Hello Parents and Students!Welcome to another wonderful school year at St. John School.There will be many papers coming home this week that need to be filled out and sent back immediately. I would greatly appreciate it if you could do that as soon as your child brings the papers home. Please make sure to read the handbook with your child which is now available on the school website at www.stjohnmonroe.com since there have been many changes. After reading the handbook, please print off the final page, sign it, and return it to school. Anyone who volunteers for any school activity including field trips must complete an I-CHAT, a Protecting God’s Children workshop, and complete the form attached to the Help Us Build Safe Environments pamphlet. We are not allowed to let anyone go on field trips that have not completed these three things. I am looking forward to teaching your child this year. I am always available to talk. It is best to write me a note or e-mail me. My contact information is as follows:School Phone: 734-241-1670Email: carcar_4@hotmail.com
Each Monday, I will be sending home the work from the previous week. The papers will be coming home with a cover letter in a folder. After you have looked over the work, please sign and date the front of the folder and have your child return it to school on Tuesday. The cover letter will let you know what is going on for the week and any projects or tests that will be coming up in the near future. There will be a spelling test every Thursday. A spelling list will be sent home with your child every Friday. The spelling words this year are more difficult than last years words so please encourage your child to study them every day at home. The first list will come home with your child Thursday. The first spelling test will be September 10. We will also be having a reading test every Thursday. The first reading test will also be that Thursday. At the end of each reading unit we will be having a unit test that covers the entire unit. This test will take place about every six weeks. Since our English book goes along with our reading book, there will be an English quiz every Friday. The first English quiz will be September 11. There will be an English unit test about every 6 weeks. Your child will be bringing home a short book to read each week. They will bring home the book on the same day each week that way you will know when to expect a book in their backpack. This book will go along with the story from our reading books. Please spend some time with your child listening to them as they read the book. In addition, please have your child answer the questions orally found at the end of the book. The book your child brings home must be sent back to school on the appropriate day which I will let your child know, so another child can take it home. The book they bring home will be in a plastic bag along with a sheet to fill out. After you have listened to your child read and have answered the questions at the end of the book, please fill out the sheet and send it back to school along with the book. This book can count as or towards the 20 minutes of reading required for the reading log. Accelerated Reader will also be included in our reading program. Your child is required to read one book per month and get at least a score of 70% or higher to pass for that month. If your child does not pass the test then they will have to read another book to pass for that month. A helpful tip would be to have your child start at the beginning of the month and finish early just in case they do not pass the first test. Each month, students will be preparing a book report in some form. They will always know at the beginning of the month, which genre the book will be and also what the report expectations will entail. It could be a written report, poster, or diorama box. I will always give them specific instructions on what will be expected. Since public speaking is also extremely important, the students will be presenting their report orally to the class at the end of the month. More details will be coming home soon. The ChallengeI am sure you are aware that in fifth grade, the curriculum becomes more challenging. Fifth grade is especially difficult for the children to learn to juggle homework, CYO practices and games and various other activities. We will be learning to take notes, work more independently, follow directions more closely and apply our thinking to abstract thoughts. Therefore, I can’t begin to express how important it is for your son or daughter to pay attention in class, consistently complete and turn in all homework assignments, and ask questions when needed. I am going slowly right now since some of them need time to adjust to new routines and procedures, but I ask your assistance in reassuring them that they can do all that they set their minds to. I explained to them last week that I will not give them anything that they can’t handle, but they need to try their very best and work to their fullest potential. By all of us working together, I am sure we will all succeed this year.
Homework Your child will have homework that must be completed every night. All work done for the day will be listed in their assignment notebooks. I expect every student to read for at least 20 minutes every day at home. Since reading daily is so important, your child will have a reading log that is to be signed each night. The reading log will be in a folder so your child will bring home the folder each night. After your child has read for at least 20 minutes each night, please sign next to the correct day. These logs will be checked each morning. If your child does not complete their homework they will have to complete the following: 1. Fill out a “No Homework Slip” explaining why they did not complete the assignment. 2. They must complete the assignment they did not finish from the night before. 3. They must also get your signature on the “No Homework Slip” and the incomplete homework then return both to me by the next day for credit. The homework that is assigned is for their benefit. It is to help prepare them for the future. I will need your cooperation to make sure that they complete the given assignments. Students are required to redo any assignments not done correctly including math not done in pencil, and not writing in complete sentences. I do offer redo’s on papers below a 70%. I will take the old grade and the new grade and average them together for the final grade.
Website: mrsrzepasclass.educatorpages.com
Weekly Routine
Homework Your child will have homework that must be completed every night. All work done for the day will be listed in their assignment notebooks. I expect every student to read for at least 20 minutes every day at home. Since reading daily is so important, your child will have a reading log that is to be signed each night. The reading log will be in a folder so your child will bring home the folder each night. After your child has read for at least 20 minutes each night, please sign next to the correct day. These logs will be checked each morning. If your child does not complete their homework they will have to complete the following: 1. Fill out a “No Homework Slip” explaining why they did not complete the assignment. 2. They must complete the assignment they did not finish from the night before. 3. They must also get your signature on the “No Homework Slip” and the incomplete homework then return both to me by the next day for credit. The homework that is assigned is for their benefit. It is to help prepare them for the future. I will need your cooperation to make sure that they complete the given assignments. Students are required to redo any assignments not done correctly including math not done in pencil, and not writing in complete sentences. I do offer redo’s on papers below a 70%. I will take the old grade and the new grade and average them together for the final grade.
Communication There are many ways for us to communicate. By phone, email, notes, speaking face to face, and your student’s assignment book. Please make sure you sign the assignment book nightly. This will let me know that you saw what homework they were supposed to do and you made sure it was completed. Please sign for each night and not for the whole week.
Rules & Consequences Rules:1. Follow all directions the first time they are given.2. Come prepared for school every day.3. Respect yourself and others.4. Respect your property and others property.5. Use appropriate school language.6. Wear your proper school uniform every day. (Please try to send them with jackets and/or sweaters that do not have hoods.)7. No electronic devices. Consequences:The consequences are recorded by the student flipping a clip for each offense. First flip is a warning, second flip is loss of recess, third flip is a phone call home, fourth flip is detention, and fifth flip is sent to the office. However, there are three consequences that are automatic. · No cell phones. We understand that students have cell phones and that they have them in case of emergencies, however, the cell phones MUST be turned off and kept in my lock box while they are in school. If there is an emergency or something you need to tell the student then you need to call the office and let them know. If the cell phone is not in my box and it is seen or it goes off then it will be confiscated and turned in to the Principal. The student will also be given a detention. To get the cell phone back you will have to go through the Principal. · The second one is about rule #7. If rule #7 is broken then the item will be confiscated and for the student to get them back you, the parent, will have to physically pick up the item from me. · The third one is about fighting. If the student fights they will automatically be sent to the office.Rockstar FolderYour student will have a binder called the ROCKSTAR binder. This stands for Really Organized Children Keeping Stuff Together and Ready This binder will be carried to and from school each and every day. Students must take care of their binder and keep it clean. They are not to write on it or in it. Here is a list of what you will find in this binder. In the first clear sleeve you will find our daily classroom schedule. In the second clear sleeve, you will find a copy of the monthly lunch menu and on the backside, you will find a copy of our class roster. In the third clear sleeve, you will find your child’s reading log. The first folder will be our homework folder. These papers need to be completed each night and returned to school in the same pocket the following day. Make sure that you remember to sign your child’s assignment notebook each evening after homework has been completed. The second folder is for notes from school including the Monday notes and Tuesday school notes. The third folder will be for papers that will be needed for school. Please do not take anything out of this folder.Rockstar of the WeekEach week, we will honor a student. When your child is chosen, they will be allowed to bring in a school appropriate CD to share with the class during silent work time. They may also bring in anything special they would like to share with us. They will have a bulletin board to decorate. If a pet or family member would like to visit us during that week, it is more than welcome, but please set up a time with me prior to you showing up.