Welcome to 5th Grade

Back to School Night

Deborah Hollingsworth&

Andrea Buffington

Core Beliefs:Every student learns and continually achieves to high and challenging standards.

Education includes both social and academic competencies.

The teacher is the most important influence on student achievement.

Everyone has an individual, collaborative, and collective responsibility for each student.

Everyone in the educational community continually reflects and learns in an empowering culture.

Change is inevitable and necessary; our response is intentional.

SMSD Mission:

The educational community will relentlessly empower each student to succeed through an intentional multi-tiered system of support

SMSD Strategic Plan for Student Success

Specials Schedule

Monday – MUSIC & PE

Tuesday – LIBRARY BAND & STRINGS

Wednesday – MUSIC & PE ENHANCED LEARNING

Thursday – BAND & STRINGS SPANISH

Friday - ART SPANISH

~ Reading ~ Mrs. Hollingsworth will teach all reading

classes * Daily Homework

* Reading for Meaning* Text Structures* Story Elements * Texts Type* Reading a variety of literature

Combination of guided reading & direct instruction (whole & small groups ) to meet all children’s needs.

Reading Logs:

Students set individual quarterly reading goals. They read an agreed upon number of pages each quarter for part of the reading grade. The number of pages should increase throughout the year.

Spelling• The Everyday Spelling program is linked

directly to vocabulary, reading, & writing with a focus on developing word knowledge and spelling skills.

• Spelling packets go home on Monday and completed by Friday.

• Students take a post-test Friday.

~ Math ~ Mrs. Buffington will teach all math..

• Daily Homework Practice• Super Six & Daily Warm-ups every morning.• Quick Check & Weekly Review Friday• Math Basic Skills Tests 1,2,3rd Quarter• Place value of whole numbers & decimals• Division & Multiplication of larger numbers• Verbalizing Math Processes & Skills• Interpreting graphs, tables, & charts• Simplifying fractions• Adding, subtracting

& multiplying fractions• Mixed numbers• Problem Solving• Decimals

Written LanguageMrs. Hollingsworth will teach all reading

classes

• Six-trait writing• Journal Writing• Short essays & research

papers• 4-Square Writing• Heroes Project• Proofreading & Peer

Editing• Grammar• Figurative Language

Social Studies Mrs. Hollingsworth will teach social studies

classes

• Maps• American History-Explorers, American Revolution &

Government• Economics-Mini Society,

Junior Achievement

ScienceMrs. Buffington will teach science classes

• Scientific Method – in class science experiments

• Weather and Water• Changing Earth & Environment• Astronomy• Health and Body Systems

Organization Student Binders~ contains daily work by subject area & must be at school each

day.

Planner~ contains assignments & must be filled out completely &

returned to school each day.

Friday Take Home~ contains information from the office & classroom as well as

work from the previous week.

Daily AssignmentsDaily Assignments* 5* 5thth graders are expected to read graders are expected to read

every night and record pages read every night and record pages read in their Reading Log. These are in their Reading Log. These are returned returned with a parent with a parent signature the last Wednesday signature the last Wednesday of the quarter.of the quarter.

• 55thth graders are expected to have graders are expected to have an an average of 50 minutesaverage of 50 minutes of of nightly homework. This means nightly homework. This means solid time on task-not interrupted solid time on task-not interrupted or sporadic effort.or sporadic effort.

* Assignments not completed in * Assignments not completed in class are considered homework & class are considered homework & are are due the following daydue the following day unless unless otherwise noted. otherwise noted.

Field TripsField Trips

• Feb – Celebrate American Heroes @ SMS – Feb – Celebrate American Heroes @ SMS – cost $0 cost $0

• Field trips are currently in the planning Field trips are currently in the planning stage. stage. 55thth grade teachers are looking at the trips grade teachers are looking at the trips thatthat have the best cost & benefit to our have the best cost & benefit to our students.students. You will be hearing about them soon & You will be hearing about them soon & have anhave an opportunity to volunteer to accompany us. opportunity to volunteer to accompany us.

Homework Club

• Homework Club is an Incentive for students to * complete assignments

* Turn in homework on time * Show their best effort on assignments

• Missing or incomplete assignments results in removal from Homework Club for that week.

• Students start over each week.

Celebrating Birthdays

Please feel free to send treats for your child’s birthday.

Please send treats that can be cleaned up easily & do not require cutting. For example: Cupcakes, Cookies, or Ice Cream Bars.

Please send napkins, spoons, forks, etc. if needed.

Birthdays are celebrated at different times throughout the day, so it is best to send treats in the morning.

Communication• Webback Pack

• Handbook ~ paper copy & posted to classroom websites.

• Monthly Newsletter – emailed to parents & posted on classroom website.

• E-Mail: deborahhollingsworth@smsd.org. • andreabuffington@smsd.org

• Note in planner.

• Phone: before or after school. Hollingsworth 993-3337 Buffington 993-3336

I promise you every day your children will learn something.

Some days they’ll bring it

home in their hands.

Some days they’ll bring it home in their heads.

And some days they’ll bring it home in their hearts.