5th and 6th Grade Classroom - Good Shepherd's



5th and 6th Grade Classroom Handbook“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6Mr. Timothy HochmuthGood Shepherd’s Lutheran School1337 S 100th StreetWest Allis, WI 53214262.212.4691 (cell)414.774.8520 (school)Email: thochmuth@GSLS MISSION STATEMENTTraining Young Minds for Life; Preparing Young Hearts for Eternity! Good Shepherd’s Lutheran School exists to make disciples for the Lord’s kingdom by providing a Christ-centered education that challenges and prepares students for lives of Christian service.CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS AGES 10-12Mental DevelopmentCan think abstractlyCan delve more deeply into spiritual truthsCan explore the application of spiritual truths in many different waysCan grasp where and when events took placeCan concentrate for longer periods of time than beforeCan memorize easilyEmotional DevelopmentAre becoming quite independent in forming personal attitudes and habitsCan display irrational mood swingsAre searching for identity and freedomWant to show that they are responsibleSocial DevelopmentCan work cooperatively in small groupsLearn from words, actions, and opinions of their teachersAre greatly influenced by the words, actions, and opinions of their peersTend to share less of what they are learning with parentsAre beginning the process of becoming independent from their parentsMay test parental authority MR. HOCHMUTH’S EXPECTATIONS FOR THE CLASSI will be expecting each child to do their best in all things. I understand that no two children are the same and will need individual help. Please encourage students to ask for help if they need it, I may not always be able to notice if a child does not understand a concept. The children will have a larger role in their learning, they will be held responsible for staying on task, meeting deadlines, and relaying messages to home. I will not always guide them through projects, I want them to problem solve and find ways/ideas on their own. If a student’s frustration level becomes too great, I will give guidance, please let me know if there are struggles at home.ABSCENCE AND MAKE UP WORKIn the event of a student absence, the parent should inform the school office (414-774-8520 or school@). Picking up make up work at the end of the school day is less disruptive, but we would be willing to get homework to you sooner upon request. A student will have the number of days absent to make up work from absences.BIRTHDAY TREATSStudents may bring in a birthday treat to share with the class. The treats typically are passed out during our morning recess or lunch period.BULLYINGOur classroom is a safe place. Students are encouraged to be themselves, take risks and not be afraid of making mistakes. Bullying is not tolerated. Bullying can come in several forms. Physical—touching you or your things, Emotional—using words to hurt, Social (Relational)—involving other people, and Cyber—using technology (ie: computer, cell phone) to hurt someone else. Bullying usually involves three parties: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. In our classroom, we will practice the concept of STOP, THINK, REPORT. STOP—In a strong confident voice tell the bully to stop. THINK—Have a plan...Walk away from the situation and find a friend. REPORT—Report the incident to an adult. Bullying is dangerous and destructive.CELL PHONES/ELECTRONICSAll cell phones should be turned off and placed on Mr. Hochmuth’s desk upon entering the classroom; they will then be put in a drawer in his desk. Cell phones will be returned at dismissal time. If a cell phone is forgotten in a backpack and goes off during the day, Mr. Hochmuth will return it to the parent upon dismissal.CHROMEBOOKSEach student will be assigned a Chromebook that they are responsible for at school, they will receive a log in and password to access their Chromebook and their online accounts. The Chromebooks will be used for various subjects. If a Chromebook is broken, they will be responsible for replacing the device.CHURCH ATTENDANCERegular church attendance is important for students and parents. Families who worship together stay together. Spiritual growth is emphasized at school and should be reinforced at home. Please make it a habit to worship at Good Shepherd’s or your home congregation.CLASSROOM SCHEDULEA classroom schedule is included with this packet. We will attempt to closely follow the schedule unless we have a special event. The daily schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the classroom teacher. A preview of the day, and any changes, will be covered before the morning devotion. CLASSROOM WEBSITEOur classroom maintains two websites that contain helpful information about what is going on in the classroom and upcoming activities. Daily classroom assignments, book reports, and our singing dates are posted on the school website, > Classroom Pages > Grades 5-6. Our other classroom webpage is through FastDirect, it will have weekly lesson plans and you can also view your child’s grades, MUNICATIONCommunication between home and school is critical for student success. Our School Newsletter will come home most of the time on Wednesday throughout the school year via e-mail. This provides the most up to date school information. Your student’s grades are able to be viewed online with FastDirect. It is important for parents and students to be proactive in asking questions or seeking information. Parents and students should feel free to contact me via personal conversation, e-mail at thochmuth@ or call and text at 262-212-4691.CORRECTED ASSIGNMENTSCorrected assignments are handed back daily. It is your child’s responsibility to show you their work, but feel free to ask for it as many are still learning to be responsible at this age. Grades can also be checked on FastDirect.DESKSEach student is given a desk to be used during the school year. It is the responsibility of the student to treat each with care and respect. Keeping one’s desk neat and organized is a key to success. All belongings such as lunch, backpack, and jacket should be on each students hook.DEVOTIONSDevotional time is an important part of the day in 5th and 6h grade. Each day we have two devotions,morning and afternoon. This time is spent in God’s Word, prayer, and discussion.DISCIPLINEI believe that all children are different, and all actions and reactions are very personal in nature, effective discipline involves a few overriding procedures rather than a long list of specific rules. Situations are dealt with as they arise with the focus on enabling the child to grow and learn from his or her actions and to fully experience the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s death and resurrection. The discipline policy is included with this packet.DRESS CODEThe school dress code is enforced in our classroom. Be sure to review the parent/student handbook for current guidelines and expectations, the dress code is posted in our classroom. Students who follow the dress code promote a positive school climate and set a good example for younger students.FIELD TRIPSField trips will be scheduled during the school year. We will take a few trips to Wisconsin Lutheran High School for various activities. We are finalizing a date to see the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and in February we will visit Luther Preparatory School, volunteer parent drivers and chaperones are needed for our classroom trips. Our end of the year field trip is still being planned.GRADING SCALEGood Shepherd’s uses the following grading scale: A+100A99-96A-95-94B+93-92B91-88B-87-86C+85-84C83-80C-79-78D+77-76D75-72D-71-70F69-0HOMEWORKBecause our students are children of a loving and gracious God, I expect homework to be done neatly and handed in on time. It seems like a small thing, but the Lord always wants us to be using our gifts and talents in the best possible way. Throughout the day the students will have time to complete certain daily assignments or at least get a good start on them. A basic rule would be about 10 minutes of homework per grade level. This basic rule might not always be followed due to project deadlines and the way students utilize their time. If you student is coming home with hours of homework, please talk to me as soon as possible so that we may analyze the situation together.Assignments that do not have the student’s name will be graded and posted to a wall. It will be considered late and they will receive a late slip.LATE WORKCompleting assigned homework on time is important. When homework is not turned in by the assigned due date, it is marked late. The student will miss their recess(es) until the assignment is handed in. A late work slip will be sent home which is required to be signed the following day, if it is not returned the student will miss out on their recess for that day. The student will not be allowed to have recess until the homework is handed in. A late work slip is included with this packet.LUNCHStudents may bring a cold lunch or a lunch that can be microwaved. Students should realize that there is only one microwave in the classroom and that if everyone wants to use it they may have little time to eat their lunch, we will have about 25 minutes to eat. Carbonated and caffeinated beverages are not allowed.RECESSRecess is part of the daily schedule. Our 1st recess will be in the morning after our Religion class. Our 2nd recess will be before our lunch. They are considered “free recesses” where student may choose an activity to their liking. SCHOOL ATTENDANCEDaily attendance is a key to success in 5th and 6th grade and beyond. Students who faithfully attend school with minimal absences always outperform students who have multiple absences. School doors open at 8:00am and the school day begins at 8:15am (ending at 3:20pm). Students should attempt to be at school by 8:010am (if possible) in order to organize and prepare themselves for the day. SCHOOL SUPPLIESA supply list can be found on the school’s website. A carpenter cannot do his work without his tools, so to a student cannot complete his/her schoolwork without necessary supplies. Be sure to have all needed supplies at school. Please do not allow your child to bring toys or other things that might disrupt their learning. All hardcover books should be covered by the third week of school.SINGING FOR WORSHIP SERVICESAll classrooms are scheduled to sing for church services, 5th and 6th grade along with the Junior Choir. A singing schedule will be included with the school notes at the beginning of the school year. A reminder will also be included in the weekly school notes. Children should dress appropriately for church. SLEEP AND BREAKFASTProper sleep and a nutritional breakfast are essential for academic performance and daily energy. Preadolescents should get 8-11 hours of sleep every night. It is important to establish good sleeping habits by designating a routine bedtime and wake up time. Breakfast is critical to jumpstarting one’s metabolism and providing energy for mental and physical activity. Students who do not get proper sleep and don’t eat breakfast are sluggish, irritable, and lack concentration.SNACKStudents may bring a snack for morning recess. This is not a substitute for breakfast. Please try to avoid candy or candy bars for snack time. Anything that is considered to be brain food would be appreciated such as, crackers, fruits, vegetables, granola, etc.TARDYThe school day begins at 8:15, any student not in the classroom at that time will be marked tardy.Recognizing that the education of their child(ren) is a joint responsibility of the parents and the school community, we require that parents accompany their children to the school office to sign the tardy log and to pick up a late pass from the school secretary. No student will be admitted by the classroom teacher without a late pass.Classroom SubjectsRELIGIONOur Religion classes are the most important part of our curriculum. In Christ-Light we will cover New Testament and Old Testament lessons, which we can apply directly to our lives, a notebook will be required for Christ-Light. In Faith Foundations we will touch on the six chief parts of the Lutheran catechism: Ten Commandments, Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Lord’s Supper, Apostle’s Creed, and the Keys and Confession. As part of our Religion curriculum memory work will be assigned, this will provide students with a store of Bible verses and truths that are taken with them for the rest of their life. MEMORY WORKMemory work will be spoken or written on a daily basis on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesdays we will have Bible passages that go with our Christ-Light lessons for the week. Thursdays are memory passages taken from our Faith Foundations book. Fridays will be hymns that go with the Christ-Light lessons and will be sung throughout the week. Memory work will be expected to be said at the beginning of the day, if the student is unable to say it in the morning they will be responsible for saying it during the day. If it is not said during the day it will be marked missing and a late slip will be sent home. A memory work calendar is included with the packet.SPELLINGStudents will be using the Everyday Spelling series and will have two assignments and two tests every week of the school year. Shortened weeks will have an abbreviated schedule.Monday – Receive words, daily assignmentTuesday – Pre-test, receive a 100%, students don’t need to take the test ThursdayWednesday – Receive tests back, daily assignmentThursday – Final test, hand in all assignmentsMATH5th GRADE – McGraw-Hill My Math inspires students to embrace the power of math through real-world applications, experiencing just how fun math success can be. The program interweaves the three components of rigor—conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application—enabling your students to steadily progress and grow their math confidence. A math notebook will be needed for class.6th Grade - The Big Ideas Math: Modeling Real Life program uses a Universal Design for Learning to create an engaging and innovative program that uses hands-on activities and sca?olded instruction. The instructional design guides students through concepts from surface-level to deep-level learning and allows them to transfer these skills to new concepts in a complete and comprehensive way. This allows for balanced lessons with built-in di?erentiation, as well as RTI support, that appeals to students and teachers alike. Learning targets and success criteria help to focus student learning and make learning visible to teachers and students. A math notebook will be needed for class.ENGLISHWe are using a Houghton Mifflin English series, the book does a great job going through in an orderly manner. We will work through the lessons, review the section, and take tests on each unit of the book. There will be larger cumulative reviews and tests, which the students will be able to prepare for. We will also incorporate a few writing assignments and speeches into our English class.SCIENCEHMH Science Dimensions is our program that is designed to make this year of science an exciting one for everyone involved! HMH Science Dimensions takes a fresh look at science through the use of investigations, hands-on activities, and explorations into engineering, motion, plants and animals, the sun’s effects on Earth, and natural resources. Each unit is characterized by in-depth lessons that explore a variety of concepts related to the theme of study. These lessons all have a hands-on investigation that is directly related to the topic of study in addition to several mini-investigations throughout each lesson in the unit. HMH Science Dimensions will assist your child in building a foundation of how to make claims, enhance reasoning skills, and provide evidence as support to those answers and claims. Let’s explore this new dimension of science together! We will be using Chromebooks for many of the lessons. Students are required to have a notebook for notes.US HISTORYmyWorld Interactive Social Studies engages students in real-world activities and practices of citizenship. Students investigate and collaborate as they explore myWorld Interactive Social Studies content. The myWorld Interactive Social Studies program uses an Interactive Student Worktext approach to promote active learning and support. This engaging research-based format was designed to help encourage students to interact with the textbook like never before. In addition to the print components, the digital course offers a variety of assets engaging today’s digital native bringing social science content alive and making it relevant to today’s elementary student. We will be using Chromebooks for many of the lessons. There may be larger projects associated with a couple chapters; the students will be given rubrics for each. A state report will be required of the students; more information will come out after Christmas when we get to the report. Students are required to have a notebook for notes.READINGWe will read 4 novels and three sections of our reading textbook, Treasures, throughout the year. Students will have daily readings, assignments, and discussions on their readings. The novels may include projects that the students will be required to do with their reading. We will also have 4 book reports due; their due dates will be near the end of the quarters a copy of the book reports are included with this packet.JUNIOR CHOIRAll students in grades 5-8 will be able to participate in Junior Choir if they choose to do so. Mrs. Wolfgramm, our director, teaches and prepares students to sing anthems during church services throughout the school year. Class is held every Tuesday and Thursday. Students are expected to be in attendance each time the Junior Choir sings.MUSIC APPRECIATIONThose students not electing to take part in Junior Choir will be part of a music appreciation class which will be taught by Mrs. Klusmeyer. PHYSICAL EDUCATIONPhysical Education class is every Monday and Wednesday. We use the SPARK P.E. curriculum which consists of learning a variety of skills and games that promote lifetime fitness, tennis shoes are required for PE. ARTWe will have an art class every Friday. All projects are expected to be completed by the following Friday, a few exceptions will occur. We will normally spend part of the class studying how an artist created a piece and use that style to create our own unique artwork. We will be using a variety of procedures and mediums. All projects will be graded on effort and ability to follow set guideline for the project.Yours in Christ’s Service,Mr. Timothy Hochmuth ................
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