Homework Agreement
Oak Knoll Homework Agreement
The Oak Knoll Homework Agreement is just that, an agreement between the Oak Knoll administration and the classroom teachers. The agreement is in compliance with the MPCSD Board Policy 6154. The agreement outlines what parents and students can expect at Oak Knoll from kindergarten- 5th grade. This agreement was developed using research on homework and student well-being. Oak Knoll, like Challenge Success out of Stanford, believes that playtime, downtime, and family time must be a priority for our students. The Oak Knoll Homework Agreement is structured to preserve childhood and a love for ongoing learning in and out of school. If you ever have questions about our approach or the homework your child is currently receiving, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Ms. Clancy or an Oak Knoll staff member.
Kindergarten:
At Oak Knoll we believe that kindergartners should spend time at home looking at books, enjoying books with his/her family, and reading.
We believe kindergarten students…
- Must read or be read to daily.
- Should not be assigned homework with the exception of the occasional special project like Star of the Week or 100th day assignment.
- Should be encouraged to do chores.
- Must have playtime, downtime and family time every day.
1st-2nd grade:
At Oak Knoll we believe that 1st and 2nd graders should spend time at home, enjoying books with his/her family and practicing their reading daily. Outside of reading and math fact practice, 1st and 2nd-grade students will not be assigned any other homework with the exception of the occasional special project like Star of the Week, ancestor project, etc. If your child isn’t finishing his/her classwork, the teacher will communicate directly with you to work this out appropriately. Classwork should not consistently turn into homework. Parents should ALWAYS reach out to the classroom teacher if homework is taking too long, or causing a problem for your child and/or family.
We believe 1st and 2nd grade students...
- Must read everyday at home!
- May be asked to complete a book recommendation log each week.
- Need to practice their math facts. Math fact practice might be sent home depending on your child’s needs and grade level expectations.
- Should be encouraged to do chores, as well as other school-home accountability activities.
- Must have playtime, downtime and family time every day.
3rd-5th grade:
At Oak Knoll we believe that 3rd-5th graders should spend time at home, reading and enjoying books with his/her family and practicing their reading daily. Outside of reading, math fact practice, and math skills review, students will not be assigned any other homework with the exception of the occasional special project like a book report, subject-specific project, etc. Projects like these should not be regularly assigned homework. If your child isn’t finishing his/her classwork, the teacher will communicate directly with you to work this out appropriately. Classwork should not consistently turn into homework. Parents should ALWAYS reach out to the classroom teacher if homework is taking too long, or causing a problem for your child and/or family.
We believe that 3rd-5th graders...
- Must read at home everyday! Students will set a reading goal and participate in reading books to meet his/her goal, (teachers will set this up in class). Students will keep track of their books and be asked to read books in many genres.
- Need to practice their math facts. Math fact practice might be sent home depending on your child’s needs and grade level expectations.
- Need to practice math skills. Teachers may send home math homework that reflects what has already been taught in class. The answers to the math homework will also be provided to students. This system of checking homework at home and bringing it back corrected will be covered in class with the students.
- Should be encouraged to do chores, as well as other school-home accountability activities.
- Must have playtime, downtime and family time every day.
Please note: If students are enrolled in the band or orchestra, daily instrumental practice is expected (more info will be shared by your child's music teacher).
Opportunities to practice skills at home:
These resources are recommended by our staff. Many students already have a login for most of these apps. Reach out to your child’s teacher for login information.
- DreamBox for K-2 students for personalized, adaptive, Common-Core aligned activities (students have access using a log-in).
- Frax Math or 3-5 students. Students will have log in information from their teacher.
- XtraMath helps students practice math facts. We recommend hiding the timer, as we believe speed and timed learning can have a negative outcome on students’ math mindset and overall performance.
- Typing Club: an educational platform for keyboarding. It is web-based and fully customizable, so Oak Knoll students can practice at home.