Hickory Elementary School

Fifth Grade

 

Mrs. Clark, Room 11

 


 

Voice mail:     533-4672 x 3111            

E-mail:           teach5thgrd@aol.com         

 

Feel free to write, telephone or e-mail me with questions or concerns.  E-mail is the most efficient way for me to correspond with you.  I check my email each evening.

 

 

 

 

 

HELPFUL MATERIALS

 

daypack or book bag

3-ring binder (2” or smaller)

five 3-hole pocket folders (no prongs)—put into binder

homework planner (to be purchased from the school)

wide ruled notebook paper—to be replenished as needed

textbooks covered and labeled at all times (NO stick-on book covers)

large pencil box with the following supplies:

sharpened pencils and erasers (NO mechanical pencils)

red pen/marker for correcting & editing

black permanent Sharpie marker

colored pencils

highlighter

pencil sharpener with shavings catcher

bookmarks for reading books

scotch tape

post-it notes

small scissors

 

The following classroom supplies are also very much appreciated throughout the school year, although you are under no obligation to send them in:

 

            paper towels                             kleenex                                     small post-it notes        

scotch tape                               masking tape                            white glue

            colored pencils                         anti-bacterial soap                    overhead markers

Sharpie markers                       white board markers                 bandages                                 

white/color copy paper             overhead transparencies            white out

colored markers                       printer transparencies

 

 

Homework Planner w/ Behavior Record

 

§       Citizenship and Study Skills grades of ‘S’ or above must be maintained in order to attend field trips and other special activities and assemblies

 

§       Sign Behavior Record weekly

 

§       Auction at end of each trimester

 

 

 

 

Citizenship Standards

 

Respect other people

Respect other people’s things

Talk at appropriate times & raise your hand

Stay in your chair

Use manners

Have a positive attitude
Resolve conflicts appropriately

Line up quickly & quietly

Enter & leave the room quietly

 

Study Skills Standards

 

Listen and pay attention

Work quietly

Use time wisely

Do work neatly

Have needed materials

Complete and turn in work on time
Participate in class

Keep desk neat and clean

Have behavior record signed weekly


 

Other Materials

 

§      Textbooks must be covered and labeled

 

§      Binder/Notebook/Folders are important for organization of papers

 

§      No mechanical pencils

 

§      Helpful at-home materials: 

Dictionary, Thesaurus, Atlas, Encyclopedia, Colored Pencils, Wide-ruled Notebook Paper, Graph Paper, Calculator, Computer with Word Processor and Internet access, Protractor, Ruler with inches and centimeters

 

§      Class Wish List:

Sharpie markers (extra-fine tip), scotch tape, overhead markers, white board markers, bandages, white/color copy paper, overhead/printer transparencies, Kleenex, baby wipes,

book store/office store gift certificates

 


Homework

 

 

§      1 ½ hours daily Monday through Friday

§      Weekends (reports, make-up work, unfinished class work, remedial & enrichment work, studying for an upcoming test, etc.)

§      Affects both Achievement and Effort grades

§      Late work receives a lower grade or zero

 

Absences & Tardies

 

§      Arrange to pick up missed assignments the day of the absence

§      Students are responsible for obtaining and submitting missed assignments upon return

§      Send in an absence note after each absence

§      Send in a note a day or two before planned absences or doctor appointments

§      Send in a note at least a week before an extended absence

§      Independent Study Credit for 5+ days of absence

§      3 Tardies/month=Detention

§      10+ Absences/Tardies=Warning

§      20+ Absences/Tardies=SARB (meeting with the district Student Attendance Reporting Board)

§      Students must be checked in/out of school at the office—please don’t come to the classroom


 

Field trips

Fall:       Skirball Cultural Center, Petco

Winter:  Getty Museum

Spring:  Madrona Marsh, Knotts Berry Farm or

Autry Museum, Torrance Farmer’s Market, Madrona Middle School

 

Volunteer Opportunities

Field trips

Adventures in Art

Holiday Party

Room parents

5th Grade Exit Party

PTA

 

Other Important Information

Parent/Student Conferences—twice yearly

Communicator Envelope—Thursday

Earthquake Emergency Kits

 

 

 


TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD BECOME A BETTER STUDENT

 

¨      Look through your child’s notebook, homework planner, and backpack daily—ask lots of questions and look over their homework before and after it is done.

¨      Take your child’s successes and failures personally, including his grades, because they are often a reflection of your involvement in his education.

¨      Giving positive feedback is usually more successful than negative. Verbal praise should be given often.  Watching television, playing with video games, participating in sports, and visiting with friends are rewards for a job well done at school and should be handed out sparingly. Negative concerns should address the child’s performance and behavior, not the child himself.  Do not pay your child for good grades, effort, or citizenship.  Set reasonably high standards for your child and expect them to be met.

¨      Limit the amount of after school activities that your child is involved in and the amount of time you spend at work and away from your family.  Balance in life is important.  It is more valuable for your child if you spend time talking with him rather than chauffeuring him around to too many activities.  Both the quantity and quality of time you spend together are important.

¨      Give your child chores around the house (not for pay) to teach him responsibility and the value of hard work—real life is not a free ride.

¨      Give your child a reasonable allowance (to learn money management).  Have him save some of it in a savings account for some future expense like college, and let him spend the rest as he chooses.  If he wants something, let him save and buy it with his own money.

¨      Insure that your child is getting the proper amount of sleep.  Studies show that children require at least 9-10 hours of sleep each night.  Set up a bedtime routine and stick to it (for example, 20 minutes to get ready for bed, 30 minutes of reading, and 10 minutes of parent/child cuddle time with a kiss goodnight and lights out and door closed).

¨      Take your child on vacations and field trips.  Exposing him to people and places outside of his own neighborhood is an invaluable experience.

¨      Perform community service with your child.  Helping others increases a person’s self esteem and allows us to appreciate our many blessings.

¨      Be a positive role model.  “A father and mother must be there to set an example for their children, strong and positive models of what to be and how to behave when the youngsters grow up.  Being a role model is the most powerful form of educating.  Youngsters need good models more than they need critics.  It is one of a parent’s greatest responsibilities and opportunities.  Too often parents neglect it because they get so caught up in making a living they forget to make a life.” ---John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach