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FOR PARENTS
Fifth grade standards
Parent Letters
Volunteers
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General School and Classroom Information
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School Information
Chaparral Elementary
Principal: Ms. Florence Goldberg
Assistant Principal: Ms. Rhonda Sandoval
6325 Milne Road NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120
(505) 831-3301 (Phone)
(505) 831-6314 (Fax)
School Mascot: Roadrunners
School hours
First bell: 9:00
Tardy bell: 9:03 am
End of day: 3:40 pm
** Early dismissal on Wednesdays at 12:55 pm
Absences
Please call in all absences to our ATTENDANCE HOTLINE # 831-3301 Ext 143
Children that are late to school should report to the office prior to entering the classroom. Excess absences and/or tardies will be reported to the court. Please help your student achieve perfect attendance this year! Students will be recognized for this achievement.
Visitors
Parents are encouraged to visit Chaparral. Please check in with the front office prior to entering the building and our classroom B-2. You will be asked to sign in and use a visitor’s name badge.
Dress Code/ Uniforms
The West Mesa cluster has a strict dress code that includes uniforms.
Dropping off/Picking up Students Students are not supervised until 8:30 am in the cafeteria for free breakfast and until 8:50 anywhere else on campus. DO NOT drop off your student prior to these times. If they are seen on campus prior they will be sent to the vice principal’s office and you will be called. Please schedule appointments around the school schedule whenever possible.
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Teacher and Classroom Information
Ms. Carolyn Aparici Portable B-2
Masters in Elementary Education, UNM 2007
Bachelors in Communication and Spanish, UNM 2000
Email: ms.aparici@yahoo.com (Best way to contact me)
Urgent matters: 831-3301 (School office)
(School secretary will leave message in my box and I will call that afternoon/evening, if possible.)
School website:
www.Chaparralelementary.com
Class website:
www.Chaparralelementary.com
Click on staff (left side),then click on 5th grade, then on my name
I encourage you to contact me for any reason. Open communication between home and school regarding your child’s performance in both academics and social behavior is key to your student’s success.
Monthly newsletters will be sent out every first Friday of the month. It will include information such as important upcoming events, friendly reminders, and academic plans. You will need to sign a slip stating you and your students read the letter and return it on the following Tuesday.
Educational Philosophy
•Family involvement and influence is crucial in the educational process.
•Each child has a different learning style; therefore, a teacher has to create a caring and healthy environment where s/he can respond to each student efficiently.
•Children are social creatures, who learn best from hands-on, relevant, challenging, and engaging lessons that tap prior knowledge, their interests, and their world.
•A teacher, with the support of the school and community partners, is accountable for creating life-long learners and compassionate individuals.
•Educators have the responsibility to help children become empowered learners and recognize their contributions.
•Appropriate behavior is learned. The teacher’s responsibility is to model, enforce, and encourage responsibility, honesty, respect, and a love of learning.
Midterm Progress Reports
I will send the academic progress reports home halfway through the twelve-week trimester – they will be attached to your child’s reflection. Please, review them with your child, sign, and have your child return them to school on the following day.
Please include any comments you have for me, and I will respond in a timely manner.
Daily Agendas
All students have been provided with a daily agenda ($8.00 CASH). It will be the students’ responsibility to write their assignments down in their agenda on a daily basis and to bring it to you for a signature. The agenda MUST be signed nightly. It will help promote a stronger school-home connection and crucial organization skills as they prepare for middle school. In the agenda there is also a space for you to write notes to me. This will also be the place to write down the title, pages, and time read every night.
Discipline Plan:
Our classroom rules are structured around “The 3-Bs”
• Be Safe
• Be Respectful
• Be Responsible
This will become a big part of our classroom culture. Our classroom will follow disciplinary steps.
The four steps consist of:
1. Friendly Reminder
2. Refocus Desk (Plan of Action sent home for signature)
3. Refocus Desk in Another Classroom and Phone Call Home
4. Office Referral
Please let me know if you have any questions. Students have a fresh start everyday. If students have two or more plan of actions in one week they lose the privilege of Fun Friday (described below).
Discipline management is most effective when a child has learned procedures through practice and knows what is expected of her or him. The ultimate goal of our students is self-monitoring behavior and appropriate choice making. To build community and respect, class meetings will be held regularly.
Consequences may include: losing recess time, written apology, loss of field trips, loss of class rewards, separation from group, community service, and study hall. There are individual as well as group consequences.
Classroom Expectations
In our classroom we expect:
• Appropriate behavior- Making good, healthy decisions, being kind to ourselves and others, and having self-control
• Accountability- for turning in homework and assignments and being accountable for individual actions
• Respect and Acceptance- for ourselves, others, our differences, and the school and classroom environment
• Contributions- Share our passions, experiences, cultures, and individuality
• To have fun while learning!- The classroom is a safe place to learn, take risks, make new friends, and be recognized
Fun Friday Students who turn in ALL their daily/weekly homework (including signed parent newsletters, permission slips, etc.), have two or less Plan of Actions, and have not received any school referral forms (consequence of unsafe behavior on playground or dangerous action- in the past called Red tickets) will enjoy the earned reward of 30 minutes of self-selection or class game on Friday afternoons. This is an activity that is shared by all 5th grade classes, it is held from 3:10-3:40, and is something for each student to strive for throughout the week. Students who do not earn it will go to a study hall fifth grade class.
Morning Snacks:
Since our class does not have lunch until 12:10 pm and the students are at the age of large growth spurts, students will take turns bringing a healthy finger food for snack for the class. The snacks should already be prepared and take about 5-10 minutes to eat. We will be continuing our work while eating snack. Attached is a list of possible finger foods and a snack schedule for August.
•Candy or sweets will not be allowed during snack time.
•Please do not bring SODA, CANDY or JUNK FOOD like Cheetohs to school.
•In the classroom only water is allowed.
Water Bottles: Students are expected to have a full water bottle on their desk everyday. Hydrated students learn better. Students will be encouraged to take their sip-style water bottles home to wash every Friday. Students will have an opportunity to fill their bottles from our classroom water cooler during work times.
Birthday Celebrations
We do not have birthday parties at school for students. However, students may bring a "quick and easy" treat to share with the class. The treats can be brought to the classroom before the late bell. Treats will be shared with the class at or after lunch.
Please keep in mind the following when sending in treats:
No peanut products!
Napkins are very helpful and please send along the appropriate eating utensils/plates if needed.
Personal Belongings:
Make sure all of your child’s personal belongings are clearly marked with his or her name. Toys, pets, electronic devices and other personal items
must be left at home. NO CELL PHONES!
Scheduled Special Classes:
Below is the schedule of our weekly specials. Please make sure your child is prepared with the appropriate dress and/or materials.
Tuesday
Library 9:55-10:40
Friday
P.E. 9:10-9:55
Computer 1:40-2:25
Music 2:25-2:10
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Academics
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Assessment Policy:
Chaparral Elementary and APS is no longer using a traditional grading and report card method with A-F grades and percent averaging. We are now using Standards Based Progress Reports (SBPR) that looks at student ability by standard at a certain point in time. Students will be assessed using rubrics with scores of 4, 3, 2, 1. Look for more information under Standards Based Progress Reports.
Class Assignments/ Homework and Weekly Quizzes:
Class work, special assignments, and projects are given work time during class. If these assignments are not completed during class time they will become homework. I expect students to use their time productively.
Fifth graders should be expected to have nightly assignments completed between 40-60 minutes per weeknight. Limited homework will be sent on weekends, however at times will include working on long-term projects and always-daily reading. Students are expected to complete each homework assignment to the best of their ability. Those students who do not turn in their homework will attend study hall instead of Fun Friday. A signed pink slip and completed work is due by the next day. Agendas will be used on a daily basis.
Homework is review for what has been taught daily and practice for unit tests and weekly quizzes, thus is will not be graded. This does not mean that it will not be kept track of and checked, because it will, or that it is not important, because it is. There are consequences for incomplete or not turned in homework (Fun Friday), and late work will not be accepted. If any homework assignment is lost, there will not be a replacement given. This is intended to teach personal responsibility and also due limited copying and printer ink supplies.
Homework/Studying will consist of several parts including the following:
1. Work not completed in class on a daily basis and is due the next day.
2. Math Study Links: these will be handed out every day we complete an Everyday Mathematics lesson and due the next day. Students will have 3-4 Study Links weekly. Math fact quiz every Wednesday. Students will have unit tests at the end of every unit. A study guide will be sent home as a review.
3. Reading Comprehension and State reading: these will be handed out every Wednesday and is due the following week. Students have a State quiz and random states and capital assessments every Wednesday.
4. Spelling/ Working with Words: Review homework and signed pretest due every Friday. Quiz every Friday.
5. Reading comprehension/vocabulary test: These will alternate as we take 1.5 weeks for each story: Monday or Thursday.
In order to ease students into 5th grade, the homework outlined above will begin on August 18.
Sign on to our website to see/download our daily homework, weekly journalist reports, newsletters, and other forms and updates.
www.chaparralelementary.com
Staff- 5th- Aparici
Students should have a set quiet place and time with available materials to do their nightly homework. Please help your child with this routine of good study habits for his or her current and future academic success.
Literacy
Good reading skills and comprehension are crucial to success in all academic areas including Science, Social Studies, and even Mathematics.
Parent support, modeling, and supervision play a large role in a child’s reading development.
AR or Accelerated Reading will be held nearly every day in class. Students will be expected to write their pages and minutes read in their AR log. Students will read a variety of genres and will conference weekly with me on their reading choices and strategies. Upon finishing a book, students will take a computer test to assess their comprehension.
Nightly reading is crucial to the continuous improvement of your child’s love of reading and comprehension. At the beginning of every quarter, I hand out a reading challenge. This is done in lieu of a weekly nightly reading log. I want the children to learn how to manage their time, and so they have 11 weeks in which to complete the challenge. This is not a graded activity, but not completing it disqualifies your child from being able to participate in the celebration that will be held on the last day of the trimester. Those who do not complete the challenge will be sent to other classes throughout the school for the day while those who did complete it have a day of fun. The sheet has specific directions for genres to be read as well as the number of books. Along with this they are expected to complete several activities (which are also listed on the sheet). Your child will be given only one sheet. If they lose their sheet, they are not allowed to participate…this is intended to teach responsibility.
Novel Studies/Literature Circles/Book Clubs
In an effort to integrate content standards students will be reading several chapter books this year. We will begin with Social Studies history standards by the entire class reading Morning Girl. After students learn the literature circle jobs and reading response requirements they will choose guided reading book groups according to interest and reading level. Students will complete literature circle jobs such as Discussion Director, Word Wizard, and Connector. Students will respond to literature in a variety of ways such as Reader’s Response, journaling, answering higher-level questions, and final projects. Students will be assessed on a weekly basis on Wednesdays when they meet to discuss their books and jobs.
Houghton Mifflin Reading Series
Our school-wide core reading program is from the publishers Houghton Mifflin. Fifth grade students will read stories connected by a theme and will be assessed at the end of each story. We will take 1.5 weeks for each story and assessment. At the end of each theme students will apply all the learned strategies to see their growth.
Accelerated Reader/STAR Assessment
Spelling
We will begin the school year with an 8-week program using Nifty Thrifty Fifty word analysis and top misspelled words of the intermediate grades. This will be a fast review since your students have covered this last year. Attached, please find the word list. Once students are tested on these words, they are expected to be used and written correctly in their writing.
Spelling for the rest of the year will be partially based on spelling rules/patterns and partially integrated from the curriculum we are currently studying. This makes spelling less rote and
more meaningful.
Students will have nightly spelling homework and
a weekly test.
English
Students will be studying English grammar and conventions in an integrated manner on an almost daily basis through the Houghton Mifflin Literacy program. Topics will include the sentence, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.
Writing
Writing well takes practice. Students will be asked to write on a daily basis in dialogue journals, replying to writing prompts, and writing using the writing process: brainstorm/pre-write, drafting, revising, proofreading, publishing, and sharing. We will be using a rubric that coincides with state standards.
Class Journalist:
Weekly, an alternating Star of the Week is assigned to be the Class Journalist. His/her job is to write a concise article about what took place in school that week. The student is required to take notes throughout the week and write an article to be published on our class website. S/he will have an opportunity to type up the article on the computer or if they are able they can type the article up at home and save it to a memory stick or e-mail it to me. The articles will be posted on our website weekly. I will model this the first week or so of school. This is a required part of their writing grade.
Pen Pals: I am arranging for our class to have Pen Pals! This gives real-world purpose of communication! Math
Mathematics
This year the West Mesa cluster has adopted a new math program called Everyday Mathematics (EDM). This is a research-based approach to math, developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. At the beginning of each unit a parent letter will be sent home describing the unit vocabulary, concepts, and computation examples. When parent letters are sent home, there will be a specified place in the student agenda for you to sign acknowledging that you have read it and kept the answer sheet for your reference only.
By fifth grade we expect students to know their multiplication facts. If your child does not have quick recall, please practice nightly with flash cards until mastery.
A Study Link worksheet will be sent home almost nightly for homework. The following website (http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu) is parent-friendly and may answer any possible questions about the new program.
In Everyday Mathematics you can expect to see:
• A problem-solving approach based on everyday situations
• An instructional approach that revisits concepts regularly
• Frequent practice of basic skills, often through games;
• Lessons based on activities and discussion, not a textbook.
Science
Science instruction will include Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology and Individuals in Society. We will begin the year with a unit on cells. Students will go on several science-related field trips this year to aid in the learning process.
Social Studies
We will begin the school year by reviewing map skills and the six strands of Social Studies. Students will begin to study the history of our country with Ancient cultures and Native American tribes. Students will investigate explorers and colonization. We will continue by learning more about the Revolutionary War and early U.S. government.
States and capitals are a large fifth grade standard. Students will have opportunities to learn them throughout the year. We will begin by mapping the U.S. into regions. Please have fun quizzing your students when in the car or over dinner.
Monthly Assignments
Students will be responsible for 3 monthly assignments:
1. Book talk and report (different genres/ chapter books)
2. Memorization/reciting (poetry, passages, Preamble, monologues, etc.)
3. Poster project
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