Week of August 25th

 Wow, this month has really flown by! I can't believe we are already in the last week of August. Our first two weeks really went well and I am so excited to really dig into our normal routine and academics starting this week. 

Math: 

Today we are getting our first "regular" math assignment. We started it today in class and my goal is to finish it up with my students in class so that I can walk them through the whole process so that they know what to expect each day. 

Your student's math assignments will range from 5-10 questions. Each assignment is worth 10 points. Students will get 5 points for showing work for ALL of the problems on the assignment. That makes up half of the assignment grade. The other 5 points come from how they actually did on the assignment. Students will write that percentage at the top of their page before they turn in their paper. This is just a way to make sure they actually hit the "submit" button on the assignment. If they got a 70% on the assignment, that means they got 3.5/5 points possible for that part. I will add that to however many points they earned for showing their work and that is what I will write and circle at the top of their page as well as put into the grade book. So if the got 3.5 points for the online part and 5 points for showing their work, they will get a +8.5/10 at the top of their page and I will put 8.5 into my gradebook. 

I model how I want them to show their work every single day in class. I then leave those examples on the board while they are working on their assignment so that they remember how to show their work. 

Multiplication Fact Homework:

Your student's first week of Multiplication Fact Homework was due this morning. They should have turned it into the turn in basket and grabbed a new one. As long as the date range for each week is clearly written at the top, I use the same late work process for homework as I do for every other assignment. If there is no date range written at the top, I don't know where the credit should be given, so I won't give credit for it. 

If your student forgot to turn that in this morning, please help them remember to get it in tomorrow for 75% credit. :) I know this can seem harsh, but I have found that when I start out not holding kids accountable for this from the beginning, it makes for a MUCH harder adjustment throughout the year. It's uncomfortable at first, but they figure it out quick and the rest of the year goes really smoothly. 

Home Folder and Agenda:

Your student is filling out their Agenda throughout the day each day. They have to have it initialed by myself or Mrs. Taylor (the 4th grade educational assistant) at the end of each day to make sure they have everything written down. 

When they finish something, they are supposed to put a ✓ next to it to indicate it is complete. Anything that does not have a ✓ is something they need to complete at home as homework and return the next morning. 

Their Study Skills grade on their report grade is made up of bringing their Home Folder and Agenda each morning. Their Agenda needs to be initialed by a parent each evening at the bottom of the day underneath the teacher initials. They get 3 points each day for this. 1 point for their Home Folder, 1 point for bringing their Agenda, and 1 point for asking a parent to initial it.

Reading:

This week we will start our first novel study on the book Because of Winn Dixie. This is a really fun story and my students each year really enjoy reading it. We will work on comprehension strategies as we go. This could end up being homework if students don't finish it during the day. That means your student may be bringing home one of our books to finish the assignment. We reuse these books each year and some of them are getting pretty beat up. Please help your student take the best care of this book while they have it. We understand when things happen, but please encourage your student to show responsibility and take care of the book to the best of their ability.

Mrs. Martindale's Virtual Class:

If you haven't had a chance to explore my Virtual Class, please take some time to do that with your student. There is so much information on there that will be super useful for your student. 

Tardies and Attendance:

If your student misses something in class due to being tardy or absent, it is their responsibility to make up any work that they missed. School policy is that they have 2 school days to make up work from an absence. 

We start our day right at 8:00 in the morning and we hit the ground running. There is no time during our day when my students will have nothing to do. Being here on time every single day is imperative to their success at school. Please make every effort to make all appointments and plans outside of school hours. Part of why we chose to go to a 4 day week was so that students would miss less for doctor appointments and that sort of thing. 

Not only that, we have so much fun here and my students love being able to earn those House Points! They can't do that if they aren't here. :)

That said, we do NOT have school on Monday, September 1st for Labor Day. Next week will be a 3 day week. :)

Picture Day:

Picture day is this Wednesday the 27th. We will take pictures in the morning. It is also House Day. So if you want your student to wear something for pictures, but they want House Colors, feel free to send a shirt in their backpack to change into. It would be best if they came in their picture clothes and I will let them change after. :) Picture packets are coming home today.