This year more than any other year, we are seeing a tremendous number of students not completing homework or classwork.  We need students to complete their work to reinforce the concept taught in class or to preview material to prepare for the next class.  Either way homework or classwork is important and assigned for a reason.  We need students to understand that there is a connection between classwork and homework, understanding a concept, and then the summative grade.  Sometimes when a large number of students in a class do not complete homework, it affects what the teacher has planned for the next class, which can affect all students even those who completed their homework.

 

Homework counts in the general category for grades and according to district recommendation should only count about 10%.  For some students, they don't see why they should bother for just 10%.  What students don't understand is that homework is crucial to their learning and their success.   

 

We needed a creative solution to help solve our problem that did not involve students staying after school and that would be effective.  The majority of our students ride the bus and have working parents, so we brainstormed creative ideas that could occur during the school day and would have an impact on students.  A few teachers mentioned Learning Lunch that is offered at a couple of local middle schools, so we talked to those schools and visited.  We felt that Learning Lunch was the perfect solution, since it occurred during the school day so we were not inconveniencing parents and it affects something that students love - their social time.  

 

We had to wait until we could hire a paraprofessional to implement the program, so yesterday was our fist official day of Learning Lunch.

 

So here is how it works...

 

For students who choose not to complete their homework or classwork, they will be given a purple pass to attend Learning Lunch. 

 

If a student receives the pass before lunch, he will attend Learning Lunch that day with the work that needs to be completed.

 

If a student receives the pass after lunch, he will attend Learning Lunch the following day with the work that needs to be completed.

 

If a student brings his lunch, he reports straight to the multi-purpose room for Learning Lunch.  If he has to purchase lunch, then he uses the purple pass to go to the front of the lunch line and then reports to Learning Lunch.

 

Students are expected to complete their work without talking while eating their lunch.

 

Mrs. Newman, our paraprofessional running the program, will sign the purple pass telling the teacher that the student was in attendance and if he worked.

 

If the student chooses not to attend Learning Lunch, then the teacher will send an email to the dean and the student will receive 2 lunch detentions in the dean's office.

 

If the student chooses to sit quietly in Learning Lunch, but not complete their work, then he has missed out on his social time and will receive no credit for the work.

 

If a student was given a pass after lunch to attend Learning Lunch the following day and the student goes home and completes homework, he will still need to attend Learning Lunch.  We need students to learn that homework needs to be completed by the due date.

 

If a student is disruptive and/or defiant in Learning Lunch, he will be sent to the dean's office.

 

Our hope is that students will only need to attend Learning lunch once or twice to realize that they need to complete their homework AT HOME on time and/or to use their class time wisely for classwork.  We want students to start completing their work, so they can learn the material and therefore be successful on their summatives.  Very few students can make As on summatives and never complete any work. Even if they can now at this level, they are learning bad habits that will catch up with them in high school at some point.

 

I have told students all of the above over the intercom twice. I have also stated that they can avoid Learning Lunch by just doing what is expected of them.  At this point in their life, school is their "job" and should be their priority above any activities.

 

We ask that you support us in our efforts to help your child be successful. 

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me.  

 

Lisa Kunze