Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome to 5^th Grade! I’d like to convey some important information to you concerning routines, and expectations for this class.

First, please trust that I will strive to ensure that this will be a great year for your child in terms of academic growth, and also in other areas such as responsibility and self-discipline. Academic growth is dependent upon your child’s attendance, a willingness to work in school and at home, and completing assignments in a timely fashion! Listed below are the subject areas and a brief summary of structure and assignments for each. Lastly, I have included information about our classroom practices and routines.

Language Arts:

Reading:  We work in small groups doing novel studies. Throughout the year, there will be three to four groups reading different novels. The students are usually grouped so that there is a smaller range of reading levels within a group. As the year progresses the groups do change. In class, the students are expected to work independently on Language Arts assignments while I am working with small groups. We will also have reading lessons where we work as a whole class.

Writing:  In addition to grammar skills, specific strategies are taught to lead to successful written language experiences. I do teach “formula” writing, but I certainly do not limit the students to this method. We are initiating a new writing program at Beeks in all grade levels. The students should find it informative and structured so that they all will progress in their writing skills. In grading written assignments we follow rubrics. These rubrics will be provided to your student. I expect every child to show growth over time, no matter the level on which they began fifth grade. We do not produce many computer generated “writing products” the first half of the year. Our program requires that we follow the writing process and also focus on mechanical skills to help prepare for the state’s writing assessment the first week of March, 2010. However, expect a PowerPoint Project later in the year!

Writers’ Notebooks: We use a composition book for our writing program. I read them to see that the assignments we completed. Other writing materials are also used, provided at school. We will complete rough drafts in our Writers’ Notebooks.

Spelling: Students have already been given a large, leveled spelling quizzes to determine proper spelling group placements. There will be several spelling groups going on and they change throughout the year. Spelling lists are assigned by Monday and tested on Friday. Each student is expected to complete homework in spelling each week. Students are given “student choice menus” with different spelling activities for them to do at home and at school. These sheets are to be signed and returned on Friday. Remember, spelling counts!

Independent Reading: Students are ALWAYS expected to have a book to read in class, beyond their reading group novel. This will help fulfill the expectation to read three Accelerated Reader books and take a quiz for each, every grading period.  Students whom diligently read will increase their reading levels.

Math:  Math is taught using the Everyday Math program. I follow the program for the most part, but we will bypass a few lessons for the sake of time and state standards. There will be unit tests and pretests for everyone in the class. I always remind the students to bring home their Student Reference Book (Math book) home so that you will have a reference if they need your help on the homework!

In order for your child to find success in Math, they must know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Please review these facts with your child every night for ten minutes until he/she knows them! By knowing the facts, new math concepts will be easy to learn!

Science and Social Studies: The content areas are taught as “hands on” as possible. There will be reading assignments; students will also be provided typed notes, and also study guides for most units. Students should study several days before a quiz or test. The amount of material can be immense and also too complicated to understand the evening before the quiz. There are quizzes for every unit studied, and we must also review the content that was taught in 4^th Grade for the SOLs in the spring.

Graded Papers:  Please expect to receive students work back promptly, or at least every two weeks. There will be a piece of paper to sign, showing you’ve received the graded assignments. When done reviewing the assignments, tests and quizzes should be put into students’ binders. If you have any questions, send me an email or give me a call. Let’s make this a great year!

How to Handle Homework: Fifth graders are expected to spend 50 minutes every day reviewing math, science, social studies, language arts, and completing any assignment in these areas. They are also expected to read 20 minutes daily, making a total of 70 minutes devoted to learning at home. The amount of time for homework/learning expected only rises as the child progresses through middle and high school, so this is a great year to practice getting in 70 minutes daily.

·         Homework is written on the board daily and we fill out our agendas as soon as we get back from lunch.

·         Whole class attention is given to the assignment board everyday!

·         I will not allow students to call home for parents to bring in missing work. The consequence is theirs, not yours. If it is delivered after 9:00 it is late anyway.

·         I ask that all homework be submitted by 9:00 every morning in the proper area. If it is not submitted it is considered late.

o   If homework is late or missing three times in a ten day period, then the student will have a consequence, like a Lunch and Work Session or Homework Club.

     Classroom Procedures and Policies

Classroom Management

The students will be divided into cooperative learning groups, or teams, which typically change every 3-4 weeks. These students will work together on various classroom activities, projects, science experiments, etc. Students will have the opportunity to earn compliments for their team by following directions, completing projects, and participating in learning games and other activities. Likewise, students may earn cub cash individually.

Cub Cash

Kids earn cub cash around the building as an incentive for working hard, or modeling appropriate behavior. Each day during homeroom, students can make choices with their cub cash and use them for rewards!

Homework

I only give homework that is necessary to review or support the work that we are doing in class. We will have no homework on weekends or holidays. Generally, your child can expect to have about 50 minutes of homework most evenings. If at any time your child is struggling with homework, please let me know. It is the student's responsibility to record their homework in their assignment books each evening. I will give them time each day to do this.

Snacks

Students may bring a healthy snack (no candy, cookies, gum, etc.) and consume these in class if they are discreet, others are not disturbed, and trash is disposed of properly. No sharing please! We have snack each day after our morning specialities.

Planners

Please sign your child's planner everyday! Pages should not be split, folded, or torn out. This is a great communication tool. Most children will store their planner/agenda in their binder.

Communication

Please know that your child's well being is genuinely important to me. Please don't hesitate to call, email, or send me a note if you have any questions, concerns, etc. Likewise, I will try to keep you posted of any changes or concerns that I may have. You can contact me before or after school at 951-5700 or email me at ademist@mail.mcps.org. At any time, you may log on to www.schoolnotes.com for classroom updates. Remember, please keep an eye out for a newsletter every Monday and graded papers every two weeks.  

Birthdays

Students are welcome to bring a birthday treat to share with the class during lunch or at recess. Please let me know ahead of time, so that I can plan for this. We have 21 students in our class. Also, unless every student in the class is invited, our school policy is that party invitations can not be passed out at school in order to avoid hurt feelings and disruptions.


Tansportation changes

Please send a note to school with your child in the morning if there is a transportation change. This note has to be sent to the office and copied, so please try not to write it in the planner.


Reminders:

Electronic games, cell phones, and toys are not permitted at school unless we are traveling on a field trip and they have been pre-approved. These items will be taken away and only released to a parent.

Every night the children will be bringing home their Binders. Please check their planners/agendas for that night's assignment and initial at the bottom.

**Please return all important school papers promptly in your child's Return to School Section of their Binder.

Margaret Beeks has a zero tolerance policy for bullying. A person is bullied when: he or she has been exposed to repeated negative actions (physical or verbal) by one or more people, and he or she has difficulty defending him or herself. If students see bullying they are to report it to an adult at once. Please remind your child to take this policy seriously; it is a school policy that all students must follow!


Thank you for supporting our classroom and your child's education! 


Sincerely,

April DeMist

ademist@mcps.org, 951-5700