I hope you all had a wonderful summer! Even though it was a little longer than normal, it sure felt like it flew by for me!
Below is a copy of the Welcome Back letter to students you will receive at the open house tomorrow night.
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Welcome to 5th
Grade at Mulberry!
My name is Mrs.
Steele, and I’m looking forward to teaching you this year. This is my 4th year at Mulberry. Some of my teaching background includes 7th
grade science, as well as computer applications, along with TAG K-8. I hold math and TAG endorsements, and I’m in
the process of earning my Master’s Degree in School Leadership and
Administration, so we’ll be students together this year!
We will be
learning lots of new material in mathematics and science. We will continue with
our new mathematics curriculum from Engage New York. Please note that we don’t have textbooks for math, so it will be very important that
you listen carefully and participate often during our math block together. We will be creating math journals where we
will keep notes and be able to refer to for assignments. Fifth grade math is all about developing
fluency with adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions; working
with decimals; and developing understanding of volume. In science, we will be focusing on three areas:
Living Systems, the Solar System, and
Variables.
While I like to
have fun, my classroom is primarily a place of learning. Therefore, I have some simple rules everyone
needs to follow:
1. Listen and follow directions.
2. Raise your hand before speaking or
leaving your seat.
3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
4. Be nice.
5th
grade students will be the first to have specials every day, which will start
at 8:20 am, so it is VERY important you show up to school on time.
Our lunch isn’t
until 12:10 pm, so be sure to each a large breakfast every morning. You will
have a short snack time in Mrs. Curry’s class around 10:40 am every day. You’ll be allowed to have a water bottle at
your table throughout the day, as long as it doesn’t become a distraction to
you or others. To avoid losing learning
time, we will take a bathroom break every morning and every afternoon. You are also expected to use the restroom
during your lunch/recess break. Only in
an emergency will you be allowed to leave for the restroom during class.
There will be
homework occasionally in fifth grade.
However, my view on homework is that parents shouldn’t really have to be
involved. They can certainly supervise
from a distance, but they shouldn’t be hovering over you. My purpose in assigning homework is for you
to practice what you’ve already proven you can do in class. Some of you play piano or a musical
instrument, and some of you play soccer or other sports. Just like you practice between lessons, or
practice between games, you need to practice certain math skills, so you can
become really fluent in math. The
practice you put into math this year will pay off in middle and high school, I
promise you! And, you shouldn’t be spending
all night doing homework. 20-30 minutes of undistracted math practice is plenty
(leave the electronics off, find a quiet place to be alone).
You should have
purchased a red plastic folder. This is your
“communication” folder, where your parents and I can communicate with each
other. You will be expected to take home
this folder each night and show your parents your work from the day, and any
messages from school. If they have messages for me, they can write in the
folder, and you will be expected to communicate their concerns through the
folder to me. Here are some other ways
for them contact me:
email:
linda.steele@mcsdonline.org
school phone: 563-263-8143
my home phone: 563-260-4288
my blog:
mrssteelesclass.blogspot.com
We are also
lucky this semester to have a special guest teacher who is doing her student
teaching with us! Her name is Mrs.
Hagens, and she is just as excited about math & science as I am!
We are going to
have an AWESOME year together! Fifth
grade is the best grade of all!
Mrs. Steele
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