Dear Parents,
I am excited to have your child in my class this year. I appreciate your help and support as we strive to help your children succeed and develop many different skills. We have a lot to learn so please make sure your child is on time to school and prepared for the day’s work. Please try to avoid checking out your child during the day unless it is unavoidable.
Here is an overview of the different subject areas we will cover this year.
MATH: Your child will be given an assignment each day that correlates with that day’s lesson. We will practice the concept thoroughly in class, however some of your children may need some extra help at home. It would be ideal if you could strive to have someone available to help when necessary.
READING: Each student should be reading at least 20 minutes every night except Saturday and Sunday. They are required to read 400 minutes each month and will turn in a reading calendar due the second day of school each month. There will also be a reading log sent home where they must list the date, title of the book, and comments about what they read. This is due the same day as the reading calendar.
VOCABULARY: Your child will be given a list of words that go along with different Social Studies and Science units. They are required to memorize the definitions and take a test on the Friday of that week.
SPELLING: Each week your child will have a new spelling list. They will receive a spelling packet containing 6 spelling pages each Monday that will be due Friday. There will be exceptions on short weeks (three days or less).
BOOK REPORTS: Your child is expected to complete nine book reports this year. A form will be sent home with your child at the beginning of the month. The books that your child selects must be on their reading level, at least 150 pages, and must be the assigned genre for the month. They will be given time to select a book at our school library, however if they cannot find an appropriate book in the time given, they may need to go to the public library. As soon as your child has finished reading the book, encourage them to work on the report and turn it in. All book reports are due the last school day of the month unless otherwise stated.
September- Science Fiction October- Mystery
November- Non-Fiction December- Choice of Book
January- Realistic Fiction February- Fantasy
March- Biography April- Historical Fiction
May- Choice of Book
HOMEWORK- I expect every student to be prepared with the assigned homework every day. The students in Fifth Grade are expected to do about 50 minutes of homework a night including the reading. Late homework automatically receives a 10 point deduction for each day it is late. If your child is spending long hours doing homework, you need to talk to me. Communication is very important for your child and for me. As parents, you can greatly aid in the area of homework by helping your child choose a specific time and place that he/she will do his/her homework. Your child should be writing down all of their homework in their planners nightly. If your child has missing assignments at the end of the week they will bring home a list containing what they need to finish on Friday that must be seen and signed by you. Please make all efforts to complete what they are missing over the weekend so that they don’t fall further behind.
WORK FOLDERS- Please expect to see a weekly folder from your child each Friday. The folder will contain all of the work that your child has completed and turned in during the week. Take the time to go over each and every item in the folder with your child, sign it, and return it to let me know that you have seen what they have done in class. Students are able to improve scores and correct any missed assignments on any paper that has a score lower than 80%. If it is returned with a parent signature, I will change their score. The exception to this rule is on tests and quizzes.
STUDENT PLANNER: Granite Elementary is using the student planners this year. Our class will be filling out the planner every day listing homework assignments and special communication. Please expect your child to show you their planner each day and sign it. I will be offering rewards to students who take responsibility to get their planners signed every night. This is the best way to contact me because I check them every morning. If you need me to call you, please indicate that next to your signature or write a small message there and I will write you back.
When a student is absent, it is their responsibility to check the following day for any missing work. They will be given two days for every day they are absent to make up the work before it is considered late. In the event of a prolonged absence, I will be happy to prepare assignments for them to do at home so that they can keep up with the class. If your child misses a day, please send someone to get it.
Fifth grade students are given the opportunity to run for student council at the end of the year. We feel a student leader must be responsible for themselves at all times. If a student has any “Needs Improvement” on their report card under citizenship or in any academic areas, they are not eligible for a student office.
CLASS BLOG: I will be updating a class blog every Friday that will contain the upcoming events, assignments, class procedures, and pictures. I will be sending home a note soon in order to receive your permission to post pictures of your child on the blog without posting their names or any information the school. If you prefer that pictures of them not be posted you will have the opportunity to communicate that. The blog site is www.mrsodei.blogspot.com.
BEHAVIOR: If a student is disobeying a classroom rule they will be given a verbal warning. If later that day they disobey again, they will have to pull a card. There is a chart in my room with 28 pockets labeled 1-28. Each student has been assigned a class number. In the pocket there are 4 cards: green, yellow, red, and blue. Every child starts the day on green. If they have to pull a card it goes to yellow and I will write a letter to you in their planners stating the misbehavior. If their misbehavior continues they will pull another card, go to red, sit at the back table for the remainder of the day and I will call home. In rare cases when students become out of control and are unable to remain in the classroom they will pull the final card, go to blue, leave to the principal’s office and we will arrange a meeting with you in order to make a plan for improvement. Each day students will draw a colored dot indicating the card color they ended the day on. Please look for this dot each day. If a student ends on any color but green they must have your write a note in the planner telling me you saw the dot before they can change their card back to green the next day.
I appreciate all of the great support you give your child, and I am looking forward to a wonderful year. I hope to get to know each of you. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Odei
Hold on to this letter and refer to it when needed.
