LIFE WITH MR. STUERLE
Welcome to Grade 5 and life with Mr. Stuerle. This document was made in
order to help you get off to a flying start this year. In this document
you will find an overview of what will be required of you this year.
Read it carefully and share it with your parents
SUBJECTS
Reading
Novel Studies:
The bulk of the reading course will be novel studies. We will read
various novels together in class and complete several assignments, tests
and projects on these novels.
U.S.S.R.(Uninterrupted Super Silent Reading):
During U.S.S.R. you will be reading books and completing assignments on
these books. I have found that if assignments are given for the books
read during U.S.S.R. time students are more accountable and read more
carefully therefore you will be asked to do monthly projects and reports
on the books that you read. More information will be given at the end of
September.
Writing
Creative writing assignments will be given throughout the year. The
typical format will be: Prewriting;Draft;Editing;Good Copy
Spelling
We will study a different unit of words each week. Each unit will have
a number of words which will be dictated to you on Mondays in the form
of a pretest. During the week you will be given assignments based on the
spelling patterns found in these words. We will have a final test on Fridays.
Math
Assignments:
There will be an assignment given on most days which you should be able
to complete during class time. Any assignment that is not completed
during class time must be completed at home.
Corrections:
You will be doing several types of assignments in Math throughout the
year. Some assignments are for practice only and therefore corrections
will not be required of you. Other assignments will measure how well you
understand the concepts taught and these assignments will require you to
do corrections until you demonstrate an appropriate understanding of the
concepts. Most assignments will be marked by the students. After it has
been marked, each of you should do your corrections. At the end of each unit the
notebooks will be collected and checked to see if the corrections have
been completed properly.
Drills:
Each morning we will have timed practice on basic math facts. You will
have an individual goal score which you will try to make. If you make
your goal you will receive a sticker beside your name on a large chart
in the front of the classroom.
Social Studies
We will study a variety of topics related to Canada throughout the year.
French
French will be taught by Mrs. Lacasse.
P.E.
We will have P.E. three times a week. You will be expected to have gym
strip for each P.E. class. If you do not have gym strip you will not be
able to participate in P.E. and it will count as a "Homework mark".
Having gym strip will make up part of your P.E. mark.
Music
We will be studying music through various songs and instruments.
Art
We will have art on a regular basis. We will be doing several different
projects using a variety of materials and techniques throughout the
year.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Monitors
There are several jobs that need to be done on a regular basis if our
class is to function properly. These jobs and their descriptions
include:
Drills Monitor:
Puts check marks besides the names of those students who made their goal on
the morning Math drill.
Boards Monitors:
Clean the black boards.
Desk Monitor:
Goes around after school and checks students desks. The monitor will
write down the name of those people who have excellent desks
as well as those people who really need to clean up their desk. If
your name appears on the messy desk list you need to come in and clean up your
desk!
Cloakroom Monitor:
Searches the cloakroom area after school and takes any belongings that
are laying around and places them in our "lost & found" box.
Assignments
Homework
Any assignment that needs to be done for homework will be listed on the
blackboard. You will be reminded of these assignments at the end of the
day so that you can take the assignment home. If you have more than 30
minutes of homework on a regular basis then you should come and talk to
me.
Homework Books
You will all have a student planner in which you are to write down any
assignments or other reminders. Some of you may require a little
supervision from your parents as well as the teacher to make sure that
your homework is taken home and completed.
Incomplete assignments
If you have not done an assignment for homework and it is overdue, you
must stay in at lunch and recess until that assignment has been
completed. You may also be required to stay after school to complete
assignments that are significantly late. If you "lose" an assignment and
you require me to photocopy another page then I will require you to do
some work for me (since I have to do extra work on your behalf). Some
possible jobs include straightening up the shelves, cleaning cupboards etc.
Clipboard
On my desk I have a clipboard with a class list on it. On the class list
I have listed all assignments that I have seen. If an X appears beside
your name for a particular assignment that means that you have completed
that assignment satisfactorily. If a / appears beside your name that
means that there is still some work to do on that assignment. If no mark
appears beside your name that means that I have not seen the assignment.
OOPS
In order to maintain discipline and a positive working environment for
all students the following guidelines will be used: If you misbehave you
will be told to put your name on the blackboard as well as placing a
mark beside your name on a class list. If you misbehave for a second
time on the same day you will be told to place a checkmark beside your
name as well as on the class list. This means that you will have a 15
minute detention after school. During the detention you write a letter
to your parents that describes what you did. You will have to take this
letter to your parents to be signed by them and returned to me the next
day. Some misbehaviors are more serious than others (i.e. stealing,
cheating etc.) and will be dealt with in a more serious manner. Please
see the copy of the OOPS Sheet attached at the end of this document.
Superstars
If I see you doing something special (helping a classmate who is stuck
on a tough Math question, writing an extra long story etc.) you may be
rewarded with a superstar award. If you get this award you will write
your name on the blackboard as well as placing a mark beside your name
on a class list. You will also receive a treat at the end of the day for
your extra effort in class.
Desks and Cloakroom
As I have already mentioned there will be monitors who will check to
make sure everybody looks after their belongings. If the monitor feels that
the desk is in excellent condition, the monitor will write the desk owner's name
on a list. If your name appears 10 times on that list in one month you will
receive a special prize. The monitor will also list the names of those students
who need to clean up their desk.Once you have received a certain number of marks
(we will decide as a class how many) you will be required to come up with a plan to help you
with your problem. Please see the copy of the "Growth Opportunity" letter
at the end of this document.
Point System
In order to try to encourage you to work together as a class we will be
using a point system. You will receive points for doing things above and
beyond the call of duty. Example: 5 points for everybody who tried to do
the Math challenge questions.
Weekly Goal:
If the class makes more points this week than they did last week they
will have made their weekly goal and will be allowed to pick what we do
for P.E. on the first P.E. period the following week..
Monthly Goal:
If the class makes more points this month than they did last month the
class will be allowed to pick where and with whom they will sit for the
next month.
Birthdays
On your birthday you will be allowed to pick the order of the subjects
for that day. If your birthday does not fall on a school day you will be
allowed to pick an alternate birthday.
Computers
We have several computers in our classroom. You may use a computer if
you are finished all of your assignments. Check the clipboard to make
sure that you have finished all assignments.
Toys
If you are caught playing with a "toy" during class time it will be
taken away from you for the rest of the school year. The only way that
you can get the "toy" back is by having your parents write you a note
asking for the "toy" to be returned.
Neatness
Yes neatness does count. Every assignment must be neatly done complete
with a title and the date. You will be asked to redo any assignments
that are not done neatly. The only exception to this rule is when you
work in your draft notebook. Most assignments should be completed in
pencil. We will use our pens for good copies of compositions as well as
for marking assignments.
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Sample OOPS Letter Assignment
Name _____________________
Date ______________________
OOPS
Write a letter to your parents explaining why you got in trouble. Your
letter must be at least 100 words long, double-spaced and neatly
written. Your letter must include the following information:
. what did you do (include all events that caused you to have your name
on the OOPS board)?
. where did this take place?
. when did the events happen?
. why did you do it?
. how could you have behaved differently?
. what happened because of your actions (besides having a detention and
writing this letter)?
. what else might have happened because of what you did?
. what do you plan on doing so that this will not happen again?
Have your parents sign this sheet and return it to school the next day.
Dear Parents,
In order to help maintain a smooth running class the following system of
discipline has been established: If a student breaks a rule he/she will
be told to print their name on the blackboard. If he/she breaks a rule
for the second time that day they will put a checkmark beside their name
and will have to spend at least 15 minutes after school writing the
above mentioned letter. Possible infractions include: inappropriate
socializing, not paying attention etc. Some infractions are more serious
in nature and therefore may require the student to write the letter on
the first offence. Please feel free to write any comments or questions
on the bottom of this letter or call me at the school 769-5535.
Yours truly,
E. Stuerle
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Sample'Growth Opportunity' Letter
Name__________________
Date___________________
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm having a problem at school. ____________________________
__________________________________________________________
My solution to this problem is ______________________________
__________________________________________________________
Mr. Stuerle and I will review how I am doing on ________________
What do you think? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________
PARENT SIGNATURE______________
Dear Parents,
The purpose of this letter is to help your child take ownership and
responsibility for his/her behaviour and learning in class. While some
problems are more serious than others, we should attempt to work on all
problems. We will put the plan into action and hope for the best. Feel
free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Yours truly,
E. Stuerle
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Parental Acknowledgement
I hope that this document helps you to get off on the right track. I'm
looking forward to an awesome year together. Good luck.
Please sign this sheet and return it to school.
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I have read the document entitled 'Life With Mr. Stuerle'
Parent Signature______________________
Student Name ______________________
Comments___________________________________________
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