1. Reed Elementary 2015-16

2. Absences and Tardies: School begins promptly at 7:55 am. **Students arriving after 7:55 am must sign in at the reception desk and obtain a tardy pass before coming to class. In the event of an absence, parents should call the school office prior to the start of the day. Messages can be left on the school answering machine before and after office hours. A hand-written parent note should be sent with your child upon returning from any absence. (Doctor notes are appreciated too.)

3. School and Home Communication: Red Agenda folders will have agendas, communication log, Tuesday folder papers, and homework. Class news and important information will be sent via email. The Reed website has each teachers’ webpages. The Reed website The Eye Opener will be sent via email on weekly. School Messenger calls to relay important information. Progress reports will go home after the first 4 weeks of the grading period. Report cards will go home every 9 weeks. Feel free to email your child’s teacher and ask for an update. Together, parents and teachers are a team dedicated to your child’s success! We will help him/her thrive in fifth grade!

4. Graded Work: Daily work and homework will make up 60% of the student’s report card grade. Tests, quizzes, and projects will make up 40% of the student’s grade. Students may redo most failing assignments. Work will be sent home on Tuesday and needs to be returned by Friday of the same week. 10 points will be taken off per school day for late work up to three school days. After three days, a zero will be placed in the gradebook for the assignment. Late work is defined as any assignment that is not turned in the date it is due as long as the student is not absent that day.

5. Homework: Reading- Students need to read at least 20 minutes every day. At home reading may be completed using a free choice text – chapter book, magazine, online article, etc. Additional homework can be expected as well. Math - Students will have math homework Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. (refer to Mrs. Dingler’s website) Science – Homework assignment Monday – Thursday, THINK Sheets, due on Friday. Any other assignments not completed during the school day.

6. Make-up Work: Students are responsible for getting make-up work when they are absent. Students have one day for each day they are absent to complete their work before it is counted as late. If work is not turned in, it will be counted as late/ missing.

7. How can I support my child’s learning at home? Encourage your child to put his/her school materials in the same place every day. Check your child’s agenda daily. Establish a "homework-comes-first" policy. Set limits on your child's television watching/ electronics before bedtime. Tell your child that you expect him to write down all assignments in his/her agenda. Have your child do the harder assignments earlier in the evening when he/she is most alert. Put up a checklist in a prominent place to remind your child of materials to be brought to school daily. Mark on the family calendar tests, projects, and important school activities. Have your child put all school materials inside his/her backpack before going to bed.

8. Language Arts and Social Studies Curriculum: Our ultimate goal is to help every child feel successful by becoming critical thinkers, problem solvers, and avid readers and writers. We will use the district-wide units of study as we plan our lessons and integrate our subjects. Possible projects this year: American History lessons through Pearson Research on a given topic – related to social studies Six Flag Reading Challenge in the spring Bluebonnet Book Challenge with Mrs. Steffens Scholastic News

9. Math Curriculum: Homework – Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday Homework is due the day after it is assigned. Problem SolvingPlace Value of Decimals to the Thousandths place Addition/ subtraction decimalsMeasurement and Geometery Multiplication and Division- whole numbers and decimals Display and Interpret Data Fraction ConceptsAlgebra Review/ Enrichment Models with Fractions and Decimals Patterns and Relationships Financial Literacy Coordinate Grids and Patterns

10. Science Curriculum: Homework: Think Sheet, sent home at the first of week, due on Friday of that same week. Students may discuss answers with family members. Answers need to be complete sentences. This will count as a “homework grade” for the nine weeks. Unit 1 – Scientific ProcessesUnit 8 – Energy Unit 2 – CyclesUnit 9 – Earth’s Energy Sources Unit 3 – Weather & ClimateUnit 10 – Landforms Unit 4 – EcosystemsUnit 11 – Space Unit 5 – AdaptationsUnit 12 - STAAR Review Unit 6 – Physical Properties of Matter Unit 13 - History of Science Unit 7 - Force

11. How can I contact the teacher if I have questions or concerns? Email us: christi_stinchcomb@allenisd.orgchristi_stinchcomb@allenisd.org (Science) nichole_foster@allenisd.orgnichole_foster@allenisd.org (ELAR/SS) jennifer_dingler@allenisd.orgjennifer_dingler@allenisd.org (Math) Call 972-727-0580 Schedule a Conference : 11:50am-12:35 pm

12. Our School Parking Lot: Use the northwest entrance only. Do not drop off students anywhere but along the sidewalk. Students should never be asked to walk through the parking lot unattended. When visiting the school, please do not park along curb in the front of the school, this area is reserved for buses and daycare vans only. Always use a parking space when coming inside. 5 th grade students will be dismissed at 2:55 pm Remain in your car and follow the flow of traffic around the lot. Teachers and students will be watching and students will be sent to your car. Student Safety Signs are provided to each family picking up students by car each day. Please attach it to your visor or place it on the dashboard of your car each day during pick up. The signs will speed up dismissal and are also helpful during rainy weather when students wait in the gym. School staff can quickly see which child you are picking up and bring him/her to your car. Car signs are also a safety measure to ensure we are releasing students to the correct adult. Please help us by ALWAYS having your car sign visible.

13. Parent Waiting Area: This is a location for parents who choose to park and walk to the school to pick up their children each afternoon. To help staff ensure we are releasing students to the correct adult, we ask that parents have the student safety sign provided by the school that states their student’s name and grade. Parents will show the sign to the staff member on duty and students will be sent to the parent. The Parent Waiting Area is NOT an attempt to keep parents away from teachers or to extend the amount of time it takes to unite parents with students after school. It was created to provide a place for parents to wait that will still allow teachers to focus completely on ensuring all students are dismissed safely. Your child’s safety is our number one concern! Parents who need to speak to a teacher can still do so by scheduling an appointment or waiting until approximately 3:15 when students are all dismissed for the day.

14. Camp Information: Sky Ranch Camp Dates – Nov. 2 – 4. Payments are due September 18th. We accept cash, checks payable to Reed (with DL #) and online payments through the web store. You may make multiple payments or all at once – whatever is easiest for your family! Our goal is for every child to attend camp. This is part of the fifth grade curriculum. If you have concerns – please contact us. Camp Chaperones are still needed. Let’s Talk.

15. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns or questions.