Welcome Back to School!

1. Welcome Back to School! Mrs. O’Connor 5th Grade Teacher Room 202

2. Homeroom202 Lockers Attendance Morning announcements (clubs, band lessons, schedule, events, etc.) Distribution of important notices Contests/Incentives (Box Tops, can collections, etc.)

3. The Basics Goals for the School Year: • Responsibility and accountability • Independence • Positive attitude and respect toward others • Decision making skills • Academic and social growth Homework: • Must be neat and complete • Must be on time • Assignment pad (Students are responsible for writing down homework assignments.) • Available on teacher web pages (subject to change) Report Card: • Academic grades (A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, and Incomplete) • Citizenship grades of 1, 2, 3, 4 (1 is the highest) • Parent Conferences: November 18th, 19th (evening), 20th • Please sign up with your child’s literacy teacher. Progress Reports: • Mid-marking period progress reports displayed in Genesis • Grading: Genesis Portal: http://parents.genesisedu.com/verona Discipline: • Teacher warning • Teacher detention • Parent communication • Central detention • Time Out

4. Things to Keep in Mind… • Communication • School Phone: (973) 571-6751School Fax: (973) 571-6767 • Email:soconnor@veronaschools.org malbano@veronaschools.org cmoy@veronaschools.org • Extra Help: Depends on teacher’s schedule • Thank you for attending “Back to School Night” this evening. I am looking forward to a successful year with your child in my classes!

5. LiteracyMrs. O’Connor Course Statement: • Effective communication is essential to our students’ success today and in the future. The Literacy course for fifth grade is designed to help students develop their own opinions, thoughts, and feelings by making connections between the texts that they read and write to their everyday lives. The students will discover meaning through various literary genres and writing forms. After experiencing a variety of authors’ purposes and points of view, students will be able to develop these key elements of literacy in their own work. An appreciation and awareness of various forms of fiction and non-fiction will be heightened as a result of the facets of the course.

6. Literacy Reading: • Text: ReadingMcGraw Hill Anthology (Mrs. Albano is piloting the Reading Street program by Scott Foresman.) • Novels • Independent reading • Teacher reading • Vocabulary development • Comprehension (“Telling About Books” and other strategies attached) • Projects • Tests and Quizzes Language: • “Amazing Words” • Basic grammar conventions Writing Workshop: • Use the writing process effectively (thinking/writing like real authors) • Writer’s Notebook • A compilation of thoughts, ideas, and avenues to start writing • Mentor Texts • Final celebrated pieces and on demand pieces • Writing several genres • Writing folders/samples • Writing across the curriculum

7. Literacy Grades • 40% Reading • 40% Writing • 10% Language (spelling, grammar) • 10% Homework • The Genesis system is set up to automatically weigh the assignments in each category. • Zeros: • Projects/tasks not handed in or completed • No attempt to meet the basic requirements of the task/project • Point Deductions: • Late projects • After one week, no credit will be given • Daily Homework Assignments:  • Worth one point per day • Point deduction for incomplete/missing homework • No extra credit assignments will be given to any student.

8. MathMrs. O’Connor/Mr. Haerle (per. 4) Course Statement: • This year, during the marvelous subject that is 5th grade math, your child will be exposed to various mathematical concepts. As a result of learning these concepts, they will be able to apply and, in certain instances, create appropriate representations to reflect their understanding of these concepts. Some of the focal topics of our curriculum include geometry, graphs and data, division, measurement, fractions, and probability. This course is designed to take students from sole concrete thinking and application of mathematical concepts to a combination of concrete and abstract thinking and application of these concepts. It is our goal that the students will be able to apply this learned thinking to current as well as future endeavors.

9. Math • Text: enVision MATH Common CoreScott Foresman-Addison Wesley • Learn and apply mathematical skills in real life settings • Utilize math skills (looking for patterns, using pictures/diagrams/charts, checking work, effectively using time, finding other solutions, using a variety of methods, etc.) • *Mastery of multiplication & division facts is crucial* • PLEASE HELP PRACTICE AT HOME: • Flashcards (Quiz each other!) • Computer games (Check my webpage for resources.) • Ask for facts randomly. • Numerical Operations, Geometry and Measurement, Fractions, Patterns, Data/Statistics/Graphs • Homework is written on the homework board each day and can also be found on my webpage. Please note that the homework board is subject to change. What is written in your child’s assignment pad is most up to date. • Online portion of the program is available. • Please check the handout that was given to your child for registration instructions.

10. Math Grades • 90% Assessments (test, quizzes, projects) • 10% Homework • Project weight will be determined by the complexity of the assignment. • The Genesis system is set up to automatically weigh the assignments in each category. • Homework is worth two points. One point will be deducted if homework is incomplete. Two points will be deducted if homework is not completed at all or is not brought to class. • No extra credit assignments will be given to any student. Opportunities to earn extra points on tests/quizzes are in the form of “bonus questions.” Not all tests/quizzes will have bonus questions.

11. Homework Games/sites for practice and enrichment Online Textbook Directions