| Newsletter Our Reading is based on a variety of popular literature (including Indian in the Cupboard, My Side of the Mountain, The Cay, Streams to the River, River to the Sea, and a Language Arts textbook which I like very much. It's a collection of high-quality, authentic children's literature created by award-winning authors and illustrators. "Coming Attractions" include; "Sideways Stories from Wayside School", "The Log of Christopher Columbus", "Hatchet", "By the Dawn's Early Light", and "A Family Apart." In addition, your child will be given a points goal each trimester for the Accelerated Reader program. The number of points attained will be a factor in determining the report card grade in Reading. More info about our A.R. program will go home soon. In Social Studies we will study American history (and geography) from the appearance of the first humans who crossed over the ice from Asia to North America, through the Revolutionary War era. It's fascinating! Among the topics we will explore in Science are Energy/Forces/Motion, Structures of Living Things, Weather Systems, and the Skeletal, Muscular, Nervous, and Circulatory System of the human body.o In Math we will cover a vast amount of information. Get ready...here are some of the concepts we will learn; number sense, estimation, multiplication, mathematical reasoning, data collection & interpretation, measurement, statistics, probability, factoring, division, decimals & percent, geometry, negative numbers, and algebra. The goal of our Writing program is to create an environment in which writing matters because it's done for real reasons by real writers who care about their topic. Students will write clear, coherent, and focused essays that exhibit awareness of audience and purpose, using the stages of the writing process; 1. Brainstorm, 2. Draft, 3. Revise, 4. Edit, 5. Publish. In addition, in my never-ending quest to have students understand what a good paragraph is, I will be asking every student to write a Paragraph of the Week as part of his/her weekly homework. The topic of each paragraph will be described in detail and go home on Monday. It will usually be a composition paper covering various writing skills or grammar concepts that we are practicing in class. The assignment will be due on Friday. The assignment will be due on Friday. I will be asking for your assistance in editing the rough draft with your child and initialing it. More details will follow. We will be getting our muscles moving and elevating our heart rates at least three times a week in P.E. Our P.E. days will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Please be sure your child is wearing the proper footwear on those days. Discipline Here are our Classroom Rules, Consequences, and Rewards: 1. Follow instructions the first time they are given. 2. Raise your hand for permission to speak. 3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat. 4. Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself. 5. No profanity or teasing. Consequences 1. Name on board - warning 2. One check mark - lose recess 3. Two check marks - lose two days of recess, write a 2 paragraph letter home explaining to parents what they did wrong, why that action can't be allowed, and what they will do differently in the future. 4. Three check marks - Visit Mrs. Pendleton, I call home 5. Name on board tree times ion one week - I call home Rewards 1. P.A.T. (Personal Activity Time) 2. Checkbook Stickers 3. Homework Latepass 4. Good Report Card 5. Praise from teacher I would appreciate your assistance in reviewing and discussing our Rules, Consequences, and Rewards with your child. Homework I believe that homework is very important because it helps to reinforce what has been practiced in class, prepares students for upcoming lessons and assessments, teaches responsibility, and helps students develop positive study habits. That being said, I assure you that I will never assign homework as "busy work" or just for the sake of assigning something. Homework will be given Monday - Thursday (rarely on Friday). I expect it to be completed neatly (or it will be re-done) and turned in on time. I will give no credit for homework turned in late. As part of the daily homework your child will be expected to read for at least 30 minutes each night and write a short response. Your child will be using a school provided "Binder Reminder." This binder will help to keep track of each night's assignments. I would appreciate a parent signature in the Binder Reminder each night so that I know you have checked your child's work. Thank you Results Binders About every two weeks this binder will go home for your review. In it will be test, quizzes, and other important work that your child has completed. Please take a few minutes to look over this work and initial on the "log sheet." (Your child will show you where.) School Supplies Please, I would appreciate it if your child could come to school each day with at least the basics of a pencil, eraser, and a supply of notebook paper. |
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