Class Expectations
The district guidelines state that fifth graders should have approximately 50 minutes of homework each night.
Students will be required to read at least 20 minutes each night.
Students will not have daily homework (outside of reading) unless:
*They don't finish an assignment in class
*They have been absent
*They need extra help and/or practice on assignments
I do send home planners each night; this is the only way for you to get daily information about what is going on in the classroom. Please check these EVERY DAY!
**Please only sign their planner if they have done all of their homework; including reading and any other unfinished assignments. This helps me see that you know how your child is doing with their work. Students can earn DOJO points by doing their reading homework and getting their planner signed.
If you foresee the planner not working with your family/work dynamics, please talk to me. We can figure an alternative out.
Reading every night is so critical to a child's academic growth; it helps with every component of English Language Arts: fluency, accuracy, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, etc. Please ensure that your child reads every single night. If your child is having a hard time being interested in their book, please let me know! Our librarian and I can help them find a book they will be interested in. Please keep in mind that students who aren't reading at home will not qualify for our end of term party (explained next).
Mini reading logs will be sent home to help students track their reading. We are going to have a competition to see how many books students can read this year! :)
Grades will not only be a reflection of what your child knows, but it will also become a reflection of their work ethic. At some point, if missing work isn't turned in, it has to be put in as a 0 in their grades.
I will update missing work weekly. Students will learn how to check their missing work on their 'myDSD' account, so they should always be aware of what they're missing. I am a firm believer in allowing students to try again. If there is ever an assignment or assessment that they feel they could have done better, I will give them opportunities to try again!
Toward the end of each term, students who have no missing work will get to participate in a large class activity. Students who do have missing work will then have one more chance to get as many assignments done as they can during that time. I know this will be hard for students who still having missing work at the end of the term, but I do not want them looking at this as a punishment. My goal is to help students have no missing work by each party. Students are always welcome to stay in first and last recess (unless something comes up) to work on any missing work they have.
Please, please look at their planners each night to see how they're doing. If you ever have questions on their missing work, first check their myDSD account. If you still have questions, you can then email me.
Students will take home a planner nightly, along with their homework folder. They will write homework assignments, due dates, and special occasions in their planners each day they are in class.
Please check their planner nightly as a parent initial is required, and please only initial the planner AFTER your child has completed their reading and homework for the night. Again, students will receive one DOJO point for completing their reading homework and an extra DOJO point if their planner is also signed.
You may correspond with me through their planner; I check them daily. I can also be reached through email.
**I have had students lose planners in the past which then makes communication with parents even harder. I will make sure students know how important it is to keep track of these planners, but I could really use your help with this! Unfortunately, I will not have extra planners to hand out if one gets misplaced.
Students who are absent will have a reasonable time to make up missed work. I will be happy to send home their work when a student is absent. Just call and leave a message, or email me letting me know who will be picking up their work at the end of the day. My goal is to also post big assignments with due dates on the "newsletter" tab.
If you know of an absence ahead of time, please let me know in a timely manner and I will get the work they will miss ready to send home beforehand. Unfortunately, the day before an absence is not enough time to get work put together.
**It can become very difficult to get students caught up if they are consistently missing school. Please do everything you can to make sure your child can make it to school! I always love being able to see every student each day. :)