Weekly Updates

Welcome to Grade 4/5! 

Class/Teacher Information: Mrs. Courtney Shimenetto

 (4th Grade Math)

Email: cshimenetto@etudegroup.org

Blog/Website: https://sites.google.com/etudegroup.org/shim45/home 

Etude office: 920-459-0947

Class/Teacher Information: Miss Hernandez

(⅘ Grade Math)

Email: ahernandez@etudegroup.org

Blog/Website: 

https://sites.google.com/etudegroup.org/hernandez-23-24/home 

Class/Teacher Information: Mr. Nik Scharenbroch

 (5th Grade Math)

Email: nscharenbroch@etudegroup.org

Blog/Website: https://sites.google.com/etudegroup.org/scharenbroch45/home

Greetings Fourth and Fifth Grade families!

We are so excited to share this year of learning with you! All is being prepared in the classrooms. We look forward to working together to get the year off to a great start!

The following is a list of important things to remember about our days at school:

Breakfast - Breakfast, which is free again this year, will be served in the classroom from 8:05-8:20. If you would like your child to eat at school, please have them here at 8:05 as uneaten breakfasts get picked up by 8:25. 

Snack - We will have time for a morning  snack in the classroom. Please send along a healthy snack for your child (no candy please, it will not be served.) You may send a snack daily or keep it in a box in their locker.

Math - For math this year, fourth and fifth grade students will be splitting into different classrooms. Mrs. Shimenetto will be teaching fourth graders, while Mr. Scharenbroch will be teaching fifth graders. Ms. Hernanadez will be team teaching the intervention class with Mrs. Klitzke. Our math program is called “Bridges.” More information about this curriculum can be found on our websites. Students will generally have a sheet of home learning that will be given out on Mondays and due back on Wednesdays. 

Specials - Students will have music, gym, drama, and movement, each class with its own dedicated teacher. Ms. Hernandez will be teaching Art to all of the 4/5 students. She has an extensive background in art and looks forward to putting it into practice.

Library - We will be using both the school library and Mead Public Library for books this year. It would be great for your child to have a library card from Mead, as we plan to use the public library once a month. You can sign up for this card in person, or online at meadpl.org. We are looking to start within the first couple of weeks so please have your child bring in an extra library card or a piece of paper with their card number and their password. We will keep these throughout the year so they do not need to bring them back and forth.

End of the Day- We have an “appreciations” meeting to complete our school day. We value this as part of our school culture. Please wait in the entryway for the bells to ring and the doors to be opened. School releases at 3:15 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 2:00 on Wednesday. Names will start to be called for pickup five minutes prior to the end of the day.

Transportation - For the safety of your child, it is important that we keep them in the classroom at the end of the day until you come in to pick them up (unless they are designated to a bus or after school care). We will only release your child to individuals that are approved on your information sheet in the office. If you ever need to make a change for the day please call or email Mrs. Madajewski (in the office) or the classroom teacher. Any other arrangements, such as “my child needs to wait outside for me,” should be communicated ahead of time. Please keep in mind that there will be no adults to supervise outside at the end of the day.

Binder/Planner- Your child will have a binder with a planner that will come home daily (except Fridays.) Any home learning, notes, or important documents will be sent home in this binder. Please make sure your child brings it back to school daily. 

Home Learning - There is home learning each evening: Fourth and fifth graders will be asked to read

for at least 30 minutes every night. Approximately once per week, students will work on their reading strategy that will be due on Fridays. There will be a space for students to answer this question within their planner. There may be other times throughout the year where students might need to finish class work as well; that will be written in their planners. We may also send home math connections when the students need a bit more 

practice.

Units - This year our units of focus will be focusing on both social studies and science. Our first unit will be dealing with environmental concerns. Our second unit will be focusing on cultures around the world. In our last unit, our focus will be on renewable energy.

Communication - We will be updating our blogs once a week and send an email out when we do so. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email. If you have an urgent matter during the school day, please contact the office at the number listed above as we don’t always make it to our email until the end of the day. 

Parent Volunteers - If you are looking for an opportunity to come into the classroom to help, please email us and let us know when you are available and what you might be comfortable doing. In the past, the 4-5 classes have had parents help during math times, run reading groups, or help work during project times. If there is ever a special need for volunteers, we will send an email out with what we are planning and what we might need help with.   Third trimester we will be going sailing, and this is usually a time when we need a lot of volunteers. All volunteers are required to have a background check on file ahead of time. 

We look forward to working with all of you this school year!

Here’s to a great year!

Mrs. Courtney Shimenetto (Mrs. Shim)

Miss Hernandez

Mr. Scharenbroch