Welcome to Mrs. Yniguez’s class

1. Welcome to Mrs. Yniguez’s class 5th Grade Monte Vista Elementary

2. About me • Teacher in GUSD since 2000 • Experience in kindergarten, 1st, and 5th grade • 5th Grade teacher at Monte Vista since 2009 • Son in 1st grade (Mrs. Wammack’s class)

3. Just a reminder: • Tonight is not for conferences. I can’t be open about your child while other parents are present. • Please call or email me to ask any questions or schedule a conference. • I need to go to the 1st grade presentation at 7:30.

4. Classroom representatives • ChemayneMesnik • DhrupaliBharuka • YohannaChmait

5. My goals for 5th grade • Focus on organization, time management, study skills, and responsibility. • Academics will come if students focus on these areas. • I consider 5th grade to be a “practice” year. Colleges don’t look at elementary transcripts! • Don’t panic if students struggle. Focus on developing study skills.

6. organization • Homework Folder: any work that has not been corrected together yet • Binder: current unit only • LA: current theme • Math: current unit • Science / SS: current chapter • Agenda: all assignments copied from board daily • Tests copied on Friday for upcoming week • Lesson plans and testing calendar are also available on my website • Record reading Mon-Thurs (length of time and book read) • Parent signature every weekday (including Friday) • I check 1 team per day

7. Responsibility • Transitioning towards middle school systemby holding students strictly accountable for completing work. • Students in middle/high school are graded differently than elementary • Elementary: standards based • Middle/High School: traditional grades • Standards based system: • Grades not penalized for missing assignments. • Grades are based solely on demonstration of understanding. • Traditional system: missing assignments affect grades, and at that age parents are not frequently notified of missing assignments • Our goal is to help students develop the habit of turning in all work on time.

8. Daily homework • Unfinished classwork is always homework. • There is time to complete most or all work in class. • Read 30+ minutes per day. • Students still have homework if they finish all classwork…..they need to STUDY EVERY DAY!

9. Work habit points Method of encouraging and tracking students’ responsibility for all assignments. All points are per day.

10. consequences • 10 Points = Mandatory study hall for 20 minutes after school (slip will be sent home for parent review/signature) • 50 Points = Mandatory community service after school for 1 hour on Friday plus parent conference with teacher and principal.

11. Consequence, Not a punishment • Study hall and work habit points are not a punishment. • Parents can help by reinforcing that this is a learning experience. • Students who earn a mandatory study hall have time after school to complete work, organize binders, and discuss solutions to challenges. • Please do not ask for exceptions. Consistency is key to success.

12. Daily studying is critical Spitzer study of textbook material remembered over time

13. conclusions from the study • Without review, most information will be lost from memory. • The best time to review material is within a day or two after the material has been read or presented in lecture. • The best way to study for a quiz or test is to keep the memory fresh on an ongoing basis. • If students wait to review the information until the night before the test (let's say after 14 days), they will have forgotten 79% of the material and will have to study a lot longer to be sufficiently prepared for the test. • See my website for a list of resources for study methods. Students should experiment to find the method that works best for them. http://faculty.bucks.edu/specpop/memory.htm

14. Frequent Assessments • I give frequent assessments in all areas • More information (including testing frequency, grading scales, and materials to study) are in the class handbook. • Frequent testing forces students to study more frequently • Studies have shown that students learn more when they have an expectation of an assessment • I want students to learn from their mistakes. All tests must be corrected regardless of grade. Tests must also be signed if the score is a1 or 2.

15. Reading reports for language arts and math assessments

16. attendance • Regular attendance is critical to success. • All absences must be verified with a note, phone call, or email by the time the child returns to school. • Check my website for absent work that can be completed with the books that your child already has at home. • I can usually send books/work to the office by the end of recess. • Check the website again at the end of the day for any changes to the lesson plans. • All absent work is due within the same number of days that the child was absent (including tests/quizzes.) • If you have advance notice of an absence I can provide the work early. Please give me at least 1 week’s notice.

17. Gate and Differentiation • Differentiation throughout the day • Varied assignments, Accelerated Reader, choices in writing assignments, extensions/ challenge activities, higher level questions, etc. • Students may qualify for GATE testing based on STAR test results. • GATE status does not affect classroom opportunities. • Challenge opportunities are available for all students. • Only benefit to GATE is eligibility for certain after school classes.

18. Accelerated reader • AR test results are one indicator of independent reading ability, and these are considered for report card scores • Need to read and pass tests for at least 3-4 books per trimester (9 by beginning of May) • AR level is Zone of Proximal Development (see parent letter) • Large range allows flexibility in choosing books, but students should choose within grade level if it is within their range

19. Orchestra • Most times are during class. • Students must complete the work that they missed for homework. • If students miss our computer lab time they may attend with Ms. Boulware or Mrs. Araradian.

20. Volunteers are greatly appreciated! • Most clerical help can be done by my student helpers. • Dhrupali has generously volunteered to make copies (thank you!) Please let her know if you are interested in being a back-up person if she is unavailable. • Please sign up if you are interested in being on my email list for occasional clerical help. • Field trips: If you would like to volunteer for a field trip write a note on the permission slip when it is sent home. • If I have more volunteers than needed I will do a random drawing. • All volunteers in classrooms or on field trip must have a TB card on file in the office.

21. Wish list • Please take an apple and sign the list if you are interested in donating something to the class. • Available on my website also. • Gift cards to Office Depot are always appreciated (for buying award stationery and numerous other supplies).

22. Class Handbook • Additional information in your handbooks includes: • General Information • Daily Schedule • Grading policy • Materials to study • Reports / Projects • Field Trips • Scholastic Book Clubs (ORDER ONLINE!) • Most of this information is also available on my website.

23. I look forward to working with you. Thank you for coming!