Welcome to the 5th grade at New Hope Elementary. We have a busy and very exciting year ahead of us. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Paige Harper. I went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a Teaching Fellows scholarship and graduated with a BA in Elementary Education. I then attended East Carolina University where I received my Masters Degree in Elementary Education. This is my 17th year teaching! In my 17 years, I’ve taught 3rd, 4th, 5th grades as well as Drama.
While your student is in my homeroom, this year our 5th grade students will be participating in Team Teaching. The students will be “switching classes” where one teacher has them for Reading/Social Studies and the other teacher has them for Math/Science. Our class will be teaming up with Mrs. Pittman. She will be teaching Reading/Social Studies and I will be teaching Math/Science. The students will be keeping all of their class materials (paper, pencil pouches, assignments) in the big binder and carrying it from one class to another, so please be sure they have their supplies. They will also carry their backpacks, chromebooks and homework folders to and from classes. If you have Reading or Social Studies specific questions please direct them to Mrs. Pittman through Dojo or at johnna.pittman@wilsonschoolsnc.net.
Mrs. Pittman and I look forward to getting to know you and your child. We realize that teaching your child is a privilege, as well as a tremendous responsibility. We promise that we will do my best to ensure that each student has a motivating and safe learning experience in this classroom. As you can imagine, we can’t do this alone. We need your help! We need for each of you to encourage your child at home to complete all homework, assignments and help them study for quizzes and tests. With your help, we are confident we are going to have a great year!
Here is some important information to help prepare your child and yourself:
*Schoolwide PBIS: Our school is taking on a PBIS initiative this year, which stands for Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. Rules and procedures will be established and taught throughout the school to encourage positive behaviors and good choices for all students. Our slogan is we are “aRmored for Success” and we will do this by making sure:
-We are Respectful
-We are Responsible
-We are Ready to Learn
*Classroom Behavior: In our classroom we will also continue to support and initiate our PBIS rules, but we also have some specific classroom rules that will be expected which we will discuss on the first day of school. If students have behavior issues I will be in contact with you.
*Class Dojo: Classroom behavior and work habits will be tracked via Class Dojo. This program allows me to both give points to students for making positive choices and take points away. Class Dojo also has a message feature. I will frequently use these features to communicate with all of our class parents or you individually. Additionally, you can use this feature to send me private messages. Many of you may already be linked to a Class Dojo account, if you do not have one I will send a paper home about linking up. *Class Dojo use may vary from teacher to teacher*
*Chromebooks: We are so excited that the WCS Technology Department is able to issue a Chromebook to each child this coming school year. A Technology Fee of $30 will be charged per student. We plan to distribute Chromebooks during the first week of school. Students who have submitted the Technology Fee will be allowed to take their Chromebooks home for school use nightly. Students will be expected to bring their Chromebook back and forth to school daily. Please take time to discuss being CAREFUL with their devices and remembering to bring the device AND power cord DAILY. Students are expected to charge their devices at home nightly so they will be fully charged to work at school.
*Classwork: Students will be completing classwork daily that reflects material being taught. Classwork may be paper assignments, Google Classroom assignments, Core 5, 99 Math or ReadWorks, for example. Students are expected to complete assignments in a timely manner. Assignments are due within FIVE DAYS of being assigned. If for some reason your student is NOT able to complete their assignments within FIVE DAYS please reach out to your teacher.
*Homework: Students will be assigned and expected to complete homework daily to reinforce skills or concepts taught in class. It will be reviewed daily and checked/graded only for completeness. Please expect nightly (Monday-Thursday) homework and check planners for assignments.
-Math: A worksheet with nightly activities
-ELA: Homework will be given at the beginning of each week. Homework will follow the routines listed below and will alternate between #1 and #2 routines every other week. Homework will be due the last day of the week. If any chances are made to homework, parents will be notified through DOJO.
#1: Students will be given a text to read and will complete different activities each night based on the text. The activities will include:
Night 1: Read the given text
Night 2: Identify the meaning of vocabulary words
Night 3: Summarize the text/ or Answer questions
Night 4: Written Response/ or Answer questions
#2: Students will read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes each night. After reading, students will write a short summary about what they have read. Students will also write one question/ wondering that they have after reading the text.
*Core 5: Core 5 is an online reading practice we use at school. Students are expected to complete AT LEAST 10 units per week. They are given an opportunity to complete this most days in class, but if they have not completed their minutes/units that day they are expected to complete them for their homework.
*Google Classroom: We will use Google Classroom where student activities and assignments will be posted. You can check if your student has completed their required assignments in Google Classroom by having them log and show you. You can also sign up to receive notifications and emails about assignments in Google Classroom. Please have your student check their Google Classroom nightly at home to make sure all work is complete and submitted.
*Data Notebooks: Our students will be keeping up with their graded assignments in Data Notebooks. These will serve as a document to keep students, parents and teachers continuously aware of student performance. Data Notebooks will go home frequently to be reviewed, signed and returned. Data Notebooks will serve as a way for students to track their progress, to keep you informed of their progress and to keep graded papers in a safe place. Please do not take papers that are in the rings out of the Data Notebook when they come home and make sure the notebooks are signed and returned the day after they are sent home.
*Absences/Tardiness: Please send a note to school when your child has been absent or tardy or if they are checking out early for an appointment. If afternoon transportation is changed please send a signed and dated note with your student, changes MUST be made BEFORE 11:00. A student is considered tardy if they are not in the classroom by 8:00 a.m. If the student arrives after that time they need to check in with the office. A student is also considered TARDY if they are checked out before 3:00 p.m. A student is considered ABSENT if they are checked out BEFORE 11:30 am.
*Parent Portal: Parent Portal is online access to your student’s classroom grades and attendance. WCS is using Infinite Campus this year for Parent Portals. You should have received an email with your login this summer. If you do not already have access to Infinite Campus Parent Portal you may get the information you need in the front office. It is important that you have access to Parent Portal to track your student’s progress.
*Grading Scale: Student’s grades will be based on percent correct. Along with percentages they will also get letter grades to reflect their work. They are as follows:
A: 100%-90%
B: 89%-80%
C: 79%-70%
D: 69%-60%
F: 59%-0%
*New Hope Website: The school website has many helpful links and documents including: Student Handbook, Individual Class Websites, PTO Information, Volunteer Tracker, School Calendar, Lots of other great information!
*5th Grade Website: Please take time to visit our 5th grade website via the New Hope website. This site has information about our class schedule, contact information and most importantly, curriculum objectives, descriptions, charts, videos and other helpful links.
If you have any questions or concerns at any time during the school year, please feel free to contact us! The fastest and easiest way to contact us is by email or through the Class Dojo message feature. You can also reach us at school by calling (252)399-7950 or sending a note with your student. We look forward to a fabulous year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Paige Harper (Math/Science) paige.harper@wilsonschoolsnc.net
Mrs. Johnna Pittman (Reading/Social Studies) johnna.pittman@wilsonschoolsnc.net