Dear 3C Parents,

Today I received the survey results from the homework survey that you completed.  Two things I noticed were that about half our our class filled out the survey and that there were some very different opinions from the parents in our class.  I really appreciate the survey data that I received.   I will now respond to the comments that I received.  If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to reach out at any time!

While homework is extremely important, as it helps solidify the information Archway Arete’s curriculum provides your student with, I wish to lessen homework time, particularly for the students who are spending more than 90 minutes a night.  Of course there will be nights where there is more homework than other nights.  This is due to the natural course of our curriculum and calendar.  However, if your student is doing more than 90 minutes of homework on a regular basis, please reach out to me and we will do our best to find a solution.  Although our curriculum is intentionally rigorous, I do not wish to overwhelm the students with a lengthy homework process. I also wish to provide assistance to the families who feel more homework guidance is needed.  It is my hope that the following steps will be helpful:

1.    Instructions for large projects will be sent home at least 3 weeks prior to their due date.

2.    I will begin starting math homework in class (brief 5 minutes) for students to ask questions and review particularly difficult problems. 

3.    I have added some Singapore math links to my blog, I have also separated the math links from the other important links so they are easier to find.  I will continue to send home keys for bar models periodically.

  

5.    Students will be reminded to take their notebooks and folders home regularly to aid them in the homework and study process. This comes with added responsibility on their part to ensure all class materials are returned to class the next day.  Please do assist your child in this process, as it is very difficult on students to take part in class without the necessary materials.  I do not have extras to lend them.

6.    I did receive concerns on the survey regarding weekend homework. We assign homework on Fridays at Archway Arete because we feel our students need as many opportunities to review class material as possible. A good strategy may be to have your student complete homework on Friday evening to allow the rest of the weekend for relaxation.

7.  For those of you who expressed desire for more difficult homework, I will be sending out extra math practice as soon as the extra practice book that we ordered arrives.  As students should be reading for 20 minutes every night there is no reason homework should be less than 30 minutes with the other subjects on most days.  Please reach out to me if that is you!  The survey was anonymous so I do not know who you are!

8.    Finally, my plan is to adjust this process as needed.  Please reach out to me if you’re seeing a struggle at home, this kind of contact is so very helpful to me to best meet student needs.

Again, I thank you for your responses and support. Please keep in mind that I am only an email away if you have a question or concern about your student.  I firmly believe that open communication between parent and teacher is the key to student success.

Appreciatively,

Ms. Caro