VISTA GRANDE FIFTH GRADE
And our 4th graders
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL 2016
Teachers
Gina Tredennick: Room 4, Science & Health ext 204
E-mail:
Caitlin Waddell-Chow: Room 5, Math ext 205
E-mail:
Bryn Colvin & Kelly Dunn: Room 6, Literature ext 206
E-mail: &
*** Please note that Edline is not being used anymore and will be taken off of the Vista Grande site very soon. Instead, the district has switched to Edlio, which you have already found if you’re reading this! A helpful tool with Edlio is that parents can subscribe to the teacher’s page. You will then receive an email each time that teacher updates the page.
Curriculum
v Social Studies: 5th: early American history to revolution, geography
o 4th: California history to statehood, geography
v Science: 5th: weather, water, matter, solar system, and life systems
o 4th: plants, ecosystems, geology & earth, electricity & magnetism
v Health: drug awareness, disease, exercise, safety, body growth
v Literature: Houghton Mifflin Reading and core lit books; vocabulary, decoding, comprehension, literature analysis, spelling
v Math: ; basic facts, multiplication, division, fractions, percentages, decimals, geometry
v Language: narrative, informative, & persuasive writing, grammar, speaking and listening skills
v We are lucky to have class and home sets of many textbooks. Please cover home sets, and then keep them in a safe place at home. If you are living in two homes during the school year, please see us about additional textbooks. If we have extra, we would be happy to check them out.
A special note for the 4th graders
We are looking forward to welcoming you in the 5th grade wing, but we also know you’ll want a chance to see your 4th grade friends. You will be going to music on Tuesdays with 4th grade, and joining the other 4th graders for special activities like AAYF and Garden time.
Absences
Since many of the classroom activities involve hand-on or group involvement, it’s important that you are present as much as possible. However, microbes do have a nasty habit of attacking, and we don’t want you coming to school with fevers! You’ll spread whatever you have, and you really won’t remember what we’re teaching if you feel miserable. So please don’t worry; work can be made up, extra time will be given, and teachers will have sympathy. But also realize that learning for others does not pause, so it’s helpful to have someone pick up or drop off the work you have missed. You can work on it when you’re feeling better, instead of pestering your sibling, who now has what you had!
Late and Missing Work
If you get sick or there is a family emergency, you will be given extra time to complete missed assignments. Talk to us; we’ll figure it out.
If you’re going on vacation and have decided not to take your teachers, talk to us beforehand! Five or more days qualifies for Independent Study, a lovely, official form that you get from the office. Less than five days, we’ll write out your work on regular paper! If all of this happens before you leave, work you turn in the day you return will be considered “on time”. You should plan on turning in projects and taking tests before you leave, if they’ve been assigned for a while. Talk to us to make sure. If you do not talk to all of your teachers beforehand, work will be considered late.
Other than the above, work turned in after the due date is late and may be given partial credit. Also, you are expected to complete missing work, preferably during recess on the day the work was due. We do our best to remind you about missing work, but it is your responsibility to complete it in a timely manner. We hate going to Plan B: asking you to complete it while the rest of the grade is participating in some fun activity.
Homework
v Homework assignments are posted on the white boards and announced verbally. Everyone also gets an agenda or planner, in which you record homework. Please have your parents sign your book on a daily basis during the first report period, until you “graduate” from this chore. This will help everyone get back into a routine and develop organizational skills.
v Homework assignments vary according to the subject and week. You can expect regular assignments in all subjects, as well as occasional book projects and health packets. Assignments requiring adult assistance are usually wrapped around a weekend and a few weekdays.
v We do coordinate more involved assignments and tests in order to eliminate too much on any one week. However, the fifth (and fourth) grade curriculums set up by the state of California are extensive, and sometimes our juggling simply does not work. Let us know if there is a way to work things out that we may not have considered. We also appreciate your understanding when conflicts must remain conflicts.
v You should read at least 30 minutes a day. Now, we know two things about this request! One, you avid readers are giggling right now. Two, everyone has those hectic days when you’re lucky to get dinner, let alone find time to read. That is okay, unless those hectic days are frequent. We also know that reading as much as possible makes you a better reader and writer and a better student. Strong reading skills will increase your confidence level and help you achieve success in all subjects. The more you read, the easier school gets! So if your parents are nagging you to read more, listen to them! You’ll thank them in middle school, high school, and college. Okay, it might take until high school or college for the gratitude gene to kick in, but you will thank them!
Physical Education
v We do PE 2 times a week. Because you have two recesses a day and run daily, it is easier to dress for PE on a daily basis. This means: supportive, comfortable shoes good for running; tied shoes; shorts and pants that stay up; shorts under skirts; shirts that cover the abdomen when lifting the arms; shirts that cover an inch and a half of shoulder; cap or hat; sun block.
v Fifth graders will participate in state physical fitness testing in the spring. We will be practicing during the year, and you are encouraged to set personal short and long term goals.
v If you are unable to participate in PE activities, you need to bring a note from your parent or guardian. If the illness or injury lasts longer than a week, please bring a note from a doctor, unless we’ve already spoken to your parents and understand the situation.
v Sometimes, aches and pains come up during the day. It’s fine to speak to us and skip some or all of PE if you really aren’t up to the stress, but this should not happen too often.
v Please let us know if there are special physical considerations of which we should be aware. It’s helpful to know about asthma and growth plate situations. Some asthmatic students take inhalers before the mile run; some just carry them along. All are responsible for remembering this.
Life Experiences/”Home Field Trips”
As teachers, we have noticed certain tendencies about students and their abilities to understand and assimilate classroom discussions and lessons. Students who have had a lot of experiences outside of school are often able to learn faster and more efficiently because they are able to build upon what they have already stored in their memory. Those students who lack a lot of experiences must rely on the textbook and teachers’ explanations.
As parents, you are probably already helping your child’s education by providing many life experiences. By taking them on field trips, traveling with them, allowing them to help around the house, encouraging them to make choices, and involving them in daily activities that help them grow emotionally, socially, and physically, you are helping them succeed in school.
Periodically, we might tell students about opportunities in the area. Many are also on Edlio, so please check. Some might be as close as your neighborhood grocery store; some might be farther away. We hope you’ll take advantage of some of them!
Outdoor Science School
Fifth graders will have the opportunity to attend OSS at Wrightwood the week of May 30-June 2, 2017. The student fee for this optional enrichment program will be approximately $300. In the past several years, this fee has been reduced due to the generosity of the PTA through the yearly gift wrap drive. There will be an informational meeting later in the year for interested students and their parents. We will need around 10 parents to volunteer as Cabin Leaders, so please let us know if you’re interested. Please note that Cabin Leaders are assigned to cabins and groups other than their child’s.
Project Lead the Way
4th and 5th graders will all be participating in a new program that introduces students to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and gets them excited about future opportunities in middle and high school. The modules will be taught in science, and involve creating simple machines and robots. There are also iPad apps introduced and a lot of problem solving opportunities.
Commonly Asked Questions (and the Answers!)
Q: Does spelling count?
A: Yes! If someone else wants to read your writing, shouldn’t you want to give them the best experience possible? Spelling correctly simply makes it look like you cared to do your best. Now, poor spellers, relax! Here’s a basic rule: for every 5 misspelled word, a point is deducted. This allows you to misspell tough words on tests without being penalized, but encourages you to spell common words carefully. Of course, if the word is printed right in front of you…
Q: Do I have to write in cursive?
A: Yes! You need to practice what you learn to keep it in your head. And yes, we know you won’t be asked to write in cursive in 6th grade. But at least with 3 years of practice, you’ll always be able to read cursive writing, even if you choose not to write it.
Q: I was sick yesterday. What can I do to make up what I missed?
A: We love it when you realize that you do miss things when absent! A smiling teacher will gladly help you out, especially when you ask the question before school, during recess, after class, or at a time when 34 other students aren’t waiting to start class. By the way, it’s really important that you try to make up work as soon as possible. Although we understand the difficulties of recovering from being ill, keeping up with current school work, and making up missed work, the longer it takes to get caught up, the harder it is. Anytime you fall behind and feel overwhelmed or panicked, please come see us. We can help only if you explain the dilemma. This goes not only for when you have been sick, but for any other time, including when the falling behind is your own fault! Falling down is a part of learning, and we still like you, mistakes and all.
Q: I’m going to be absent tomorrow. What can I do to make up what I miss?
A: A smiling teacher will gladly tell you, especially if you ask early in the day, as opposed to 3 p.m. If you’re going to be absent for more than a day, please give us a little more time. Independent study forms should be given to your homeroom teacher at least a week in advance, since they take a while to fill out. And remember, if you are going to miss a test or quiz, it’s usually best to take it before you leave.
Q: I was on vacation and didn’t do that assignment. What should I do?
A: A frowning teacher will tell you to refer to the above next time! This time, do the assignment and accept the partial credit. It’s late. You are still responsible for knowing the information should it come up on a test or future assignment.
S: I turned that in!
A: We do want to help you get and stay organized, but do you know how many kids swear they’ve turned something in, only to find it in their binders? So here are a few things to do before asking us to search our desks. 1) Look in the No Name box or area. 2) Check your binder. 3) If papers have been returned and you have a score, show us your graded paper. We goofed! 4) Check your homeroom desk and your desk at home. 5) Ask if we have returned the assignment. Sometimes, nameless papers are still with the other papers.
Still can’t find it? See your teacher. You may have to redo the assignment, but if you can give us enough details, we might be able to help you find the original. By the way, students who put names on papers and turn in work on time rarely have missing work.
Q: Why can’t I have wheels on my backpack?
A: Wheels are noisy and distracting to other classes. They can also be a hazard before and after school, with so many students in the quad.
Q: How can I lighten my backpack and binder?
A: First, check your backpack for unnecessary items. Leave textbooks at home; we have class copies and a few extra for temporary borrowing. Leave workbooks at school unless you have homework in them. Second, leave extra materials in such as markers and pencil bags in your homeroom desk or at home. Third, clean out your backpack and binder before it explodes. A few papers don’t weigh much, but they do add up. Completed, graded work should be kept at home. It’s there if you need it, but it’s not weighing you down.
Q: I have a problem or question. When can we talk?