1. Open House
Mrs. Phillips

2. Who am I?

3. Student Planners & HW
Planners are used as a tool to aid organizational skills and should be taken home and returned to school daily. Planners are inside their binders.
All homework is written on the board daily and updated on our blog no later than 5pm ( and we have HW buddies.
Because I do not check each planner daily, please write notes separately for me to see either via or handwritten notes.
Homework will not be everyday and will not be huge assignments. HW Slips will go home in Monday folders. Students are held accountable for their homework through the use of the work/study habits section of the report card.
Missing 0-3 assignments = can contribute to a Satisfactory rating on the report card
Missing 4-6 assignments = Needs Improvement
Missing 7 or more assignments = Unsatisfactory (This rating will take a student off of honor roll.)

4. Monday Folders They include:
student work
a signature sheet
field trip forms
any other items that need to be sent home
Should be signed and returned next day (Tuesdays).
A progress report will be sent home at the halfway mark.
If there are areas of concern for the previous week, I will mark on the chart.
Please remind child to turn in any notes on folder directly to me.

5. Tardies
Please have your child to school by 7:50. It would be even better if they could arrive at 7:20.
It is very beneficial for your child to arrive early. This enables your child to get unpacked and settled for the day.
There will be no extended tardies this year.

6. Doctor’s Appointment/Absence
When your child is absent, please send in an absence excuse upon his/her return. IF your child is sick, keep him/her at home please.
If your child is going to be absent for several days, I will try my best to work with you and provide some work for him/her to complete.
Make-up work is required to be completed upon return.

7. BUS & Carpool New this year!
Your child must have a Bus Change note to go home on a different bus (located on our East Side website). No transportation changes via !
You need a carpool number tag hanging in your car and your child should memorize this number.
If you do not have Car Tag or number- you will need to see front office- only enrolling adult can get tag.
Children cannot leave school in car without their Car Tag (if going home with a friends, you will need to send your car tag to that parent picking them up the day before.

8. Classroom Management
Positive Discipline- highlighting and focusing on the positive traits and behaviors (C.A.R.E.S.)
Community of learners with responsibilities and natural consequences when possible
No reward or tracking system- the student and I have a conversation as needed related to any issue. Any repeated issues, and I will call or you.

9. 5th Grade Testing This Year
IOWA Assessment: 9/9- 9/13
Milestone: 4/14- 5/11

10. Snacks & BIRTHDAYS
Please send your child to school with a healthy and non-messy snack each day.
You may also send your child to school with bottled water. We have a water fountain in the classroom.
Snacks should be a single serving size and should be things they can eat while they work.
You may send or bring in a birthday treat if you wish.
Please make it simple and easy to serve. (Pre-cut or have individual servings for the entire class which is 20.)
Café now offers “catering”
We have a nut allergy, so please make sure when sending snacks you include ingredients if possible.

11. Field Trips & Programs & SHIRTS
We will have several this year, including:
Symphony
High Touch-High Tech-Hands on Science Experiments
Atlanta History Center
Alliance Theater
Authors and Guest Speakers in house
Our 5th grade trip this year will be a day in Downtown Atlanta. Students will explore some of the local sights and experiences while still enjoying the charter bus and extended school day. May 8th.
We also are ordering class t-shirts! Please fill out the form on your child’s desk and include a payment of $7 on mypaymentplus.com or check/cash in an envelope.
Students will need to wear shirts for field trips and end of the year events

13. East Side Differentiated learning…
Strategy Groups for Reading and Mathematics
Skill-based and strategy-based instruction taught at a student’s skill readiness level
Common formative and summative assessments that guide instruction for small groups and individual students
Center Rotations designed to review, practice, and extend skills and concepts
Teacher-Student Conferences - specific feedback/commentary provided to students related to progress toward mastery of standards
Orton Gillingham – A multi-sensory approach to teaching phonics that prepares a teacher to individualize instruction – teachers teach students to understand rules to reading and spelling in a way to best meet their learning style – visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic

14. Math Units Order of Operations and Whole Numbers Decimals
Multiplying & Dividing with Decimals
Fractions (all operations)
2D Figures
Volume & Measurement
Geometry & the Coordinate Plane

15. Reading Reading Skills Workshop Model Reading Journals
Sequencing
Quote Accurately
Compare/Contrast
Character Analysis
Theme
Inferring
Determining Importance
Cause and Effect
Making Connections
Questioning
Synthesizing
Visualizing
Figurative Language
Point of View
Workshop Model
Reading Journals
Authentic grading- grades will come from in class lesson & specific objectives related to student’s daily reading

16. Writing Narrative Writing Workshop Model Opinion Writing
Informational/ Explanatory Writing
Research Writing
Routine Writing
Writing Stamina
Workshop Model
Writer’s Notebook
Published pieces
Interdisciplinary

17. Vocabulary
Greek and Latin roots will be taught to reinforce reading comprehension.
Each Monday students will receive their vocabulary words for the week. We will be working with these words in class, but students should study word list and will be given a WS to practice (due every Thursday) that will help enforce the root word.
Vocabulary tests will be on Friday.

18. Social Studies – Mrs. Brooks will teach our class
Citizenship
The Changing Nation
World War I, Jazz Age, and Great Depression
World War II and the Cold War
America
Personal Finance

19. Science Constructive and Deconstructive Forces
Classification of Organisms
Inherited Traits & Learned Behaviors
Cells and Microorganisms
Physical & Chemical Changes
Electricity and Magnetism

20. Parent Vue
Please check Parent Vue on a weekly basis to see your child’s current grades.
Login Info is the same as previous years, new students should get paperwork with the info tonight once you sign the form that is located on your child’s desk.
If you are missing your login, please let me know.

21. Weights of Grades & TEST CORRECTIONS
Language Arts:
25% is word work and grammar
30% is writing process
45% is published writing
All other subject areas (math, science, social studies, reading):
60% Classwork and Quizzes
40% Test and Projects
Students will have the opportunity to make corrections for test grades below an 80.
Students will receive partial credit for corrections up to an 80.
I will work with your child as needed for setting deadlines for test corrections.

22. Dress Code
Administrators and teachers will enforce the dress code that includes but is not limited to:
Shoes must be worn at all times, tennis shoes on PE days. Flip Flops are discouraged since they lack much support.
Caps, hats, or bandanas may not be worn in the building except as authorized for special occasions.
Clothing or ornamentation displaying illegal substances for minors, suggestive phrases, markings or profanity are prohibited.
Students may wear shorts as appropriate and at the discretion of the administration. Appropriate shorts are those that are near fingertip length.
No bare midriff’s, bare backs or halter tops allowed.
No spaghetti-strap tank tops. Tank tops must be three-finger in width.

23. East Side’s Definition of Bullying
Bullying is unfair and one-sided. It happens when someone keeps hurting, frightening, threatening, or leaving someone out on purpose.
Bullying is:
Intentional and purposeful, not an accident
A pattern of behavior over time, not just a one time incident
An imbalance of power or strength
A feeling of injury or discomfort by the person being bullied

24. Conferences Please send a note or an email to request a conference.
Conferences may be held in person or by phone.
Conference week will not be October but I will keep you up to date as far as when I will hold them.

25. B.y.o.d. Parent Student Agreement Form (will be on Blog tonight)
Bring ONE device to use all year
Sign up devices will happen next Thursday 8/15:
Parental Controls should be disabled for that day because it can block the network. You can turn this back on that afternoon  If you prefer not to unlock this, please come to school with the device and set it up directly with tech support
Cell phones will be an approved device for now (this is different from Target expectations)
Devices are not going to be an everyday all day tool
Expectations: see handout

27. Scholastic Book Orders & COMMUNICATION
The best way to reach me is via at but please allow 24 hours to respond.
ONLY online and our class can earn books!
Forms are sent home in Monday folders.
Our class code is GNBVP
There is a link on our website or you can sign up at

28. Who can donate? Follow us at #esefoundation What we do?
Instruction
Maker’s Space teacher salary & supplies
Teacher continuing education
Infrastructure
Turf fields
Learning Commons furniture
Innovation
STEM
Classroom technology
Science and Math Olympiads
Who can donate?
East Side Families
Corporate Matching
Remember to enter your employer information on the donation form to see if they participate in a corporate match
How to donate?
Online at:
Follow us at #esefoundation

29. ROOM Rep – Mrs. Cofer
You should have received an invite to our Shutterfly website – if not please sign up on our computers before you leave
Please complete all forms on your child’s desk and leave them for me.

30. Thank you for your support!