Welcome to Open House 2014! Mrs. Lavelle’s Class Grade 6

1. Welcome to Open House 2014!Mrs. Lavelle’s ClassGrade 6

2. Important Things to Remember • Cell phones are not allowed in the classroom. If students have cell phones, phones are to remain turned off in their lockers (Please refer to WSS Handbook). • Students should adhere to the WSS dress code. A few items from the dress code that are not allowed are flip flops, spaghetti straps, and short shorts/skirts. Also, jackets are not allowed in the classroom. • Please check your child’s red folder for important forms that need to be returned in a timely manner.

3. WSS Anti-Bullying Policy • Physical or verbal threats that happen on a repeated basis towards a target student are considered bullying. • Students are encouraged to stand up for one another if they witness a classmate being bullied. • Students are encouraged to tell an adult at school and an adult at home if they are being bullied or if they witness someone else being bullied.

4. Math- Mrs. Lavelle • Common Core Standards • EXPRESSIONS: Our math program • Teacher-selected supplemental materials • Small group instruction (groups based on unit pretests) • Common Formative unit assessments (CFAs) modeled after the Common Core Assessment • Part 1: Multiple Choice • Part 2: Short Answer and Written Response

5. 6th Grade Math Curriculum • Expressions • Equations • Inequalities • Area, Volume, and Surface Area with Nets • Statistics • The Number System • Decimals • Fractions • Ratios and Proportional Relationships • Percents and Measurement Conversions

6. Components of Reading- Mrs. Olear • Common Core Standards • 2 module units with novels • Guided Reading: • Weekly Comprehension Skills • Strategy instruction to implement skills • Differentiated Instructional Levels • Small Group Application • Shared Reading: • Core novels, Read-alouds (Teacher discretion), Nonfiction • SSR/D.E.A.R. (Silent Sustained Reading) Student driven selections

7. Components of Writing- Mrs. Olear • Modeled Instruction • Use of Picture books and various writing genres. • Direct Modeling (teacher discretion) • Conferencing • Peer conferencing • Teacher conferencing • Word Study/Spelling/ Grammar • Application of Word Study to our writing (Taught by homeroom teacher)

8. 6th Grade Science- Mrs. Lavelle • Living environment • Ecology • Astronomy • Chemistry • Weather • Plate tectonics

9. 6th Grade Health • Health is taught as a separate course at William Street (Mrs. DiMarco is the Health teacher). • Students have Health 3 times a week for the 1st half of the year (Students have Art 3 times a week the 2nd half of the year).

10. 6th Grade Social Studies- Mrs. Olear • Ancient Civilizations • Early Man – Stone Age • Mesopotamia • Egypt • India • China • Greece • Rome • World Religions • Judaism • Christianity • Hinduism • Buddhism

11. 6th Grade Social Studies- Mrs. Olear • What You Can Look Forward To… • Study Guides • Videos • Hands-on activities • Dramatic Role- play • Visuals • Web hunts • Research • Review Games

12. Homework Policy • Homework will be assigned to reinforce classroom instruction. • Homework is due the next school day unless otherwise noted. • Homework will be posted on a daily basis in the classroom and on our classroom websites. • Homework that is incomplete or missing will need to be completed by the next day. • Homework is not graded, but completion of homework will be included in a student’s quarterly grades. • If a homework is incomplete/missing, you will receive an email from either Mrs. Olear or Mrs. Lavelle.

13. Grading/Testing Procedures • Students’ grades will be comprised of assignments, quizzes, tests, and homework participation. • Tests are given for every unit and are weighted more heavily in student averages. • Students will be informed in a timely manner about quiz/test dates. Parent Portal/ eSchool • Parents will have access to grades on eSchool (through Parent Portal). • Grades will be posted on eSchool in a timely manner. • The due date you see is not the actual day that was attached to the assignment/quiz/test. It is a default date the computer uses when teachers enter data. • If you have problems with the Parent Portal, please call the main office.

14. Classroom Behavior Policy • Student behavior, preparedness, and homework completion are monitored on a weekly basis. Our team uses a checklist to keep track of student infractions. • Students will lose Friday free time according to how many infractions they incur throughout the week. • Discipline and behavior issues are initially handled by the classroom teacher. If need be, issues regarding students will be handled by school administrators. • The school has a discipline documentation procedure in place. Documentation will be placed in student files and sent home to parents.

15. Birthdays, Holidays, Snacks • Students are allowed to bring in a birthday treat to be passed out during their lunch. Birthday treats should not require any cutting, scooping, etc. (no beverages please). • We do not have holiday parties. However, students are allowed to bring in a treat to pass out to the class on days of/before holidays. • Due to our late lunch, the students are allowed to have a snack earlier in the day.

16. Important Dates to Remember • Parent conferences are Thursday, December 4th and Friday, December 5th • NYS ELA Exams will be given April 14th- April 16th • NYS Math Exams will be given April 22nd – April 24th

17. Closing Thoughts • Please refer to the WSS Student Handbook for other information not mentioned tonight. • A copy of this PowerPoint will be available on my classroom website. • Please sign up for parent-teacher conferences if you haven’t already done so.