Communication:

Open communication is an important element to a child's success in school. Contact information for each teacher can be found by clicking the phone icon on the 5th grade home page. The quickest way to contact us is by phoning or dropping us an e-mail.

Grading:  

Grades will be determined by homework, quizzes, tests, class work, participation, and special projects or assignments. Students' final grades are based on the NYS Learning Standards and a range of 1 to 4. Performance tasks and “on demand” writing prompts are also expected to be completed by each student as per the ECC and “Curriculum Guide for Parents.”

Absent Days:  

When your child is absent, we can arrange to have the work he or she missed ready by the end of the day for you to pick up, or to go home with another student. Please contact the office before noon so arrangements can be made. Please remember to call the office in the event of an absence.

Homework:

Students are expected to complete daily homework assignments. The purpose of homework is to provide extra practice at home in addition to reinforcing concepts taught in school. Please let us know if your child has difficulty with any part of their assignments. Students are expected to record all homework assignments in their assignment notebook.

Friday Folders:

At the end of each week, students will bring home a Friday Folder.  The Friday Folder contains the current week's assignments, tests, weekly progress sheet and other important information.  Any missed or late assignments will be recorded on the weekly progress sheet.  Students are expected to complete missed assignments.  The weekly progress sheet needs to be signed by a parent/guardian and returned to school on Monday.

Occasionally volunteers may be needed in the classroom for special events. We will contact parents should we need extra help.

Birthday Parties:

Students are welcome to celebrate birthdays! Small treats that can be easily distributed are encouraged. Please be respectful of other students that may have allergies. Check with the classroom teacher if you are unsure of any allergies in your child's class.

New York State Testing:

Fifth graders take state tests in Social Studies (November), English Language Arts (April), and Mathematics (May). The specific test dates are listed in the school calendar.

Students are responsible for any missed class work that occurs while they are out of the room for music lessons and rehearsals.   Missed class work may include: activities, assignments, quizzes, tests, notes etc.

Students must keep track of their own band/orchestra lesson times. A schedule is posted in each classroom. Instruments and books should be stowed in the hallway. Students are asked to quietly leave the room to avoid disrupting the class.

Students need to be prepared for their lessons and weekly rehearsal times. If an instrument is brought to the office, homeroom teachers will allow students to pick up their items at a convenient time based on our schedule in the classroom.

Most times, all band and orchestra members will be required to attend lessons and/or rehearsals even if they do not have their instruments. Please work to be ready to participate fully!

Dare:

Drug Abuse and Resistance Education is a program run by Officer Gwiazdowski. The program runs from now until the middle of January. At the end of the program there will be a DARE graduation.

Chorus  

Chorus practice will be held each Monday from 2:15-3:00 pm. During this time no academic instruction will take place.

Literacy Program:

Students will receive thirty minutes of instruction per week in a specialized language arts curriculum from a program instructor. This program will help students to improve their language arts skills aligned with the state assessments, standards and the ECC curriculum.

We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful website and links to the Okte library. Please take advantage of this opportunity to practice reading and answering fifth grade curriculum questions with your child. Additional information is provided on the library/computer lab websites.

Young Scholars Program: 

The Young Scholars Program will be on Fridays. Students will need to meet with their homeroom teacher Friday morning before leaving and Friday afternoon upon returning to receive assignments.

Book Club Orders:

Book orders will be sent home monthly.  Please be sure to return your book order by the designated date.  Payment MUST be in the form of a CHECK.  Cash can not be accepted.

Snacks:

Students may bring a midmorning snack to school.   Healthy, nutritious foods for snacks are encouraged.