HOMEWORK GUIDELINES

The Purpose of Homework

Homework can be a valuable aid in helping students make the most of their experiences in school. It reinforces what has been learned in class, prepares students for upcoming lessons, teaches responsibility and independence, and helps students develop positive study habits. Homework can take many forms, depending on the subject, grade and topics of study.

Parents are encouraged to support their child’s learning, but not to do the homework for them. If there is a legitimate reason why a student is unable to finish the homework assignment, please send a note explaining the reason why it was not completed.

How Parents Can Help With Homework

• Establish a routine with a set time for homework
• Provide a quiet place
• Provide supplies (eg., pencils, pens, rulers, eraser, dictionary)
• Check planners and assignment sheets before and after homework is completed
• Help organize time to allow completion of the assignment in manageable stages taking into consideration family events and activities
• Proofread for grammar, spelling errors and vocabulary and let students correct them on their own
• If your child is unable to do the work, prompt them with questions to direct their thinking
• Help them to discover the answer without actually telling it to them
• Provide opportunities for your child to visit the public library
• Allow your children access to a variety of resources (print and non-print).
• Help them to put the notes in their own words and to include the resources in their bibliography. They must not copy.
• If all the assigned tasks are completed before the end of the established time, use the time for reading!
  

Homework Policy for Vacationing Students

Each year we are approached by parents who wish to take their child(ren) out of school for extended periods of time. Usually this is for reasons associated with family plans or family business.

We do not have a procedure for granting students a “leave of absence”.  Rather, it is assumed that parents will make decisions in the best interests of their own children.  Parents need to be aware that students away from school longer than one calendar month are removed from the school register and must reapply upon their return.

Difficulties regarding vacations arise, however, when parents wish reassurance that their children will not be behind in their work when they return to school. If your children miss instruction for extended periods of time, they will be behind in their classroom work. They may well have other cultural and travel experiences that contribute to their overall development, but the many varied daily classroom activities they will miss such as discussions, teaching of concepts and experiments cannot be duplicated through worksheets or workbooks.

We do not provide assignments for children who have extended absences due to family plans. The following list of suggested activities is designed to assist parents with planning for their child’s educational needs while travelling.

• Set aside a time each day for reading books.  As school textbooks or library books cannot be taken on extended absences, you may wish to acquire several paperback novels or children’s magazines suitable for your child’s age and reading ability.
• Have your child keep a reading response journal in which he or she records this reading activity and thoughts about what has been read that day. There are many different ways of structuring this, depending on how much time the parent and child are willing to devote.
• Keep a scrapbook of special places or sightseeing.  This can include photographs, postcards, pamphlets, drawings, etc.  with some student writing or labelling.  Maps with routes marked on them, and short paragraphs about the historical significance of certain landmarks would be useful additions.
• Keep a log of distance travelled, money spent on meals, admission, gifts  and mementos.  Have your child practice and use their math skills (e.g. change miles to kilometres; calculate cost of  items in Canadian dollars).
  

It is not possible for teachers to pre-teach topics that will be covered during the period of absence.  When students return from extended absences, it may be necessary for them to do extra assignments in order to catch up with missed work.

We will be happy to see what your children have accomplished upon their return, but will not necessarily be evaluating or marking these activities.  It is your right to take your child out of school due to family circumstances, but once you have exercised that privilege, you must also accept the responsibility of your child’s education during that absence.