Welcome to Back to School Night!

1. Welcome to Back to School Night!

2. Goals for the Year • Fun and educational year • Get ready for 4th grade • Strengthen study skills, students will enjoy reading, and become better readers. • * Important to have an open line of communication so we can work as a team to insure your child’s success.

3. Special Schedule Monday Art Tuesday Physical Ed Wednesday Music Thursday Library Friday Health

4. Schedule • Homeroom • Math •   Social Studies or Science •  Special • Spanish ( on certain days) • Lunch and Recess  • Language, Spelling, Writing, and Reading • Pack up and read aloud or read quietly •  Dismissal

5. Homework • 30 minutes a night-studying is homework • (Please let me know if it’s more than that.) • Homework is the student’s responsibility, but please check that it is complete and sign the agenda. Parents don’t have to correct it. • 10% of grade (one “freebie”) • A student who misses too many homework assignments will have a consequence of missing a recess. Please send a note if there is an extenuating circumstance. • Test Schedule-always on the test board ahead of time. • Please don’t let your child cram for a test, always study for a few days beforehand.

6. Science • In Science, we have experiments and activities regularly, and these will be missed when students are absent. • Please let me know if you can be an expert and do a presentation on any of these topics if your job is scientific in any way. • Quiz at the end of each lesson. There will be note packet that can be used for studying. • Tests at the end of some units. • We study Science or Social Studies every day, but not at the same time • Topics • Living Things • Animals • Plants • Rocks • Earth’s changes

7. Social Studies • Map skills, Native Americans, Immigration, and early American history are some examples of material that will be covered. • Quizzes are usually after each lesson. There will be a study packet that will be helpful when it comes to studying. • Tests are after each chapter. • Study tool- index cards should be reviewed often & the book should be read repeatedly. • We study Science or Social Studies every day, but not at the same time.

8. Math • The children have to know their multiplication and division facts. Please practice math facts!!! • There are always math websites included on my websites to make practicing fun. Flash cards are great, too. • SPARKS are for students that are having no trouble with the current lessons. This group will change from week to week. • Those students that don’t go to Sparks will review those skills. • Students must show work and explain how they got the answer.

9. Reading & Language Arts • 6 day cycle for each story • Every Monday – Spelling Pretest/Every • Friday – Spelling Test • There is no spelling on short weeks. • All words must be spelled correctly on all spelling work in order for it to be right. • More accountable for sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation-NJASK. This means always having complete sentences and be careful with spelling. • In order for them to show improvement with reading they need to be constantly reading.

10. Grading • Tests/quizes-50% • Classwork-40% (Reading 50%) • Homework- 10% • Review tests which are sent home and sign and return everything!!! • Please reward your child’s successes!!!! • Midterm/interim progress reports are sent home when students are getting a C or lower in a subject.

11. Technology If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterdays, we rob them of tomorrow. -John Dewey

12. 1:1 iPad Classroom This year I will be piloting a program where my students will each have their own iPad 2. They will not have to share them with the rest of the school. We will be creating projects with them and then we will also use them as a tool for researching and practicing skills that I have already taught. I am very excited about this school year! • My students will need the following • since we have the 1:1 iPad classroom: • Ear buds (there is a new wind up kind that are really great) • Pencil-like stylist

13. Birthdays • Please send in a note ahead of time so I know to plan for it. • Birthdays: small treat for whole class. Please have all cookie cakes cut already. • NO PEANUTS OR NUTS of any kind because there are students with allergies in my room. • Sugar cannot be the first three ingredients because its now a NJ law. • Students cannot pass out invitations to other students in school. (It’s a school rule.) • If you want to join your child for lunch, please don’t share your special lunch with the other students. Lunch time is at 12:00.

14. State Bar Association Anti-Bullying Program • Information available on Signal Hill Website • We will be reading books that help create good discussion on this topic. • A bully free school will be reinforced in classroom and lessons will be taught. Students will do role playing to help them practice what to do. • Please call if there is any concerns. Bully Free Zone

15. Miscellaneous • Please send 2 notes if there is a change in dismissal procedure. One for me and a separate note for C.E.R. It would be better for the student and me if plans for going home would already be written in the agenda before leaving for school. • Please feel free to write me any note in the agenda, but remind your student to show me the note. • If you must take a vacation please let me know in advance, so I can try to gather any missed work. • All school events and important information is in the Virtual Backpack online. Make sure you check it regularly. Report cards will be online now too.

16. After School Program Anyone participating in the after school program (SAC) and has a "schedule change" or is registered "As Needed" will need to send in (2) notes. • A note goes to the homeroom teacher so you are aware of the change and will know where the student is to go at the end of the day. • Second note will go the CER Staff so they are aware of the change and will be expecting the child on a specific day. • If we are unsure of where a child is going we will ALWAYS error on the side of caution and keep the child in our SAC Program. We will know they are safe and not going home to an empty house. • CER understands that notes can be inconvenient. We try to avoid e-mails and phone messages in the event you have a sub on a specific day or e-mail is not accessible. The notes are the most reliable for the program. There is not a more empty feeling than to have a parent arrive at 5:30 to pick up their child and they are not in CER. If they have any question please feel free to direct them to Mr. Redfearn 795-5566 (5232).

17. Contact Information • Alison Francolino • 33 Signal Hill Drive • Voorhees, NJ 08043 • (856) 767-6749 ext. 1108 • click here to email me • Francolino@voorhees.k12.nj.us

18. Please sign up for a conference before you leave!