Dear Parents, I am delighted that your child is in my class this year. With your encouragement, your child will be part of many exciting and rewarding experiences. I am looking forward to wonderful and amazing times in room 20! SCHOOL SUPPLIES Students received a list of supplies as well as additional items purchased by me. Specific items were requested so that there is an organized, color coded system in the classroom. Each subject has its own pocket folder. This alleviates the problem of loose and/or lost papers. Students will also be provided with an agenda/planner. In addition, students will fill their pencil pouch full of needed desktop materials. I would like to keep the desktops as clean and uncluttered as possible. Therefore, I am asking that students not bring pencil boxes from home or any other personal items to be kept on their desktops. If your child wishes to bring special school supplies from home, they will need to be kept inside the pencil pouch. There will be times when students can bring special items from home to use for projects done in class. Students will be told ahead of time. With less objects taking up space on our tables, students will find it easier to stay organized and on task. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Since lifelong success depends, in part, on self discipline, we will develop together classroom rules and a classroom management system. Specific information will be sent home next week because we are developing this as a classroom team. It will be based on positive rewards and will have natural consequences built in. If they are to make a “behavioral error,” which we all do at some point, it will be treated as a learning experience and handled accordingly. My goal is to give every student an opportunity to learn in a positive, nurturing classroom environment where they are comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions. I have a strong background in positive behavior support and feel very

strongly that children learn best in an environment they have control over and one where they have taken an active role in the creation of the system. Please look for the exact description of this plan to come home soon. AGENDAS/PLANNERS Agendas serve as daily communication between the school and parents. They also serve as an organizational tool for students. Students are expected to fill in their agenda daily and have it signed by a parent each night. If the student has completed all of his or her homework, it will be recorded and they will be rewarded for their responsibility. The agenda is a student responsibility. HAMs (HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT MISSED) It is a school wide policy at Welby Way that if your child does not bring an assignment to school on the specified due date, he/she will need to fill out a HAM to go home to be signed by the parent. Please note that 6 HAMs per grading period will result in a score of “1” on report cards. Please see these as warnings and a tool to keep you informed. If there is a problem, please speak to me so we can work out a plan. More about homework will be discussed at Back to School night. NOTEWORTHY NEWS/ROVING REPORTER Each day, ONE student in our classroom will be assigned to be the Roving Reporter. His or her job is to write a short article about what took place in class that day. Students will take notes and gather information for their article throughout the day and then complete the news article for homework that evening. There is a rubric with specific criteria that your child will bring home. This information is also accessible at slezingerworld.blogspot.com/ Roving Reporter page. Most times, this responsibility will replace the student’s nightly homework and parent assistance is encouraged. These articles will be submitted through Google Classroom as soon as we are up and running, or emailed to me by 8:00AM the following morning. They will be compiled throughout the year to be viewed on the website. This is a great way to keep informed of our day-to-day happenings from the eyes of the students! SILENT READING Students will read silently at their seats each day. Your child will need have a silent reading book available at school at all times. Please bring this book to school by tomorrow.

RESPONSIBILITY Now that they are 5th graders, students will need to remain focused on their schoolwork more than ever. I expect respectful behavior, attentiveness in the classroom, assignments completed in a timely manner, and 100% effort at all times. You, and your children, can have the same expectations of me! I am looking forward to spending the year with your children, and I especially look forward to meeting all of the parents at Back To School Night. If you have any questions or concerns at any time during the year, please feel free to contact me. If you wish you may email me at [email protected]. I will respond to emails within 24-48 hours, so if you have immediate concerns, please call the main office at 348-1975. CLASS WEBSITE (www.slezingerworld.blogspot.com) I am a firm believer that strong parent-teacher communication is essential in order to maximize student learning. With that in mind, it is my hope that the class website will help keep you and your children informed. My hope is that it proves to be a valuable addition to your child’s education. Sincerely, Wendie Slezinger