Parent & Student Handbook - Independence Charter School

Parents should review the planner with their children, and also sign that they have seen the
assignments, homework or reminders written in the planner. This system helps parents know if their children
are completing all required work, and informs teachers that parents are reviewing the work. Parents should
encourage their children to review their own planners regularly, in an effort to keep them up-to-date, and to
use them on a regular basis.
3. POSTING THE DAILY AGENDA .
The plan for each lesson or teaching period is posted in a consistent location. This practice allows students,
visitors, support staff, and teacher to easily keep track of what’s next, what’s already been addressed, etc.
4. MIDDLE SCHOOL CALENDAR (FOR 3 rd FLOOR ONLY) .
A large calendar will be posted in the middle school hallway (near the elevator). Teachers will add important
dates such as:
o Unit/chapter tests
o Project due dates
o Field trips
o Any important deadlines
This practice allows the entire Middle School community to share an awareness of when students and
colleagues are likely to become overwhelmed with many significant tasks falling on the same day or during
the same week.
5. STUDY SKILLS .
Prior to all major assessments, teachers will schedule review sessions. During these review sessions
teachers will:
- inform students about the content that will be covered on the assessment and the
format of the assessment.
- lead students through creating a study guide. One suggestion is to use a “cover
and quiz” strategy. Meaning, answers can be covered by the students so that they
can quiz themselves or each other. This could take the form of flash cards with
questions or vocabulary words on one side and answers or definitions on the other
side, or it could be a sheet folded lengthwise so that students can cover up answers
as they study and quiz each other.
- provide time IN CLASS for students to quiz themselves independently, in partners,
or in groups.
- teach a variety of study methods and will encourage students to use them at home
in order to continue preparing for the assessment.
- have students write a study reminder in their planners. (Students should have
already written the test reminder on the appropriate date in their planner well
ahead of time).
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