Welcome to 4th Grade Curriculum Night Stetson Hills 2016-2017 A+ School of Excellence

"You are free to do anything that will contribute to your learning or the learning of others." Student Expectations: *Treat all people with kindness and respect *Respect all property *Come to class on time prepared to learn *Listen and follow directions *Work in a way that doesn't distract others from learning *Always try your hardest to do your best It is my goal to encourage your child in a positive, supportive, nurturing environment. Consequences: Occasionally students have difficulty adhering to classroom expectations. We will give students cues and reminders to get back on task. If the child continues with the behavior the following may occur: *move student to another place in classroom *move student to another classroom *call parent / e-mail parent * note in discipline log / student planner Severe cases may be referred to the office.

Curriculum The fourth grade team uses materials that Deer Valley Unified Schools has adopted that support the Arizona State Standards and CCR Standards (College and Career Readiness). Reading Mathematics Social Studies/Arizona History Science Writing Words Their Way

Curriculum cont. “I Can” statements will be written by the students in their planners at the start of each core class.

Homework Expectations Homework will be written by the students in their planners. Math and reading homework can be expected Monday – Thursday. Homework is given to practice particular skills. Homework may also include studying for a test. Homework will also include work not completed in class, including any work missed when absent.

Homework Policy Homework will be checked for completion during RTI (homeroom). Students will turn in homework when arriving at the appropriate core class. If students do not complete homework, he or she will sit out at recess. An after school detention will be issued if a student has 5 late/missing homework assignments.

Absences Most work will need to be completed as homework. Vacations: We will collect assignments, and we will give the work to your child upon return to school.

Writing Students will use the writing process to publish a variety of genre-related pieces. Expressive Personal narratives, stories, poetry Expository Nonfiction writing that describes Functional Directions, recipes, letters, thank-you notes, invitations Persuasive Advertisements, paragraphs Literary Response Journal entry, book review Research Informational report

Reading CCR Standards (College and Career Readiness) All Deer Valley schools use the Pearson reading program (district adopted curriculum) Homework practices vocabulary, skills, strategies, comprehension, and Close Reading Tests given after completing a story (6-8 school days per story)

Scholastic Book Orders Your child will have an opportunity to order books and software at a reduced rate through Scholastic Book Company. Easy on-line ordering available or order through Mrs. Swannie. http://www.scholastic.com/bookclubs

Mathematics CCR Standards (College and Career Readiness) All Deer Valley schools use Eureka/Engage NY program (district adopted curriculum) Each day homework is discussed and graded, fluency (review) items practiced, and new skill taught (problem set paper). Homework practices skills/concepts taught daily Quizzes are given after each topic within a module. (mirror exit tickets) Tests given at the end of the module. Some lengthy modules will include a mid-module test as well. Website Resource

Science *Standards supported with FOSS curriculum. *Inquiry process embedded in each theme: *Landforms *Environments *Electricity/magnetism *Water/weather *Other standards supported with supplemental materials.

Social Studies/Arizona History Harcourt Social Studies/ Arizona textbook. Focus on geography, history and government - from early civilizations to present.

Standards-Based Practices Deer Valley Unified School District supports the use of standards-based practices. What are standards-based practices? The purpose of Standards-Based Practices (SBP) are to measure a student’s performance and product against defined grade level expectations. In using SBP, grades reflect what a student knows and can do, as outlined in the Arizona State Standards. Teachers in Grades K–8 will base report card grades on academic achievement only.

Stetson Hills’ Areas of Focus Regarding Grading Practices Avoid Recording Zeros  Zeros skew the grade to a point where accuracy is distorted.  Avoiding zeros helps students take responsibility for their learning and be held accountable for missing work. Avoid Non-Academic Factors  Grades communicate student achievement in relationship learning standards; students' grades will not be reduced or inflated due to student behaviors outside of the standards.  

What do grades mean? Grades are a way to communicate with students and parents how a student is doing in relation to the Arizona state academic standards/Common Core A+ through A / Primary grade of E (Excellent) Student is showing a high level of mastery, exceeding the standards.  B+ through C / Primary grade of S (Satisfactory) Student is showing a good level of mastery, approaching to meeting mastery, in the state standards. C- through F / Primary grades of N (Needs       Improvement) & U (Unsatisfactory) Student is falling far below or approaching mastery of standards.   Continued missing or late assignments may result in a parent/teacher/student conference to develop a plan for success in meeting the standards

Grading Policy Missing assessments will be recorded as 49% and changed after work is complete. Nothing less than a 50% will be recorded, unless missing. Teachers will manage retakes. Students will only be allowed one retake if the grade is 69% or lower. 70% and higher is passing. Retakes will reflect the mastery score in PowerSchool. If the student does not have a passing score after a retake, the higher of the two scores will be entered.

PowerSchool *On-line grade book for parents to access. *Need a username and password to log-in. *Your child’s code is the same as last year. *If you have misplaced your information, you can stop by the front office to get another copy. (You will need to show identification) *Every attempt will be made to update grades weekly. *Student access to Pearson Realize through PowerSchool only.

Grade Level Website http://dvusd.org/sh-4thgrade

Parent View in PowerSchool Parents can now select the “Standards Grades” tab and will be able to see a performance level for each standard Parents can see the performance level of their student for each of the identified standards Letter grade reporting remains housed under the “Grades and Attendance” tab Parent View in PowerSchool

Performance Levels 4 = Demonstrates above grade level proficiency independently 3 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency independently 2 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency with support 1 = Demonstrates below grade level proficiency with support Description of Performance levels The Performance Levels indicated by 1-4 are not based on a percentage. It is a performance indicator based on the student’s performance toward meeting grade level standards 4 = Demonstrates above grade level proficiency independently The student consistently demonstrates above grade level proficiency independently* for this reporting period 3 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency independently The student consistently demonstrates proficiency for the grade level concepts and skills independently* for this reporting period 2 = Demonstrates grade level proficiency with support The student usually demonstrates the skill or understands the concepts and meets grade level expectations with support for this reporting period 1 = Demonstrates below grade level proficiency with support The student performs below grade level with support and is not meeting expectations for this reporting period *Independently: The ability to demonstrate proficiency of standards without assistance after being taught a concept or skill

Parent Communication Student Planner (notes) Email Flyers Remind app (text messages)

Field Trip Arizona Capitol Museum: Friday, March 17th Must have completed volunteer training to attend any Deer Valley field trip. RSVP email will be sent out

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