“For the month of September, HUES students will be focusing on reading as their homework.  This will allow them to relax and enjoy outside time and family time after school along with time away from devices!  We will be completing unfinished work and making time in the school day for our students to focus on learning and reinforcement of new skills.  In October, we will revisit this and you may see more assignments that need to be completed outside of the school day.  We’d love to hear feedback later in September on how this is working for our families.”

HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS AND GUIDELINES

The purpose of homework is to help students become self-directing, independent learners and to provide practice with what has been taught in school.  Homework assignments shall support clearly defined school and classroom objectives and shall be used to reinforce or enhance school experiences. When homework is assigned, there will be timely and meaningful follow-up and feedback by the teacher. Regular homework assignments throughout the school year assist in helping students become independent learners. Teams will make every attempt to maintain consistency across a grade level and adhere to recommended homework times.

 

STUDENT HOMEWORK RESPONSIBILITY

• Complete all assignments on a timely basis

• Schedule work on long range assignments over a period of time

• Listen carefully and follow directions provided by the teacher

• Use study aids and materials provided by teacher and parents

• Study in a well-lit, distraction-free area

• Study at a specific time daily

• Discuss homework assignments with parents

• Talk with your teacher before homework completion becomes a problem.

• Be neat, organized, and keep track of school materials and assignments

• Complete your part of a group assignment in a timely and appropriate manner.
• If you are having difficulty understanding the homework, please see your teacher.

 

PARENTAL IDEAS TO ASSIST WITH HOMEWORK

Make sure your child has:

• A quiet place to work with good light
• A regular time each day for doing homework – help your child select the time
• Basic supplies such as paper, pencils, pens, markers and a ruler.

 

Questions you might ask your child:

• What are your assignments today? (Gr. 4-6 students should have their assignments written in their Agenda Books.)
• Do you understand the assignment?
• When is it due?
• Do you need special resources?
• Have you begun your assignments? Finished them?
• Do you have any long-term assignments?
• Should we write out a schedule or steps to take to help you complete your assignments on time?
• Would a practice test be helpful?
• Did you ask your teacher for extra help when you didn’t understand?

 

Other ways to help:

• Help your child empty his/her backpack each day
• Have your child put completed homework immediately into his/her backpack for return to school
• Contact the teacher if there is a homework issue you can’t resolve
• Check homework for neatness and understanding
• Estimate the time it will take to complete a task and check progress occasionally
• If necessary, set a timer for motivation to complete work in a timely fashion
• Add a note to the homework, if your child has experienced difficulty completing or understanding the assignment.
• Understand it is okay for homework to come back to school with mistakes as it helps inform the teacher of your child’s needs.

 

RECOMMENDED HOMEWORK TIME FRAMES:

Grade Level	Time	Frequency
1ST Grade	Up to 10 – 20 minutes per night	1 – 2 times per week
2nd Grade	Up to 10 – 20 minutes per night	1 – 2 times per week
3rd Grade	Up to 30 minutes per night	3 – 4 times per week
4th Grade	Up to 30 – 40 minutes per night	3 – 4 times per week
5th Grade	Up to 50 – 60 minutes per night	3 – 4 times per week
6th Grade	Up to 1 hour per night	3 – 4 times per week

 

HUES: No Homework on the weekends will be assigned.  Students could have work they need to complete during the weekend.

For every child at every grade level a daily minimum reading period of 15 minutes is recommended. This period is very beneficial to improving reading and, in fact, in some studies have been found to be the number one factor in reading improvement. For beginning or reluctant readers making this a family reading time is especially worthwhile. Listening to a story, telling a story by looking at the illustrations, choral reading, predicting upcoming events, imagining how the sequel to the story might be written and discussing changes you or your child might have made in the story had you been its author, are just some ideas to share this time together.