PROGRESS REPORT TRIMESTER DATES
1st Trimester: August 28 to November 29
Dec. 6 - Progress Reports go home

2nd Trimester: December 2 to March 6
March 13 - Progress Reports go home

3rd Trimester: March 9 to Last Day of School
Progress Reports go home on the last day of school

SPECIAL SERVICES
A full range of Special Services is offered to children with diagnosed needs. Programs include speech therapy and language instruction, physical therapy, occupational therapy, special support for hearing impaired, learning disabled, and children with emotional needs.

INDEPENDENT LEARNING (“HOMEWORK”)
We believe that independent learning (“homework”) should be meaningful and empower children to explore and expand their learning outside of the classroom. As each child's educational needs, interests and situations
at home are unique, we strive to balance curricular expectations with individualized challenges. Assignments may vary from student to student within the same grade and class to meet the academic needs of each
student.

Guidelines for teachers are:
- to assign work that is purposeful and meaningful to each student;
- to post any whole-class assignments on their teacher webpages;
- to ensure that each student understands the purpose of any given assignment;
- to ensure the availability of all the resources necessary to carry out the assignment;
- to acknowledge receipt of completed work and to provide meaningful feedback;
- to accept only high-quality work from each student.

Guidelines for students are:
- to listen carefully when assignments are presented and discussed in class;
- to ask for assistance when unsure of the directions, requirements, or expectations;
- to understand that effort, attention to detail, and appearance of all completed assignments are important;
- to complete independent work on time and have it ready in class when due;
- to understand that independent work may include studying – reviewing material and practicing skills that have already been taught and learned;
- to be open and honest with the teacher when independent work is taking too long or seems too difficult;
- to talk with the teacher about work missed due to an absence

Guidelines for parents are:
- to encourage the high-quality completion of independent assignments;
- to assist students in budgeting their time;
- to encourage the student to contact peers or the teacher in the event of questions or concerns;
- to support when assignments are returned to the student to be improved;
- to encourage the student’s independence, perseverance, and problem-solving skills when working on independent work;
- to support that content, structure, and appearance of all written/typed independent assignments are important; however, to also understand that teachers are not always expecting or looking at all three of these elements on each individual learning task.

INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS
All students in grades 4, 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to participate in the instrumental music program and receive small group or individual weekly instruction. All instrumental students will participate in a Concert Band, which holds concerts and performs at school events throughout the year. Students may also participate for Jazz Band, which is open to 2nd and 3rd year players. Practices are before school and can be joined through recommendation only. In late spring, our instrumental teacher, with the help of students will demonstrate the band instruments to third-grade students. Information on instrument rentals and lessons is sent home after this demonstration so that lessons can begin when school reopens in the fall. Students who chose to participate in instrumental lessons assume full responsibility for class work missed during lesson time. Rotating time weekly-lesson schedules are created and distributed at the start of the school year, while regular rehearsal time will occur weekly.

GENERAL AND VOCAL MUSIC
In addition to teaching basic skills, general music classes teach an appreciation of music by introducing students to music theory, history, elements, and style. Students culminate their year by participating in one of a variety of performance-based activities.

VISUAL ARTS
Students in all grades are introduced to a variety of art mediums. They learn and practice a variety of art mediums, develop 21st-century skills of perception and reflection, as well as learn and practice the basic skills and techniques associated with the visual arts. Students also learn about famous artists and their styles of art. We suggest students bring an old oversized T-shirt to school to be used as a smock during art class.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education encompasses a wide variety of activities designed to increase activity levels and motor skills that will help each child remain active throughout his/her life. The programs are presented in a non-competitive environment that encourages individual development. Lace-up or Velcro sneakers are required for safety reasons.

WELLNESS
Our wellness program is focused on establishing healthy habits based on physical, social, and emotional well-being. Students engage in activities that use 21st-Century Skills to promote authentic, real world connections. Lessons vary between physical activity, hands-on experiences, research and reporting, as well as individual and group activities.

SPANISH
Elementary Spanish is part of the core curriculum for students in preschool through grade six, and provides academically enriching content for developing oral proficiency. Through this exposure, students develop at a young age the necessary skills to communicate in Spanish.

LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER
Students visit the library media center frequently to learn and utilize technology and discuss ideas. The library media center contains a large collection of materials that have been carefully selected to support the curriculum and spark students’ interests. In addition to print materials, there are also many online resources available for student projects. Students are responsible for returning library books and covering the cost if lost or misplaced.

ASSESSMENT
Assessment is an integral part of effective teaching. At the elementary level, we use the following types of assessments to measure student growth and achievement:

Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to help students meet the intended learning targets or goals. Examples include teachers observing or meeting with individuals or small groups to listen and take notes on students' thoughts; reviewing classwork to determine students' proficiency in the skills practiced; providing descriptive feedback to students during the lesson; students self-reflecting on their level of understanding of specific concept or skill.

Summative assessment is a process of looking back at students' performance with a unit of taught concepts, skills and/or content. These results are often used to determine and, at times, report students' overall understanding or mastery as well as determine the effectiveness of the curriculum and programming. Examples include graded unit tests and quizzes, graded projects and presentations, and scored final-drafts of writing pieces.

STAR Assessments are used as a universal screening to monitor student progress toward grade level benchmarks. Teachers review students' performance on this computer-based assessment, which is administered for both reading and math at least 3 times per year, in order to plan appropriately, based on students' collective and individual levels of proficiency.

Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) is the next-generation testing system used by the state of Connecticut for students in grades 3 through 8. This computer-based assessment measures students' progress toward college and career readiness.

Student and Parent Handbook

James Morris School