Study Skills
Study Skills are virtues that all of us should be working on at all times. They are a major part of parenting: organization, responsibility, punctuality, thoroughness, neatness, listening, following directions, and the list goes on and on. Everyone has his/her gifts in life and some would say that virtues or habits such as a willingness to put others needs before your own, generosity, or kindness are the most important traits for a young Christian to develop. This is true, but nonetheless it is still vital for the success of any endeavor that the academic (and eventually, workplace) virtues be given attention.
Blessed Sacrament School works constantly with students and parents to instill virtues in our students. As early as first grade and Kindergarten, children will be given responsibility to put into practice study skills. Please be vigilant about working with teachers to ensure that these skills are given their due emphasis. There is an official Study Skills course taught in the fifth grade by our Special Needs staff.
Homework
Homework is to be given regularly in all classes with a consistent and gradual progression towards greater after school responsibility, as solid academic progress requires. Occasionally, parents may have to help their child with homework in the primary grades. However, even here, they should be advised that over helping might set up later failure if patience in teaching the concept and letting the students learn to apply it for themselves is not exercised. Please read John Rosemond’s “Ending the Homework Hassle” as an aid for overseeing your child’s homework progress.
Guidelines:
Kindergarten Occasionally
1st grade half hour
2nd and 3rd grades 45 minutes
4th and 5th grades 1 to 1 ½ hours
Middle School 1¾ to 2 hours
Late Work and Missing Assignments Policy Middle School: If your middle school child misses school, his/her assignments will be filed in the homework box near the office, unless otherwise instructed by the teacher. The student generally has three days to complete the assignment. K-5 student make-up work is sent home via a specified student in the school (e.g. a sibling) or is sent to the work box by the office.
Late work will either not be graded or assessed a penalty, depending on the assignment. If a student in middle school misses an assignment due to an excused absence, he/she will have three (3) days to get the work handed in to the teacher. The teacher may ask for completed assignments before the three-day period if it is necessary in order for the student to catch up with the class on the concept being studied. The teacher should be in close contact with the parent concerning the feasibility of this considering the recovery status and workload of the student.
Primary and Intermediate: Students progress to essentially the same policy as in middle school for late work and missing assignments. Teachers will work with students to build responsibility in doing work independently.
All School Policy: Missing assignments due to the student’s negligence may have to be completed during the student’s recess. If a student has excessive missing or late assignments, the student and their parent(s) or guardian(s) will be informed that the student could be called to a mandatory study hall after school. Students who do not turn in work may earn a zero on the assignment. It is very difficult to make up this score simply by scoring high enough on other assignments.
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