CENTRAL ELEMENTARY

5th focus
teacher in January, 2009. I believe that my experiences have given me so many opportunities to grow and to learn so much about being a teacher, and I am excited for everything planned for this year. I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know each and every student in fth grad. I hope to develop open lines of communication with all of you as parents. This rst week of school will be an exciting time as I learn about your children. During this rst week we will spend a great deal of time discussing expectations, guidelines, and procedures. Throughout these rst days of school I will be sending home information so that you as a parents are made aware of expectations and procedures as well. Once again, I am really looking forward to a great year. Please feel free to contact me at any time during the year to discuss Mr. Gregory 5th Grade Teacher We are a learning team, and together as we can make a difference! any concerns or questions you might have. A quick guide for ways to connect with ms is below. I am working on utilizing Google Plus and Twitter as ways to communicate with parents.

Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!

Greetings! Hello, my name is Andy Gregory and for the next year I have the privilege of being your son or daughters fth grade teacher. I am very excited about the upcoming year, and I am anticipating a great year for all of us. I hope that you share my excitement and are ready to help make this a memorable, productive, and enjoyable year! I want to start off by letting you know a little more about myself. I grew up in Blair, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2003 with degree in Communications. After graduating, I moved to Bellevue to work at Immanuel Lutheran Church as a Youth Director, where I worked with youth Kindergarten through twelfth grade. During that time, I returned to school and received a second degree, this time in Elementary and Middle Grades Education. I joined the Central staff and the fth grade class as a

How to Stay Connected with Our Class!

Phone: 402-293-4685 Webpage: www.central5th.weebly.com Email: andrew.gregory@bpsne.net Google Plus: Search andrew.gregory Twitter: @central5th

Daily Schedule
7:55 First Bell Rings 8:00 Morning Work and Attendance 8:15 Math 9:15 Science 10:15 Spelling and Language Arts 10:45 Recess 11:00 Reading 11:25 RtI Time 11:50 Lunch/Recess 12:30 Social Studies 1:10 Guided Reading 2:10 Specials 3:00 Clean up and prepare for the end of the day 3:10 Dismissal Specials Schedule: Days 1 & 5 - Media (Including Check-out) Day 3 - Buddies and Computer Lab Day 7 - Art Even Days - P.E. and Music

Our Classroom Rules

In our classroom we have three basic rules. These three rules have a strong focus on respect, and what it means to respect others. These rules are: Respect Teacher Respect Students Respect Property These first several days and weeks of school, we will be spending a lot of time talking about these rules and what exactly they mean. That way, all students will know what is expected in our classroom and in our building. Please talk with your child about what each of these rules means and how we live them out in at school. Additionally, the expectations at Central Elementary as a whole are: Be Safe Be Responsible Be Respectful As an entire staff, we will be focusing on these areas as well, with several Expectation Station posters around the building. I appreciate your support of these rules and expectations!

weekly Progress Report. This report lets you see where your child is earning points or losing points. Students are able to earn points for: Participation Hard Work Perseverance Helping Others On Task Teamwork Students can lose points for: Disrespect No Homework Off Task Poor Work Completion Talking out of Turn Unprepared One additional benefit to using Class Dojo is the ability for you to access the online portion and see how your child is doing on any daily basis. Attached are instructions for setting up your online profile on Class Dojo. Your child may also earn an opportunity to set up an online account to check their point status and change the avatar that is associated with their name. An informational video about Class Dojo is posted on our class web page, central5th.weebly.com

What About Homework?

Often, I am asked what my policy is concerning homework. I generally try to provide students with enough time to complete work in class. I want to be able to provide assistance when needed. Your child may come home with homework to finish, but if they are spending several hours every night on homework, please let me know. There may be a bigger issue that needs addressing.

Classroom Management
I have started using a web-based Classroom Management system in our Fifth Grade classroom called Class Dojo. With this system, students have the opportunity to gain points toward a weekly goal. As a teacher, I can keep track of points, give points, or take points away using a web browser or iPad app. At the end of each week, I will print off a report to send home with the

Extra Fun Things for Fifth Graders

As Fifth Grade students, we have the opportunity to be involved in the following areas. Involvement is entirely optional and is a privilege that other students at Central dont necessarily get a chance to do. In order to continue to be a part of these opportunities, students are required to be positive members of the class and keep grades above a C average. These students leave the room early to do their jobs, and are responsible for making sure they have any additional information they missed while out of the room. Students WILL NOT miss out on new instruction. Lunch Servers Each day, we will send four students to the lunch room to help Mrs. Friend, Food Service, with serving food to the students at Central. Safety Patrol These students will work with Mrs. Sprague before and after school, and assist students with crossing the roads outside. Patrol members are often on duty for two weeks. Mrs. Sprague will be getting information to students in the next couple of weeks concerning Safety Patrol

How do I know how and what my child is doing?

I am a strong believer in making sure parents, students, and I are all on the same page. There are two main ways I regularly work to keep you in the loop with what is happening in class. Each student will have a planner. Every morning as part of their warm-ups, they will fill out the planner for the day. At the end of each day, I will sign each students planner as they leave. They are responsible for making sure any work that needs to be completed comes home with them each night. Additionally, each week, your child will come home with their Friday Folder, which will contain any work that is returned or other important information. Please look through the information, sign the folder, and have your child return it the next Monday. About three weeks into each quarter I will also send home weekly progress and behavior reports in the Friday Folder as well. I ask that those be signed and returned as well. It is the students responsibility to make sure the Friday Folder and Progress Reports are returned every week.

More info about Classroom Management

I try to focus and reward positive behavior in the classroom through several individual, small group, or class rewards. These can all be tracked through Class Dojo. However, occasionally student behavior can negatively affect a students learning, or the learning of other students in our classroom. Again, this can be tracked through Class Dojo, but there will be additional follow-up with the student and parent if necessary.There are four parts to the negative consequences of not following the classroom rules and expectations. Warning - Students are given a verbal warning S.O.D.A. Sheet - If a student continues to not follow rules and expectations, they are asked to fill out a S.O.D.A. Sheet. S.O.D.A. has students think about the Situation, Options, Disadvantages, and Advantages. These sheets are then signed by the student and myself, and sent home to be seen and signed by a parent. Time Out Form - If students continue to struggle with following the rules, they are asked to read through a passage and answer questions to reflect on their behavior. This is also signed by me and sent home. Office Referral - Finally, if a student has completed all other parts of the consequences, or for severe situations, students will be sent to the office.

And Finally...

I hope that you found this newsletter is helpful and informational, and that you and your child are excited for a great year in fifth grade! Be watching for additional information throughout the year about what is happening in our classroom and how you can be an active part of your childs education. Make sure you let me know if you have any questions or concerns about our class and what we are doing! Please stay connected to our classroom through out web page, as well as daily and weekly communication coming home!

What will my child be learning this year?

5th Grade Essential Learning Objectives
Reading and Language Arts (Assessed each quarter; recorded on Report Card at the end of the 4th Quarter) Students will... 1. Use clear, coherent oral communication to deliver a presentation. 2. Produce descriptive pieces of writing. 3. Write in the content areas. 4. Learn and apply knowledge of print, phonological awareness, structural analysis skills, fluency strategies, vocabulary skills, and comprehension strategies to construct meaning of grade level text. 5. Identify and use appropriate resources to locate information to be applied to learning goals. Math (Assessed throughout the year with Benchmark Assessments; recorded on Report Card at the end of the 4th Quarter) Students will... 1. Communicate number sense concepts using multiple representations. 2. Communicate geometric and measurement concepts using multiple representations. 3. Communicate algebraic concepts using multiple representations. 4. Communicate data analysis and probability concepts using multiple representations. Science (Assessed and reported on the Report Card at the end of each unit, generally each quarter) Students will... 1. Understand the structure and function of human body systems and how they interact. 2. Understand oceans as complex systems of interactions among water, air, land, and living organisms. 3. Understand the various forces that affect and have affected the geology of the Earth. 4. Understand ways that forces interact to cause motion and affect simple machines. Social Studies (Assessed and recorded on the Report Card at the end of each unit, throughout the year) Students will... 1. Identify why early settlers came to North America. 2. Compare New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern Colonies. 3. Identify a variety of geographical features of North America. 4. Relate the causes and effects of the American Revolution. 5. Identify the three branches of our national government and explains the function of each. 6. Explain the rights and responsibilities of a citizen as outlined in the Constitution. 7. Explain the differences between the North and South that led to the Civil War and the resulting consequences. Health (Assessed at the end of each unit; recorded on the Report Card at the end of the 4th Quarter) Students will... 1. Understand how personal, community, and global choices impact lifelong health and wellness.

Important Dates:
CURRICULUM NIGHT THURSDAY, AUG. 23, 2013 MAP TESTING AUGUST 19-25, 2013 PICTURE DAY FRIDAY, AUG. 24, 2013 SPIRIT DAY FRIDAY, SEPT. 7, 2013 PTA MEETING MONDAY, SEPT. 10, 2013 TEACHER IN-SERVICE (NO SCHOOL) FRIDAY, SEPT. 14, 2013 CARNIVAL FRIDAY, SEPT. 14, 2013