Back to School Night 2018-2019

1. Back to School Night 2018-2019

2. Todd Pangman todd.pangman@lcps.org 703-449-1853 (H )

3. Immoral character of modern society: (Book) • The seven major problems reported by schools in 1940 were: • Talking out of turn • Chewing gum • Making noise • Running in the halls • Cutting in line • Violating the dress code • Littering

4. Forty years later, the seven major problems reported by schools were (and are): • Drug abuse • Alcohol abuse • Pregnancy • Suicide • Rape • Robbery • Assault

5. Parent / Student expectations Philosophy: Have fun Enrich / extend Challenge Give choice / motivate Match student learning styles Support / accountable

6. …”The Benefits of Laughter in the Classroom” 1.) Maintains high attention level 2.) Relieves stress (physical and mental) 3.) Increases retention 4.) Builds rapport among students 5.) Promotes bonding 6.) Builds self-esteem 7.) Evokes creativity (ha, ha leads to aha!) 8.) Promotes divergent thinking 9.) Brings new insight 10.) Reduces depression 11.) Builds hope 12.) Learning is associated with pleasure.

7. Whole language: Whole person; ability to read, write, speak (we do not learn in isolation.) Integration: Variety of approaches to teach; (cooperative, video, manipulative, learning styles.) My Approach:

8. Reading Conferences… • Spelling… • Writing… • What else?

9. MY CLASS RULES: • HONOR YOURSELF! • HONOR YOUR FAMILY! • HONOR YOUR SCHOOL! • (No news is good news!) “If you woke up breathing, you have another chance!” Anonymous

10. Procedures and Routines • Homework Procedures- • You will find your child’s homework assignments in their agenda every day. • Homework is given Monday-Thursday, occasionally on Fridays. • Reading is required for at least 20 minutes a night. • The students are responsible for having a parent signature on their agenda every night.

11. Look to the Arcola Website for help: • http://www.lcps.org/arcola • Nine week plans are on the fourth grade webpage • I update the nightly homework on my page weekly • Look to my page for further explanations of rationale and guidance with assignments • I also have some outstanding resources there

12. Procedures and Routines (continued) • Assessment Procedures: • Assessments are given continually throughout the year. (I love project based assessment) • Formative assessments are ones that are informal and gauge your child’s comprehension and process. • Summative assessments are formal tests that are usually given at the end of a unit or chapter. • We also use different programs to measure your child’s growth throughout the year: Dream Box, DRA, Measure of Academic Perormance (MAP); , etc.

13. Procedures and Routines (continued) • Grading Policy • The Dulles cluster is adding a .5 to each of the following progress indicators. • Progress Indicators • 4= Exceeds Standards • 3= Meets Standards • 2= Progressing Towards Standards • 1= Below Standard • Grading Key • A= Outstanding • B= Very Good • C= Satisfactory • D= Needs Improvement • F= Not Performing

14. Grading Policy: One thing to remember about my grading policy, students can turn in any missing assignments and receive full credit as long as I receive them prior to the end of the quarter. When you go into Phoenix and look at your child’s grades, you may see a “0”, that means your child has not turned in the work yet. I give some credit if work is turned in even when it is completely wrong and/or partially complete. I hope this better explains any confusion you may experience with Phoenix/parentvue (Get login information off the Arcola page or in the front office.)

15. Upcoming Events September Events • Camp Flintlock will be coming to visit end of September. (We will need parent volunteers for this event.)

16. Lastly………… • Be sure to support the PTA!