2016-17

HOMEROOM NEWS & Instructional Snapshot

Jiles & Jackson Publications Volume No. 2 Issue No. 1 August 10, 2016

(251)221-1180 ,

WELCOME to fifth grade and Ms. Jiles and Mrs. Jackson’s school family. We look forward to working with you and your child. Below you will find useful information about this school year. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read through and discuss this information with your child. We are excited about this school year and look forward to working with you and your child.

About Fifth Grade

Fifth grade is divided into three instructional teams, and your child will be taught by two teachers. The teachers and subjects taught by each are as follows:

Math, Science, & Social Studies - Mrs. Jackson

Language Arts/Writing and Reading – Ms. Jiles

2016-2017 School Hours Our Class Information

7:15 Carpool unloads/Students enter bldgs. 8:05 – 11:35 First Block

7:30 Students enter their classes 8:15 – 9:05 P.E.

7:45 First Bell 11:35 – 2:40 Second Block

7:50 Tardy bell 12:25 – 12:55 Lunch

2:45 Dismissal begins

Communications

Each student has been given an orange folder to use for parent-teacher communications. Students have been instructed to bring this folder to school each day. Anytime we have correspondence to send home, it will be placed in the orange folder. The items in the left-hand pocket of the folder need a response. Please complete and/or sign the items and return them to school. Items on the right-hand side are for your information. Please ask your child about this folder after school each day, and remove any items daily that do not need to be returned. We also encourage you to place any notes or items that you want to send to us in this folder to be brought to school. A daily conduct and work study log is sent home in the folder and needs to be signed each night. This log will also include information about your child’s AR progress.

Email is a very valuable form of communication for quick notes or items that individual parents need to know or want to share. If you have an email address, please share it with us. Our email addresses are above. Email will be checked each morning and at the end of each day. We may also be contacted by note or by phone at 221-1180. We will be sure to get back to you as soon as possible.

STUDENT CELL PHONES

All student cell phones must remain in the child’s back pack and be turned off during the school day. Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in the confiscation of the cell phone and detention. Parents will need to retrieve the cell phone from the office if it is confiscated.

BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE(BYOD)

E. R. Dickson is a BYOD school. However, devices are not permitted immediately. The BYOD program will begin in September. In order for a student to participate, a permission form must be completed and signed by the parent. These permission forms along with the policies and a list of approved BYOD devices will be sent home before the program begins. If your child participates in BYOD, he or she will be solely responsible for his or her device.

Sending Money to School

Parents, if you are sending money to school by your child, please keep the following requirements in mind:

1. All money should be put in an envelope with your child’s name on it and the purpose for the money. The exact amount is requested if you send cash. If you do not send the exact amount, change may NOT be returned immediately. We will have to wait until we get change back from the bookkeeper.

2. Your child’s lunch number should also be included on the envelope for lunch payments. (Lunch is served at no cost to students this year, but you may send money for extras.)

3. All checks must include two phone numbers per MCPSS.

4. Payments for multiple items paid by check must be separated (i.e. One check for lunch, separate check for field trip, separate check for PTA, etc.).

Lunch Schedule & Visits

Our lunch time is 12:25 – 12:55. You are welcome to come and dine with your child at this time on Fridays. You may bring your child a special lunch, but please refrain from bringing packaging from restaurants and carbonated beverages.

Snacks & Ice Cream

Our classes will have a working snack time when time permits. Students are not allowed to have candy, carbonated beverages, or large bags/packages for snack. Please send individual size snacks or put individual quantities in a sandwich bag. Due to food restrictions that some students may have, students will not be allowed to share snacks. Ice cream will be sold on Fridays for $1.00 per item. Tardy students will not be allowed to order ice cream. Also, students who order ice cream and get an early dismissal will not be able to pick up ice cream early. Students are not permitted to call home for forgotten ice cream money or other items.

Daily Reading, Books, & AR

We will require individual silent reading each morning upon arrival and every day during the literacy block. Please be sure that your child maintains books for recreational reading. This will be especially important until the media center opens as students may want to bring books from home. However, books will also be available in the classroom. Each student is required to read nightky and respond in his or her AR Response Log when assigned.

Each teacher has been and continues to build his or her classroom library so that students will have a variety of titles, authors, and genres to choose from for independent reading. The books in these classroom libraries are to be treated with the same care as books borrowed from any other library. Students who damage or lose books will be assessed a replacement fee. Please speak with your child about the importance of caring for all books used at school.

Each student will have a quarterly AR goal and will be expected to test weekly.

Homework & Planners

We believe homework is important because it is a valuable tool in helping students make the most of their experience in school. Homework helps reinforce what has been learned in class, prepares students for upcoming lessons, teaches responsibility, and helps students develop positive study habits.

Homework is generally given Monday through Thursday but may also be assigned on Fridays when needed. Failure to complete homework assignments will seriously affect learning outcomes planned by the teacher and grades. It will also adversely affect your child’s work study grade and may result in the loss of privileges for students.

Your child will be expected to keep a homework/assignment planner. This planner has been purchased for each fifth grade student and will be distributed to each student. Students are expected to write down all homework assignments, projects, and tests in their planners.

Absences & Missed Work

Successful completion of the fifth grade is more likely with regular attendance. We know that some absences are necessary and excused (i.e. sickness, court, immediate family deaths, etc.). We encourage you to prevent other absences by planning family outings and vacations so that they coincide with school holidays.

In accordance with Mobile County Public School policy, students may make up work if they have excused absences. For an absence to be excused, your child’s homeroom teacher must receive a parent note stating an acceptable reason for the absence or a doctor’s note by the third day of your child’s return to school. When your child returns to school following an absence, please remind him or her to ask the teacher about any assignments, lessons, and/or tests that he or she missed.

Conduct & Work Study

In addition to the Student Code of Conduct published by Mobile County Public Schools and the E. R. Dickson Discipline Plan, 5th grade uses monitoring charts.* All 5th grade teachers will record weekly Work Study and Conduct grades. We use a coded behavior and work study chart to record the behavior and work study progress of your child. Every week your child will begin the week with a 100 for Conduct and a 100 for Work Study. For every code on this behavior chart, there will be a deduction of 10 points. For an example, if your child received 3 marks on the Conduct chart he/she will receive a 70 for the week in Conduct. If you have any questions about the codes or your child's behavior or work study, please schedule a conference with the teacher.

Because these charts impact the students’ participation in all end of the year activities and honor roll status, they have proven effective in modifying minor behavioral difficulties without immediately resorting to formal discipline forms. More serious infractions or continuous misbehavior will be documented on the discipline form and supplemented in many cases by a telephone call from the teacher.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT E. R. DICKSON HAS A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR FIGHTING. ANY STUDENT INVOLVED IN A FIGHT WILL BE SUSPENDED.

Fifth Grade Classroom Rules, Consequences and Rewards are as follows:

5th Grade Classroom Rules

1. Be prepared and responsible.

2. Listen and follow directions.

3. Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

4. Speak at appropriate times, using kind words.

5. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

5th Grade Classroom Consequences

1. Verbal warning

2. Marks on clipboard

3. Teacher/Student conference

4. Note home and/or call to parent/guardian

5. Formal Discipline form

Some infractions, such as hitting, because of their seriousness and threat to safety, will immediately result in a discipline form.

5th Grade Classroom Rewards/Incentives

1. Verbal Praise/Recognition

2. Good News Note/Call to Parents

3. Special Activity/Privileges

4. Prizes

* The accumulation of marks on the monitoring charts will lower your child’s conduct and/or work study grades and prevent him or her from making honor roll. Your child may also lose the privilege of participating in fifth grade activities.

Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance

The A Honor Roll requires all A’s in academics, S in conduct, work-study skills and PE. The A/B Honor Roll requires all A’s and/or B’s in academics, S in conduct, work-study skills and PE. Perfect Attendance requires zero absences, zero tardies and zero early dismissals.

Conferences

A mandatory Partnership Conference will be required for each parent and child. These conferences usually begin in late September or early October. Please expect more information to be sent home about these conferences. Other Parent-Teacher conferences will be required for students who have consistent problems completing assignments, preparing for tests, or behaving in school. Parents/Guardians may request a conference with any fifth grade teacher to discuss concerns by calling the school at 221-1180 and leaving a message or by sending a note directly to the specific teacher involved. Teachers are generally available during their planning periods (student P.E. time) for conferences.

Field Trips

We are planning several interesting and educational field trips for this school year. Specific information about these trips will be shared when dates, costs, etc. have been confirmed. All permission slips and field trip money must be received by the announced deadlines and times. No exceptions will be made.

Progress Reports

Progress reports will be sent home mid-quarter for each quarter. These reports will need to be signed and returned. Work folders are available for you to review at your request but are not sent home. Please contact your child’s teacher to set up an appointment when needed.

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Important Dates

Fifth Grade Transition Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Again, thank you for being attentive to this information. We look forward to working with your child during this milestone year.

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