Karen Chamberlain, Michela Harrigan and Julie Long

 Phone:  Monthly behavior charts      Please do not hesitate to contact us about any questions or concerns you are having!

 Please use the post it notes found on the desks to write your question(s) down.  Please include your name and an address so I can respond back to you.

 Behavior Rubric with Colors › Green = Great day › Yellow = Warning › Blue = (Chill Our Zone) Student has a conference with the teacher to help him/her make better choices. › Red= Communication with parents and/or guardians If behavior continues, referral to Mr. Collins.

 Monthly Incentives › Based on their Monthly Behavior Calendar › Students earn a celebration with no more than four half days on “yellow”  Individual/Group Incentives › Tickets to earn rewards

 School starts at 9:15 AM. › Arrive at school no earlier than 9:00 AM › Anyone arriving after 9:15 will be marked tardy.  Notices will be sent home when your child’s SNAP account is low › Send money with your child and it will be given to the cafeteria manager  Food Policy  Food should not be shared during lunchtime.  Food will not be used as a reward.  Birthday celebrations may include pencils, stickers, etc. NO FOOD!!!!!!

Bringing & checking folders and binders Returning homework on time Writing homework in their planner every day Returning library books on time Returning Book Club books on time and in baggies

› Binders should come to school daily. Binders should include their Take Home Folder and their planner. › Students write their homework daily in their planner. Unless otherwise noted, homework is due the next day. › The Monthly Behavior Chart will be inserted in the back cover of the Take Home Folder. Please look at this daily with your child to discuss progress being made each day.

 Math every day  Read for 20 minutes every night. › Start with the Book Club book › Help your child choose a “just right” book when picking books from home

 Nurture skills that build confidence & success by delving into one concept and covering it fully  Engages students in ALL subjects (science, social studies, art, music, P.E., health, information literacy(media center)  Enhances learning by connecting all subjects  Integrates Thinking and Academic Success Skills (TASS) › Quarter 1: Collaboration and Fluency

 Mini Lesson (Strategy Work)  Guided Reading Groups (focus on strategies) / Independent Work & Centers (reinforce skills/strategies)  Writer’s Workshop

Quarter 1- Level J Quarter 2 - Level K Quarter 3 - Level L Quarter 4 - Level M **Oral and Written Comprehension

 Students will write for various purposes, in various forms and for various audiences during writers’ workshop in EACH quarter  Purposes for Writing  Informative/explanatory  Opinion (persuade)  Narratives (stories)  Students will actively participate in mini- research and writing projects

› Small Group Instruction  Based on data from pre-assessments  Fluid  Hands on  Use varied manipulatives  Technology

 Focus on developing strong number foundation in elementary school  Includes a deeper and longer focus on number concepts › Number and Operations in Base Ten (Place Value) › Operations and Algebraic Thinking  Addition, Subtraction (Problem Solving) › Geometry › Measurement

 Civics › Laws & rules › Rights & responsibilities › Democratic Beliefs  Culture › Comparing two cultures in relation to food, shelter, and other commonalities such as music & stories  Economics › Goods, services, resources › Production process  Geography › Maps, continents, oceans, geographical characteristics  History › Biographies & timelines

 Earth & Space Sciences › Rocks & Soil › Changes in sun and moon › Ocean, water, & gas  Life Sciences › Life cycles of animals & plants › Comparing organisms  Physical Sciences › Take objects apart & rearrange them › Classification › Minute objects

 mClass 3D › September, January, May  Running Records, Writing Samples › Ongoing  MAP P  3X a year  Computerized  Multiple Choice  GT Testing › Winter

* Montgomery County has changed the grading and reporting procedures. * Damascus ES will continue to use the standards based report card this year. * The report card will now assess your child’s academic grades with ES (Exceptional), P (Proficient), I (In Progress), N (Not Yet) and X (Exempt). *The learning skills (effort and behavior) will be based on whether your child: - is demonstrating the skill (D) - is progressing with the skill (P) or - is not yet demonstrating the skill (N)

Parent Conference Days – November 10 and 11 Various times depending on teacher schedule Please sign up at the back table!!!!!

I look forward to working with you. It is going to be a great year!