Welcome to Grade 4! I am Tessa Suckoo and I will be your child’s Grade 4 and 6 Literacy teacher this year! I will also be teaching Grade 4 Social Studies. I am so excited! We will be learning so many new concepts and building on ones already learned while having tons of fun doing so! I can’t wait for all of the successes that will come this year with your child. I look forward to having a great year of educational excellence centered on Jesus.
Communication:
Communication is so important to me and is so important to a successful year! If you ever need to contact me, please don’t hesitate. Here are some ways that I can be reached:
Email: tsuckoo@fbcs.edu.ky
School Phone: 945-7906
School Hours and Absences:
School begins each day at 8:00am. Students begin to arrive at 7:30am every morning. I know that the mornings can get very busy at times. Please make sure to try your best to get your child to school on time so that they can get settled for the day, do their daily morning routine, and participate in our Bible and devotional time.
School ends each day at 2:45pm. If you are picking your child up from school at the end of the day, you will be able to pick him or her up from the breezeway closest to the elevator. A teacher will be on duty to wait with your child until 3:00pm. If he or she is not in After School Care (ASC) and you are running late, he or she will be sent there to wait for you. A schedule for ASC can be seen in front of the school office.
Throughout the year, there will be times that your child may get sick, need to go to the doctor, etc. If your child is absent from school, please make sure to contact the office or please send a note with your child the following day regarding his or her absence.
Snack, Recess, Lunch, and Specials
Snack
Grade 4 has snack at 9:10-9:25 every Monday and 9:25-9:40 Tuesday – Friday, where your child is able to eat a healthy snack and have a bit of time to run around and unwind. Please ensure that you pack a nutritious snack for your child to enjoy before lunch.
Recess
Recess is given everyday at 11:40 – 12:20. Please remind your child to bring his or her FBCS hat to school everyday. Outside can get extremely hot most days, so your child is required to wear an FBCS hat whenever outside. No FBCS hat means no outside recess and he or she will have to sit inside the gym.
Lunch
Each day, we will be eating lunch at 12:00-12:20 in the gym. Your child can have lunch provided by Jump Start Cafe for $5.50 per lunch (see the school office or check your email for the monthly menu) or you can pack a lunch for your child to eat that does not require the use of a microwave. Please also remember that we are a nut-free school.
Specials
This year your child will be taking different specials each day of the week. These specials include Music, Library, Technology, Spanish and Physical Education (P.E.). Here are the days that your child will be participating in these specials:
Monday – Music Thursday – Music
Tuesday – P.E., Spanish
Wednesday – Technology, Library
Thursday – Music
Friday – Technology, Spanish, P.E.
Classroom Management
I love having a lot of fun in school and especially in our classroom. I believe that laughing and learning go hand in hand and I love to celebrate wonderful behavior and hard work! I also believe in having a classroom where every student feels safe and welcomed, comfortable, happy and cared for. I want each and every child to succeed to his or her highest potential and I will work my hardest to ensure that this happens. I believe that every student is capable of learning and succeeding and I believe in meeting a student where he or she is and helping him or her to grow. In order for this to happen, I make sure that I have a well-managed class. One management system I do in my class is ‘How Am I Doing Today?’. Each day, your child starts off with his or her name on ‘Ready to Learn’ and has the ability to move up to ‘Super Student’ where they will earn 2 stickers for the day on our Sticker Reward Chart. Their goal is to earn 10 stickers and then be rewarded a popcorn party for their wonderful work and behavior.
Sometimes, we don’t always have our best days, though. If a student does not do what is expected, I will give them a warning by moving his or her name down to ‘Make Better Choices’. If the behavior continues, your child will move his or her name down to ‘Ms. Suckoo’s Choice’ where he or she will loose a sticker. If this behavior continues, your child will receive a consequence (this can range from losing free time in the classroom, loosing classroom computer privileges or missing some time from recess). If the behavior still continues, he or she will move their name down to ‘Parent Contact’ and I will call or email to let you know about your child’s behavior for the day.
However, I always believe in giving students another chance. We all have off days! Therefore, I always give opportunities for students to earn back stickers that they’ve lost.
We will also be working hard to earn classroom parties throughout the year to celebrate our classroom successes!
Homework and Agendas
Everyday your child will bring home their agenda with homework and/or reminders written inside. This agenda will be your child’s to keep all year. The most important thing to remember about this agenda is to make sure your child brings it to school EVERYDAY. This agenda is very special and important and needs to be taken good care of because your child will have their homework written in it. Your child will also have a homework folder to help keep him or her organized with any homework papers that need to be completed and also papers and letters throughout the school year to communicate with you.
I believe that each child learns differently and is blessed with unique gifts. Because of this, Grade 4 receives differentiated homework based on strengths and goals. I try to balance homework and home life and I will try my hardest not to overwhelm your child (or you, for that matter). But, homework also serves a very positive purpose in that it helps to reinforce topics learned during the school day. Please ensure that your child completes the homework assigned to him or her on time. Any child that does not complete the homework will have his or her name added to ‘Ms. Suckoo’s Black Book’. If your child’s name is added to this book 3 times or more per term, then he or she will receive an after-school detention to make up his or hers missed work. Exceptions to this rule are only made with an email or note from you explaining the circumstances behind the incomplete work.
Reading will also be a part of nightly homework. Please ensure that your child is reading at least every week night for 20-30 minutes. This can range from him/her reading alone, being read to by you or another family member, or to even listening to an audio book. Reading is fun and I want to help foster that love for reading.
Please don’t fear homework, (smile). I only assign work that has been taught in class and in fitting with our school policy, homework should be able to be completed in at least 60 minutes. If you ever have any concerns, please know that I’m only an email.