As your child will now be switching classes, they will find that they often have homework each night. Homework is not optional – it is mandatory, and students will receive a grade for it that counts toward their final grade. If homework is not completed, they may lose their directed play time to complete it, or it may be sent home again and will be marked as late. Olivet has a homework grading procedure in place that should be in the student handbook, but basically your child has 2 days to hand in late homework. If a student does not have an assignment on day one, it goes from a check-plus to a check. If it is still missing day two, it becomes a zero. I will not accept late homework after two days. So in other words, homework MUST be handed in! You can go to my "Grading Information" section to see the homework grading rubric. If your child did not write down their homework in their agenda for tonight, you can click on the "Homework and Events Calendar" on the left to find your child's homework each night. Finally, homework is your child's responsibility. Please allow them to complete it on their own, and assist if needed. It helps me more if I see your child's mistakes, than if I see work done with a calculator, or work done in someone else's writing. This way we can work on their misunderstandings in class so we can make sure we are learning!
Here are some guidelines from the Olivet School Student Handbook for homework:
You can help your child develop some routines, which will assist them to complete their homework assignments.
1. Ask your child if he or she has homework. It is generally assigned every day except Friday or the day before a holiday. By asking about homework, you are reinforcing the importance of this responsibility.
2. Show interest in your child’s homework and explain what the work is. This will also reinforce the importance of this activity.
3. Homework is your child’s work not yours. You should not do the work but rather be concerned with whether or not your child understands the assignment sufficiently to complete it independently. If your child cannot complete an assignment, please write a note to the teacher stating the difficulty.
4. Help your child set a regular homework time each day and remain with that time commitment. Free your child of other responsibilities at that time so completing assignments becomes the priority.
5. Provide your child with a quiet place to work and study where he or she is not disturbed by younger children or pets. Assignments will not always be written work. Some will require students to read, to interview, to collect, to study, to do research to complete a project, and so forth. Please feel free to consult your child’s teacher whenever there is question about an assignment.