HOMEWORK

The daily activities at school require a tremendous effort from elementary school children.  Flatirons emphasizes individual thoughtfulness, cooperation and problem solving in all skill areas within the classroom.  This demands that students are rested, comfortably engaged, eager and confident, so they can succeed on a daily basis.

Homework/study time will be given as appropriate to the age and ability level of the student. All students should read nightly.  It is important that a student feels responsible for his or her work and that the parents encourage and support the student by providing an appropriate space and regular schedule for the homework/reading/study time.

Various types of homework/reading/study time serve to support the students' growth by promoting: the development of good study habits; opportunities for memorization, drill and practice; academic skill development based on individual needs; reading as a background for classroom activities; interaction between students and other people in their home, neighborhood or community; and the opportunity to complete unfinished class work.

If a child seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time on homework, or if it is a large source of frustration for the family, parents are encouraged to contact the classroom teacher for assistance or modifications.  For example, if you are having trouble helping your child with homework tasks, or the assignment seems unclear, please write your concerns on the homework assignment or contact your child's teacher.

The individual teacher will assign projects according to the following guidelines.  A general rule of thumb is for students in first grade to spend ten minutes each night on their studies.  They should increase this time each year by about ten minutes.

Primary grades (K-2):
Time for play and unstructured free time are essential to children's physical and cognitive development.  Children also need time for outside-of-school learning experiences.  At this level, children should read nightly, and homework from time to time is appropriate to serve the purpose of introducing and reinforcing habits that support life-long learning.  Parent's reading aloud to children is a significant contributor to the child's success in school.

Intermediate grades (3/4):
The intermediate teachers develop their homework program based on the above statements.  An increased amount of reading is expected.  Homework is sent home weekly and the time spent on daily homework will vary with the individual teacher and student.

Fifth grade:
Students are expected to read every night, independently and/or with a parent or other family member.  Other homework is assigned according to curricular needs.  There is an emphasis over the year on developing students' abilities to do long-term and research oriented assignments.  We help the students learn to budget their time and break large assignments into smaller segments.