2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Letter 3
Supply List 4
Expectations 4
Room 205 on the Web 5
SchoolNotes.com 5
Technology Integration 6
Cooperative Learning 6
Progress Reports 6
Evaluation Procedures 6
Homework 8
Absences 8
Reading 9
Scholastic Books 10
Calculator Use 10
Basic Math Facts 10
How You Can Help 11
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3. August 2010
Dear Parents,
This week begins a brand new school year for all of us! I would like to extend a
warm welcome to my new students. As always, the start of a school year holds
the promise of new discovery and learning, as well as the prospect of personal
growth in all areas.
I have put together a handbook of information to help you and your child become
familiar with my expectations for the school year. Please take a day or two to read
through this information. After reading the handbook, please send me an email (or
a note in the agenda if you truly are not an email person, though I hope to have you
become one). In this way I can be sure that all parents have seen our class
handbook.
PLEASE bookmark this handbook for future reference. Should you like to print a
copy, you can access a 'printable' copy of it on our class web site under the
'download' link.
My email address is jporritt@accesscomm.ca. If you need to contact me
throughout the year, I prefer email, if possible. I check my email several times
a day, and I will respond promptly. If you do not have email, you may call the
school and leave a message (791-8445). I would also appreciate being able to
contact you via email, so please email me ASAP, so I can get your email address.
I'm looking forward to an exciting year with the class. I do have an 'open door'
policy, so feel free to drop in. Thank you for your cooperation in getting this
year off to a great start!
Sincerely,
Jann Porritt
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4. MATERIALS NEEDED:
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Please send the following materials for your child:
$4.50 to cover the cost of the agenda (IF YOUR CHILD HAS AN
IPOD TOUCH, AND YOU WILL ALLOW THEM TO BRING IT TO SCHOOL
EVERY DAY, THEY MAY USE THIS AS THEIR AGENDA AND NOT BUY A
SCHOOL ONE.)
ADDITIONAL ‘OPTIONAL’ SUPPLIES:
Pair of sharp scissors
2 highlighters
1 pkg. 24 sharpened pencil crayons
1 set of thin washable markers
Transparent tape
1 blue ink pen
1 red ink pen
Computer USB Storage Device (flash drive, san disk, jump drive, etc.)
Set of headphones to use while on computer (ear buds) and Ziploc bag to store
them in
1 - 2" binder
EXPECTATIONS:
• Work to full potential.
• Work independently and cooperatively.
• Be responsible and respectful at all times.
• Be organized and use agenda daily.
• Complete homework
• Prepare for presentations and quizzes.
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5. Room 205 On The Web:
Our class has a home on the Internet! We have a class web site on which we display
student work and where parents can visit to keep up-to-date on classroom events. In
order to post student work, photos, etc., I will need your permission. I will send home
a letter giving more details and asking for permission soon.
Our class web site is located at http://hawrylak205.blogspot.com. If you would like
to contact me by email my address is jporritt@accesscomm.ca. The school website is
also a great place to keep informed about dates, school activities, etc. The school
website can be found at http://wshawrylak.rbe.sk.ca.
Please check out the class web site on a regular basis, as I know you will find it a
wealth of information covering everything from Online Agenda, Class Calendar, Math
textbook, newsletters, downloads, projects, educational links and much more.
I also like to keep parents informed by frequent newsletters. To save paper, I
post all of our newsletters to the Internet on a site called schoolnotes.com. For
those who do not have Internet access at home, I can provide a paper copy if
you let me know. To access our newsletters you can use the link on our class
web site (Class Newsletters), or you can go to
http://www.schoolnotes.com/S4V2R6/jporritt.html.
I will update these newsletters frequently, and you will be notified when I do by a
note in your child's agenda, but you can also use a feature on the schoolnotes.com site
that will let you know by email whenever there have been changes made to the site.
Just click on the yellow button on the left-hand side that says Notify Me.
Please take the time to read this handbook over, and after reading the
handbook, please let me know by sending me an email. In this way, I can get
your email address, as well.
Keep this handbook at home for future reference. Should you misplace this
booklet, you can access a copy of it on our class web site under the Information
link.
Thanks,
Jann Porritt
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6. TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION:
It is my belief that an integral part of your child’s educational
program must incorporate technology. Technology opens the
world to your child and creates such excitement and
enthusiasm towards learning. In our classroom we use
technology as a tool for learning, believing that technology
skills will be acquired while students focus on content areas. The integration of
technology provides students the opportunity to learn Saskatchewan curriculum
topics as a natural part of their regular school day.
Room 205 is definitely a technology classroom. Besides several classroom
computers, we also have a SmartBoard with a Response System, AND we have
15 iPads. I will teach the children how to use these tools to enhance their
learning.
***iPod Touches: If your son/daughter has an iPod Touch, and you are willing to
let them bring it to school every day, I will also show them how it can become a
valuable tool to them in the classroom. For those students who have access to
the iPod Touch, I will show them how it can be used for their daily agenda, their
calculator, their class calendar, math review and MUCH, MUCH more. This year
I will require those with iPod Touches in the room to sign a form committing to
only using the school Internet in the classroom under my supervision. If the
iPod Touch is to be used for the agenda, you do not need to send $4.50 for the
paper agenda.
Word Processing: This year I am using an online typing site to help the
students improve their typing skills. I have moved to an online site in order to
give the kids a chance to continue with their monthly lessons from home. Each
student has an outline of the lessons for each month, as well as their own
personal login. Please encourage (and ensure) that they are using proper
fingering when at home. Over the years, I have been able to turn out some very
good keyboarders from Room 205, and those students who follow the program
faithfully very quickly see the benefits of proper keyboarding.
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7. COOPERATIVE LEARNING/PROJECT-BASED LEARNING:
I wholeheartedly believe in cooperative, project-based learning in the classroom. Research
has shown that all students are more successful when they are allowed to discuss and defend
their ideas as they learn. Working in small groups helps students gain valuable social skills
they will need throughout life. Parents are often concerned about grades in the cooperative
learning classroom. I want to assure parents that all grades come from individual effort,
projects, assignments and quizzes. No student's grade will be raised or lowered based on the
performance of others in the group.
I will be placing the students in a variety of groups so that they may help each other during
the learning process, and these groups will change many times throughout the school year. I
welcome the opportunity to discuss cooperative learning with anyone who has questions or
concerns. I've had great success with this technique in recent years!
PROGRESS REPORTS:
Report Cards will be sent home three times a year - November, March and
June. We will have our first conference (parent/teacher/student) in
November. More information to follow.
I will also keep you informed throughout the school year by sending home quizzes, projects,
rubrics and assignments for you to see. When your son/daughter brings home something for
you to look at, please sign and return to school to indicate that you have seen it.
I try to send things home on a regular basis, but also suggest that, as a family, you choose a
time where your son/daughter can bring something home to show. I suggest that they bring
home a different subject area each time so that you can be kept informed of all areas.
After looking at their work, why not write them a comment? Kids love to be praised and/or
encouraged. Often times it is the comment, and not the signature that the students show me
when they bring the work back.
EVALUATION:
• Daily work.
• Class participation.
• Self-evaluation
Evaluation is based on a combination of all of
these.
• Rubrics/Exemplars
• Testing - both formal and informal.
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8. HOMEWORK:
In many cases, homework is simply classwork that
was not finished, but sometimes
projects/assignments may require research, data
collection, preparation of material, reading etc. that
may need to be completed at home. Often times, this type of homework doesn't even
feel like homework to your child. I do ask the children to read at home on a regular
basis and keep a reading log, and this counts as homework.
I also require the students to complete weekly Online Assignments. Every Monday, I
post the online assignments for the week, and I require that they are to be done by
the following Sunday evening. These online assignments include Keyboarding, Math and
Reading.
Organization is the key to success! In order to help students complete homework
assignments, they need to track their work schedules and commitments by recording
due dates and project planning in their Daily Agendas. I encourage parents to look at
the Daily Agendas on a regular basis, but it is not necessary that you sign them each
night. By Grade 6/7, we strive to have the students become independent learners and
to take responsibility for their own learning. If an agenda doesn’t make it home, or is
not filled in, you can always find what is homework for the day on our class web site
(Online Agenda).
ABSENCES:
Regular school attendance is critical to the learning process. When your child is
absent, he or she misses valuable instructional time. Please inform the school of any
absences. If your son/daughter is going to be away for an extended period of time, I
appreciate knowing well in advance. Often times I can put together some work to be
completed during this time, but please understand that it is often very difficult as so
much of the learning occurs during instruction and while interacting with peers. Many
times the activities cannot be done without the initial instruction and classroom
discussion.
When I am able to send work home, I appreciate parent support in ensuring that the
student is completing the assignment(s) correctly and in marking the assignment, if
possible. This way we can all be assured that the student is on-track and understands
what he/she is doing.
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9. READING:
Research has shown that the way to become a
better reader, writer and speller is to simply
READ and WRITE! With this in mind, I have
developed a reading program that requires the
students to read a variety of reading material.
Not all of the students will be reading at the same level or interest area so there will
always be a number of different books being read at any given time in the classroom.
Please keep in mind that even though the students may be reading books at different
levels, the reading skills and strategies that they are being taught are the same.
Because we will often have small groups of students reading different novels we will
frequently use a reading strategy called Literature Circles. This is an exciting
approach to reading, and one that sixth/seventh graders enjoy. At the beginning of
each session, students choose the novel they want to read from the 4-5 that I
present to the class. There will be novels provided to accommodate the reading levels
and interests of all students. We take several weeks to read a novel. Students have
weekly deadlines to meet that include specific pages and assignments. Parents can
help by posting deadlines on a calendar at home and providing time at home for
reading the novel. We will start Literature Circles later this year.
To become a better reader, one has to READ! I feel it is very important that students
are reading on a daily basis at home. I require the students to keep track of their
reading time at home on a reading log. This monthly reading log needs to be returned
to school twice a month. Students are required to return the Home Reading Log on the
15th of the month (so I can check to see how they are doing and what they are
reading) and again on the 1st of the following month, so that it can be 'evaluated.'
This Reading Log is an integral part of the reading program and is worth 10% of the
Reading mark. The mark is determined by the amount of minutes read.
Home reading can be done in a variety of ways. Some of the acceptable forms of
reading for the Home Reading Log are:
•reading printed material - books, magazines, newspapers
•computer - finding and READING research material
•sharing and orally reading assignments to parents (grandparents, siblings, etc.)
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10. •crafts, hobbies, etc. - reading instructions and 'building' things
•writing (letters, stories, etc.) - when we write we read. Reading and writing also
helps to build better Spellers.
I will provide the first Monthly Reading Log, and they may print off new
ones each month from our Class Web Site under the Assignment link, or
just use a sheet of lined paper.
SCHOLASTIC BOOKS:
Each month I provide the students with an opportunity to order
books from Scholastic Books. While this is optional, I do
encourage the students to read at home on a daily basis, and this
is a way of obtaining reasonably priced books. We become better readers by
reading! When ordering books, please make cheques payable to Scholastic
Books.
CALCULATOR USE:
The students will be learning to solve increasingly
complex mathematical word problems this year. It’s
important that they learn to use a calculator as a
problem-solving tool. Students may use calculators to
complete math homework problems that involve geometry, fractions, word
problems, etc. However, students may not use calculators for solving skill drills
and basic computation, but may use them to check their work.
Basic Math Facts:
In my experience, one of the greatest factors for students having difficulty
with some of the Math concepts is the student not knowing the basic facts
(addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). We will work on these at
school, but if your child needs help, you can also help by studying with
flashcards, playing some of the card games or dice games that we play in school,
or using a homemade drill worksheet. You can even call out math facts to your
child while driving in the car or waiting in the doctor’s office!
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11. HOW YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD:
•Be supportive of your child and of the school.
•Be genuinely interested in what your child is doing.
•Give help when needed or desired, join in when possible - fieldtrips, projects,
etc.
•Be understanding of your child and of your child’s teacher.
• Celebrate your child's successes!
••• Stay tuned in daily to our class site if you want to know what we are
doing each day, what is homework and to see some of our work.
It is well known that students will experience the most success in school when
teachers, students and parents all work together toward the same goals. As a
team, I feel confident we can make this year a happy, successful one for your
child!
As your child’s teacher, I see my main role as creating a safe, caring, positive
environment in which your child will be able to acquire new knowledge and skills,
using many different styles and techniques in all subject areas.
Your child has the responsibility to come to school ready and eager to learn, to
work to their best ability, to cooperate with the teachers and classmates, to
show respect to all and to accept responsibility by completing homework and
making sure that all needed materials are at school. A student who achieves the
above will indeed have a successful year!
Thank you and I look forward to a great year,
Jann Porritt
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