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Some Important Items for Parents......
Spelling:
One of the most important factors to
consider when trying to achieve
LONG-TERM mastery of spelling words is
repetition. Any child can learn that word list
for one day to take the test.  What we
should be more interested in, is that they are
able to recall those words months and years
later in their life.  Studies show that repetitive
tasks with a small group of words can
accomplish this goal.  For this reason, I give
the students a short spelling activity every
evening leading up to their unit test on
Friday.  This is the schedule of spelling
homework:

Monday: Put word list in ABC order.
Tuesday: Write words 5X each.
Wednesday:  Spelling Master Sheet
Thursday:  Study for the test.

While these activities may appear to be
"busy work"  they actually DO serve an
important purpose in your child's learning.
Homework
As I have explained to the students,
teachers do not give homework to ruin
everyone's night.  (REALLY!) Homework
is designed to serve a valuable purpose for
your child.  A person who is learning new
information must be given a small amount of
time in between learning acquisition and
recalling information.  This serves to move
the "new information" from the short term
memory to the long term memory.  This is
the importance of homework, particularly
with memorization skills, such as spelling
words and math facts.
Coke Rewards
We collect Coke Rewards and redeem
them on things for our classroom. Coke
Reward are found on Coke bottle tops. If
you would like to donate any rewards,
please wash the bottle tops before sending
them to class.  The reward codes can also
be found on the opening of the 12 pack
boxes.
Birthdays
We make birthdays a big deal!  
If you would like to bring
cupcakes- that would be great!  
PLEASE don't send an entire
cake or a large container of
juice! Individual cupcakes are
best! It takes forever to serve
28 third graders!  
Agendas
The purpose of the agenda is to create
some organization in this crazy world
of ballgames, dance, gymnastics, and
music lessons.  It is my hope this will
become a habit for your child for the
future!
FIS Handbook
If you are new to the FIS building, I
encourage you to read the front of your
child's agenda very carefully.  This
handbook contains very important
information on the rules and policies of
the FIS school community.  These rules
and policies may be different than those
at other schools.  The purpose of the
handbook is to inform you of the
specific ways in which we strive to keep
your child SAFE and HEALTHY.  
They are not personal or designed to
irritate parents (really!).  Most of them
are dictated by the Illinois School Code.
 Others are adopted as a result of a
problem or situation we are trying to
prevent.  Please read and become
familiar with these rules/policies.  If you
have any questions, don't hesitate to ask
either myself or Mr. Zahm.  
Visiting FIS
When entering FIS, all parents and
visitors MUST enter at the front door (at
the flag pole) and report to the office.  
Please understand that we take your
child's safety VERY seriously.