Ms. Nguyen (pronounced “when”) Welcome to Room 23 While you are waiting, please email me so that I have your correct email address at: jnguyen@fcusd.org

Personal Information This is the start of my 17th year with the school district 15 of my school years have been in 4th and 5th grades Prior to teaching, my degree and 1st career was in Business/Human Resources I have twin daughters that are sophomores at Vista They attended Russell Ranch and FMS I’ve lived in Folsom since 1998 I’ve lived in Empire Ranch since 2008 I love to travel (beaches are my favorite, if you couldn’t tell) We have 3 adorable cats (Nutmeg, Marty & Toby)

Schedule Our general schedule will look something like this: Language Arts in the early morning block Morning recess Science/Social Studies/Music in the middle block Lunch and recess Math in the afternoon block

Additional Schedule Information Morning recess 10:40-11:00 (a snack is a good idea) Lunch and lunch recess 12:20-1:00pm P.E. with the P.E. teacher is Tuesday’s at 2:00-2:30 (plus an additional 70 minutes of P.E. with the classroom teacher throughout the week – wear proper shoes each day) Music classes are Wednesday/Friday’s from 11:10-11:45 (please do not bring late instruments to the classroom) Library is Wednesday’s from 8:30-9:00

Goals for 5th grade Work on organizational skills to be better prepared for middle school Continue to develop a sense of independence Take “ownership” of education Be role models for younger students Build confidence Enjoy learning and have fun Put forth best effort

Curriculum Math: Great deal of focus on fractions, volume, geometry, metric system, U.S. customary system, overall number sense Reading: More focus on informational reading and close reading. Writing: Opinion/Persuasive, Narrative, Informative/Explanatory Social Studies: U.S. History Science: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth Science (Our district will not be participating in the CST Science Test this school year)

Language Arts Our district has adopted Benchmark as our new Language Arts curriculum This is a completely different type of program than your students have used in the past The program is written in 3-week Units (there are 10 total units) Homework will look very different for Language Arts No more weekly Spelling tests! There are no workbooks Students are tested on concepts, not the memorization of weekly stories Each week students will write in all 3 writing genres. At the end of the three week unit, one piece of writing will be selected to be published for a grade.

Science/Social Studies magazines I am asking for a $13 donation per student to help pay for our Science and Social Studies magazines that we will also be incorporating into our curriculum this year. They are aligned with the new standards and are very “student friendly” and colorful We receive 28 weeks of newspapers x 2 They provide more depth into our topics and remain current each year

Homework Your student should not be coming home with a great deal of homework – “quality, not quantity” Homework should be meaningful (not “busy work”) and at the student’s independent level (please send me an email if you wish to have your student receive Math Enrichment pages) Homework is often what the student did not have time to finish in class that day No “at home” projects will be given If you ever have concerns with homework, please write me a note on the student’s homework page or send me an email One consistent piece of homework each week will be nightly reading, along with an intermediate reading log Late homework is due by the Friday of the week it is due. It will be given 70% credit. No late homework will be accepted after that.

Grading System A = 93% and above A- = 90% - 92% B+ = 88% - 89% C+ = 78% - 79% C = 73% - 77% C- = 70% - 72% D+ = 68% - 69% D = 63% - 67% D- = 60% - 62% F = 59% and below

Staying Informed Daily Agendas & Important Dates Red Homework folders Wednesday folders Monthly newsletters Emails

Behavior Good behavior will earn: Move clothespin up to Blue– Having a Good Day Move clothespin up to Purple– Role Model Behavior– Student receives a small treat, an Amazing Acorn, and a Role Model class ticket If your child remains on Green– He/she has had a “ready to learn” day Consequences for not meeting classroom expectations: Move clothespin to Yellow - Warning Move clothespin to Orange – Lose a Privilege Move clothespin to Red – Loss of 2nd privilege or removal from classroom/Note sent home If a child is on red and still misbehaving a phone call will be made home or he/she might be sent up to the office.

Miscellaneous I strongly encourage students to have water bottles (water only, please) in class Birthdays – please give me notice if you are bringing in treats. Please also choose items that are easy to pass out I do Scholastic Book orders on a monthly basis. I will accept checks or cash, but prefer if you can order directly online at Scholastic. The 1st book order will have my teacher acct # and will be handed out in September Field trips are still being planned, but we will have 3-4 field trips this year Test scores below 70% may be retaken, but students will not receive higher than a 70% on the retake

How to reach me Email me anytime at: jnguyen@fcusd.org Stop by Call me at ext. 123 I use my website daily. Please check there first for any questions you might have