2013-2014 Disclosure
August 23, 2013
Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
Welcome
to fifth grade! I am looking
forward to spending the next year teaching your child. We are going to discover, practice, and
learn many new things. Fifth
graders focus on states/capitals, essays, electricity, genetics, land forms,
matter, American history, current events and mathematics; we will practice
reading, writing, and other aspects of Language Arts. We will have class money
that can be used to buy treats at special activities, attend reward activities,
and practice money management. We will also focus on accountability,
responsibility, and organization. Students will be exposed to the 7 Habits in
order to help them achieve these goals. The 7 habits are Be Proactive, Begin
with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win/Win, Seek First to
Understand/Then to be Understood, Synergize and, Sharpen the Saw (balance in
life).
This is only an overview of the
material we will be covering. As
you can see, we will be very busy this year. Parents, teachers, and students
working together make an unbeatable team.
Therefore students are expected to carry their planner to and from
school daily. At home students will record reading, exercise, and word study
minutes in their planner, show planner to parents, discuss their day and ask
parents to sign the planner.
Communication is essential between parents, students, and teachers. My
email address is
Rebecca.Rendell@jordandistrict.org.
I will be “tweeting” homework and other important information @RendellMrs Our class webpage is http://teamrendell2013.blogspot.com
.
I
believe students have the right to a positive friendly learning environment.
Our school rules and classroom rules are set up to provide that environment; as
our federal and state laws create the society we live in. Just as we have procedures to
keep our civilization running smoothly, we have procedures in the classroom to
keep our class society running smoothly. We can have a fun year if we work together
as a team (Synergize), following the rules with an attitude of good
sportsmanship (Think Win/Win).
Additionally,
I believe that a student’s behavior is solely based on his or her own choices
and they can be their own leader.
We, as parents and teachers, endeavor to guide each student to make good
choices. Knowing the rewards and consequences helps us all make informed decisions. Therefore, please read and discuss the
following information with your child so he or she will know what to expect and
we can all have a successful school year.
Rules:
1.
Listen and follow directions the first time they are
given
2.
Show respect for all school personnel, other students,
and other’s possessions at all times.
Be polite and keep your hands and feet to yourselves and use appropriate
language.
3.
Follow classroom procedures
4.
Complete assigned work to the best of your ability
(aim for a 4), Turn assignments in on time with full name on paper and redo
assignments with low scores
5.
Do not argue with the Umpire (Teacher, Principal, or other
school personnel)
Our class rules
help us follow the school rules:
1. Be Responsible 2. Be Respectful, and
3. Be Safe.
Rewards for following the rules:
1. Praise
2. Classroom Currency
3. Whole class and small group
points
4. Caught Being Good tickets/Treasure
Tower tokens
5. Participate in bonus
classroom activities (Market days, class parties, extra P.E., etc.)
Consequences for choosing to break the rules:
1. Warning/Classroom Money Fine
2. Less Market Time/ Less Class
Party Time
3. Think Time
4. Home notification
5. Lunch Recess detention
6. In-school detention
Homework:
(A total of approximately 50 minutes per day)
- Independent Reading - Each student should read 30
minutes each night. (S)He may
read alone, with a sibling, or with an adult. Students may read fiction books, non-fiction/
informational books, magazines, comic books, newspapers, parent approved
web pages, etc. It is
important to vary the type of reading material and discuss with your child
what has been read. This will
give him or her practice with different writing styles and reading
strategies. It will improve reading, language, and comprehension
skills. Reading minutes
should be recorded on the calendars in the student planner.
- Planners – Students will fill out their planners with
assignments, due dates, and what they accomplished each day. Would you please look these over
with your student and sign the planner each day? This will give us an established communication line,
and prepare your student for the organization necessary to succeed this year
and in future years. I will
check student planners every morning. I believe this use of a student planner helps each fifth
grader practice accountability, responsibility and organization. (You may also contact
me by phone or email.)
- Math – Each student will be given one blue notebook
to use as a math journal and math workbook. Most math assignments will be
kept in these two books. Students are expected to bring these books, their
planner, and a pencil to class each day. Expect one paper per day for math
homework.
- Typing Practice for 5 minutes to build muscle memory
5 days of the week. Sign on to the webpage with the same username and
password that you use at school. http://school.typingpal.com/?JORDWEST
- Sit-ups, push-ups, and stretches: Twice a week, skip
a day between workouts. ie. Wednesday and Friday – Please see PE
Disclosure for more details.
- Unfinished Work – We will have assignments in math
and other subjects throughout the year that may become homework depending
on how much material we cover in class, how well each student manages his
or her time, and the need for additional practice of a concept.
- Projects – We will have a few projects this year.
(History Choice Project, Science Choice Project, Published Book, and
Portfolio) Projects will be
spaced throughout the year and should be made from recycled materials as
much as possible. Students
will write the projects in their planner on the date they are assigned
with the due date. The
purpose is to increase student’s understanding, illustrate their
knowledge, and communicate that to the class. These projects should NOT
cost a lot of money or waste time.
Some class time will be provided for students to work on projects.
Please encourage your student to use their time wisely, so they will have
less to do at home.
- Redo – Students are allowed to redo any on-time
assignment to improve their grade and understanding. Redo assignments should be turned
in no more than one week from receipt of grade.
- Spelling and Word Work – Students will have a short
individual spelling list of words they do not know, from and in addition
to the Rebecca Sitton spelling program that is described in the attached
letter. Students will also
have spelling words from Social Studies, Science, and individualized
understanding of spelling patterns. Students should study those words all
week and will have a weekly assignment based on the spelling program.
Students should spend 5 – 10 minutes a night studying Spelling and Vocabulary
words.
Grades
Grades
on assignments will follow the format of our report cards. Students will earn a 4(100%-90%),
3(89%-80%), 2(79%-70%), or a 1(69% or less). With the “Redo” option, all students should be able to earn
fours. I will happily go over the
assignment again with any student, even if we need to schedule time before or
after school. My goal is to
help each student learn.
We
will correct some of our work in class.
Usually students will correct their own work. Studies show that students learn more when they correct
their work. Occasionally students
will trade papers to correct.
Please let me know if you have any objections or would like to discuss
this practice.
Late and Absent Work
I
believe the transition to Middle School will be smoother if we emphasize
accountability, responsibility and organization; therefore we will follow Joel
P. Jensen’s late and absent work policy of - no more than 3 late assignments per term will be accepted
for full credit. Students will be given 3 late work coupons at the beginning of
each term. Late assignments must have the coupon attached and be turned in by
each term’s cut off date. Additionally absent work is due no later than one
week after student’s return to school.
A planner, binder,
and notebooks will be provided to help each student stay organized to meet these
goals. Each subject has a notebook
of a specific color. Inside the binder the students will keep self collected
data, reference materials, and current work.
Thank
you for all that you do to help your child have a successful school
experience. If you have any
questions or concerns, please call me at the school (801-565-7510), jot a note
in your child’s planner, or email me at
Rebecca.Rendell@jordandistrict.org
,
Please sign and return the attached
sheet of paper indicating you have read and discussed this information with
your child. I would also
appreciate the inclusion of any questions or concerns on the attached sheet
below.
Sincerely,
Ms. Rendell
Please sign
below to indicate that you have read and understand the policies and procedures
outlined on the previous pages. I
would appreciate it if you could also write if and when you are available to
help in the classroom along with the types of things you would be willing to
do. For example: room parent,
reading groups, math, field trips, class room parties for holidays, emergency phone tree, foreign language
etc.
Student Signature
____________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature _____________________________
Phone number _____________
Email address
_________________________________________
Questions / Comments
_______________________________________________________
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Photographs
We
will be taking pictures in class to use in our portfolios at the end of the
year, the end of the year slide show, and similar classroom projects. Please
indicate below if your child’s photograph may appear in these publications.
___ Yes, my child’s photograph may
be used in classroom projects.
___ No, please contact me about my
using my child’s photograph.
Parent/Guardian Signature
_________________________________________
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Volunteer Information
When are you available? ____________________________________
What would you like to do? ________________________________________________
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Grading
Students
will often grade their own work as this allows students to learn from their
mistakes and we can clear up misunderstandings as we correct. I will
occasionally have volunteers, aides or other students correct assignments or
homework. This practice also has an important educational purpose in that it
allows students to review problem-solving strategies that may be different from
their own. It also serves the important purpose of allowing the teacher to
review assignments and use correcting time as effectively as possible.
____ I give permission for my
child’s work to be corrected by others. This permission is valid for the
duration of the school year.
____ I do not give permission for
my child’s work to be corrected by others.
Parent/Guardian Signature
_______________________________________________
