August 19th : Meet the Teacher Night 5-7pm Welcome to 5th Grade Reading! Whether your child LOVES to read, or would rather eat brussels sprouts, my goal is for this to be their BEST. YEAR. YET. Please see the remainder of this slideshow for info about me and answers to Frequently Asked Questions. “There is no such thing as a child who hates to read, only those who haven’t found the right book yet.” --Frank Serafini

A little About Mrs. Rhine… My name is Melissa Rhine, and this is my 5th year at Peaster Elementary School! I have two children: Hynlee (8) and Caleb (2). I have been married to Mr. Rhine for almost 13 years, and I love every second I get to spend with my family! I LOVE Peaster—I even went to High School here…it was the BEST place to go to school, and now it is the BEST place to teach!!  My FAVORITE things are: Praising Jesus! Reading! Hanging with my family! Drinking coffee! Teaching! and (you guessed it) READING!

A Great Day! One of my favorite times this summer was our family vacation to San Antonio! In this picture, we are about to take a Riverboat tour of the Riverwalk—it was SO much fun!

5th Grade Reading: FAQs Do you assign homework? Work that is not finished during class will be sent home for homework. Do you assign at home reading? In order for students to become successful thinkers and leaders, reading is vital. Though I will not send home reading logs, etc. I DO expect all students to read at least 100 minutes per week outside of school. This can be broken down in whatever way fits your family’s schedule (i.e.: 20 mins a day x 5 school days; 10 mins a day on school days PLUS 25 minutes a day on weekends; etc. WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU).

5th Grade Reading: FAQs What happened to the Accelerated Reader (AR) Points program? Research shows that the AR program is NOT intended to grow readers or student reading skills. It was designed as an incentive program to help those who show little interest in reading begin to gain interest in it through rewarding points. The quizzes have been found to be very low level thinking and are not challenging for students. As a result, our campus has decided to no longer purchase this costly program, and to instead use our resources and time to grow readers in lasting and challenging ways through student self- selection of texts and constant discussions that engage students in higher order thinking.

5th Grade Reading: FAQs Will my child have a “reading level?” Since we are not using the AR program, student reading levels will look differently this year. We will be using two forms of continuous data collection: IXL.com and Istation ISIP assessments. We will also collect student progress data through benchmark assessments set to STAAR rigor. Students will receive data information within a week of data collection. What will my child learn this year? Texas educators are required to teach standards called “TEKS,” which stands for “Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.” These can be found online at https://tea.texas.gov/curriculum/teks/. This is a comprehensive list of all state standards that will be taught in your child’s classes this year.

5th Grade Reading: FAQs What is your teaching philosophy? I believe ALL students are learners, and are capable of achieving greatness. I believe that we should NEVER stop learning, regardless of our age or station. Children are future leaders, whether globally, locally, or in their own families; therefore, it is vital that they grow as a whole child—academically, emotionally, and socially. I strive to facilitate this growth through engaging reading opportunities and by building a community where ALL students (no matter what their previous experiences have been) begin this year with a ”clean slate” and end this year as LIFE-LONG READERS.  I still have questions, how can I contact you? All teacher contact information is found on the bookmark at the table in the hallway.

It’s going to be a GREAT year!!! Thanks for stopping by! It’s going to be a GREAT year!!!