We need your involvement.  At home, this might look like asking your student what their highs and lows of school was for that day.  I use the REMIND app to help facilitate those questions through pictures or updates.   I encourage you to check this often to see how your students are growing as learners.  Your student is not too old to read to you!  Please read together, this is still a crucial time in a child's reading life as they begin to dive deep into texts and discover what it means to learn from what they are reading.  

Come to school events when you can.  I know this can be hard with jobs and other activities, but being present as best as you can makes a difference in your child's academic and social life.  We will have several opportunities for your involvement.  I will post these on REMIND as they come available.

Volunteer!  Parent volunteers make classrooms run smoother.  It helps teachers spend more time one-on-one with students and less time making copies or getting supplies ready.  There are so many ways for parents to volunteer.  It can be one time on a field-trip or once a week or even once every other week.  I want to work with your schedule.  We will have an opportunity for parents to fill out how they can volunteer at the beginning of the school year.  Sometimes we simply need items for projects we are working on, we would love for you to be a part of our classroom family in any way you can.

Encourage your students to try on their own first.  Upper-Elementary is crucial to students becoming even more self-sufficient.  If they do not fully understand something, please have them come to me directly.  If they are unclear what to study for tests or quizzes, please encourage them to check their Google Calendar, study their notebooks, or come to me directly (not on the morning the assignment is due) or send me an email (I will respond to students through their GMAIL).  If you notice they are not able to do homework on their own at home without your help, please let me know that evening (homework should be for practicing skills they already know and for building good study habits).    Building good study habits will be crucial to their success in 5th-grade and beyond. Let's work together to get them at a place where they know when to ask questions, problem-solve through what they know and are self-motivated learners.

Give your best every day!  Show up to school like you are coming to work.  Until students graduate high-school or college, school is their job.   Students should come to school ready to learn.

Help us maintain a classroom environment that is safe for all students to learn.  This means coming to school ready to learn by following the rules and participating in a manner that benefits everyone.  Caring for one another should be your first priority.  We want to try and treat others the way that we would want to be treated.  Please keep our Colt values in mind everyday. 

Bring kindness, integrity and respect to the classroom every day.  These qualities will make our classroom an amazing place to learn.

Learn from your mistakes.  No one is perfect, but we all can take our mistakes and make the best of them. Students who become reflective about how they can improve or change how they learn grow in their learning.   "Practice makes progress." (you will hear me say this a lot).  Mistakes are ALSO OK.  Getting a bad grade on something can give you lots of insight into what you need to study further, manage your time better, or show you some new things you need to focus on more deeply for the NEXT TIME.  

Take ownership of your learning - If you do not understand something, ask a classmate or a teacher.  Keep trying until you "get it".  Write in your agenda and stay organized.  Turn in assignments on time (this is a life skill for future high school, college and career opportunities).  Be self-aware of how you learn best.  TIME MANAGMENT!!!  I cannot stress this enough.  Use 5th grade to learn how you learn best so that middle school is EASY.  I have a lot of grace for this in my classroom and will support you each step of the way.  You just need to be willing to TRY.  Let's find a system that works for you so that you can become a better student.

Stay Positive.  Negative talk like "can't", "won't", and "I quit" will not help you improve.  Work on saying words like "not yet", "I'll try", or "let me reflect on how I can make that better."  You can also ask questions on how you can improve.

Be Willing to Ask Questions - I LOVE questions!  Thinking more deeply, finding ways to ask questions is how we learn.  If you are curious, ask questions!  

Let's Celebrate Successes - Let's remember to celebrate successes.  Being a leader in encouragement and positive words is a great way to share joy and make our classroom an amazing place to learn.

Providing a safe learning environment for students is my top priority.  Students learn better in an environment where they can feel safe to participate.  Students come from many different backgrounds and situations.  I want to respect each student individually while realizing that we are a class family and all need to find ways to respect each other while we learn.

My job is to teach your child what they need to know before middle school.  To do this I follow the college and career ready standards given to me by the state of South Carolina.  Your student will learn a lot this year! There is more information about this on our district website:  www.fortmillschools.org

I will advocate for your child's learning.  Everyone is different and learns in different ways, I hope this year, students  will become more self-aware of how they learn so that they can begin to make the adjustments they need in their learning to do their absolute best.  Your children will come first every day in my classroom and I hope to push them in directions they did not know they could go while advocating and/or appreciating their gifts, talents and abilities.

I will partner with parents to make this year a great year for your child.  I am just a piece to this puzzle, so I will work hard and give my very best everyday to partner with you and make sure your child has a great school year.  There are many different ways to get a hold of me.  I am their teacher and spend a lot of time with your child, but you are their parent(s) and know them best. Please communicate anything that will make their day/week/year amazing.