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Thursday, September 15, 2016

FAQ at Back To School Night

Homework?
A: I generally don't give out a lot of "homework." Most work we do is hands on in the classroom and/or students will have plenty of time to complete in class. The only homework provided regularly is AT LEAST 30 minutes of independent reading time, and maybe a math assignment from your teacher. Eventually, there will also be a short word work activity. 

Reading expectations?
A: Students should be reading 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week OUTSIDE of school. They will have time daily to read in school. There are no reading lists for them to follow as research shows us that students will be come better readers when given choice. During certain parts of the year, students will be asked to read books that are in the genre we are studying, but they are welcome to continue reading their own texts as well.

Band is when?
A: Mr. Raye sent out schedules during the first week of school and lessons usually start the second week. Click here for schedule Large group rehearsals happen during EL time each week on Thursday or Friday, whichever is a "B" day

When is Orchestra?
A: There are two 5th Grade Orchestras this year, each meeting on a different day.
Orchestra A [Pauls, Muniz, Nagy, Bresser/Blanchard, Davidson] meets on the first A Day of the week (Mon/Tues), and Orchestra B [Longfield, Nygard, Pincombe, Conohan, Doll, Gussel] meets on the second A Day of the week (Wed/Thurs).

All small groups are during Literacy and large groups will be during EL time.

What is Bridges Math all about?
Some of the best info you can find is located here:
https://sites.google.com/a/mcpasd.k12.wi.us/math-resources/

How can I be sure my kid is staying on track and not letting things fall behind?
A:  Talk to them - You can always ask students to bring writing, reading, science or social studies home with them and see what we've been up to. One of the goals in middle school is to really get the kids to be more independent for themselves and their actions.

Can you explain more about the device policy?
A: The Bring your own device policy exists to allow students and teachers enhance and supplement learning. Whether it's reading novels from an e-reader device, publishing writing on a tablet or chromebook or researching Native Americans during Social Studies, we use devices a lot. In our wing alone we have access to 3 chromecarts, a wired computer lab, 4-packs of Chromebooks in classrooms, and in some rooms, some other devices. That said there are times when they are all being used and they are not available. BYOD isn't for everyone; is is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL - Parents ultimately have the decision to sign it or not, after all, it's a huge responsibility for students. We as teachers also have final say whether they stay or not once they come in. Currently, I do not allow students to BYOD, as we usually use that for our argument topic in November to decide as a class if we should or should not. I also wait to bring in the BYOD as we work towards building the right community for it at the start of the year.  


- Thanks to Mr. Pauls for the  great questions and answers. 

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