Dear Parents,
Welcome to the new school year! We look
forward to teaching your child and working with you to help him/her have a
successful fourth or fifth grade. We must work together as a team--a team that
is committed to your son's or daughter's progress. Mrs. Rahali will be teaching
Math and Reading to both classes and 4th grade Language Arts & Religion to
her homeroom. Mr. Schlachter will be teaching Science and Social Studies to both
classes, 5th grade Language Arts and Religion to his homeroom. In most cases, we
will do field trips together and will do our best to balance each other on the
homework assignments and tests. Homework is given as a help to the students. It
helps children grow to be independent, motivated and successful adults. Your
child has an agenda in which to write his/her assignments on a daily basis.
Please be sure to go over the agenda every
night with your child and set up your own procedure to check your
son's/daughter's homework. Your child should have 40-50 minutes of homework each
night (this does not include reading and drilling flash cards). If your
child is regularly spending more than an hour doing homework, please contact us
so that we can remedy the situation. Unless the students have been told
otherwise, homework is due the following day. Late or incomplete work will
influence your child's grade. If your child has his/her completed homework and
daily class materials for the entire week, then he/she will be rewarded with 10
minutes of extra recess. If your child cannot do his/her homework because of
illness or a family emergency, we need a signed note from a parent on the day
the assignment was due stating the reason for the missed work. Otherwise the
assignment will be considered late.
In order to guarantee your child and all
the other students in the classroom the education that they deserve, we have set
up rules to promote a learning environment.
The rules are as follows:
1. Work quietly.
2. Raise your hand when you want to
speak.
3. Respect the rights of others and their
property, as well as your own.
4. Pay attention and follow directions.
5. No unnecessary talking or disrupting
of classes.
6. Be prepared.
If your son/daughter chooses to break a
rule, these are the consequences he/she will suffer:
1. Warning.
2. Paragraph about why the rule that was
broken interrupted my time and their time.
3. Conference with the student to discuss
the behavior.
4. Call to the parents if the disruptive
behavior continues.
These are the basic consequences that we
will follow. However, if a serious situation arises, referral to the principal
may be necessary.
While we will follow the grading scale
that is in the handbook, the following represents each teacher's grading
procedure and any other necessary information for the subjects that he/she will
be teaching.
MRS.
RAHALI
The
following is some information that I would like to impart to you.
In
Math, your child will usually have written homework each night. The homework is
to be done in his/her math notebook unless it is a worksheet or unless I have
requested it to be done on loose leaf. Your child should be able to do the
homework independently, but you should check it. If you see "wp" by a
problem, it means that your child has done the wrong problem. I usually put a
"c" by the problems that are correct, and the grade is written as how
many he/she got correct over the total number of problems. I do it this way so
that your child can see how many he/she got correct, which is emphasizing the
positive. Also, chapter tests and unit review tests count as two grades.
In
vocabulary, your child will have a test approximately every other week, usually
on Friday. The vocabulary words
will be used as the spelling words, and that test will be approximately every
other week on Monday. Your child
should know the definition of each spelling word because I usually give the
definition for 2-3 of the words.
In
English, we will be working on the parts of speech and various types
of writing. The grade will be
based on tests (which count for two grades), worksheets, writing pieces, and
other classroom work.
In
Reading, we will be using the textbook and trade books.
I will send home a book order each month. If ordering, you may pay by
cash or write a check to the book club.
Tests
will be given periodically in all subjects. Quiz and test scores make up the
major part of your child's grades, but daily work and class
participation also affect a
grade on the report card. Every two or three weeks, I will send home a packet of
your child's work with some type of checklist or note for you to sign. Please
check through the packet with your son/daughter to see how he/she is progressing
in all subject areas that I am teaching him/her. I ask that the checklist be
signed and returned the following day so that I know you have seen your child's
progress.
Research has shown that the successful students were fortunate to have had parents whose attitudes showed that they cared about their children's schoolwork. I would appreciate you taking an interest in your child's work. Thank you.
Mr. Schlachter's classroom procedures
Below
is a general overview of course outlines and some procedures you can expect with
regards to homework and grading. I truly
value hard work, consistent effort and improvement from students. I believe
these characteristics help children to master specific instructional objectives.
Students will learn to hypothesize, predict, experiment, record, and conclude the scientific principles of our environment, along with gaining an appreciation of science in his/her life. We will be using the textbook, hands on materials, hands on experiments, Windows on Science and Earth browser software, specific computer programs, internet research, worksheets and more for instruction and assessment.
The
content of the fourth grade Science curriculum will include the following topics:
·
The
scientific process
·
Identifying/using
equipment
·
Measurement
·
Rainforest
·
Earth
and other planets
·
Volcanoes
and Earthquakes
·
Water
·
Weather
·
Vertebrates
The
content of the fifth grade Science curriculum will include the following topics:
·
The
scientific process
·
Identifying/using
equipment
·
Measurement
·
Minerals,
atoms, and cells
·
Force,
work, machines, motions
·
Electricity
·
Invertebrates
·
Human
reproduction system.
Fourth
grade Social Studies will include
United States Geography with a strong emphasis on the five themes of geography,
map skills and current events. Each region of the country, individual states,
their capitals and various economic factors will be studied as well as the three
branches of government. One grading period will be spent on Kentucky history.
Classroom grades will be determined from tests, regular participation in
classroom discussions and activities, homework, projects, and current events.
Fifth
grade Social Studies will include American History with an emphasis on time
periods, including exploration, settlement, revolution, new government, growth
and civil war, growth of modern America and World War I. Students will develop
knowledge and understanding of each time period in American history. Current
events will also be a regular part of class. Classroom grades will be determined
from tests, regular participation in classroom discussions and activities,
homework, projects, and current events.
The
Language Arts curriculum will
include:
·
The
writing process
·
Speaking/Listening/Observing
·
Inquiry/research
·
Technology
as a communication vehicle
·
Spelling
and Vocabulary
·
Parts
of speech and various types of writing
Daily
Oral Language (DOL) sentences to practice grammar will be used. Inspirational
quotes, brainteasers to promote higher order thinking, and other writing prompts
will be used frequently to initiate creative writing and thinking opportunities.
We
will emphasize prayer as a regular part of our day. We will pray at least three
times a day (beginning, lunch and end of the day). Prayer and scripture will
also be a focal point of religion class and mass participation. It is important that children
pay attention at Mass, primarily because of the reverence we should all show for
holy Mass. Participation will be considered in the final grade. I encourage all
parents to attend Mass and pray regularly with their children. This type of
modeling of Catholic behaviors and ensuing family conversations about our faith
is critical to a child’s religious development. Religion must be lived and
practiced by all of us and not just taught in school.
Homework
will be given in all subjects. I
will make sure that the children understand the homework assignment. I will check to insure that the homework is completed and
correct.
While
I emphasize learning over grading, it is necessary and important to evaluate student work on a
regular basis. Some of the assessments include:
Tests
will be given on a regular basis as we complete specific topics in the
curriculum. These will be longer and more comprehensive in nature and designed
to measure what a student has learned over the course of a unit of study.
Projects,
which are long term in nature (extensive writing assignment, PowerPoint
presentations, etc.). Often a scoring rubric will be given to the students at
the beginning of these projects so they will have a clear understanding of how
these projects will be assessed.
·
Class
participation is extremely important not only for grading, but also for
comprehension and understanding of the material at various levels of complexity.
The
children will have a few projects that they may have to work on at home and
other assignments that coincide with the lesson plans.
Children and parents will be given fair notice before that occurs.
Parents can provide guidance for these projects, but I highly encourage
students to work on these assignments by themselves.
While
I consider learning and student growth our main objective, I hope that these
comments on course outlines, grading and homework will help to clarify many of
the procedures that the students will follow.
Parents
can help their children
to have a positive school year in many ways. Make sure they get plenty of
exercise, sufficient sleep and eat regular, nutritious meals. Show a genuine and
regular interest in their schoolwork and homework, as well as out of school
activities. Most importantly, give your children lots of hugs and tell them how
proud you are of them. A positive, loving, and supportive family will help
children to develop and grow academically, socially, physically, and
emotionally. We want to develop well-rounded children and that is best done
through love and prayer.
Parents,
I value your participation in your child’s education.
I believe when parents, teachers and administrators work together and support
each other, our children are the real winners. Please feel free to contact me by
calling the school office or sending me a note or email if I can be of
assistance to you.
I'm
very much looking forward to the opportunity to meet you and your child and to
grow together in our journey this year.
Thank
you for sharing your child with me.