Happy Labor Day! Hope everyone was able to enjoy a nice day off. Please read below for class updates.
Homework
Math-Days 16-20 due this week. 16 &17 due tomorrow
Reading- 20min of daily reading
September Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pizza Friday Snack
Thank you Amia Hyler (Myah's mom)
Goal Setting Conference Sign Up
Please be on the lookout this week for a Sign Up Genius sign up for Goal Setting conferences taking place the last 2 weeks of September. Students do need to be present for the conference and conferences are 20min in length.
Parent Survey- Questions for the Teacher
I'd like to take this moment to answer as many questions as I can from the survey's that parents filled out during parent orientation. Hopefully this will shine some light on any questions you might have and possibly help any other parent who might be wondering the same thing. If there are any other questions...please feel free to email me.
Q: How can we get our child to have leadership opportunities?
A: We have class elections where students can nominate a classmate for a leadership job such as class president, vice president, mediator, etc. Students nominate and vote for those roles. We also will be having Friday clubs and opportunities where students can form a club, volunteer to help in E1 classrooms or in the library, music, computer science classes.
Q: How can we encourage or give our child more advanced math?
A: I spend August doing different assessments and observing students and where they are at in math. If they master concepts quickly and need more challenging work, I will put them in a separate math group that is more to their level. Students who are extremely advanced may test into Ms. Clare's High math groups. I also have a variety of online math resources that students can practice in class and at home to keep them engaged and challenged.
Q: How are math lessons conducted
A: I typically give math lessons by grade level BUT there are times where students need to be in their own individual or small math group based off of being higher or lower in math. Students will have 3 math practice cards to complete weekly based off the concepts they receive lessons that week or past concepts they need to review. Any student who needs additional support in math will usually see Ms. Clare 1-2x a week for additional math support (what is called Tier 2 or Tier 3 math) in concepts they might be struggling with.
Q: Math Level Skills
A: There can be math levels ranging from 3rd grade-8th grade level. I am able to help students who struggle with some math concepts but also push other students who are ready for higher level math. Any student who is ready for middle school level math will meet with Ms. Clare daily for math using our middle school math program.
Q: How often do we do assessment tests?
A: We give assessments 3x a year in August, December, April
Q: How do students resolve conflicts in our class?
A: I will usually pull the student aside and ask them how they would like to resolve the situation. Sometimes I can give them advice or they can have a courageous conversation with that specific student with a class mediator(s) or teacher present, or depending on the situation, we would have a class meeting that the students are in charge of and we resolve the conflict as a whole.
Q: What are the Specials and when do the students have them?
A: Mon AM- Science with Ms. Emily and PE with Coach EJ and his staff (held by class)
Wed PM- PE, Art, Computer science or Music (held by grade level)
Q: What is the homework expectation for students
A: Students should be doing a math lesson daily with parents checking and initialing your child's work. Students should also be reading 20min daily with a goal of trying to complete a specific genre a month and giving a book talk after a book is completed. For students who do not turn in their homework each day, there is a study hall where they can work on their missed homework during recess time. For students who are behind in homework, Ms. Clare holds a homework session every Friday afternoon for any E2 student who needs to get caught up on their homework. Students are expected to keep up with their daily homework and weekly math tests are given that coincide with the 5 lessons your child is expected to complete. Parent phone calls are made for students who are 3 lessons behind in homework and any student who is 5 lessons behind will have Ms. Christy set up a parent meeting in order to put a plan together to get your child caught up.
Q: Reading Group Opportunities
A: We will be having whole class Novel Study and small group literature study circles that will either be by grade level or book choice. Our goal is to also hold book clubs with other students from other classes at least 1x this year.
Q: Tools we use to help students manage their anxiety or stress
A: We have a peace area where students can sit and breathe, students are given short breaks (read, draw, or move around) and can at times take a 2-5min walk with a peer or teacher. We just encourage students to advocate for themselves so that we can find the best ways for students to manage the situation.
Q: Time management Skills
A: We give students 30min of silent work time so that they can use that moment to focus on independent work. We also have timers for any student who needs it. I encourage students to goal plan daily so that they have specific work to focus on and I can help them manage how much time they are spending on a specific work. We also have class mentors that help guide students to try to keep them on track.
Q: Favorite subject to teach
A: My favorite subject to teach is grammar although most students don't like it. LOL!!
Q: Do we teach Sex Education
A: We do not teach sex education, but it is taught at our middle school program
Q: Is class work daily, weekly, or quarterly?
A: Students are given a Big Picture that has anywhere from 12-20 works a week. They should be setting daily goals to complete 3-4 works daily which would help your child achieve completing their Big Picture by the end of the week. There are at times, some work that will take 2-3 weeks to complete which are typically small group projects. If a student is given a lesson, they will have a follow up that they should complete and be ready to turn in either by that Friday or by the next time we meet for our next lesson in that subject. For some students who are ready, I will give a monthly Big Picture, where they pick and choose from a month's worth of work to complete each week.
Q: Overnight trips
A: We go on an overnight trip in Spring, typically in May. The overnight trips are 3 days and 2 nights. We ask for parent overnight chaperones, and there is a lottery we conduct when choosing the chaperones. Depending on where we go, we typically take a charter bus and go with another class. This year we will be going to Camp Way and going with Ms. Morgan's class. Dates for that trip are TBD. There is a cost for overnight trips and any family who needs financial help with the trip cost is encouraged to ask for a partial or full scholarship if you qualify. Parent Overnight Chaperones do have to pay for the overnight trip as well.
Hope this was helpful!!! Again, if you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
AUGUST LESSONS
Language & Grammar
-Parts of Speech review
-Types of Sentences
-Synonyms & Antonyms
-Types of Nouns
Reading
-Main Idea and Supporting Details
Writing
Types of Narratives
Geometry
-Types of lines and Measuring angles
Cultural
-Types of maps
-Types of clouds
-Big Bang
-Timeline of Life
Math
4th- Review of subtraction, place value, expanded notation
5th-Factors & Multiples
6th-Lowest common multiples and Greatest common factors
This is all I have for now, have a beautiful week!!
