Welcome to Back to School Night!

• Fun and educational year

• Get ready for 5th grade

• Strengthen study skills, students will enjoy reading, and become better readers and writers.

• Incorporate the use of the ipads into teaching.

* Important to have an open line of communication so we can work as a team to insure your child’s success.

Goals for the Year

Monday HealthTuesday ArtWednesday MusicThursday LibraryFriday Physical Ed

Special Schedule

                               

                                

Schedule Homeroom

  Social Studies or Science Special

Spanish ( on certain days)Math  

Lunch and Recess  Language, Spelling, Writing, and Reading

 Pack up and read aloud or read quietly Dismissal

Homework Help1. Designate a special place for them to do their homework with all the supplies that

they may need.

2. Check your child’s agenda and make sure that its done before you sign it.

3. Create a consistent time to do their homework. They may need a break after school or a snack, but then have them get started. It might be better if they do it after dinner. Figure out what works best for you child and family.

4. Complete homework in a quiet and distraction free ( no TV) environment.

5. Help your child on the internet. It’s a great resource for questions they may have, but they need your help. Make sure that there are filters on them. I wouldn’t let them use the computer or internet unless you were in the room.

6. Encourage them to always do their best. Don’t let them just put a question mark on the word problems. Have them read it 3 times.

7. Homework shouldn’t be stressful. If they are struggling, please write me a note, and I’ll go over it. Remember “Do your best, and don’t stress!”

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, but please encourage them to be as neat as possible and to do their best.

• Please write a note if your child is having trouble with his/her homework.

• 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, but may change if they need more time.

• Please don’t let your child cram for a test, always study for a few days beforehand. They need to study in all subject areas.

• I want them to do 30 minutes of online resource (Moby Max or Study Island) a week.

• Read every day!

Positive Classroom• I promise to treat your child the way that I would treat my own child.

• Each child has a strip of paper on their desk. If they get 15 stamps, they get a homework pass. They can get a stamp for a good answer, being a first time listener, helping someone, or doing extra work.

• We also have FRIDAY FREETIME. The whole class works towards this. They have to have all the letters in order for them to get the 15 minutes of free time on Friday. They could get a letter back if they lose one too. The class might get a letter or star if they are working together, quietly working, or being quiet in the hallway.

• Sometimes we might have to have a chat in the hallway. They might have something private to tell me, or I might have to redirect them.

Topics

• Space

• Matter

• Natural Disasters

• Electricity

• Forces

• 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 study 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.

Science

• Map skills, United States region and geography, and New Jersey’s geography 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.

Social Studies

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.

• 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-PARCC. 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.

Reading & Language Arts

• 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.

Grading

If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterdays,

we rob them of tomorrow.-John Dewey

Technology

The following are some apps that we are going to use in the classroom:

• Notability• Keynote• Spelling City• Phonics Genius• BrainPOP• Codability• Subtraction

• Math Animations• Marble Math (multiplication/division• Lemonade Stand• Merriam Webster Dictionary• Ibooks• Math Slide

1:1 iPad ClassroomThis year, I will continue to work with the 1:1 ipad program where each of 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! We won’t be getting them until October.

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

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 12:15.

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

• 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.

Miscellaneous

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).

Contact Information

Alison Francolino33 Signal Hill DriveVoorhees, NJ 08043

 (856) 767-6749 ext. 1118

click here to email meFrancolino@voorhees.k12.nj.us

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