Welcome to Open House Mrs. LaJoy 4th Grade 2017-2018

Meet the Teacher My name is Elisa LaJoy and I will be your child’s 4th grade teacher. I am delighted to have your child in my class this year and I am looking forward to a very successful year. I have high expectations for your child and I will do all that I can to help your child achieve those expectations. My family and I moved to Tucson from Brookfield, Illinois where I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from Elmhurst College. I worked at District 95 (LaGrange Park, IL) for five years where I started as a paraprofessional in Special Education and then taught third grade. The past two years I taught second grade at Academy of Math and Science (Tucson, AZ). During my teaching career, I gained a variety of different experiences and skills that I intend to apply here at Painted Sky. I believe that each student is unique and that is why I include hands-on experiences, creative activities, and learning through play in my lessons. I also enjoy cooking and spending time with my husband, my daughter (Bianca, 7) and my son (Matteo, 3). I am looking forward to interacting with you and your child for the rest of the year! Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at elajoy@amphi.com or at (520) 696-3816.

Class Schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 8:00 8:30 9:00   Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 8:00 8:30 Morning Work 9:00 Math 9:30 10:00 10:30 Recess 10:45 Reading 11:30 12:00 12:30 Lunch 1:10 Computers Art PE Music 1:30 2:00 Library 2:05 Writing/Science/SS 3:15 Dismissal

Reading/Writing English Language Arts : Scott-Foresman Reading Street Text-Based Comprehension Vocabulary Phonics/Grammar Spelling Writing Listening/speaking Fluency

Math My Math –McGraw-Hill Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them Reason abstractly and quantitatively Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others Model with mathematics Use appropriate tools strategically Attend to precision Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Science & Social Studies Social Studies-Arizona Geography History AZ Government Plants and Animals AZ 5 C’s (Cattle, Copper, Climate, Cotton, Citrus) Science Magnets/Electricity Inventions/Scientists Natural disasters/landforms Renewable/nonrenewable resources Plant/animal adaptations Weather Project Lead the Way

Technology **Your child must bring their own earbuds or headphones and a thumb drive to save their work. Computer Lab Basic computer skills Keyboarding Saving to a USB drive and school server Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Smart Board software Internet and Internet safety Smart Board skills

Handwriting Printing Emphasis on neatness/legibility on all assignments Cursive

Standards Grading Scale 4.0 – Exceeds grade level standard 3.5 – Consistently meets/at times exceeds grade level standard 3.0 – Meets grade level standard 2.5 – Often approaches/meets standard 2.0 – Making progress toward standard 1.5 – Making progress with guidance toward standard 1.0 – Making limited progress toward standard Percentage Grading Scale 90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D 50-0 F

Classroom Expectations “LaJoy Coupon” Be Responsible: ~Be prepared by bringing all supplies. ~Be on time. ~Follow directions the first time given. ~Follow classroom rules. ~Complete and turn in all assignments and homework. (ON TIME) Be Respectful: ~Follow directions. ~Use appropriate language and volume. ~Raise your hand and wait for permission to speak. ~Respect each other’s belongings. Be Positive: ~Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself. ~Stay in assigned seat. ~Use classroom materials appropriately. ~Use kind words and actions.

Homework Math homework will go home every night for the students to practice the concepts learned in class. Read for 30+ minutes every night and record it on the reading log. (Planners) Spelling homework: (Does NOT need to be turned in) Mon. Tue. Wed. Thr. 5x each rainbow sentences pretest writing

Quarterly Projects Projects will be given each quarter Students work on it the whole quarter (about 8 weeks) Tuesday nights – work on Projects for about 20 minutes Return to school on the due date Completed project at the end of the quarter are shared with class

Parent/Teacher Communication Please check your child’s take home folder and planner every night for important notes and papers. Use this folder to send notes for the teacher or the office. Please initial the planner every night to indicate completing of homework. Remember to send a written note with your child if there are any changes in your child’s pick-up schedule. Try to keep it consistent for the safety of the student. Don’t forget to sign up to receive texts with important updates using the “remind” app. To receive messages via text, text @elajoy16 to 81010. Feel free to email me at elajoy@amphi.com or call me at 520-696-3816.

Snack and Birthdays We eat snack everyday during our morning recess. Please make sure to send your child with an healthy snack. Snack is not provided by the school. We love to celebrate birthdays in 4th grade! If you would like for your child to celebrate with us, please let me know in advance that you will send in goodies for the class. Please make sure to send store bought, easy to serve treats, and peanut free.

Scholastics Book Orders Our class loves to read! Reading with your child every day helps them become better readers and writers. Every month (or so) Scholastics book orders will be sent home. Please remember to order online using the classroom code on the order form. No cash!!!

Who? Parents, older siblings, grandparents, relatives, or any other special people are invited to surprise the children by being a mystery reader in our class this year! Shhh, remember it’s a surprise!    Why? Students love having their family, friends, and relatives come visit our classroom and share in our learning by reading a favorite story aloud to the class. What? Mystery readers can bring their favorite book from home or choose a book from our classroom library. When? Please contact me to schedule a day and time to be our mystery reader. I can be reached at elajoy@amphi.com or 520-696-3816.

Spring Centers to Celebrate the End of Testing Classroom Parties We have 5 main class parties. Please take time to sign up for a party item and I will send you a reminder note prior to the party! Thanks! Fall Festival Winter Celebration Valentine’s Day Spring Centers to Celebrate the End of Testing End of the Year

Volunteers If you would like to volunteer on a regular basis in the classroom, please fill out the HELP WANTED form. I will be making a schedule of volunteers that will begin after Labor Day.

Feeling overwhelmed with information?? Don’t Worry! This presentation will be on my website!