1. Welcome to 4 th Grade Parent Information Night!! 2015-2016

2. About the Classrooms Our classrooms are safe, secure environments that allow all children to reach their potential. Our classroom environments foster creativity, high moral character, and strong team building.

3. Team Rules Be Safe Be Responsible Be There/Be Prepared Be Respectful Be On Task/Follow Directions

4. Fourth Grade Rotation Schedule and Expectations Morning in classroom- First Rotation- Students will be in their homeroom. 10:35-11:20- Second Rotation 11:25-12:10- Third Rotation Be Prepared: Students must come to class with all materials and ready to learn. Students will not be able to go back to their homeroom to retrieve forgotten materials as this interrupts the learning of others.

5. Fun Friday Each Friday we will have a team meeting where we will revisit the week, and discuss upcoming events. Students who have completed all assignments will participate in Fun Friday. Activities include recess, STEM activities, board games, teambuilding activities, etc. Students who have not completed assignments by Friday will stay to complete missing assignments in a quiet environment.

6. About Mrs. Yelen My name is Nicole Yelen and this is my 11 th year teaching 4 th grade at Indian Hill. I graduated from Oakland University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in English/Language Arts. Then, I received a Master’s degree in Educational Studies with a focus on Curriculum from Oakland University. My husband Ryan and I have been married for 10 years and currently live in Grand Blanc. We have a daughter, Grace, who recently turned six, our son, Brody, who will be four in a few weeks and our daughter Juliana who is two.

7. 4 th Grade Curriculum: Social Studies Topics covered in 4 th grade: Michigan History (statehood-present) United States Regions United States Government United States Economics Please contact Mrs. Yelen with any Social Studies questions or concerns.

8. About Mrs. Petitpren My name is Anne Petitpren and this is my 12 th year teaching in Grand Blanc. I taught second grade for 10 years at Cook, and this is my third year teaching 4 th grade at Indian Hill. I graduated from Michigan State University in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. I received both my Elementary Teaching Certification (2003) and my Master’s degree in Elementary Education (2007) from Grand Valley State University. My husband Craig and I have been married for 5 years and currently live in Grand Blanc. We have a son, Benjamin, who is two.

9. 4 th Grade Curriculum: Reading Guided reading with the teacher Independent reading Partner Reading Literature circles Read Alouds Reading Response Journals. Please contact Mrs. Petitpren with any questions or concerns.

10. Accelerated Reader (A.R.) Students are assigned an obtainable reading goal each marking period based on STAR Reading data results. A.R. is a multiple choice reading comprehension quiz taken on the computer in school. It is an Indian Hill expectation that students will check out and read an AR book approximately every two weeks.

11. About Mrs. Merrill My name is Mrs. Abby Merrill and this is my 14 th year teaching at Indian Hill. I have taught Young Fives, Kindergarten, First, Second and Fourth Grade. I graduated from University of Michigan-Flint with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood endorsement. I received a Master’s degree in Common Learnings in Curriculum from Eastern Michigan University. My husband Stacy and I have been married for 14 years and currently live in Grand Blanc. Our daughter Allison is in fifth grade and our son Max is a third grader.

12. 4 th Grade Curriculum: Science Topics covered in 4 th grade: Life: Relationships and Requirements of Living Things Heat, Electricity & Magnetism Properties and Changes in Matter Sun, Moon & Earth Fossils Please contact Mrs. Merrill with any Science questions or concerns.

13. The 4 th Grade Curriculum: Language Arts Word Study: Words Their Way (spelling) Writing: Informational, Persuasive, Narrative, and Poetry

14. 4 th Grade Curriculum: Math Topics covered in 4 th grade: Decimals, fractions, measuring angles, multi-digit multiplication, long division, symmetry, perimeter & area, geometry, number stories, problem solving and measurement. Basic Math Facts- Xtramath.org

15. Homework Policy Homework is given Monday-Thursday in math. Students are expected to read for 20-minutes at home daily. The total amount of homework should not exceed an average of 40 minutes per evening for 4 th grade. The time is calculated to 10 minutes per grade level of the child. INCOMPETE DAILY WORK: Any daily assignments your child didn’t finish becomes homework. Most students are able to finish assignments in class. If the work is not finished, it is the student’s job to bring it home to be completed as homework. If you find your child has an excessive amount of class work he/she is bringing home (more than 40 minutes on a consistent basis) this may be an indication that his/her class time is not being used wisely. Please contact us if you feel we need to discuss your child’s nightly work load.

16. Work Policy Students are responsible for turning in work on time. Your child will be assigned many assignments that are due the following day. Some assignments may be long term assignments. The grades on the report card are based on the assignments that are turned in by each student. To best teach the students responsibility the expectation is that the assigned work be turned in the following day. However, all assignments must be turned in by FRIDAY for a grade. This essentially gives the students a “second chance” to complete a missing assignment before it goes into the grade book as a zero. A “Missing Assignment” list will be posted on the board to remind those students who have not yet finished their work for the week. We will only grade the assignments turned in by Friday. If the assignment is turned in late (the following Monday), it will be reviewed, however, the grade will remain a zero (no credit) in the grade book.

17. Fourth Grade Grading Scale PercentLetter Grade 100%A+ 99%-93%A 92%-90%A- 89%-87%B+ 86%-83%B 82%-80%B- 79%-77%C+ 76%-73%C 72%-70%C- 69%-67%D+ 66%-63%D 62%-60%D- 59% and lowerE

18. Monday Folder Every Monday you will receive a Monday Folder that contains graded papers, weekly updates and spelling lists. It is extremely important that you read the Monday Folder Sheet. The sheet outlines every assignment that you should find graded in the folder. If an assignment appears on the sheet, but not in your child’s folder that indicates your child has a missing assignment and received a zero in the grade book. Please mark off each item that you see on the sheet and sign the sheet. Return the signed sheet and folder with your child on Tuesday. Please KEEP all graded papers at home with you.

19. Synergy We encourage you to check Synergy to monitor your child’s progress and overall grades in each subject area. Login information for Synergy can be obtained in the office. Students and parents have access to Synergy.

20. Thank you for coming tonight!! Any Questions???? Make sure to visit all three classrooms and meet your fourth grade team. Before leaving please sign up for parent/teacher conferences with your homeroom teacher.