Big Events For Savannah 5 th Graders  Winter Party December 20th  Clear Creek April 30 th  Rough Riders Game Spring 2013

Homework  Your child will need a 1 ½ in. binder that will be used for homework. We will add an agenda and a pocket folder for homework assignments. Math homework will be assigned every Tuesday and Thursday night. Students will also have a reading project assigned every six weeks. Please check your child’s agenda for additional homework assignments. Any unfinished homework assignments will be completed during recess.

Important Times School Beginning Times  7:40 Children come into the rooms  7:50 Instruction begins in the class room Lunch Times  Haas/Stowers 12:45-1:15  Rivera/Mitchell 12:50-1:20 Dismissal  2:45 Walkers  2:50 Car Riders

Class Room Behavior  Savannah is implementing a new classroom management approach referred to as C.H.A.M.P.S. Students will have clear expectations set for them in each classroom for each activity. If those expectations are not followed, students will receive marks and a note in their agenda explaining what the mark was for. The following check mark system applies to one day. One mark symbolizes missing 5 minutes from recess, two marks requires missing 10 minutes from recess, three marks requires missing all of recess, and four marks is an office referral. Behavior such as fighting, defiance, destruction of property, profanity/vulgarity, bringing inappropriate items, and being out-of-control issues an automatic office referral.  Gatorrific awards are given at the end of each six-week period for good citizenship. In order to be recognized, students may not have more than three check marks and no more than two missing homework assignments in a six weeks period.

Language Arts Big Ideas Reading Projects Students will have a book report project each six weeks in replace of a reading log. Please be sure to look over the project expectations and turn it in on the date listed at the top of the handout.

Reading Skills As students reach the fifth grade, they should be doing more independent reading. The following is a list of skills your child should have mastered by the time they leave elementary school:  cause and effect,  compare and contrast,  distinguish fact from opinion,  sequential order,  analyze literary elements,  inferencing,  summarizing,  and be able to support responses with text evidence.

How Can Parents Help? As a parent you can still help your child with their reading by asking comprehension seeking questions. Sample questions to ask for understanding:  1. What did you like or dislike from today’s reading? Why?  2. Was there anything new you learned?  3. Predict what you think will happen next. 4. What is your opinion of the characters?  Favorite/Least Favorite?  5. How did you feel from today’s reading?  (happy, sad, surprised, etc.) Why?  6. What did today’s reading make you think of?  7. Questions you had after reading.

Social Studies SS Units of Study 1st Six Weeks - Culture, Customs, Traditions Celebrate Freedom Week - September , nd Six Weeks - Colonial America Election Day - Nov. 6, rd Six Weeks - American Revolution 4th Six Weeks - U.S. Constitution 5th Six Weeks - Westward Expansion 6th Six Weeks - Civil War

Science Big Ideas Science  Earth and Space  Matter and Energy  Force and Motion  Organisms and Their Environment

Math Big Ideas Mathematical Processes Numbers and Operations Algebra Geometry and Measurement Data analysis, statistics and Probability Problem Solving/Plan a Strategy Identify math in everyday situations