As you wait…….

1. As you wait……. Check the directory page located by my desk to ensure your name and number are correct. If you want to be in the directory, please take a yellow page and fill it out. The fee is $4.00, and it helps support the PTA. At your seat you have a yellow page that discusses Kentucky Kids Day. Please write your child a short note telling him/her why he/she is awesome! LEAVE IT HERE, AS I WILL PASS THESE OUT ON KENTUCKY KIDS DAY! Also at your seat is an information sheet about your child. This is for my records. Please fill it out and return to me tonight, or by Friday, September 2nd. Your child has filled out some information about himself/herself. You may take this home! Finally, take a hundreds chart and a colored pencil. You will be participating in a ten minute math activity!

2. Mrs. Wilson Parent Orientation 2011-2012

3. Dear Families, Thank you for taking the time to come tonight. The work that we do together this year will have a significant impact on your child. Please allow me to help you get acquainted with our daily schedule, curriculum, homework, classroom procedures and best of all this amusing, intelligent, talented and endearing group of 5th grade GATORS!

4. 5th Grade Team • Kari Kittleson • Ruthie Parrott • Ryan Rembold • David Wallace • Jamie Wilson

5. People to know! • Lisa Peters-Principal • Donna Monroe- Instructional Coordinator • Dana Graham-Literacy Coach • Cindy Smith- Library Media Specialist • Melinda Nevills- Counselor • Paula Judy- Office Manager • Paula Jackson-Receptionist

6. Policies and Expectations- We use positive reinforcement in our classroom.I recognize students that are making good choices. For example, if a student is walking nicely in the hallway, I may say “Jane, I love the way you are being a good role model.” • I also believe in logical consequences. For example, if a student is being a poor sport during a game of kickball, then that student will be asked to remove himself/herself from the game for a period of time. Or, if a student chooses to play during work time, then they will have to work during play time. • If a student is making a poor choice, I will pull that student aside and have a private talk. We will determine the next best step to resolving the problem.

7. Recess: This year we have a new 5th grade policy. As we discussed logical consequences, if a student chooses to play during work time, then he/she will work during play time. This decision is made by the teacher. A warning will be given, and if the student continues to be off task, then he/she must stay inside during recess to complete the work. • Quality Work Slips- When students turn work in, I will check it for several things. If they are missing one of the components below, they will need to re-do the assignment. The parent will need to sign the work slip and sent it back. • Incomplete • Not presentable • Not your best effort • Incorrect answers • Inappropriate punctuation

8. Goshen Gator Cheer G o the Extra Mile A ct responsibly T reat self and others with respect O pen your mind and heart R each for high goals S hare your gifts and talents

9. Empathy Putting yourself in other people’s shoes Hearts4kenya is a grass roots organization based in Louisville dedicated to making the lives of families and children in Western Kenya a little easier and more self sustaining.  All the 5th grade classes will be working on ways we can show empathy toward not only those in our classroom and school, but also those in need around the world.  Our classes will be pen pals with schoolchildren that have a relationship with hearts4kenya, and we will be collecting donations once we get word from the principal in Kenya. To find out more, visit http://www.heartsforkenya.org/about.stm

10. How Children Learn • Children learn by actively doing mathematics and science. • Children learn in an environment that fosters and encourages curiosity, exploration, questioning, collaborative learning, and sense-making. • Children learn when mistakes are accepted as a natural part of the learning process. • Children learn when they are encouraged to consider alternate solutions and develop their own techniques for finding an answer. • Children learn by communicating their thinking through talking, drawing, and writing. • Children learn when they explain and defend their reasoning. • Children learn when concepts are developed over a long period of time. • Children learn when they solve meaningful problems.

11. A Typical Day: 7:30-8:00- Arrival, lunch choice, morning work, give notes to Ms. W, leadership jobs, restroom, turn in homework 8:05-8:50- Related Arts- Each rotation is 5 days long, except Art, which is 10 days. Our related arts this year are: Music, P.E., Drama, Art, Computer Skills 8:55-9:55- Social Studies- mini-lesson/discussion, student activity, share 9:55-10:55- Math-mini-lesson, student activity, share time and reflection 11:00-12:00-Reading- mini-lesson, reading, conferencing, share time 12:00-12:20 Read Aloud 12:26-12:46-Lunch 12:46-1:40-Writing- mini-lesson, writing, conferencing, share time 1:40-2:00- Recess 2:00-2:20- Ten Minute Math or Reflection 2:20-2:25-Dismissal

12. Let’s Talk! • Communication- I encourage communication with my students and their parents. The planner is a great way for families to communicate when we all have differing schedules. Our sentences tend to be about what we have done on a particular day to spark conversation, an upcoming event or our specific homework. On occasion I will ask that papers be signed and returned so that you may discuss with your child how they did on a specific piece.

13. The best way to reach me: • Email jamie.wilson@oldham.kyschools.us • Phone 228-0101 extension 118 • A written note- Please do not write notes in the agenda, as the morning is a bit hectic, and I don’t always remember to ask. I do, however, always ask for notes from home.

14. Homework • Fifth Graders should expect homework daily in one or more of the core subjects. Reading is required on a daily basis for a minimum of 20 uninterrupted minutes. • ***Student agendas must be signed every night! Remember it is your child’s responsibility to bring YOU the agenda to sign. • ***Homework packets will be coming home, however there may be times when a homework page from “Todays Math” workbook is added to the packet mid week. • *Main objective is practice and review • *Meet needs of diverse learners • *50 minutes a night; 5 days a week. • *Homework is to be independent practice

15. Homework Expectations • Use pencil. • Has to be legible. • Include your name, date and cubby number in the upper right hand corner. • Must be COMPLETE. • Turn in on date given. • It is responsibility of student to ask questions before due date. • If homework is turned in COMPLETE all week, then students may participate in PAT (Preferred activity time) • I do not accept late homework. Students will do the missing work during PAT on Friday.

16. "Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?" Let's figure it out...mathematically! Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;Student B reads only 4 minutes a night for 4 nights...or not at all! Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week.Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes.Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.Student A reads 400 minutes a month.Student B reads 80 minutes a month.Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year.Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.Student B reads 720 min. in a school year. Student A practices reading the equivalent of 10 whole school days a year.Student B gets the equivalent of only 2 school days of reading practice. By the end of 5th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student B will have read the equivalentof only 12 school days. One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerablyand so, undoubtedly, will school performance.

17. CurriculumGoshen Elementary school’s curriculum consists of the four core elements: Math(Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in base ten, Number and Operations-Fractions, Measurement and Data, Geometry) Science/Practical Living (Organisms and their environments, Matter, Energy, Earth, Objects in the sky, Consumer decisions, behavioral choices, health, and conflict resolution) , Language Arts(Launching reading workshop, characteristics, of non-fiction, reading strategies, open genre, on-demand writing, genre writing) and Social Studies (Geography, Native Americans, Age of Exploration, Colonization, Revolutionary War, Young Republic, Westward Expansion, and industrialization).

18. Reading and Writing Workshop • Reading Workshop- • *Mini-lesson-specific to skill or strategy is demonstrated • *Individual, partner, or group reading • *Just-right Texts (healthy reading diets include a variety of genres as well as difficulty of text) • *I confer with individuals and/or small groups • *Share Square- come together as a group and discuss our reading for that day • Writing Workshop- • *Mini lesson-specific skill or strategy demonstrated • *Students are writing • I confer with individual students and small groups; writing partners also help. • Closure-reinforce skill and time for students to share • *Celebrations

19. What can parents do? • Encourage your child to write at home. • Write to your child. • Write with your child. • Read, Read, Read. • Play word games with your child. • Share your mail with your child. • Read the newspaper or Sports Illustrated together-look for interesting or new vocabulary words. • Do crossword puzzles together. • Have lots of printed material around. • Be a writer—let your child see you write and other family members. • Encourage relatives to write to your child—have your child write back.

20. Math & Social Studies • Math Workshop- • *Children learn by doing • *Hands on explorations • *Real world learning • *In depth problem solving • *Make sense out of Mathematics • Computation- Mad Minutes • Social Studies- • Introduction to “time period” Change over time • Student activities and reading notes • Projects and presentations • Share time/discussion

21. Our afternoon agenda… • Our afternoon time will be spent doing/learning several different concepts. • Ten Minute Math (TMM) This is a short, quick, block of time where we will work on and reinforce skills. We will focus mainly on computation in the next several weeks. • Reflection- Sometimes there will be a specific question the students answer and other times it will be open. • Study Skills- Throughout the year we will discuss time management and the most effective ways to study.

22. If you feel nervous….

23. Overwhelmed….

24. Or just plain confused….

25. Please let me know…(gently please!)

26. Volunteers Needed • I am still looking for someone to change the bulletin board, paper grader, and someone to help make copies on Fridays. • Let me know if any of these interest you!

27. Don’t let me forget! • Do you want to volunteer at Goshen in any capacity? Stick around because confidentiality training is coming up now!