Welcome back!

Welcome back to school!  This is where parents, and students alike, can check in periodically to see what is going on in 5th grade math.  Many announcements will be reiterated here, in addition to notes home and occasional text messages through Remind.com.

I'm excited for a new school year!  This year's fifth grade students will have an early taste of middle school, because they will have three teachers, and will be switching subjects throughout the day with a very short (5 minutes) homeroom towards the end of the day. 

Because we have three sections, students will be learning some new skills when it comes to being organized and responsible for their supplies.  Fifth graders are also expected to begin advocating for themselves when they encounter challenges, rather than leaning on mom and dad to "fix" problems for them.  Parents can help their 5th grader gain more confidence and independence by encouraging them to speak first to the teacher(s) when problems arise. As they mature throughout the year, I hope you will find that your student is truly "growing up."

I have several goals for your children while they spend time in our math laboratory.  The first and most important goal is for them to demonstrate empathy to those around them, by means of showing kindness, even when they may not feel like it.  We will be talking about the Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, and using language like, "How did you fill someone's bucket today?" Please encourage your students to tell you about these ideas.

In addition (pardon the pun), we will be doing loads and loads of mathematics in the 90 minute class period.  There is no "down time" so they may be tired the first few weeks of school simply because of all the brain power they are using!  I will be assigning some homework in math, but it is math that they should already be acquainted with from previous grade levels.  If there happens to be a problem or two that looks completely foreign to your student, you are welcome to try to walk them through the process, but leaving it blank is perfectly fine.  This should not happen often, however.

I will be communicating regularly with you through newsletters home, this blog, Remind.com, emails, and a few phone calls now and then.  Please take time this week to look through important papers, including our new cell phone policy.  Please contact me with any math related items you are concerned about.

Let's have a wonderful year!

Mrs. Steele