Welcome+Letter



Welcome Back to School and to 5th Grade! August 24, 2014

Dear Parents and Students:

Welcome back to school! It is an exciting time of year for all of us and I am sure that your students are getting ready to head to school. I have been busy in our classroom and look forward to having your child in my room. Below are a few highlights of our day and the link will take you to our daily schedule.
 * School starts promptly at 8:05. We hit the ground running each morning and if your child is at school on time, they will truly benefit from all of the lessons and practice we complete in the morning.
 * Our recess will be in the morning. It will be from 10:30-10:50. Our math and most of our language arts will take place in the morning. I urge you to send a snack with your child each day. They will also be given a water bottle by me that they can keep on their desk. If they want to bring their own water bottle, that is fine too. PLEASE only water.
 * School ends at 3:14. This is a change from previous years.



Our specials schedule is very different from what we've done in the past. We will be having 50 minute specials on two days each week. Our PE class will be on Tuesday from 1:30-2:20. Please have your child wear PE appropriate footwear. Boots and high heel shoes are not safe nor are they comfortable to work out in. On Thursdays, we will be seeing Mrs. Kleinschmidt (Miss Gotham got married in July) for music and technology. This will also be from 1:30-2:20. Then, on Mondays/Wednesdays we will be going to Mr. Foote's room for math enrichment. Fridays will alternate between PE and Health. Although it seems confusing, I am excited to try out this new schedule and for the opportunities we have for new endeavors. On Monday, August 25th, 5th grade is hosting a book celebration. We are featuring favorite books we've read over the summer. Last year's fifth graders along with our incoming fifth graders have been invited. I hope to see many of you there. Then, on Wednesday, we are having our annual Open House so our students can visit classrooms and meet their teachers. Families received their invites by snail mail as well.

The subject of homework has come up more than once since open house and believe me it is something my teammates and I discuss regularly. We really feel it is important to have your child get in the habit of doing homework and practice what they are learning in school. With that having been said, your students will have math homework and there is no set day for it. It will be when we get to that part of the lesson. Your child will also have reading homework. But, they will not have to keep track of minutes or pages read, it will be related to a skill we are working on in class. With that having been said, I urge you to read with your child and to encourage your child to read independently. This will help them understand our world in a much deeper way.

Speaking of math, we have the same math series as last year, just at a 5th grade level. Your child will have a "student book" that they will keep at school. It is intended to have the pages ripped out to turn in. You may see these pages come home in your child's homework folder. This series also has an online component that we will utilize. More information will follow regarding this.

On September 12th, we will be celebrating "International Dot Day" based on the book "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds. Each 5th grade student will decorate their dot any way they'd like and it will be displayed in the 5th grade hall. In addition to the dot decorating, there will be a family gathering at Hillside and every family that attends will be able to make their "dot" with sidewalk chalk, on the sidewalk. We will also have hot dogs and all the things that go along with a picnic dinner. After your family makes their mark, we will head over to the HHS Football game and support our Hornets. I hope you will be able to join us. Look for more information coming home the first few days of school.

That's all for now, I hope you are looking forward to this new year. I know I am.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Romanowski