4 th Grade Open House Mrs. Nash August 28, 2014

Meet Mrs. Nash… Graduate of Southern Illinois University Taught at Osceola High School for one year I’ve taught 4 th and 5 th grade prior to this year. This is my ninth year at Starkey, and I’m back teaching 4 th grade. Mother of Kollin, Peyton, and Snoopy

What Kind of Testing Will my 4 th Grader be Tortured with This Year? 3 cycles of FAIR-FS Testing (1:September 8-October 10, 2:November 20-January 28, 3: March 2-May 18) 3 cycles of Science Common Assessments (1: October , 2: January 12-16, 3: May 4-8) 3 cycles of Math Common Assessments (1: October 6-17, 2: December 15-18, 3: March 17-27) English Language Arts (ELA) Assessments: Every six weeks after the completion of the modules.

Progress Monitoring Plans (PMP) Your child will need a PMP if he or she meets any of the following criteria. I will be setting up a conference with you to discuss your child’s individual PMP if he or she is required to have one. Level 1 or 2 on last year’s Reading or Math FCAT 0-49% performance on last year’s Cycle 3 Science or Math County Assessments 0-49% on any of this year’s FAIR-FS, Math, or Science County Assessment

FSA (Florida Standards Assessment) Testing Schedule Writing: March 2-13 ELA: March 23-April 10 Math: March 23-April 10 **We will be discussing FSA in more detail at our 4 th grade curriculum night this fall. Please be on the lookout for curriculum night information in the future.

Chorus 4 th graders are allowed to participate in Chorus. Chorus this year is on Friday afternoons. The students will be missing Math and Reading Intervention. Students who leave class for Chorus will be required to make-up any missed work over the weekend. 3 Strikes, and They’re Out Rule Students who do not attend the concerts will be recommended for removal from Chorus.

Report Card Schedule

Classroom Policies and Behavior Plan

Planner Each child has been supplied with a planner. PLEASE SIGN IT EVERY NIGHT. Each day, your child is to write down his or her assignment(s) for the evening plus any other work that needs to be done. (And we do have homework Mon.-Thurs.) If you need to write me a “not happy with Starkey, my child, Mrs. Nash, etc.” note, please put it in an envelope, not in your planner where your child can read it.

Data Folders Every Friday, starting next week, your child will bring home a data folder filled with their graded papers for the past week along with classroom and county assessment results. Your child will also utilize this data folder as a place to record his or her own personal goals throughout the year. Please sign the signature sheet every time you see the data folder and return it as soon as possible. I cannot update the data folders until all of them have been returned, so please don't hang on to the folder longer than needed! Please do not return the papers with the data folder.

Classroom Rules Be respectful Be responsible Be safe

Behavior System – Class Dojo During the first week of school, I sent home a note with a parent and student password for Class Dojo. Please follow the directions and open up another way for me to communicate with you. Once you sign up, you will automatically get an each week with a report on your child’s behavior that week. You can also log-in and check daily. Please see me after if you need another copy of the letter.

Behavior System Continued Students are awarded positive points on Class Dojo for positive behavior/doing his or her job throughout the day. If the student breaks a rule after multiple warnings, a point is deducted on Class Dojo. If the student has another infraction, the child has a time-out. Further infractions may result in another time-out in the room, time-out in another classroom, or a note home. A note will be written in the planner if a behavior issue occurs. Repeated behavior problems may result in the students’ desk being moved, a behavior plan, a parent conference, or even a referral. Class Dojo will also be utilized as a way to keep you informed of the positive and negative choices your child makes each day.

Behavior System Continued Major issues (i.e., bullying, physically harming another student, arguing, etc.) will skip the verbal warning and go straight to time outs or even referrals, depending on the situation. At the end of each week, we have a class meeting. At the class meeting, the student who earned the most points for the week in Class Dojo along with the student who earns the most Team Nominations will be allowed to choose either an extra bear paw, a homework pass, a special pass, or a choice from the treasure box. Students have a menu of options which they can use when deciding how to “spend” their points. They can decide to “buy” something with their points or bank them each week.

Consequences Verbal warning Loss of Class Dojo point Time out within the classroom Time out in another classroom Notice home through planner, , or phone call Desk moved to a new group or alone on an “island” Behavior Plan Parent Conference Referral

Rewards Verbal praise Individual praise Special classroom activities Positive note home Positive points on Class Dojo Extra Bear Paws Homework pass

Homework Homework is given NIGHTLY (not in a packet). Students are to copy down all assignments in their planners first thing in the morning. Students RARELY get to work on homework during school hours. Homework is due the next day. In addition to the assigned homework, students will also be asked to complete assignments that were not finished within a reasonable amount of time in class. We have spelling weekly. The words are handed out on the first day of the week, and the test is always the last day of the week.

Homework Continued Please remember that the purpose of the homework and projects is to enhance and/or review what your child is being taught at school. I have no problem with someone helping a student with his or her homework, but it is NOT appropriate for someone to do the work for them. Students will not receive credit for work that is not theirs. Every student has a Home Reading Log that is due every Friday unless otherwise noted.

Homework Continued A report card grade of E, V, S, N, or U will be assigned for homework as follows: Missing or Late 0-2 times=E Missing or Late 3-5 times =V Missing or Late 6-10 times =S Missing or Late times =N Missing or Late 16+ times=U Please be aware that Honor Roll and Principal’s List require an E, V, or S.

Showing Work Students are required to show their work on any homework or classroom assignment or on any test. If the assignment requires the students to read a passage and answer questions, students must underline or highlight the sentence, word, or phrase in the passage that proves their answer is correct. 10 points will be deducted from a student’s grade on an assignment if he or she chooses not to underline or highlight. In addition, when students are answering written response questions, they must use key words from the question to begin their answer and answer in complete sentences. Points are deducted if this is not done. Papers without a name on them will be added to the “No Name Clip of Shame.” It is the students’ responsibility to check the clip and claim any papers that are theirs.

Showing Work Continued If it's a math problem, students must write out the work (even if they can complete the problem in their head) in order to receive credit for their answer. This policy makes sure that students take the time to prove and check their answers. This also shows me the student's thought process and allows me to find where mistakes are made in that process. This is not an option. Points will be deducted if the student fails to show their work. Students are also required to put labels on their answers. For example, a student will lose points if he or she simply answers 27 when the correct answer with the label is 27 books. Failure to include labels on answers will result in half off of that problem. Showing work is required by all 4 th grade teachers.

Late Work Homework is due the day after it is assigned. If a student forgets to complete homework or forgets it at home, the work is due the very next day in addition to the homework from that night. HOMEWORK PASSES MAY NOT BE USED ON LATE WORK!!!! There may be some projects or assignments that will not be accepted late.

Redo Policy Students may not redo any papers. This is a policy of the entire 4 th grade.

Mrs. Nash’s Grading Method Every teacher grades papers differently. For me, a check mark ( ) means the answer is incorrect. The student needs to check their work or answer. An answer with no mark next to it means the answer is correct. An X or a / through a problem would mean the child responded incorrectly to extra credit.

Absent Work Students will have the same number of days that they are absent to make up any missed assignments. I will have the work ready on their desk for them when they return. It is the student’s responsibility to contact me with any questions on the makeup work. *Special circumstances will be dealt with on an individual basis.

Focus (Formerly known as Portal): Focus is your access to your child’s grades, school schedules, lunch accounts, and much more! Please complete a login request sheet if you need a parent login instead of signing in under your child’s username and password. You will have a username and password within two days. Parent logins can be attached to multiple children, so you only have to login once to check all kids at the same time! I try to update grades as often as possible. Please check Focus often to monitor your child’s grades.

Snacks I am allowing students to bring WATER BOTTLES ONLY to school. Please make sure that the bottle has a cap. Please do not send your child with Gatorade, Crystal Light flavors, soft drinks, etc. Students may bring in snacks for themselves (or one day’s worth for the whole class). Please adhere to the Pinellas County Nutrition Policy and send healthy snacks. Chips, candy, and other types of junk food will not be allowed. If a child becomes irresponsible or extremely messy with their snacks, he or she will be asked not to bring any more snacks to school.

Cell Phones, iPods, and other Technology Pinellas County School policy is that no personal technology is to be brought to school. If your child brings any personal technology to school, it must not be used while on campus; in addition, all technology must be turned OFF (not put on silent) and remain in your child’s backpack. I do not recommend letting your child bring anything other than a cell phone to school as items tend to get broken or stolen, and the school cannot be held responsible. These items may also be confiscated if problems arise because of them. Confiscated technology will be returned at the end of the day, or if it’s become a bigger problem, I will return the item to a parent or guardian when they are next able to come to the school.

4 th Grade Field Trips and Activities Sawgrass Lake Science Center Poetry Book

Parent Chaperones If you would like to participate in any school activities, you MUST be a currently registered volunteer. If you were registered last year, you can simply login to portal and update your information. You will be set to go for this year. New volunteers must submit completed paperwork and a copy of a picture ID to the office. Paperwork may take 3 weeks or longer to clear. Most field trips have a limited amount of chaperones. Parents who are cleared as registered volunteers will be considered first. Volunteer forms are located on the back table if you need one.

How can you help? Class Adoptions/Business Partnerships -- Flyers are located on the counter. Field Trip Chaperones (must register as volunteers) Book Fair donations Wish list item donations (located at the entrance and on my website) Please DO NOT plan vacations during our busy testing times! Please try to get your child to school on time and every day. If your child is ever absent, please send in an excuse note if you have not called the school to excuse the absence. Hold your child responsible for his or her homework and make-up work. Return Data Folders as soon as possible. Make sure your child is reading and completing requirements for his or her Home Reading Log every week. In addition, your child is responsible for filling out all of the information except for your signature. Please do not fill it out for them. Please create a Class Dojo account. PLEASE sign your child’s planner every night!

Thank you for your support Have a great night! Have a great night!