COMMUNICATION

You may contact me by phone at school or email me at drosenquist@comsewogue.k12.ny.us. Throughout the year I will post important classroom news or information via email and/or newsletter.

CONFERENCES

There will be a Parent-Teacher Conference sign-up sheet available at the September Back-To-School Night. Shortly after that I will post the schedule on this website.

HOMEWORK

I assign minimal homework. (You can read about what research says about the value of homework here and here and here.) Here's what your child is expected to do every night. 1) - Read independently for 30 minutes. This should be the same book they are reading in school. 2) - Memorize their multiplication & division facts using the XtraMath program. In addition, students may be assigned math problems or other review work. Homework is posted in the classroom each morning and students have an opportunity to record it in their daily planner.

If students are at music lessons they may need to complete classwork for homework. Sometimes students may have to finish reading and completing a book club assignment too.

I build in lots of extra time for students to complete assignments. In math, we do lots of practice in class so students have access to the teacher if they need help. Students that routinely do not use their time wisely in class will need to finish assignments as homework.

The most important thing you can do to support your child's academic success is to ensure that they have time, daily, to read independently. There are so many things that distract children from reading at home - from video games to noisy siblings - so, it's important that you help your child find quiet time and space for reading. I encourage students to also read on the weekend!

Students record homework and other important information and announcements in their Planner. Please help your child to remember to bring their planner and independent reading book to school every day.

READING

It is my goal to foster a love of reading and create life-long readers. Choice is key to cultivating this love. One portion of our reading workshop is independent reading, where I provide at least 30 minutes each day for students to read. During this time students select their own reading material. Our classroom has hundreds of books and I add books regularly. In addition, students can select books from Terryville Library or the Comsewogue Public Library. And of course books from home are welcome too. You will notice that I do not give a lot of homework. One reason is that I want my students to read. Our in-class reading time does not replace home reading. Students will also enjoy participating in small group book clubs and whole class novel read alouds throughout the year.

MATH

It is essential that students have all their math facts mastered by fifth grade! Every skill and concept that will be covered in 5th grade and up through middle school and high school will depend on students having these facts mastered. That means recall within 5 seconds without having to do calculations. Students that don't have these facts memorized will struggle in math! We will use XtraMath to practice and evaluate our multiplication and division facts. This is assigned as homework. Fifth grade math includes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, decimals and fractions. In our class students are given class time to practice newly acquired skills before assigning it as homework. We work in partners, small groups and individually. Our goal is to build independent mathematicians!

TECHNOLOGY

This year students will be using Google Classroom. Each student will have their own username and password. Students use computers regularly in our classroom, and have the opportunity to create, collaborate and share using some amazing digital tools. Students will learn Internet etiquette and how to be a responsible cyber-citizen.

SNACK

Students are allowed to bring a snack to class if they wish. The only liquid beverage allowed in our classroom is Water! This is to prevent any visits from pests. Please make sure water bottles are insulated so that books and papers don't get wet. ALSO: Be careful when packing water bottles in backpacks. Many students open their backpacks in the morning to find out that their water bottle has leaked and damaged books and other materials.

ABSENCES

Please make sure you call the attendance office to let us know of your child's absence. Any missed homework can be made up later, so don't worry if your child is ill. When they return to school any missed assignments will be available and time to complete them will be adjusted. I do not provide work for students that are going on vacation. Much planning goes into my class lessons that cannot be duplicated in a worksheet. In addition, students will not be able to work on assignments independently if they were not present for lessons. If you plan on taking a vacation during school time I suggest that your child continues to practice their math facts daily and to read daily.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

We love celebrating birthdays! You are welcome to send in a special treat for your child. All food must be store bought and have ingredients listed on the package. Please either send me a note or email to let me know which day you will be sending something in so that I can make sure we have time in our schedule. You may either leave the treat at the front desk or send it in with your child. Please be sure to send in napkins and utensils if needed. No juice please, and just one treat! Please be kind and only send birthday invitations to school if you are inviting the entire class. This is good manners and avoids hurt feelings. Students in 5th grade share phone numbers regularly, so that is the best way to get addresses and send out invitations.