1. WELCOME TO PARENT NIGHT 2014 MRS. ROKOS FIFTH GRADE

2. ALL ABOUT MRS. ROKOS ~21st year of teaching ~20 years teaching at South ~19 years teaching 5 th grade ~Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education ~Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction ~50+ hours beyond my Master’s Degree ~Participated in the District 47 Trans-literacy Conference over the summer

3. NEW & EXCITNG IN DISTRICT 47 This year, in order to keep up with the New Illinois Learning Standards (formerly known as the Common Core State Standards) all grade levels K-8 will be implementing a new language arts curriculum referred to as the Units of Study. Below are the changes/shifts in learning so that we are best preparing our students for college and careers. 1. greater emphasis on informational text 2. increasing text complexity 3. three levels of academic vocabulary 4. text-based answers 5. increased writing from sources 6. literacy instruction in all content areas Essential Questions

4. CONFERENCES-SIGN UP GENIUS This year you will be signing up for conferences through “Sign Up Genius.” On Monday, September 15 around 4 p.m. you will receive an email from me inviting you to sign up for a conference time. Conference dates: Wednesday, October 22 5-8 p.m. Thursday, October 23 12-8 p.m. Friday, October 24 8-11 a.m. Conferences will be 20 minutes in length and will follow this format: 10 minutes-teacher & parent 10 minutes-teacher, parent, & student If you would like to meet with an Encore teacher during fall conferences, please email me, and I will help set that up for you.

5. CHARACTER COUNTS AT SOUTH... ~ Character Counts: A district initiative approved by our D47 school board. It is a philosophy that reflects what we are already doing in our buildings and community. It is a mindset of how we treat each other and centers around the pillars of: Responsibility*Trustworthiness*Citizenship*Caring *Fairness*Respect

6. PAW PRIDE & PRINCIPAL’S PRIDE Students will be recognized throughout the day for their good behavior by receiving Paw Prides. Students’ work will be recognized through Principal’s Pride. Exemplary work will be displayed in the front hallway on the Principal’s Pride bulletin board.

7. MAP TESTING MEASURE OF ACADEMIC PROGRESS  Determines student’s instructional level  Measures growth throughout the year  Adapts to each child's level of learning  Taken as a class in the school's computer lab  1 hour testing sessions  Grades k-8  Tests given in reading and math  Three times per year  Teacher report will help to analyze areas of academic strength and challenge of each student  Reports will be shared and student goals will be developed based on fall MAP scores

8. MATH  Everyday Math Logins  Math Assessments-Part A & B  6 th Grade Placement  Facts Practice

9. HOMEWORK 50 minutes of homework nightly for fifth graders Students may have the following homework daily: Independent reading (100 minutes of reading each week) Study Link Study time for tests Unfinished class work H.O.T. “Homework on Time” passes Homework will be posted daily on my classroom website

10. COMMUNICATION  Please email me at krokos@d47.org krokos@d47.org  You can call and leave a voicemail at 815.788.5423  Visit my website for daily homework and classroom news: http://home.d47.org/sou/kroko s/

11. CLASSROOM HELPERS Head party planner for Halloween, winter, and Valentine’s Day parties 2 additional helpers for each party Families willing to send in donations for parties

12. QUESTIONS??