We are spending a considerable amount of time this week on the importance of homework and ways to successfully complete it. Students will have homework every night until the end of the year.Usually it should take about 60-90 minutes of concentrated effort. Some work is assigned regularly, and students can plan ahead for busy days.Pages from the current Spelling unit are to be completed Monday through Wednesday.The unit is checked and collected on Thursday, and the test given on Friday.Generally, I assign the Math workbook page that coincides with the day’s lesson.Students should bring home their Math textbooks or CD-ROMs for help with these assignments.Science or Social Studies homework may also be assigned. I strongly encourage students to read these lessons at home in order to reinforce what is done in the classroom.

Assignments are posted daily for students to copy.Each student should have an assignment notebook for this purpose.Parents should sign the notebook when the work has been completed.A one-day extension will be given if a parent writes a valid excuse.Forgetting the books or materials at school, or leaving completed work at home are not acceptable excuses. If you have access to the Internet, I post the assignments weekly on the McAuliffe web site.There is a link to this page from my web page at:

Homework helps students remember what they learned in school and prepares them for future assignments.Although some help is O.K, homework should be doneby the child, and checked for completeness by the parents.Studying and reading are real homework and should not be ignored.  Students should read AR at least 20 minutes each evening.  Those who have not yet mastered their basic math facts should practice them. When preparing for tests, students should study not only the vocabulary words and major ideas of the chapter, but also know how these ideas fit together. Using the section and chapter review pages is very helpful.

            Students should have a designated “drop spot” for completed homework, as well as a quiet study area where they can work with a minimum of distractions.No TV or phone calls should be permitted during homework time.In or near that study area, should be all the supplies needed for homework such as pencils, pens, paper, good lighting, etc.Each Friday the homework assignment will include looking at the events for the coming week and scheduling homework time for each day.This gives students time to participate in sports, music lessons, or other activities and still have time for homework.I feel that these extra-curricular activities are also important to a child’s development.