Greetings from Mrs. Sullivan’s Cove

Sailing into a great year at M.I.S.!

August 21, 2015

Dear Parents,

Welcome to Fifth Grade! We Arrrgh ready for a busy, fun, and NEW year. Our theme is Pirates and Adventures in Learning!

Each new class is special and this year’s class has a special distinction. My first class at Medora Intermediate School and my last class that I will have in my teaching career!

We are 30 in number. Therefore we will all have to take extra efforts to keep our areas organized, keep our hands and feet to ourselves, not to mention using patience and manners. Being responsible for one’s own actions and using manners is a priority in Sullivan’s Cove. That said I look forward to teaching your child and sharing experiences together.

I live in Bethalto with my husband, Bob and we have a 28 year old son, Jas. We also have a wonderful 11 year old black Labrador Sadie. I have taught fifth grade for 20+ years and prior to that I taught grades 3 and 4. I would like to take this opportunity outline some of the rules and expectations of our classroom.

Each Friday your child will bring home a bright yellow folder with his/her papers from the previous week. Please take time to look over these papers with your child. There will also be notes, a newsletter with classroom news, assignments and upcoming events. Per the districts attempts to go paperless, I encourage you to receive the classroom newsletter through email.Several parents gave me their email address at the open house.Your child should bring back the folder on Monday, after being signed by you. Your child will receive a sticker for bringing the signed folder back on Monday. You should also look over your child’s assignment book and sign that on Friday. Folders and assignment books that are not returned and signed on Monday will count as a late assignment. This is your child’s responsibility, but reminders from you are helpful! 

These arethe essential 10 rules for our classroom. They are the guidelines that we will follow in our classroom family. Everyone will respect each other and work together to make our classroom a fun working environment.

  1. Every student with NO EXCEPTIONS will turn homework in each day for each subject and be prepared for class. (You are here to learn)
  2. When we are in transition from one subject to the other, the change will be swift, quiet, and orderly. Our goal will be to make this transition in less than 10 seconds.
  3. When we read together in class, you must follow along. If I call on you to read, you must know exactly where we are and begin reading immediately.
  4. You will pay attention when the teacher or another classmate is addressing the class. This means not talking, getting out of your seat, or making other noises. This is showing respect.
  5. Always say “thank you’ when someone gives you something. If you do not say thank you within 3 seconds it could be taken away. There is no excuse for not showing appreciation.
  6. No matter what the circumstances, always be honest. Even if you have done something wrong, it is best to admit it to me, because I will respect that, oftentimes I will forget any disciplinary measures because of your honesty.
  7. If you win or do well at something, do not brag. If you lose, do not show anger. Instead, say something like, “I really enjoyed the competition, and I look forward to playing again,” or “Good game,” or don’t say anything at all. To show anger or sarcasm, such as “I wasn’t playing hard anyway. You really aren’t that good,” shows weakness.
  8. If some one in class wins a game or does something well, we will congratulate that person. Our applause will be at least 3 seconds in length.
  9. At times throughout the year, I will give rewards for good behavior, academic performances, and other acts worthy of praise. If you ever ask me for a reward, however, it will not be given. It is rude to ask if you are getting something. You should be good and try your best because you are trying to better yourself, not because you are anticipating a reward.
  10. Use manners at all times.

Remember: BE THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE!!!!

In the classroom we practice the Six Pillars of Character.

Trustworthiness

Respect

Responsibility

Fairness

Caring

Citizenship

The rules for the classroom are:

  1. Be prepared for class.
  2. Listen attentively and complete assignments on time. (All assignments are given orally and then written on the assignment board.)
  3. Use manners in the school and be kind to others.
  4. Do not disrupt the classroom and keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
  5. Respect yourself, respect others, respect school property

Each child should be responsible for his/her own behavior.

Consequences for not obeying the rules are:

  1. 1st consequence; receive a card, a journal entry is made
  2. 2nd consequence; receive a card, an entry is made in my journal, copy the school pledge 10 times for each card pulled. This must be completed by the following Monday or the student will receive a lunch time detention.
  3. Severe discipline problems will be taken care of immediately.

Students can earn rewards in our classroom by practicing proper behavior and practicing good work habits. The students will be recognized for good behavior on a classroom chart. Students, who have 6 or less journal entries by the end of 6 weeks, will be rewarded with a special Character Counts activity.

We also have a weekly classroom lottery. Tickets are given randomly for good behavior and special work. A winner is drawn on Thursday afternoon and the winning student will receive a special treat. This is a practice in probability as well as good behavior!

We have a marble jar that we fill with 100 marbles for good behavior by the entire classroom. When 100 marbles are in the jar, we vote on a special classroom activity for a reward.

Second semester we have a checkbook program and a huge auction at the end of the year. You will hear more on that later!

We have covered all of these programs and expectations in class. If you have any questions, please ask your child or contact me for further explanations. Please sign the form provided andreturn it to schoolbefore or byAugust 28th. Student information forms should be turned in by August 25th.

Your child may bring a water bottle to use in class.

Students are allowed to bring a light snack, preferably a healthy snack. We do not stop learning time for a snack break, but students may munch while they work. Students will not be allowed to share snacks unless they bring enough to share with everyone.

Please sign and return this page before or by: August 28, 2015

I have read the rules and expectations with my child.

Parent’s signaturedate

Student’s signaturedate

I wish to receive the classroom newsletter and information via email. My email address is:

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