Welcome to 4th Grade Back to School Night! 2017-2018

4th Grade Teacher Information Kortney Hale kortney.hale@pisd.edu 469-752-4040 4th Grade Teacher Information Tiffany Ma tiffany.ma@pisd.edu 469-752-4079 Shawn Flemmer shawn.flemmer@pisd.edu 469-752-4065 Jeri Stanley jeri.stanley@pisd.edu 469-752-4041 Rachel Jordan rachel.jordan@pisd.edu 469-752-4042

4th Grade Schedule 7:45-8:00 Morning Work (Homeroom) 8:00-8:30 Intervention & Enrichment 8:30-10:00 Math 10:00-10:20 Science 10:20-11:10 Specials 11:15-11:55 Science Cont. 12:00-12:30 Lunch 12:30-1:00 Recess 1:00-2:35 Reading/LA/SS 2:35-2:45 Stack & Pack/Dismissal

Friendly Reminders We expect students to be in their chairs working on their morning assignments by 7:45 am. Please remember, the first bell rings at 7:30 allowing students to begin unpacking. We encourage all children to be here as close to 7:30 as possible. We will dismiss your child based on the dismissal form you completed at the beginning of the year. Please send a note if a situation arises and your child will go home a different way. We must receive written notification, otherwise your child will go home based on the forms filled out.

Agendas Thanks to our PTA, each student has a Boggess Planner. The planner helps students to organize their daily assignments and responsibilities. Please look at your child’s planner daily to follow up on weekly events/assignments.

Communication Cards Your child will have a communication card in the front of their binder. Every 9 weeks your child will receive a new card. This is a tool that will serve as a way to communicate behavior and study skills. Students are required to get their parents to sign the Front & the Back of the card EVERY Thursday Night. Students will be rewarded with Bengal Bucks every Friday if they have both signatures, reading minutes and their homework.

Reading Log Each student is expected to read 120 minutes every full week (90 minutes on short weeks). Parents are required to sign each week of reading minutes on the back of the student’s communication card. Teachers will provide Bengal Bucks for every hour read above and beyond the required 120 minutes. Students may read over the weekend to help incorporate time to dedicate towards their reading log.

Bengal Bucks Students will receive positive reinforcement by earning Bengal Bucks. Students earn bucks for a variety of reasons, such as outstanding citizenship or promptness in returning papers. Once Bengal Bucks are saved up, students will earn a special reward for their hard work through the Bengal Store. Bengal Brags will be given out each week to recognize students with exceptional behavior or citizenship. Students will keep track of their Bengal Buck earnings on a check register in their take home binder.

Homework Homework is assigned on Mondays and due every Friday, unless otherwise stated. Homework is practice of material and content previously learned at school. Homework itself is not graded, but will be reviewed and returned. Homework that is late will result in a “work habits” signature on the Communication Card and the opportunity to complete the homework during study hall. The last Friday of each month, we will provide Fun Fridays (extra recess) for students who are in good standing with their homework completion throughout the current month.

Returned Papers Graded papers will be sent home every Thursday in your student’s YELLOW Thursday Folder. Please take time to look through this folder, you will also find flyers for different school related events and after school classes.

Grades Grades will only be taken on work completed at school. We use numeric grades from 0 - 100. Grades lower than a 70 may be redone by a student, for a new grade of no higher than a 70. Tests and Major Evaluations are worth 50% of student’s grade and spelling is 3%. Check parent portal weekly for grade updates. https://parentportal.pisd.edu/Login.aspx

Spelling This year we will be teaching the grade level spelling patterns through a resource called “Words Their Way.” Students will be tested using “cold” lists at the beginning of the year to verify their spelling levels. We will use this information to teach them in small groups on the spelling patterns at their personal level. We will informally assess them in class to ensure they are progressing through the levels. Their spelling grades will come from in class, application assignments. There will not be weekly lists sent home for the students to study.

Writing This year your students will be taking the Writing STAAR test on April 10th. Your student will be expected to write an expository composition. We will be preparing the students throughout the year so they will be successful writers across all subject areas!

Boggess School Counseling Katie Flores Katie.flores@pisd.edu (469) 752-4016 Please feel free to email Mrs. Flores with any questions or concerns you may have!

Please contact the campus gifted specialist for specific details about the PACE program. Lori Scaglione 469-752-4023 lori.scaglione@pisd.edu

Plano Academic and Creative Education (PACE) A program for students who require gifted services Should be able to just give each grade this link to put into their presentation.

PACE is not an Honors program. PACE is similar to Special Education in that it is an enrichment service designed to meet the needs of a different kind of learner. PACE is not an Honors program.

Students requiring gifted services may... perform two grade levels above current grade learn exceptionally fast need only one to two repetitions for mastery thrive on complexity arrive at solutions in an unusual manner

If you have a child that you believe may need PACE services: Notify your child’s teacher or the campus gifted specialist. Campus gifted specialist: lori.scaglione@pisd.edu Complete an online referral packet; you may request a hard copy if needed. Referral packets are due December 7th Testing occurs in spring for services beginning fall of the next year.

New to Plano? If you are new to Plano and believe your child needs PACE services (and your child is not a kindergarten student), please contact the campus gifted specialist within the first week of school.