3rd grade Mandarin Immersion

Family Handbook

College Park Elementary School

Room 16

Ms. Chau echau@smfc.k12.ca.us

650-638-2917

Back to School Night August 14, 2011

Mandarin Teacher: Esther Chau

echau@smfc.k12.ca.us 650-638-2917

English Teacher: Suzie Hemp shemp@smfc.k12.ca.us

College Park Behavior Expectations

1. Respect Yourself and Others

Keep your hands, feet, and body away from others (no contact games or tag)

Be safe. Walk in hallways and play safely.

Protect school buildings and keep our campus clean.

Respect the property of others. 2. Be Ready to Learn

Be where you belong.

Arrive at class on time.

Have your materials ready.

Follow directions 3. Be Responsible for Your Learning

Make good use of your time

Work quietly so others around you can learn.

Do your assignments on time and neatly.

Do your best. 4. Attendance:

School begins promptly at 8:13 am. We begin learning right away!

Please schedule doctor and dentist appointments for after school and on weekends. 5. Uniform:

Navy blue bottoms

White collared shirts

Navy sweatshirts and jackets.

Please put your child’s name in all their clothing items.

6. Recess and lunch:

Snacks are to be eaten at the picnic table before going to the playground to play. It is

helpful to many students to have a nutritious snack for the 10:15 recess.

2nd graders eat lunch from 12:35 to 12:55 and 3rd grade from 12:55 to 1:15. Wednesday

minimal day: parents pick up students at 12:35 after school assembly.

7. Birthdays:

At College Park we understand how special celebrating a birthday is to our students.

However, due to the importance of learning time, we are not able to have in-class

birthday parties or celebrations.

If parents would like to bring a treat for the class for your child’s birthday we ask that it

follow our healthy guidelines policy. We will only accept treats that are in individual

servings.

Birthday treats will pass these out at the end of the day before students go home.

Remember – we are a peanut-free campus.

8. Items brought from home

Toys, electronics, or anything valuable needs to stay at home.

School cannot accept liability for the items brought from home, and they distract from

student learning.

If your child happens to bring a toy from home, it will be taken away and given back at

the end of school day.

Volunteers

College Park Parent Volunteer and Visitor Guidelines

We are delighted to have parents and volunteers on our campus. Parents are a child’s first teachers and are vital to the success of students throughout their education. These guidelines are to assist parents in knowing how to not only help their child but all the students at College Park.

1. School hours are 8:13 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. If you come on campus between those times, you must sign in at the office and war a visitor badge. This is for the safety of all students.

2. Parents are asked not to speak to the teacher after the 8:13 bell rings. The teacher is to be focused on the students to get learning started immediately. If you have an emergency, please go to the office and Mrs. Hallock will help you.

3. If you need to get a message or package to your student, just drop by the office. We will be glad to help. Students may not receive calls or messages during instructional time.

4. Please make an appointment to visit or volunteer in the classroom, either by making an individual appointment or by signing up for specific weekly time with the classroom teacher. This way, the teacher is prepared for you and can give you their undivided attention.

5. Many teachers are available for a quick question after school. If the classroom door is open, feel free to step in. If your question will take longer than a minute or so, it is best to make an appointment. Many teachers have meetings right after school, and they are required to be on time.

6. Parents may use the restroom in the office. By state law, no adults are allowed in the student restrooms.

Other Volunteer Opportunities

Room Parent / PTA Room Rep: Organizes class parties and special events by contacting other parents in providing materials, food or snacks. Class parties take place in the afternoon about 30 minutes before dismissal. Also organizes International Day class project and attends PTA meetings. Art In Action: Organizes the classroom art program which is run and taught by parents. An art lesson book will be provided to parents. Art in Action will happen once a month.

Computer Assistant: This parent will take classes to the computer lab and assist Mr. Gifford with supervision, while teacher works with small groups of students. Room 16 hours are Thursday 9:15~10:15am, 10:35~11:35am, Monday 2~2:35pm. Administrative Tasks: Duties may include sharpening pencils, copying, cutting, organizing shelves, laminating, etc. Teachers will contact parents on an as needed basis for these tasks.

Scholastic Book Orders: This parent will distribute book orders in student mailboxes and collect order forms to submit to Scholastic Book Clubs. Upon the arrival of the order, this parent will manage book orders.

School-wide programs

Life skills

August … having people you care about

who also care about you.

Friendship Respect * Kindness * Caring * Dependability * Sharing * Sensitivity *

Compassion *Forgiveness*Supportiveness * Trustworthiness * Compatibility

September … working together to get something done or to make

things better.

Cooperation Helpfulness * Direction-following * Active listening * Patience * Flexibility

* Sharing *Communication * Teamwork * Fair-mindedness * Dependability

November … doing what is expected of you

and what you see needs to be done.

Responsibility Conscientiousness * Initiative * Focus * Accountability * Trustworthiness *

Punctuality *Respect for due dates/timelines * Good attendance

December … knowing and doing what is

appropriate for every situation.

Good Judgment Following rules * Making good choices * Considering outcomes * Using

common sense*Doing right thing at right time, in right place

January … keep on trying, even when it’s hard to start over or to think of

another way.

Perseverance Effort * Resolve * Determination * Will power * Ambition *Acting with

purpose * Not giving up *Patience * Thoroughness * Initiative

February ... telling the truth at all times.

Honesty Truthfulness * Keeping promises * Self-respect * Respect for others *

Trustworthiness *Reliability * Sincerity * Fair-mindedness *

March … doing all that you can do, the

very best that you can do it, every time you try.

Personal Best Earnestness * Thoroughness * Conscientiousness * Carefulness *

Excellence * Pride (in own efforts and results)

April … thinking of ways to work

things out so that the problem goes away and everyone is

satisfied.

Problem Solving Resourcefulness * Creativity * Good judgment* Decisiveness * Open-

mindedness * Flexibility * Reasoning * Negotiation * Sensitivity * Cooperation

May … being willing to do or say what

is right, no matter what the

Integrity Honesty * Trustworthiness * Courage * Conscientiousness * If it’s right, do

it; if it’s not don’t do it.

consequences.

June … wanting to understand and to

know more.

Curiosity Inquisitive * Observant * Attentive * Questioning * Exploring * Discovering

* Sense of wonder * Love of learning

Homework, Planning, and Organization

The district guideline for homework is 30-40 minutes per night. If homework is taking significantly longer, or if it involves tears, please let the teacher know so that we can work with your child on strategies.

Grade Level Content Standards can be found at www.cde.ca.gov

Conferences and Report Cards

Fall conferences: October 1-4 (Parents Only)

Spring conferences: March 19-23 (Parents and Students)

School will dismiss at 12:50 p.m. each day.

Report Cards are distributed three times during the year:

The first and second report card will be distributed at the fall and spring conference.

The final report card is sent home with your student on the last day of school.

Behavior Management in Room 16 Our class uses red color magnetic circles to help children monitor their behaviors. Each day, all children begin with 5 red circles. If your child is having difficulty following rules, he/she will lose one circle each time he/she misbehaves in the classroom. If his/her behavior improves, he/she will get his/her ball back. If a child shows exceptionally good behavior, he/she will earn yellow circles. At the end of the day, the children will receive the following:

Each red circle = 5 cents toy money 5 red circles = 25 cents

5 red circles + 1 yellow circle = 30 cents 5 red circles + 2 yellow circle = 35 cents Every other Friday, the children may use his/her toy money to buy Ms. Chau coupons which they can exchange for a privilege or some goodies from teacher. Each day, ask your child how many circles he or she has earned—look for the coupons or prize your child wins!

Consequences for Unacceptable Behaviors Occasionally children have difficulty following class and school rules. At these times, I will try to redirect the child’s behavior through eye contact, verbal warning, removing the red circles, or quiet reminders. If this does not help to improve the child’s behavior, one or more of the following consequences will be used:

1. Time-out at the “Quiet Chair” This gives the child time to calm down and get ready to rejoin the class activity. If the behavior occurs outside of the classroom (hallway, playground, cafeteria, etc.) variations of this consequence will be used.

2. Time-out in another teacher’s classroom This will be used if the unacceptable behavior is not improved by a time-out in our classroom.

3. Note, phone call home, or conference with parent after school. This might include behavior checklists completed daily.

4. Loss of privilege or copy work This might include recess time or special activities. If there is no privilege (outside of the classroom, field trip etc.) to take away, assign copy work may apply.

5. Office Referral

This can be used for behaviors that disrupt instruction or threaten others (hitting, kicking, biting, etc.).

This list is an overview of my discipline policy. Other consequences may be used if they are appropriate for the behavior. Please refer to the Student Handbook for policies regarding suspension and expulsion. Art, Music or computer teachers may have different policies for managing unacceptable behaviors.

Mandarin Curriculum

ACTFL Standards

http://actflproficiencyguidelines2012.org/

California World Language Standards http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/worldlanguage2009.pdf

3rd Grade Thematic Units

Theme 1 Theme 2 Theme 3 Theme 4 Theme 5 Theme 6

My Personal Profile

Geography &

Universe

Citizenship &

Social Relationships

Heroes &

Famous People

Structures

Changes

2nd Grade Thematic Units

Theme 1 Theme 2 Theme 3 Theme 4 Theme 5 Theme 6 Theme 7

All About School

Parts of Our Day

Places to Go

Countries &

Languages Holidays

& Traditions

Describing People & Objects

Living Things

Shopping

Mandarin/Math Homework Policy

Mandarin homework is assigned weekly on Monday for both period 1 and period 2 students. Math homework is assigned for my homeroom students only. I expect students to do their best job on each homework assignment and that it will be printed neatly. However, it is the parents’ responsibility to supervise your child at home to do the homework. Homework must be completed and brought to class on Friday. Some projects might need a long period to finish and I will announce these in the Newsletter. A typical weekly homework assignment might look like this:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

1 page of character worksheet

1 page of character worksheet

1 page of character worksheet

1 page of character worksheet or Mandarin journal writing

1 page of Math worksheet plus Home Link

1 page of Math worksheet plus Home Link

1 page of Math worksheet plus Home Link

1 page of Math worksheet plus Home Link

Please set aside a time daily to supervise and help your child’s weekly work. Each family is given 5 Homework Passes at back to school night. It is to be used throughout the year due to the busy family life if students miss the assignments. Students should staple this pass on the homework package and turn it in on the due date.

Strategies and Tips for Homework support

1) Follow the homework schedule and have your child check mark each item on the Homework communication sheet after he/she finishes.

2) Invite your child to be your ‘teacher”. Children take pride in learning new things, but they

are even more excited about being able to teach something to adults. Ask your child to “teach” you how to read the characters and what it means.

3) Set a reward system that helps your child to develop a habit of finishing up his/her

homework independently.

4) Please remind your child to put their homework folder in his/her backpack and return them to me on Friday, but let him or her carry out the tasks.

5) Don’t be surprised if your child does not know every character, we are revisiting them

regularly. When they do not know certain characters is a perfect moment to encourage them to try their best to learn in class so that they can come back and be your “teacher.”

6) Here are some websites for your child to do extra practice:

a. http://stroke-order.learningweb.moe.edu.tw/home.do

b. http://www.yellowbridge.com/

c. http://www.mandarintools.com/

d. http://learningchineseonline.net/

e. http://edu.ocac.gov.tw/biweekly/index.htm

f. http://www.instantspeakchinese.com/pinyin/

g. http://www.pinyinpractice.com/tones.htm

h. http://www.shufawest.us/language/tonedrill.html

i. http://edu.ocac.gov.tw/lang/chineselearn/index.htm （Chinese Games）

Trimester 1 Characters List Writing:

1. 現 5. 聽 9. 節 13. 從 17. 知 2. 笑 6. 哭 10. 第 14. 情 18. 道 3. 遊 7. 業 11. 親 15. 因 19. 雖 4. 戲 8. 課 12. 都 16. 為 20. 然

Reading and identifying 1. 休息 9. 生氣 17. 河川 25. 旅行 2. 遊樂場 10. 害怕 18. 半島 26. 行星 3. 心情 11. 為什麼 19. 農村 27. 太陽系 4. 開心 12. 山谷 20. 城市 28. 外太空 5. 高興 13. 丘陵 21. 自然 29. 宇宙 6. 快樂 14. 沿海地區 22. 地理特徵 30. 月相 7. 無聊 15. 湖泊 23. 地圖 8. 難過 16. 平原 24. 首都

2nd Grade Trimester 1 Characters List Writing:

1. 紅 5. 穿 9. 耳 13. 最 17. 快 2. 黃 6. 西 10. 朵 14. 打 18. 比 3. 綠 7. 衣 11. 眼 15. 球 19. 朋 4. 色 8. 頭 12. 鼻 16. 會 20. 友

Reading and identifying 1. 顏色 9. 跑步 17. 肚子 25. 打球 2. 咖啡 10. 踢 18. 臉 26. 會不會 3. 鞋子 11. 矮 19. 腿 27. 最喜歡 4. 乒乓球 12. 胖 20. 西裝 28. 運動 5. 騎車 13. 瘦 21. 連衣裙 29. 籃球 6. 自行車 14. 快 22. 多少 30. 游泳 7. 冰球 15. 慢 23. 比一比 8. 網球 16. 手指頭 24. 足球