ALL ABOUT FOURTH GRADE! Mrs. Blakley Room 105

Schoolnotes Weekly communications will be sent out via email through new.schoolnotes.com Follow these steps if you have not already signed up for the website. Go to new.schoolnotes.com and register as a parent Search for Kim Blakley at Haine Elementary School Find my page “Welcome to Mrs. Blakley’s Class” Select “Notify Me When This Page Changes” You will now receive updates when I change the page (usually on Fridays)

Arrival Students may enter the building only after 8:15 a.m. Students may enter the room beginning at 8:30 to take care of their morning responsibilities. Entering after 8:40 means that they are late. Being on time is part of being a learner. Our morning meeting will begin directly following announcements, so be on time!

Dismissal Pick-ups and walkers will be called at 3:10. Buses will depart beginning at 3:15. If your child will be an early pickup please send a note with them to school, and bring your ID with you to school. If there are any other changes in the way you get home, a written note is required.

Attendance Policy If a student is to take an educational trip, please speak to me about obtaining an approval form from the office. At this time, emailed excuses are not acceptable.

When you are Absent You must send in a written note excusing the absence. It must have a parent’s written signature. Students will check their mailbox to get any work they may have missed and talk to the “Classroom Buddy”. The number of days they were absent is the number of days they have to make up work.

Allergy Management Haine Elementary is an allergy protected school Allergy-free zone in café Students wash their hands upon arrival and after lunch No snacks will be permitted this year during the day. We eat at 11:40, so this should not be a problem. Birthday treats must be non- edible. We will still celebrate in class, just not with food. Feel free to bring another type of treat! Classroom parties must be from the approved list

Positive Behavior Management As a class, we will earn cotton balls to fill a jar. When the jar is full we will have a reward that is voted on by the whole class. Once we have earned a cotton ball we cannot lose it! As part of our school-wide program, students can earn stars to receive prizes and recognition from the principal. To earn stars students must be seen doing the things on the following matrix.

PBIS Matrix

Individual Classroom Consequences 1. Warning 2. Logical Consequence 3. Teacher’s Choice (Parent Contact) 4. Contact the office Each afternoon, I will sign planners and give a plus or minus. Minus means the student had more than a warning.

Olweus Anti-Bullying Program Olweus School-wide Rules: We will not bully others. We will help others who are being bullied. We will include those who are being left out. If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. Olweus Power Point by Administration

Classroom Schedules Daily Schedule 8:40-9:00 Morning Meeting 9:00-10:10 Math 10:10-10:40 CARE 10:40-11:40 ELA 11:40-12:10 Lunch 12:15-1:15 1:16-1:51 Special 1:51-2:45 Science/SS 2:45-3:05 Recess 3:10-3:30 Homeroom Specials Schedule Day 1 Library Day 2 Art Day 3 Music Day 4 P.E. Day 5 Technology

A Brief Look at Content Reading: Students will consistently learn to use the metacognitive reading strategies through our new ELA resource. In doing so, the focus will be on developing a love of reading, building comprehension, helping students to think about text and ask questions as they read, experiencing various genres, working in small reading groups and literature circles with specific skill and strategy focus. Students will be reading novels throughout the year based on their Lexile scores. Language Arts: We have adopted the “Units of Study” by Lucy Calkins. Students will focus on four writing genres beginning with persuasive/opinion, arc of story/narrative, literary essays, and ending with informative writing.

A Brief Look at Content Math: We will be beginning with place value and operations then move into fractions and decimals; nightly multiplication practice as well as challenging math tasks that teach children how to think and problem solve! CHILDREN MUST KNOW THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS- 10 minutes a night. Science/Health: Life Cycles of various organisms, Migration, Motion and Design, Land and Water, Skin, Teeth/Digestion. All units include hands-on Inquiry learning and cooperative group work! Social Studies: Pennsylvania History and map skills. Spelling: Students will be focusing on greek and latin root words, prefixes and suffixes. Students will be expected to know the spelling and meaning of these words. They will be tested on Fridays.

Homework Homework will be given almost every night except Fridays. Expect to have up to 40 minutes of homework each night! Reading 20 minutes per night is a fourth grade requirement. Homework should be completed independently and on time. Late work will get partial credit after one day, but after that, NO CREDIT is offered. This is a lesson in responsibility. If your child is having difficulty with the homework; just write a note at the top of the page or in their planner.

Literacy Theme Haine Students are Red Carpet Reading Stars! Kick-off assembly to occur in early September Promotes nightly reading- 20 minute minimum in fourth grade Log reading and sign each night in their reading log- due each Friday! The more you read the better you read.

Compass Learning A national program It provides an individual learning path based on the students’ NWEA scores It will be used about 40 minutes per week during school time. You may access it from home as well! Login information should have been sent home by mail.

Grading Policy Grading policy: 90% and up=A 80% and up=B 70% and up=C 60% and up=D <60%=F Grading will come from a variety of assessments: tests, quizzes, experiments, science journals, in-class work, writing assignments, and rubrics!

BYOT NO CELL PHONE USE! A child may only use registered technology in school (when instructed by the teacher). It is the students’ responsibility to keep their device safe! To register a device see the instructions on the district website. Seneca Valley Homepage Bring Your Own Technology Getting Started with BYOT Registering Mobile Devices

Band and Strings Students will have an opportunity to join band or strings/orchestra this year! More information will be coming home. Please keep in mind that it is a time commitment and students will be taken out of class to participate in lessons.

Birthdays! May choose to bring a non-edible treat. You may choose to come and eat lunch with your child. Be sure to arrive prior to 11:40 to check-in at the office.

Home/School Connection Success begins at home! Proper rest, homework support, encouraging reading, etc. The line of communication with me is WIDE OPEN. It’s essential! Encourage your kids when they succeed and when they struggle. They need to hear positive words every day.

Being Involved/Clearances We’ve been given an update to the clearance policy. Volunteers in the building who are with teachers DO NOT need clearances. One day party volunteers and one day field trip volunteers DO NOT need clearances. If you are working with children one-on-one without a teacher present, you DO need clearances. Throughout the year I may ask for guest readers or help with small groups, but you would always be in the room with me. So…at this point it is not absolutely necessary to have your clearances, but they are always good to have. Once you have them the district recognizes them for 5 years.

PTO Involvement Haine has an active and involved PTO! If you’d like to join, please look for more information coming home soon Join as a family for a minimal cost

Ways to Talk to Me Email is the best! I can usually read them, but not respond until lunch or after school. blakleyka@svsd.net My phone number in case of emergency: 412-860-3323

Any Questions?

Student Portion Begins Here

Classroom Rules Classroom Rules will be created by YOU! We will sign and agree upon the rules you created. Rules apply to all areas of school, from the bus, to recess, to the cafeteria, and so forth.

Positive Behavior Management As a class, we will earn cotton balls to fill a jar. When the jar is full we will have a reward that is voted on by the whole class. Once we have earned a cotton ball we cannot lose it! As part of the school-wide program, students can earn stars to receive prizes and recognition from the principal. To earn stars students must be seen doing the things on the following matrix.

Individual Classroom Consequences 1. Warning 2. Logical Consequence 3. Logical Consequence 4. Teacher’s Choice (Parent Contact) 5. Contact the office Each afternoon, I will sign planners and give a plus or minus. Minus means the student had more than a warning.

School Rules

Olweus Anti-Bullying Program Olweus School-wide Rules: We will not bully others. We will help others who are being bullied. We will include those who are being left out. If we know that someone is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. Behavior Incident and Think About It Forms

Entering the Classroom Your Jobs when you enter the classroom are: Wash your hands Turn in any notes from home to the basket by the door and prepare for the day Put your reading log on the attendance table (Friday) Read the message board and complete morning work Take a seat and read quietly until the announcements come on. Then, Listen.

Whoa! Lockers! Lockers are pretty exciting, but having them is a privilege. If you keep it and your desk clean and tidy the first nine weeks you will be able to decorate it! Keep it organized!

Discussion Raise your hand! If we are having a group discussion and someone is talking, put your hand down and listen until they finish. Listening is active! Look at the speaker to show them respect! Be a kind listener. You may not agree-that’s okay!

Being Prepared=Being a Learner Go to the bathroom before school and at lunch. Sharpen pencils when you come in in the morning. You may bring a (filled) water bottle every morning. That way you don’t waste time at the fountain. If you must leave, use a pass, and sign out.

Lunch Procedures We will use hand sanitizer before lunch. Packers will be dismissed to their lockers to get their lunches. We will walk quietly to lunch and be respectful to everyone in the cafeteria. After lunch, we will stop at the restroom to wash our hands and use the facilities.

I’m Done! I’m Done! I’m Done! Early birds will have a choice of activities to do when they are finished. Reading quietly is always a good choice, but sometimes there will be challenge or extension activities. Most importantly, please do not disturb others who are still learning!

Classroom Schedules Daily Schedule 8:40-9:00 Morning Meeting 9:00-10:10 Math 10:10-10:40 CARE 10:40-11:40 ELA 11:40-12:10 Lunch 12:15-1:15 1:16-1:51 Special 1:51-2:45 Science/SS 2:45-3:05 Recess 3:10-3:30 Homeroom Specials Schedule Day 1 Library Day 2 Art Day 3 Music Day 4 P.E. Day 5 Technology

When you are Absent You must bring in a written note from a parent excusing the absence. It must have a parent’s written signature. You will check your mailbox to get any work you may have missed and talk to the “Classroom Buddy”. The number of days you were absent is the number of days you have to make up work.

Dismissal 1. Write down homework. 2. I will dismiss you by table, and I will initial your notebook as well as give a plus or minus for the day. That is your ticket to go to your locker! 3. Pack up and listen for the busses to be called! *If you have an end of day job, please wait until you are packed up to complete it.

Any Questions?