1. OPEN HOUSE 2014-2015 Mrs. Morelli

2. STUDENT PLANNER Planners should be taken home and shown to a parent each day. Parent initials will be on an individual basis. All homework is written on the board daily. My goal is to have the homework updated on class webpage by 3:00 everyday. Because I do not check each planner daily, please write notes separately for me to see.

3. MONDAY FOLDERS They include student work, homework slips, a behavior sheet, field trip forms, and any other items that need to be sent home. Should be returned Tuesday with only the signed behavior sheet. Your signature lets me know that you have seen all of the information which will include all graded work. A progress report will be sent home at the halfway mark for any subject average that is a D or below. If there are areas of concern for the previous week, I will mark on the chart. If there has been missing homework from the previous week, I will provide information on the homework slip.

4. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Positive Discipline- highlighting and focusing on the positive traits and behaviors Natural Consequences when possible No reward or tracking system- the student and I have a conversation as needed related to any issue. Any repeated issues, and I will call or email you.

5. CARPOOL GUIDELINES Please pick up a copy of the guidelines before you leave from this classroom.

6. AMERICAN SCHOOLS 101 PTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be hosting our American Schools 101 evening on August 20 th beginning at 6:00 p.m. All new families are invited and welcome to attend! More info. needed? Email jfrenchcameron@gmail.com

7. 5 TH GRADE TESTING THIS YEAR IOWA Assessment: 10/10-10/17 End of Grade Assessment (formerly CRCT): 4/15- 4/24

8. LANGUAGE ARTS GRADES The county has assigned weights for 5 th Language Arts. 30% is word work, spelling, and grammar 70% is writing.

9. SPELLING & VOCABULARY Each Monday students will receive their spelling/vocabulary words for the week. To start the year off, we will be assigning nightly spelling/vocabulary homework. Spelling/Vocabulary tests will be on Friday.

10. SYNERGY Forms are here for you to sign to get your log-in information. Please check Synergy on a weekly basis to see your child’s current grades.

11. SNACKS Please send your child to school with a snack each day. We eat lunch at 12:07. I have an open snack policy- when they are hungry, they eat. If it becomes disruptive then we will discuss solutions. You may also send your child to school with bottled water. We have a water fountain in the classroom. Snacks should be a single serving size.

12. BIRTHDAYS You may send or bring in a birthday treat if you wish. Please make it simple and easy to serve. (Pre-cut or have individual servings for the entire class.) Birthday party invitations should be distributed outside of school.

13. LUNCH ROOM Come enjoy lunch with your child! First, sign in at the front office and get a visitor’s pass. Then, meet us inside the dining room for lunch. Please sit with your child at the visitor’s table.

14. BUS PASS Hand written notes for your child to ride home on the bus with another student are no longer permissible. There is a form that must be filled out. The student bus change form can be found either on the school website or in the front office.

15. DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT/ABSENCE When your child is absent, please send in an absence excuse upon his/her return. If your child is going to be absent for several days, I will try my best to work with you and provide some work for him/her to complete. Make-up work is required to be completed upon return.

16. TARDIES Please have your child to school by 7:50. It would be even better if they could arrive by 7:20. We complete our morning work during this time. It is very beneficial for your child to arrive early. This enables your child to get unpacked and settled for the day which is very important at this age. There are a few things that need to be taken care of in the morning, and it helps when students have time.

17. CONFERENCES Please send a note or an email to request a conference. jessica.morelli2@cobbk12.org Conferences may be held in person or by phone. Conference week will be in October.

18. HOMEWORK Students are held accountable for their homework through the use of homework slips and the work/study habits section of the report card. The homework slip has the assignment information. I staple the slips in the Monday folder. They do not have to be signed. Missing 0-3 assignments = can contribute to an Outstanding rating on the report card Missing 4-8 assignments = Satisfactory Missing 9 or more assignments = Needs Improvement (This rating will take a student off of honor roll.)

19. FIELD TRIPS We will be having several in-house field trips this year and we’ll try to get off campus. We are currently considering:  Theater Performance  High Touch-High Tech-Hands on Science Experiments  Author Visits We will have one major field trip! The trip is in the planning stages.

20. 5 TH GRADE PROGRAM Dec. 4 th 6:00 and a repeat performance at 8:10 on Dec. 5 th. They will be playing their musical instruments!

21. ELLIS ISLAND SIMULATION Nov. 6 th During the school day A chance for students to experience firsthand what immigrants to America went through and felt. Parent Volunteers Needed and Appreciated

22. SOCIAL STUDIES Citizenship The Civil War and Reconstruction The Changing Nation World War I, Jazz Age, and Great Depression World War II and the Cold War America 1950-1975 America 1975-present

23. MATH UNITS Place Value Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers/Algebraic Thinking Measurement Addition and Subtraction of Decimals Volume Addition and Subtraction of Fractions/Data Multiplication and Division of Fractions Multiplication and Division of Decimals/Algebraic Thinking Coordinate Graphing and Algebraic Thinking Hierarchy of 2-D Figures Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals (Review) Addition and Subtraction of Fractions (Review)

24. READING Reading Skills  Sequencing  Quote Accurately  Compare/Contrast  Character Analysis  Theme  Inferring  Determining Importance  Cause and Effect  Making Connections  Questioning  Synthesizing  Visualizing  Figurative Language  Point of View Workshop Model Reading Journals Reading Conferences Guided Reading Groups Strategy Groups Authentic grading- grades will come from in class lesson specific objectives related to student’s daily reading

25. WRITING Narrative Writing Opinion Writing Informational/ Explanatory Writing Research Writing Routine Writing Writing Stamina Workshop Model Writer’s Notebook Writing Conferences Strategy Groups Published pieces Interdisciplinary

26. SCIENCE Constructive and Deconstructive Forces Matter Electricity and Magnetism Cells and Microorganisms Classification of Organisms

27. HEALTH Nutritional and personal health Emotional and mental health Medicine Safety Disease Prevention Growth and Development Personal Safety

28. TECHNOLOGY IXL will be available for students soon. If on phone or IPAD, you can access our classroom blog by clicking on the “mobile” heading on the East Side Elementary website. It will bring up a list where you can click 5 th grade and then Jessica Morelli Check school website for important school news. Quick links are on the left side, such as lunch menus, MealPay Plus, and the bus change form. Upcoming events from our school calendar are on the right hand side.

29. AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY two Dell computers in the classroom an LCD projector and a Dell laptop access to laptop computers with wireless internet access to a computer lab a SMARTBoard

30. GRADING We use formative and summative assessments at East Side Elementary.  Some class work and all homework are considered to be formative assessments and should not be used to determine grades. Formative assessments are used to help students improve by providing practice for students and guidance for instruction.  Summative assessments are used to measure student achievement and determine grades. These assessments will have a grade on them, and that grade will be used towards the average on the report card.

31. EAST SIDE’S DEFINITION OF BULLYING Bullying is: Intentional and purposeful, not an accident A pattern of behavior over time, not just a one time incident An imbalance of power or strength A feeling of injury or discomfort by the person being bullied Bullying is unfair and one-sided. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.

32. Thank you for your support!