McGilvra Homework Policy

District policy requires that homework be assigned to all elementary students. Homework provides valuable time to practice, maintain, complete, make-up, or enrich classroom activities. It also helps develop independent study habits and appreciation for learning. The following is a suggested range of minutes for homework per student. Of course, individual students may require more or less time to complete assignments.

Grade K-2: 5 – 10 minutes/day or 20 – 40 minutes/week
Grade 3-4: 10 – 20 minutes/day or 40 – 80 minutes/week
Grade 5: 20 – 40 minutes/day or 80 – 160 minutes/week

Homework Guidelines

In order to insure consistency, fairness, and flexibility, the following guidelines will be followed by all McGilvra staff when assigning homework:

• Homework will emphasize practice in skills previously taught by the teacher, make-up for lessons missed, remedial activities, or learning enrichment.
• Homework will be appropriate to the age, maturity, and needs of the student.
• Special consideration will be given to limiting assignments over weekend, holiday and vacation periods.
• Homework will not be used as a disciplinary measure.

Suggestions for Parents Regarding Homework

• Provide a regular time for homework in a place with minimal distractions. Emphasize that homework is an important job that deserves respect from the rest of the household. This means that TV or other distractions will not disturb students.
• Praise your children for doing their job. Remember that learning is not always easy, and they get tired, too. A little encouragement can be a big help.
• Understand that children can get frustrated. Let them know that this feeling is natural and part of the learning process. Be patient. Use your judgment as to when to stop. We don’t want to teach children to quit as soon as the going gets a little rough. At the same time, we don’t want to overwhelm them either.
• Communicate concerns and questions to your child’s teacher immediately.