5th Grade Weekly Updates
Welcome to 5th Grade!
In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for additional communications from the school and/or our team. We look forward to seeing our students at Meet & Greet Day August 12th! The first full day of school is Thursday, August 13th.
Sincerely, The 5th Grade Teachers
Ms. Taft, Ms. Stucky, Ms. Hormachea & Ms. Dunlap
At Pine Lane we have worked hard to develop and implement our mission statement, vision statement, and Habits of Character (see below). We will use these to guide our work throughout the year in everything that we do each day both in, and hopefully out of school. We have a strong belief in and passion for teaching children how to understand and take responsibility for the choices they make in all aspects of their lives. When students make choices that do not match our expectations at Pine Lane, our goal is to guide them to correct and make amends for those choices. Discipline and/or consequences differ depending on each individual situation. We will always make you aware if there is a recurring issue, so that we may work together to find solutions.
It is our goal and hope to teach our 5th grade crew reflection and problem solving skills so that we may correct and learn from behavior early on to avoid negative consequences.
Pine Lane’s Mission
Pine Lane empowers excellence in character, achievement, and contribution to a better world.
Excellence trackers will be sent home each Friday. This allows parents to see how their child is doing in school both academically and behaviorally on a weekly basis. Please sign and return on Mondays. If they are not returned, you will receive an email and students will have dojo points taken away.
Class Dojo is an app we will be using to communicate with families in addition to our newsletters. This app has a messaging feature, a sharing feature, and a behavior tracking feature. It is an easy way for us to have constant communication about your child’s experiences in the classroom. We will use it to share quick reminders, pictures, etc. as well as to track positive behaviors and areas that your child might be struggling in on that day. Links will be shared with parents once school starts.
Our philosophy on homework is that it should be practice of skills that students can do independently without too much struggle. In learning it is good for students to experience productive struggle with the guidance and support of teachers, but that is often hard for families to support at home.
Reading/Writing - Each week students will be expected to read 80 minutes or more. They can read this all in one evening, or spread out throughout the week. They will record their reading on the provided log sent home in Thursday folders, and are expected to have it signed and returned on time the following Friday (with a grace period until the following Monday).
Math - Students will be given practice worksheets each week to practice the skills learned in class, and are also expected to complete 20 minutes of math fact practice each week (multiplication and division facts up to 12, roughly 5 minutes per night). Please see Dunlap/Stucky class websites for math homework assignments and resources. If students are proficient in their math facts, they should practice multi-digit multiplication and division fluency (aka. long multiplication & long division).
In addition to the above expectations there may be occasional writing assignments or projects. If there is a conflict at home, or a concern about your child’s level of frustration, please contact us so we can work with you and them to find a solution. If you would like additional or specific help with homework, we are happy to work with each family on an individual basis.
Of course behavioral choices play a role, but we are also very interested in working with our crews on their work habit choices. We want them to learn, and be motivated by the knowledge that their motivation and effort will directly affect their results when accomplishing tasks. We want to see depth and quality in the work children do each day. When a child is off task and distracting others, they may have in-class consequences. If students are not completing the work assigned due to their choices, they will be expected to complete that work as homework or at our Friday study halls. If student work is not showing the quality we know they can produce, they may be asked to redo the assignment. If work is missing or incomplete due to absences or other situations outside of their control, we will work with you as a family to decide the best course of action.
Much of the work done in class will be considered practice and will not have a specific grade. Work that is graded, or considered an assessment or final project will be scored using specific rubrics or a percentage of correct answers (ie: math assessments). Work that is just considered practice may not have a score, but rather just a check mark to show it was completed.
Elementary Progress Reports (EPR) are the district grade reports that come out twice a year. Your child’s scoring on these will be a representation of their work throughout the semester, but will reflect their mastery of the standards at the end of the grading period. We do not send out “progress reports,” however we have an open door policy and are happy to meet with parents at any time to discuss progress. In addition, if we have any specific concerns about a child’s progress, we will contact the parents right away to discuss solutions.
We will use Google Classroom as our main platform for all electronic assignments. Most of your child’s literacy assignments will be on Google classroom. As a parent you can view their Google Classroom at any time to see their progress and missing assignments. Grades are often not given on this platform, but we are happy to answer questions about grades if you have them.
Students are expected to use technology appropriately and for school related purposes only. If students do not follow the technology contract they sign prior to the first day of school, their computer will be taken away. The length of time without their Chromebook will depend on the severity of the offense and/or repeated violations.
Cell phones will not be allowed in class. When students arrive at school we will expect them to silence or turn off their phone and keep it in their backpack. If a student is caught with a phone in class, they will be asked to put it in their backpack, if the problem continues the phone will be confiscated and returned at the end of the day. Parents will need to pick up the phones of repeat offenders.
Students may pack one snack and a water bottle each day. Snacks will be eaten at a designated time. Water bottles may be kept in the classroom, but may only contain water. Please save all other beverages for lunch or home.
If you and your child would like to celebrate his/her birthday or other special occasion here at school we welcome that. Please let us know in advance, so we can plan accordingly. We will celebrate birthdays at the beginning of our afternoon recess, which is at 2:00 pm. Be aware that we do have allergies in the room, so if you choose to bring an edible treat please plan accordingly.
We love volunteers at Pine Lane! If you are interested in being a volunteer, please make sure you fill out the volunteer form through your parent portal. We send out a sign-up for specific volunteer duties early in the year, such as Thursday folders, filing, and classroom parties. If you can not do a set time, or have a specific idea please feel free to contact us about that. We will request chaperones for volunteers as those come up throughout the year.
5th Grade Supplies
As we near the start of school, make sure your student is ready to tackle 5th Grade! See the supply list linked below for all the details of what your student will need for the year. Please note that several supplies are used communally, while others will remain with your student throughout the year.
If you purchased a Supply Kit earlier in the summer, those will be delivered directly to the classrooms before school begins.
Need some help with supplies? The Lend-A-Hand Program ensures that every student starting the school year will have the supplies they need to help them be successful in school.
Express Check In is Open!
Please make sure that you complete Express Check-In for each of your PLE students as soon as possible - this is completed in the EngagED Parent Portal. You will be asked to confirm/update your child's contact information, health history, and complete important forms relating to the new school year to ensure your student's school files are current and correct. For more information about the importance of Express Check-In, please visit the DCSD Express Check In website. For login help, click here.
We have included the first two months of bus route cancellations so you can plan accordingly:
- Week of Aug. 13: Route 142
- Week of Aug. 17: None
- Week of Aug. 24: Routes 145, 151, 183
- Week of Aug. 31: Routes 141, 146
- Week of Sept. 8: Route 142
- Week of Sept. 14: None
- Week of Sept. 22: Routes 145, 151, 183
- Week of Sept. 28: Routes 141, 146