Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to Westfield Elementary, and our fifth grade A.L.L. class. I am looking forward to an exciting year, and want to take this opportunity to set forth some information about my classroom expectations and procedures. Please read through the following information, and return to me the final page signed for my records.
This year, we will be reading both fiction and informational pieces, writing Opinion and Informative essays, working a lot with fractions and decimals in math, studying American history, covering science topics such as magnetism, electricity, physical features of our nation, and how to create our own science projects. We will also be participating in the Utah Underwater Robotics program. I am excited for all these great learning opportunities!
This document includes information about (1) Attendance, (2) Discipline Plan,
(3) Grading Policy, (4) Homework/Test, and (5) Birthdays/Treats.
Attendance: Students are expected to be at school each and every day, and arrive on time. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of each child, the school asks parents to call and notify the office or the teacher if their child will be absent. Students who are absent or tardy will be required to make up any missed assignments. The due date of a missed assignment (excused absence) will be extended in proportion to the number of days missed. We will abide by further guidelines as outlined in the Alpine School District and Westfield Elementary attendance policies.
Discipline: As an A.L.L. classroom, I have high standards for behavior. Students are expected to be responsible for their work, and follow the three classroom rules: Respect Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect Your World. Students will be rewarded with Fifth Grade money and positive reinforcement. The least restrictive interventions will be used for inappropriate behavior (ie. proximity, eye contact, quiet verbal warnings). If these interventions are unsuccessful, the student will be given the opportunity to fill out a reflection form and set a goal for future behavior. These forms will be signed by the student and teacher, and set home for the parents to sign and return to school. In the case of three or more reflection forms a month, parents will be contacted and a meeting arranged to address the needs of the student.
Grading Policy: Westfield Fifth Grade is transitioning to a Standards Based report card this year. Earning a 3 is an indication of grade level mastery of the material covered. A 4 indicates that the student is performing at a level significantly higher than grade level. The standards on the report card are not all of the standards required of fifth grade students, but are those that have been determined to be most important for success in future grades. Therefore, I will still be instructing and assessing students on material not addressed by these report cards. Students who do not receive at least a 3 on any standard will receive reteaching and a chance to show improvement. Please keep in mind that the grades from the first two terms are NOT FINAL! We work on refining skills and improving all year, so these terms are showing WORKS IN PROGRESS!
Homework: Students will be given regular nightly homework. Students should be spending between 40-60 minutes on homework each night for Accelerated Learning Lab. However, homework should not exceed 60 minutes per night (excluding nightly reading). If your child is spending more time than this on homework, please contact me.
Students will record homework in his or her folder/planner, which will be brought home each night (to be returned EACH day to class). Students will be expected to read for 30 minutes on a daily basis. This reading should be student selected. Other homework varies from night to night. I will send home a note on Wednesdays to let students and parents know of any missing work. If a pattern develops of work being unfinished, I will contact parents to set up a meeting to address the issue.
For any project that is assigned, a grading rubric with also be handed out. If there are any questions about the expectations or the rubric, please encourage your child to come to me for clarification before the night before the project is due!
Birthdays: Students may bring treats to class to celebrate their birthdays. Those with summer birthdays may bring in treats on their half birthdays if they would like to celebrate with friends. We do have students in our class with nut allergies, so please, NO NUTS OF ANY KIND will be allowed in the classroom. Thank you for your attention to this.
Planners are a great way to communicate with me. I will be communicating with you via email as much as possible, to cut down on paper use. My email address is [email protected] . I will respond as soon as possible to emails, but I have limited time to access it during the school day. Every Monday, I will send an email through Skyward with information on assignments, announcements, and links that may be helpful for homework or enjoyment. These will also be posted on our class website under the tab "Classroom Comments." I will also occasionally have the students post to the blog for an assignment. The address for this site is http://zitoszainybrainies.weebly.com. You can also link to it from the school website.
If you have questions and need to conference with me, I am available before school (7:30-8:00) and after school (3:30-4:00). Please call or email me to schedule an appointment, and I will be happy to meet with you. Thank you for choosing to be part of our Westfield Wolves community, and in particular, our A.L.L. program. We are looking forward to a great year!
Mrs. Ann Zito
801-610-8720
[email protected]
Welcome to Westfield Elementary, and our fifth grade A.L.L. class. I am looking forward to an exciting year, and want to take this opportunity to set forth some information about my classroom expectations and procedures. Please read through the following information, and return to me the final page signed for my records.
This year, we will be reading both fiction and informational pieces, writing Opinion and Informative essays, working a lot with fractions and decimals in math, studying American history, covering science topics such as magnetism, electricity, physical features of our nation, and how to create our own science projects. We will also be participating in the Utah Underwater Robotics program. I am excited for all these great learning opportunities!
This document includes information about (1) Attendance, (2) Discipline Plan,
(3) Grading Policy, (4) Homework/Test, and (5) Birthdays/Treats.
Attendance: Students are expected to be at school each and every day, and arrive on time. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of each child, the school asks parents to call and notify the office or the teacher if their child will be absent. Students who are absent or tardy will be required to make up any missed assignments. The due date of a missed assignment (excused absence) will be extended in proportion to the number of days missed. We will abide by further guidelines as outlined in the Alpine School District and Westfield Elementary attendance policies.
Discipline: As an A.L.L. classroom, I have high standards for behavior. Students are expected to be responsible for their work, and follow the three classroom rules: Respect Yourself, Respect Others, and Respect Your World. Students will be rewarded with Fifth Grade money and positive reinforcement. The least restrictive interventions will be used for inappropriate behavior (ie. proximity, eye contact, quiet verbal warnings). If these interventions are unsuccessful, the student will be given the opportunity to fill out a reflection form and set a goal for future behavior. These forms will be signed by the student and teacher, and set home for the parents to sign and return to school. In the case of three or more reflection forms a month, parents will be contacted and a meeting arranged to address the needs of the student.
Grading Policy: Westfield Fifth Grade is transitioning to a Standards Based report card this year. Earning a 3 is an indication of grade level mastery of the material covered. A 4 indicates that the student is performing at a level significantly higher than grade level. The standards on the report card are not all of the standards required of fifth grade students, but are those that have been determined to be most important for success in future grades. Therefore, I will still be instructing and assessing students on material not addressed by these report cards. Students who do not receive at least a 3 on any standard will receive reteaching and a chance to show improvement. Please keep in mind that the grades from the first two terms are NOT FINAL! We work on refining skills and improving all year, so these terms are showing WORKS IN PROGRESS!
Homework: Students will be given regular nightly homework. Students should be spending between 40-60 minutes on homework each night for Accelerated Learning Lab. However, homework should not exceed 60 minutes per night (excluding nightly reading). If your child is spending more time than this on homework, please contact me.
Students will record homework in his or her folder/planner, which will be brought home each night (to be returned EACH day to class). Students will be expected to read for 30 minutes on a daily basis. This reading should be student selected. Other homework varies from night to night. I will send home a note on Wednesdays to let students and parents know of any missing work. If a pattern develops of work being unfinished, I will contact parents to set up a meeting to address the issue.
For any project that is assigned, a grading rubric with also be handed out. If there are any questions about the expectations or the rubric, please encourage your child to come to me for clarification before the night before the project is due!
Birthdays: Students may bring treats to class to celebrate their birthdays. Those with summer birthdays may bring in treats on their half birthdays if they would like to celebrate with friends. We do have students in our class with nut allergies, so please, NO NUTS OF ANY KIND will be allowed in the classroom. Thank you for your attention to this.
Planners are a great way to communicate with me. I will be communicating with you via email as much as possible, to cut down on paper use. My email address is [email protected] . I will respond as soon as possible to emails, but I have limited time to access it during the school day. Every Monday, I will send an email through Skyward with information on assignments, announcements, and links that may be helpful for homework or enjoyment. These will also be posted on our class website under the tab "Classroom Comments." I will also occasionally have the students post to the blog for an assignment. The address for this site is http://zitoszainybrainies.weebly.com. You can also link to it from the school website.
If you have questions and need to conference with me, I am available before school (7:30-8:00) and after school (3:30-4:00). Please call or email me to schedule an appointment, and I will be happy to meet with you. Thank you for choosing to be part of our Westfield Wolves community, and in particular, our A.L.L. program. We are looking forward to a great year!
Mrs. Ann Zito
801-610-8720
[email protected]
