Welcome to MAAS Open House Our addresses are on the wiki or school webpage, or call and leave a message with the office.

We understand that you may have questions! Due to our limited time, please write your questions on the tickets out and give them to Ms. Barrois. We will answer them and either post them on Mrs. Falanga’s wiki as soon as possible or address them with you individually as the situation warrants.

Conferences We are available by appointment on Monday, Thursday and Friday between 8:35 and 9:15. Please respect us by calling and arranging an appointment ahead of time. District wide Conference days are scheduled through the office with Ms. Kathleen. Please with any concerns at ANY time.

Homeroom Information Holiday parties – two of them. 1) Winter-before winter break and 2) Spring – before spring break (We usually do a third floorcollaborative celebration for winter,and try for a field trip for spring due to limited space) Birthday celebrations – ONLY cupcakes, cookies or PRECUT cakes are allowed. We will share them after lunch.

General Reminders Uniforms – policy on page 10 of handbook, please review. Key points: socks, sweaters, belts!! PBIS – Is our behavior expectation tracker, check it often. Children receive “mustangs” when going above and beyond our expectations. Quarterly Awards – Honor Roll, Mustang, B.U.G.

Agenda The agenda is the sole source for each teacher’s assignments. By now each child should have three or more friends’ contact information. Parents should be able to understand their child’s agenda. Wikis are a general source of information for parents, your main source should be your child and their agenda

Black Folders/Portfolio Black Folders are the primary communication method between home and school. Please check folders daily for information from the office. Review your child’s behavior tracker nightly/weekly to see their progress. Portfolios will contain handouts and work to be kept for each class. Sections should be labeled according to subject.

The wikis are a place for general information about what is going on in class. You will see topics of study, lists of skills being taught/reviewed/developed, information for larger/longer projects, etc. Some teachers may post study guides and other important documents (ie. Field trip forms, etc.). You will NOT see nightly homework.

Grading and Test Papers No rounding (will provide grading scale on the wiki) Seven tests minimum per quarter Only drop a grade if more than required by parish We will not drop a participation grade Test papers will be sent home generally on Wednesdays Be mindful that tests typically take a week to grade, unless there are a great deal of short answer. Allow for two weeks for writing pieces.

Infinite Campus is our online student record keeping system (aka grade book). Here you can check your child’s grades and monitor their attendance records. If you do not have access to Infinite Campus please see Ms. Kathleen ASAP.

Testing Days ClassTest Day (typical) MathMonday ScienceWednesday ELAWednesday/Friday Social StudiesThursday

Goal to transition to middle school: Allow children to experience the natural consequences of their actions. …with guidance.

Social Studies Social Studies Textbooks are on order and will be distributed officially once received. (Trust me I know it is hard not having one for each child!) Daily routines:  Start with Daily Geography, which is turned in for participation grades each Friday.  Main content coverage, may have children read lesson before class to expedite activities.  Tests on Thursdays – will try to give a study guide, which will be completed by the students during our lessons.

Social Studies Content: Our Social Studies content covers First Americans, the Explorers and American History up to the beginning of the American Revolution. Key concepts will be placed on the wiki soon to be used as a reference.

Eureka Math This year we will be using Eureka Math for our mathematics curriculum. There is no text book with this curriculum. Students will receive instruction and practice in class. Homework will reflect what is covered in class. Attachments to homework assignments will help parents understand the process used in this Common Core Mathematics curriculum. (Students will be assigned a 6th grade math text book within the next few weeks. This will be used as a supplemental text at this time. Students may use the text book and workbook sent home for extra practice and help with topics covered in class)

Math Time Daily review of 5 th grade skills during homework check Lesson Structure: Fluency Practice Application Problems Concept Development Student Debrief Practice skills-group, partner, whole class Homework: Try it on your own (given each night)

Scheduled units of study Module 1: Place Value and Decimal Fractions Module 2: Multi-Digit Whole Number and Decimal Fraction Operations Module 3: Addition and Subtraction of Fractions Module 4: Multiplication and Division of Fractions and Decimal Fractions Module 5: Addition and Multiplication with Volume and Area Module 6: Graph Points on the Coordinate Plane to Solve Problems

Assessments Math formal tests will be every Monday, unless noted ahead of time Students will also be assessed informally in class activities. Formal test grades count for ¾ of the final grade, participation grades count for ¼. I will hand tests back once weekly, usually on a Wednesday or Thursday. They must be signed and returned weekly.

Homework – Math homework given nightly. Rest of homework is on an as needed basis. – Students are responsible for writing homework in their agendas. First in Math Students have been given user names and passwords. These are kept in the back of their agendas. They should be working on Just the Facts 100 –addition. (These count as participation grades.)

Science Science Textbooks are on order and will be distributed officially once received Daily routines Reflections Vocabulary Main content covered Tests on Wednesday

Notes are glued into science notebooks Lab activities are counted as a test grade Some lab activities may involve edible items. Science vocabulary will be repeating throughout the year

Overview of ELA We will be following the Common Core Curriculum as delineated through the state department of education. (see JPPSS website or Louisianabelieves.com) We will use trade books (aka chapter books), some of which may not be able to be sent home. The Literature text books we use are strictly resource materials. We will NOT use them on a daily basis, and they will not be distributed to take home. Elements of Language text books will be allowed to go home shortly, but are used strictly as a resource in the classroom. All grammar practice will be done using supplemental materials copied for your children.

Daily Plan for Language Arts Library on Mondays Tuesday, small groups with Ms. Vicky and Ms. Honey B for enrichment Wednesday, continue small groups, assessment day as needed Thursday, continue instruction Friday, typically reading comprehension/cold read type testing day Daily routines include: Jumpstarts, Reading, Discussion, Grammar skill focus, Writing, small group, independent and whole group instruction

Expectations for Language Arts Tests mainly on  Wednesday and Fridays Homework transcribed daily as needed Missed days (under 4) phone a friend Combination of quizzes and tests (3/4 of report card grade) Homework and classwork comprises participation (1/4 of report card grade)

Gifted Tuesday, Ms. Vicky and Ms. Honey B pull small groups as part of regular instruction (we plan with this in mind) All students receive enrichment on Tuesdays with Ms. Vicky or Ms. Honey B Art students are pulled three at a time at various times of the day. They will miss one class a week and will be responsible for getting any missed work. Theater and Music are pulled out of P.E. Class

We understand that you may still have questions! Due to our limited time, please write your questions on the tickets out and give them to Ms. Barrois. We will answer them and either post them on Mrs. Falanga’s wiki as soon as possible or address them with you individually as the situation warrants.