Court N.S.  Homework Policy

 PURPOSE

Homework is given in Court N.S. to:

&       reinforce what the child learns during the day.

&       provide a link between teacher and parent.

&       develop a child’s concentration skills and develop a work ethic.

 ASPIRATIONS

             Homework is meant to be achievable by a child, i.e. it provides an opportunity to practice work already done.  The teacher in class normally prepares it.  However, sometimes with senior classes, some homework is designed to challenge children’s ability and provide opportunities for creativity.

Children are expected to do their homework to the best of their individual ability – no more, no less.

 NORMS

 Homework is given on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but not on Fridays with three exceptions:

 

L If homework has been neglected during the week

L In senior classes some project work is undertaken at weekends

L Extra homework may be sometime be given during the week or at the weekend if a child has not done homework, made a suitable effort or presented untidy work.

 

J  Sometimes at the discretion of the class teacher or the principal, children are given “homework   off” as a treat or as acknowledgment of some special occasion.

J A child can use a “homework token” earned as part of Court NS “Positive Conduct Policy.”

CONTENT

             Ideally homework will contain a balance between reading tasks, learning tasks and written tasks. This balance is not always possible and can vary considerably from day to day.  However, it should be noted that homework time devoted to reading and learning is as important as written work. 

Homework will regularly contain reading, spellings, tables, written work, pieces to be “learned by heart”, drawing/ colouring, collecting information/items and finishing work started in class.

Children often feel that reading and “learning by heart” is not real homework.  Parents \ Guardians can play an important role in listening to reading and items to be learned ensuring this work is done well.                  

 

TIME GUIDELINES

Different children will complete the same homework in different lengths of time.  Time spent will vary from day to day and also from the beginning to the end of the school year.  It is important to remember that it is the quality and not the quantity of homework that matters.  The following are general guidelines only.  

Junior Infants                  0  - 10 minutes

Rang 3                         Up to 50 minutes

Senior Infants               Up to 20 minutes

Rang 4                         Up to 1 hour

Rang 1                         Up to 30 minutes

Rang 5                         Up to 1 hour 15 minutes

Rang 2                         Up to 40 minutes

Rang 6                         Up to 1 hour 30minutes

 

PARENTAL \ GUARDIAN INVOLVEMENT

            Parents \ Guardians can help their children with homework by providing them with a suitable place and time to do their homework and by trying to prevent interruptions or distractions, like T.V. or other children.

Children should do written homework themselves and Parents \ Guardians should only help when the child has difficulty.

If a child has difficulty with homework, the Parents \ Guardians should help the child to overcome the difficulty with further explanation or examples, but not by actually doing the homework for the child. In this case the parent should write a note to the teacher explaining the problem.

“Library reading” is not homework in the regular sense and it is simply meant to be an enjoyable exercise for the child or between an adult and the child.  If it’s not enjoyable, “library reading” should not be done.

 MONITORING HOMEWORK AT HOME

            Parents \ Guardians should check and sign a child’s Homework Journal every evening as the pupil’s journal is an important record of the child’s homework.  It is also a valuable means of communication between Parents \ Guardians and teachers.

Ideally, all written messages to your child’s teacher should be put in the Homework Journal in the “Friday” or “Comment” sections of a particular week. Additional pages are also available at the end of the journal.

Please check that your child records homework neatly in the correct page and ticks each item of homework when completed.

Court N.S. notices and other letters to Parents \ Guardians are folded and placed in the current day of the Homework Journal. Please check your child’s journal for such notes on a regular basis

 MONITORING HOMEWORK AT SCHOOL

Ideally teachers like to check homework on a daily basis, however with large class numbers it is not always possible to check each child’s Homework Journal every day. 

As children get older and learn to work independently, some items of homework are checked less often e.g. every second day or once per week.

Sometimes, under the direction of the teacher, children themselves may check some items of homework or class work.  This can be a useful part of the learning process for children.           

 COMMUNICATION ABOUT HOMEWORK

 In the relevant section of the Homework Journal, please inform your child’s teacher when:

¨        your child cannot do homework due to family circumstances

¨        your child cannot do homework because she/he cannot understand some aspect.

¨        the time being spent at homework is often longer than the recommended amount of time.

 DOING HOMEWORK

Each family situation is different but, ideally, homework should be done before any television is watched soon after school while your child is still fresh. Some children, however, need a break before starting homework.

Nevertheless homework should never be left until morning time before school

Remember, if homework is a stressful experience between parent and child, something is wrong!  This leads to poor learning and defeats the purpose of this policy. Should this happen on a regular basis, please contact the class teacher.

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