Homework policy
The purpose of homework in elementary school is to build and strengthen positive routines and habits that will sustain your child throughout his or her school age years. Homework is an opportunity for your child to practice and review familiar concepts and to develop important work habits. As children move from grade to grade, the expectations increase in reasonable increments so they build their homework ‘muscles’ for increased stamina and concentration. Teachers and parents should work together to help reluctant students understand this important expectation.
Some of you may struggle getting your child to complete homework, and some of you may want your child to have more homework than is assigned. Our school-wide homework policy below will give you clear guidelines about the amount of homework, in minutes, that children should do each night, Monday through Thursday. Unless there is a special project, homework is rarely assigned for the weekend although reading every day is encouraged and recommended.
Grade Reading Writing/Math Total Time
Kindergarten Read to/with child None 10-15 min
10-15 min
First 10-15 min 5 minutes of Phonics each night; 20-25 min
Math Game/Math Practice 2x/week
Second 15-20 min 10 minutes of Phonics and/or 25-35 min
Math Game/Math Practice each night
Third 15-20 min 20-25 min 35-40 min
Fourth 20-30 min 25-35 min 45-60 min
Fifth . 25-30 min 35-40 min 60-70 min
The time-limit recommendation is a guide for you and your child. If homework is an onerous task, set a timer for the recommended amount of time for the grade and have your child stop working when the timer goes off. Draw a line on the page or jot a quick note to your teacher so he or she knows how much work your child completed in the allotted time. If your child finishes the written homework quickly, let him or her read longer. Your teacher can recommend many resources to explore if you want more work for your child.
Please make an appointment to speak with your child’s teacher if you have further questions about homework.