1. Welcome to Grade 4 Parent Orientation! Back to School August 24, 2015 Ms. Paulson’s Class

2. Agenda  Meet and greet  Meet the teachers  Curriculum & Schedule, Assessment, Homework  Behavior  Communication  Uniform and Health  Service and Volunteer opportunities  Miscellaneous  Write a note for your child’s first day

3. Meet and Greet  To help us get acquainted please  State your name  State the name of your student  Share something exciting you did this summer that your child might come into school talking about

4. Meet Ms. Paulson  This is my first year teaching at St. Mark  Recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a bachelors in Liberal Studies and a minor in English  Part of a dual program where I graduated with my BA and multiple subject teaching credential  4 th Grade is my favorite grade!  Fun Fact: I’ve traveled around Mexico, China, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, Greece, England, France, and Italy! I have lots of experiences and stories to share with your children

5. Curriculum and Schedule  Students will learn through whole and small group instruction as well as hands on play based exploration (centers)  Core Subjects: Language Arts (Comprehension, Fluency, Writing, Grammar, Word Study) Math, Religion, Social Studies, Science  Morning Drop off : 7:40 students must be in line  Morning 20 minute Recess: 10:10am  Lunch: 12:25-1:05

6. Assessment  6 reporting periods- 3 progress reports, 3 report cards  Report cards are standards based and reflect yearlong goals  Not all standards will be covered by first reporting time  Observational and formal testing

7. Homework  Homework will be assigned daily and will be based on what we are doing that week.  Subjects will vary  I will send home a homework packet on Monday and require parent signatures to ensure a good communication between me, you, and the students  There will also be daily homework assigned

8. Behavior  Positive reinforcement  Peacebuilders- praise notes, class recognition, school recognition  Clip Chart – Every student starts on green, purple is outstanding, and above and beyond is “On the Heart”. Yellow is a warning  Stop and Think Sheets  Students will put the color they were that day on their planner  Class can fill marble jar for working together

9. Communication  Agenda- sent home daily and will list homework, behavior, and any other news  Parents can use this to respond to teacher comments, share non-urgent information  Email is the best form of communication- check before and after school. I will respond within 24 hours.  Website  New and improved! Please subscribe to both fourth grade and school pages for up to date information

10. Uniform  Uniform:  Will need Full dress Mass attire  Will also need PE clothes and sweater (worn 2x a week)  Recommended casual uniform  Girls: Skirts cannot be more than 3 inches above the knee. No nail polish. If jewlrey is going to be distracting, please keep it at home.  Boys: if there are belt loops, there needs to be a belt  Socks must cover ankles  Solid white or black shoes  LABEL EVERYTHING!!

11. Health  Bathroom: students will get bathroom passes that they can save and turn in for extra credit  Water Bottles: please have one in your child’s backpack each day so that he or she can access as needed when in class  Birthdays: Bring anything you want as long as you let me know prior to the birthdate. I will set aside 10 minutes at the end of the day for treats.  Snack and lunch: Healthy options, lots of protein. We are now a trash free campus, whatever trash the students bring they will take home with them. Use reuseable containers!  Medicine: Kept and distributed through the office

12. Service Opportunities  I will be sending an email with volunteering opportunities  Help with grading, filing, centers, experiments  Please fill out volunteer form on side table before you leave

13. Volunteering & Field Trips  All parents must be fingerprinted and Virtus trained in order to chaperone on a field trip or volunteer on campus  Virtus Trainings:  Saturday, September 20 9:30-12:30  Fingerprinting  October 11-call for appointment (310) 822-1201; limited availability  Police Department (bring SMS LiveScan form)

14. Miscellaneous  For the sake of time, please write down any questions and drop them into the question bin before your way out.  I can address these through email  Email me with any other questions!

15. Write a Note!  Please take a few minutes to write a note for your child to receive on his or her first day. We will take time to read these special notes.