WHERE WE GROW MATURE, RESPONSIBLE, INDEPENDENT, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN! Welcome To Sixth Grade

Danielle Mitchell The best way to reach Mrs. Mitchell is via or through a pre-arranged meeting before school!

Tod Harris — The best way to reach Mr. Harris is via

ORGANIZATION Sixth grade is a “bridge year” Many systems are in place to support STUDENT INDEPENDENCE - student plan books - whiteboards - classroom websites/newsletters Please allow your student space to become a mature, independent, young man or woman!

SCIENCE & SOCIAL STUDIES SWITCHING Typically Tuesday and Thursday Afternoons, 3:00- 3:50, Students will switch classrooms/teachers for Science (Harris)/Social Studies (Mitchell) instruction. Scaffolds students to be ready for multiple teachers in multiple subjects in middle school. Allows Mrs. Mitchell and Mr. Harris ability to focus instruction and team teach all sixth grade students in a unique way. Allows for the important content of Social Studies and Science to be thoroughly taught all year long.

SCHOOL WORK/HOMEWORK Don’t ask “if” there is homework, ask “what work is being done and when it is due… Expect approximately ONE hour a day of working homework time (on AVERAGE)-daily math work, independent reading, projects and long term assignments. We make every effort to provide time at school to work on projects and longer term assignments We will scaffold time management, organization and project planning with DAILY entries into our plan books. Assignments information and due dates can always be found on our whiteboards, in our plan books, and major due dates are posted on our weekly newsletter and websites. Help your student by: Including him/her in family scheduling, have her/him keep track of family obligations in her/his plan book, have a routine for homework-where, when, how to get help etc. Ask to see his/her plan book and grade sheet regularly, monitor homework time to help build time management skills.

GRADE SHEETS Weekly communication between teachers, students and parents about student progress on recent assignments Assignments are itemized by progress report bullets, which are updated this year to reflect new Common Core Standards Every Wednesday, student grade sheets will be updated with recent assignment scores Your student has one week to share this information with you, get your signature, and return it to her/his mailbox for a new set of scores.

“10/10 WEEKS” At the bottom of each grade sheet column, there is a section that denotes whether your student has earned their ‘10/10 week’: $$ towards their classroom checking account Students earn $10 a week for being respectful Students can lose their respect money for classroom behavior related issues It will never be a surprise to you if your student loses his/her respect money; we will contact you specifically about the incident prior to it being noted on a grade sheet Students earn $10 a week for being responsible Students must get their grade sheets signed each week Students must turn in all assignments on time with names on them Students must always have their ‘checkbook’ in their mailbox

STUDENT ABSENCES If a student misses any part of a school day(s) she/he is responsible for: Getting a list of all missed instruction and assignments. Checking with teachers for questions and confirming due dates. Checking with Social Studies/Science Teacher and copying science labs if these classes are missed. Catching up the work and turning it in on time. We generally attempt to put together a list of missed work and adjust due dates accordingly when students are absent due to illness. We generally will not make these accommodations ahead of time due to non-illness related absences. Please schedule appointments and travel on non-school time as much as possible. Morning appointments are preferable over 3:00 appointments.

CELEBRATIONS HONOR LUNCH - A quarterly celebration for students who earn a certain number of 10/10 weeks for that quarter - Allowed under the provisions of the new “Healthy Food Policy” with consideration made to the ingredients of the food BIRTHDAYS - At your comfort will we acknowledge a student on his/her birthday if it falls on or near a school day - Please do not send in treats

FIELD TRIPS! Because opportunities to learn are all around us… We do our sixth grade field trips all together. We will aim for 1 per quarter. Information and permission slips will go out via . Please remember your PCEP commitment to drive/chaperone field trips. We are currently scheduled for:  MOHAI (October 7 th )  Seattle Children’s Theater (April 21 st )  Pompeii Exhibit at Pacific Science Center (March 3 rd ) OUTDOOR SCHOOL O.S.P.R.E.Y. CAMP Is tentatively scheduled for middle of May Cost is about $200 per student-fundraising opportunities will be available to offset this cost. More information on OSPREY Camp to come at April’s Teacher Time Meeting.

ROTATIONS & COMMITTEES We are counting on you to be present and on time for your rotation! If you cannot make your rotation, it is mandatory to work it out with your rotation partners or arrange for a trained substitute - your rotation’s specific absence policy will be addressed at training Maplewood policy is that adults adhere to student ‘behavior’ expectations We will contact committees as needed Please sign in Rotation training calendars are available; please note your training meeting time and date! THANK YOU!