5th Grade Welcome Letter

Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

Dear Parents /Guardians,

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! We are excited to begin this year and cannot wait to work together to make this year the best it can be for our scholars! The 5^th grade instructional team consists of Ms. Zwolinski (Literacy/Social Studies) and Mr. Broadney (Math/Science).

Classroom Rules

• Listen to others.
• Expect the most from yourself & others.
• Actively Participate
• Respect others, room & self.
• Never give up!

Classroom Discipline Plan for 5^th Grade

The following steps will be taken if any of the classroom rules have been violated in class:

1^st Offense

· Scholar will receive a warning

2^nd Offense

· One-on-one conference between scholar and teacher

· Scholar will receive a demerit

· Possible seat change

3^rd Offense

· Scholar will receive a demerit

· Seat will be changed (if not already)

· Phone call home

4^th Offense

· Scholar will be referred to Dean Morris/Mr. Young on a referral

· Second phone call home will be made

· Possible parent conference

Demerit System

Each classroom will have a behavior tracking sheet that will accompany each homeroom throughout the school day. Scholars will receive demerits for violating school/class rules. Scholars will receive a warning first and if the behavior continues, a demerit will be issued.

Scholar Dollars

Scholar dollars are given to students who demonstrate good character and who are going above and beyond inside and outside the classroom. Scholar dollars can be used to purchase items in the grade level store as well as incentive field trips.

Literacy Homework

Reading-Reading Log will be due Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and will be worth a maximum of 30 points. It will be graded and will be included in the homework grade. Reading should be done every night for at least 30 minutes. Scholars will track their books in their scholar letter notebook and one scholar letter will be due once a week. It is important for you to talk to the child after they read to make sure they comprehend what they are reading. After your scholar finishes a book, he or she should complete a reading response in their reading notebook.

Students may also have various activities in order to help them prepare for the ISAT or MAP testing. These may be reading passages and questions or extended responses.

Writing-Various writing assignments, including writing prompts will be sent home throughout the quarter. We will be writing various genres throughout the year.

Word Study- As we progress throughout the year, we are going to begin a word study curriculum. Every week, we will be practicing a new pattern of words that you will be tested on the spelling of every Friday. This curriculum will help us become word wizards and build our vocabulary. To help us strengthen our knowledge of these words even further, students will have homework every night. The homework is outlined below and should be completed and returned the following day.

• Monday- Pretest during class, sort words by pattern and/or make flash cards
• Tuesday- Alphabetize the words
• Wednesday- Write sentences or paragraph with words and underline the words
• Thursday- Study for quiz
• Friday- Post test

Math- The main objective in Mr. Broadney’s math class is to give every student the opportunity to be successful at mathematics. I strive to spark a desire in my students to perform at their absolute best and develop a fondness for mathematics.

The primary curriculum for the 5^th grade is the Harcourt Math textbook. However, it will be supplemented with additional resources including ISAT coaches, Carnegie Learning, etc. so that our scholars can be as successful as possible. In order to be successful, all scholars must:

· Take notes during class and refer back to them.
· Actively listen and participate.
· Complete assigned tasks.
· Try their best!

Homework – Math homework is intended to provide additional practice and reinforce the concepts learned in class. Therefore, it will be given virtually every day. Please initial your scholar’s homework log to verify that it has been completed. Late homework will not be accepted without a note.

Materials

For this class, scholars will need the following materials daily:

• A notebook exclusively for math (you may NOT tear any pages out).
• Loose leaf filler paper.
• Pencils – NO WORK DONE IN PEN IS ACCEPTED!

Study Hall- Study Hall will take place from 8am-8:30 am. This is the opportunity for scholar’s to read independently, study, or catch up on any assignments. This time will be quiet and students should take advantage of this time in the morning. Students should eat breakfast in the cafeteria prior to coming to the room.

Grading Scale follows that of LEARN Middle School:

A: 90 - 100
B: 80 – 89
C: 70 – 79
D: 60 -69
F: 0 – 59
***Note: This may be revised at a later date. You can check your scholar’s grade through your PowerSchool parent portal.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact your scholar’s homeroom teacher.