Welcome to Back to School Night 1

Queen Levy I received my undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Radford University. This is my 29th year of teaching. This is my 18th year at Gayton- 3 years in 4th grade & the rest in 5th grade. I started teaching in Blacksburg and was there for 11 years. Go Hokies!! 2

Mrs. Lucas I received my elementary education degree from Wittenberg University, and I will complete my endorsement as a gifted education teacher through VCU in the spring of 2018. This is my 12th year of teaching and my 3rd year of teaching with HCPS. I also work for the Math Science Innovation Center teaching weekend classes and summer camps. My family is all Henrico! My husband graduated from Godwin and my children attend Moody Middle and Gayton.

Mrs. Patoray I received my undergraduate degree from Roanoke College. I worked in Roanoke City for three years before coming to Sandston Elem. in Henrico County where I taught fifth grade for 10 years. I came to Gayton as a fourth grade teacher. After one year, I was welcomed back into fifth grade. This is my 5th year at Gayton Elementary.

Homework Time is allotted in class for the children to copy their homework. Credit is given for completing & having the homework in class on time. At the end of the marking period, it is converted to 1 grade. Homework is generally given Monday through Thursday. Throughout the 1st marking period, we will be checking each planner to make sure the homework is written accurately and completely. Please make sure the children review material regularly.

Test Preparation We will give the children advanced notice for tests. Daily grades will be given periodically throughout the year. The children should review each night instead of cramming the night before. This helps to reduce stress. This also helps if the children need clarification of any material. Every effort is made to coordinate test dates and avoid overloading the children as much as possible. There are times when conflicts can’t be avoided. Tests should be kept in a special location at home to review for SOL tests at the end of the year. 6

Absences Someone in class will copy assignments when your child is absent. Please let us know if you would like us to send your child’s work to the office at the end of the day. Contact the homeroom teacher before noon. If your child misses a test or quiz, they will take it the day they return. Students have the number of days they missed + 1 to complete work per county policy. 7

Curriculum: Math The children are doing Football Math this year. Each week the children will make predictions, find percentages and work on rounding, place value, and converting fractions to decimals. Later in the year, they will be using their data to create graphs. They will also be finding the mean, median, mode, and range of their data. We started the year with place value through ten-thousandths place, rounding, and comparing decimals. Next we will learn about prime and composite numbers. 8

Curriculum: Math Visit my blog for curriculum updates along with math games, videos, and activities. Most tests and quizzes will include review material so we will practice previous material throughout the year. Thanks to the PTA for paying for the Reflex Math subscription. The children started with the program last Friday. They are required to get their green light at least twice each week. They will receive a participation grade for completing this assignment.

Curriculum: Social Studies and Science Students will keep an interactive notebook for studying purposes for both social studies and science. Visit my blog for social studies and science links and games. There will be projects to complete at school and at home. I will alternate between teaching science and social studies. Continue to check the newsletters located on my blog. We will incorporate non-fiction reading and writing with science and social studies.

Curriculum: Social Studies and Science In history, the first nine weeks is the study of Henrico County. Please watch for the Henrico County workbook and passports. The remainder of the year will be the study of the 5 regions of the US. In science, the first nine weeks will cover the scientific method, rocks, and the ocean. Young Scientists  provides four in- school fieldtrips – $20 due by September 22nd. 11

Curriculum: Reading The majority of homework assignments will be located and completed on Schoology. I also would like for students to read for 20 minutes every evening to promote healthy reading habits and to improve their reading ability. Students will have a word study test every Friday. They will need to know how to define and spell the words that are posted for the week on Schoology. They will also have a paper copy in their guided reading notebook.

Curriculum: Reading During guided reading, students will participate in small group rotations: Read to Self Read with Someone Listen to Reading Write about Reading Word Work Comprehension Practice

Finally…… Thanks in advance for your help to make this a successful year for all of us. If you have any questions or concerns with a specific subject, please contact that teacher. Math: sflevy@henrico.k12.va.us Reading: rjlucas@henrico.k12.va.us Science/Social Studies: accpatoray@Henrico.k12.va.us Each teacher will post their subject information on their individual blogs/sites. Those addresses are in the children’s planners.