!

14. Grading

Work that is graded and returned is for you to understand why you received the scores that you did. If I have left comments, please read them. If I have made a request in those comments, please follow accordingly. Some students are very comfortable sharing their grades while others feel like their grades are private. If you would like to share your grade with a friend, please do so, but it is courteous not to ask their grade. If they want to share it, they will.

If you think you were graded incorrectly or unfairly, please let me know immediately. We will schedule a time to go over your work together. I do make mistakes and I'm always open to hearing your reasoning for your work.

Graded and returned work will be sent home every two weeks. I encourage your to hold on to all graded work until trimester grades are finalized to ensure there are no mistakes.

15. Visiting the Office or Another Classroom

Whenever you enter someone else's classroom or the office, do so quietly and wait for an appropriate time to speak. If the secretary, principal or another teacher is in the middle of talking, do no interrupt them. They have seen you - wait for them to finish speaking and give you their attention.

16. Places to Be

By law you need to be in a supervised area of campus. There will be consequences for “hanging out” in the hallway, walkway, and outside the classroom without a teacher. These are areas to move through and find your way to the classroom, cafeteria, or playground.

You may eat snack on the landing above the playground (outside Mrs. Ross’ room) for the first five minutes of recess but then you need to be on the playground. Keep this area trash and horseplay free.

If you are making up missed homework, you may sit in the hall by yourself.

When you are released to lunch, go to the cafeteria. You are expected to be in the cafeteria for at least 10 minutes prior to going to recess. During that time, use good manners and follow directions of cafeteria staff. I need a parent note if you are skipping lunch as most families expect that their students are eating at school. Even if you are skipping lunch, you are still required to sit in the cafeteria for 10 minutes with good manners.

17. Substitute Teachers

When a substitute visits s/he may not know our classroom procedures. Your job is to be as helpful as possible while also being flexible with the substitute who may do something differently or miss something and that is okay. Your job is to follow his/her directions even if they are different from what I have told you to do in the past. You may gently and respectfully make suggestions to him/her if you think it is necessary.

18. Etiquette

We spend a lot of time with each other! Our classroom is our learning and social community. Speaking with courtesy to each other is important for creating an atmosphere where everyone feels treated well. When you ask for something, say "Please" and when you are given something say "Thank you".

The way you speak in school matters. Though you may use slang and curse words at home, this is not appropriate language at school. If you slip-up, you will receive a gentle reminder but repeated negative language will be considered an act of disrespect.

Put-downs relating to gender, race, class, or sexual orientation will NEVER be tolerated. There is a history of violence and hatred underlying these types of put-downs. We will be discussing these histories and it is important that we use language that allows everyone to feel safe.

19. My Stuff, Your Stuff

I respect your personal property and will never go through your backpacks or purses unless I have cause to suspect that you are in possession of materials not allowed at school. I will do brief desk checks for orderliness - don’t keep items in your desk you don’t want me to see.

The area behind my desk is off limits. Do not touch my purse, phone, wallet, keys or other personal items.

Do not open or use items from the supply closet, cupboards, or drawers without teacher approval.

20. Drills

When the fire bell rings, line up quickly and quietly, keeping your hands to yourself, at the door. Look for your buddy and tell me immediately if your buddy is not present. I will get the red bucket with emergency supplies and the walkie-talkie. We will walk in a line to the amphitheater - do not cut each other or myself, push, lag behind, fool around or speak while we walk. If walking in a line becomes difficult, we will spend time practicing. I will confirm that we are all safe over the walkie-talkie at which point, there should still be no talking.

At any point during an emergency drill or a real drill the number one policy is that you follow directions. If something unexpected happens, I may have to lead us to another place - follow directions, ask questions later.

Lockdown

If there is a situation on or off campus that is determined to be dangerous, we will lock down our rooms. All students will gather in a designated spot while the teacher locks doors, pulls down curtains. If the teacher is unavailable, a student will have to do this. Once the door is locked, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR FOR ANYONE.

Stay in the supply closet until further notice from a teacher, staff member or police over the walkie-talkie. Keep your hands to yourself and stay calm.

If we are in the library during a lockdown, we will lock all the upper locks and gather in a group by the children's literature, farthest away from windows.

21. Transportation and Field Trips

At some point in the year, students will be allowed to sit where they want in the van. Students will earn this privilege by moving appropriately in the van when they are assigned seats and not pushing or jumping onto each other and by treating their seat mates with courtesy, keeping hands and elbows to themselves. Additionally students will pick up every piece of trash at the end of the ride. Passengers will use one foot voices when speaking to each other.

Field Trips are fun and they take a lot of planning. As educators we put extra work into planning these trips so that you can learn and enjoy time exploring outside of school. You are expected to show respect for the people, animals and land that we encounter on our trips as this ensures that we are welcomed back and that you are allowed to go on more field trips. Following directions on field trips is of utmost importance as we can't always predict what will happen - knowing we can trust you is imperative.  Students who show disrespect to the planning of the field trip or the people and places we meet will be asked to stay at school and complete independent study.

22. A Word On Fairness

Many students might expect assignments and treatment of students to be exactly the same and feel like the teacher is being unfair when this is not the case. In a multi-graded classroom, there will be different expectations for different students including different assignments and responses from the teacher.  Aside, from the different grade levels, each of you has a different set of abilities and I will hold different expectations based on what I know you are capable of. My goal is to see all of you working at your personal edge. If you are concerned I'm not addressing your needs appropriately - please come talk to me before or after school or during recess and we can work on adjusting expectations for you. You do not need to worry about how I support or challenge other students

23. Answers to Common Problems

(so they don’t have to be announced in class)

I don't have a pencil.

Every morning before the bell rings make sure you have a pencil and, if it's mechanical, that you have enough lead. Before you go to recess or lunch, put it back in your desk or pack for easy retrieval. If you still find yourself without a pencil ask a friend to borrow one before class starts or at recess or lunch. If class has begun, quickly and quietly retrieve a lending pencil from the can on the counter. There are no erasers on this pencil, you will have to cross-out mistakes and bring a pencil the next day.

You may purchase brand new pencils from my Little Store before school, at recess or at lunch - not in the middle of class.

If there are no pencils available in the lending can, I will give you a pencil from my Little Store and you will owe me the money for that pencil.

I don't have an eraser.

You may purchase brand new erasers of various sizes from my Little Store, otherwise you may cross out your work for the day and bring an eraser the next day.

Now, my pencil broke/ became dull /my lead ran out!

If we are in "softball", you may ask a friend to borrow a pencil or lead, however, this should only take about 1 minute.  If it takes longer or your friend doesn't want to lend you a pencil, quickly and quietly go retrieve a lending pencil from the counter.

I don't have my homework, binder, or independent book.

If you are unable to turn in homework, you will lose 10% of your grade for every day it is not turned in and a parent note will go home. If you feel like you have a legitimate reason why you could not complete and turn in your homework, please approach me privately before school or at recess. If you don't have your binder, let me know before class begins and if this is not possible, quickly and quietly retrieve recycled paper and continue work. If you show up without an independent book, you may pick out alternate independent reading material before class or at recess. If you have not chosen your alternate, I will provide you with an interesting article or poem to read during independent reading time.

Can I get a drink of water?

No. Unless we are in transition and I indicate you may get a drink, you need to wait. Get your drinks at recess not upon returning to class. Feel free to bring a water bottle to class. Water bottles are allowed as long as they are not crunched, rolled, or used as squirt guns.

Can we have tea?

Never interrupt me to ask this question or I promise I will say no. Ask at an appropriate time and I might say yes.  Normally, I will suggest it. You are responsible for washing tea cups with soap and water and cleaning up spills.

I need to go to the bathroom.

Please use the restroom before school and at recess. I recognize that emergencies happen but I also recognize that some students like to use this as an excuse. If you are having an emergency, please use the hand signal for needing to use the restroom and I will either nod or let you know the number of minutes to wait using my own hand. I will never allow more than one person to go to the bathroom at the same time, so don't ask. If you are not managing your bathroom needs during the appropriate times, I may ask that you stay in and finish missed classwork.

I'm finished.

Great! I'm proud of you! However, please keep this information to yourself as it serves as a distraction for those still working. Did you double check your work? During a test, please turn your test over and raise your hand. During work time, please raise your hand and get my check. If I am checking or collecting multiple student's papers, it may take a minute for me to get to you. If I have given you a follow up task, begin that. If not, feel free to practice typing, doodle, read, work on homework, daydream, write a letter or finish other work as long as it is SILENT.

I need help.

Great! I assume you’ve really tried, you're working hard and you've hit a stumbling block. Here's what to do:

1. If possible check your book, the board or the assignment hand out for directions. Read through them carefully.

2. If we are in softball, ask a fellow student. If we are in silent mode go directly to number 3.

3. If neither 1 or 2 works, or if we are in silent mode, raise your hand and I will help you as soon as I can. Make sure you know what you want to ask - maybe write it down so you don't forget. You should not say, “I don’t understand” or “I need help” when I arrive. Be specific. What do you need help with? Which part do you not understand?

If I am not able to reach you right away, try to work on something else related to the project (a different math problem or start another paragraph). If you simply cannot proceed without my help, you may practice typing, read quietly, doodle, work on homework, daydream, write a letter or finish other work as long as it is SILENT.

I feel sick.

Uh-Oh. Please quietly let me know you feel ill and begin packing up your stuff. I will call the secretary and have you report to the office to call your parents. Thank you for not sticking around and getting the rest of us sick. Go home and drink lots of water and rest.

I have a question.

I love questions. Please refer to the hand signals on the wall to clarify what type of question or comment you are sharing.

I arrived late.

If you arrive late, your number one priority is to get into your seat as quickly and quietly as possible. DO NOT add a disturbance to the class in addition to your lateness. When you are dropped off, report to the secretary for a late slip. Enter the classroom quietly, retrieve your iPad and sit down in your desk. Try to figure out what is happening in class at that moment and join in. If you are more than five minutes late, you have missed Now Work and you must ask me at recess what you missed and how you can make it up.

I was absent due to an illness or emergency.

If an absence is unplanned due to illness or unforeseen issues, you will find a packet of work at your desk when you arrive back at school. If you are confused by the attached directions, it is your job to seek help. Ask a friend first, and if you are still confused, ask me before school, during breaks or after school. You are responsible to make up all missed work and you have the same amount of time to make it up as you were absent. If you feel unable to make it up in the allotted time, please see me for an extension. If you are sick or absent for multiple days, try to have your parent call to pick up your make up work.

I was absent or tardy for unexcused reasons.

Please try to always let me know ahead of time when you are going to be absent – this way, if possible, I can give you make-up work ahead of time. When you are gone for unexcused absences, I will leave work on your desk. If you and your family make the choice to miss school for unexcused reasons, you are responsible for making up the work you miss without my outside help. You will not get credit for small exams that you miss and it is your responsibility to schedule a make-up time for larger exams. I have played hooky myself and I understand one or two days a year taking time off for personal reasons but you must accept the consequences of this choice. Please remember, though, that your academic success and our school’s budget depends on you being in your seat.

I’m going to be gone on a trip for five days or more.

Please let me know at least two weeks in advance of your trip so I can plan an Independent Study for you. This is required by law and will need your parent’s signature.

Can I call home?

Maybe you forgot something at home or want to tell your parent about an after school activity. These calls must be made outside of class time. Unless it is directly pertaining to class work or intervention, please ask Pam to use the office phone.

I want to tell you something random and off topic.

Cool. I love random and off topic stuff. We even have an update time where you can tell the whole class about your weekend. If we're in the middle of a project or I'm in the middle of teaching, though, you'll have to save it and tell me at recess.

I want you to change something about the class.

I love feedback! Feel free to drop in before class or at breaks or leave me a message in the Anonymous Box if you want it to be secret.

I am really mad at you.

I also welcome negative feedback. There are complaint forms available near the Anonymous Box for you to fill out before school, during breaks or at home. These forms give you a chance to fully express what has made you upset so that I can address it.  You may give it to me personally or slip it in the Anonymous Box. Also, feel free to schedule a meeting with me to discuss your concerns.

I am so mad, I am having trouble controlling myself.

I’ve been there too. Please ask for a Cool Down and I will hand you a timer and you can regain your composure outside of the classroom. If you miss work during this time, check in with me immediately after class.

I want to tell you something private.

Please feel free to talk to me about anything. If you'd like a private, personal conversation we'll schedule something for before school, recess, lunch or after school. I can promise to keep everything you want to talk about confidential unless someone is abusing you or you are actively hurting yourself or someone else. The law says that I have to get you extra support in those cases which I will do with the utmost respect for your privacy.