Open House 2014

Mrs. Gordon

Shared Instructional Responsibility• Teachers are going to be sharing your child’s learning

experiences this year. This is a school-wide initiative.• I will be team-teaching with Mr. Desin.• Gordon- Reading and Social Studies/Writing• Desin- Math and Science Writing• We will be sharing responsibility for Spelling and

Writing/Grammar.• Mr. Desin and I try to work out a schedule that best fits

the needs of our students. Please understand that this schedule may change as we try to best meet the needs of our students through dynamic grouping.

Daily Schedule

7:30-8:00 Eagle Time8:00-8:15 Attendance and

Restroom8:15-9:15 Reading with Gordon9:15-10:00 Science with Desin10:00-10:45 Specials11:00-12:00 Math with Desin12:00-12:08 Read Aloud12:15-12:45 Lunch12:45-1:05 Recess1:05-1:50 Social Studies1:50-2:00 Grammar2:05 Pack Up/Agenda

Eagle Time

• Eagle Time will begin at 7:30 each morning. Your child has to be in the classroom by 7:30 to be able to participate in Eagle Time.

• If your child is in the cafeteria at 7:30, he or she will remain in the cafeteria and read after eating.

• If your child arrives at 7:30 or later and does not need to eat breakfast, he or she will go to the Media Center and read.

• Your child may elect to get a “Grab and Go” breakfast before 7:30 and eat in the classroom.

• I will be pulling small groups to work on skills while everyone else is reading independently.

• Please make sure your child has 1-2 independent reading books in his or her backpack at all times!

Agendas

• The agenda is your best friend this year! • This is an excellent communication tool.

Feel free to write notes to me in the agenda.

• Please sign the agenda daily!!!• It is ultimately your child’s responsibility to

get his or her agenda signed.

Excellent Eagles

• Engaged in learning

• Accept Responsibility

• Gratitude is our Attitude

• Live the Golden Rule

• Eager to achieve

• Self control

Eagle Update

• The Eagle Update will travel EVERYWHERE with the student (except lunch); it will be used as a hall pass as well as a record for monitoring behavior.

• Teachers and staff will initial the update for any areas of difficulty.

Rewards

• Eagle Award Ceremony: awards are based on performance that has been documented on the Eagle Update.

• Dress for Success: On the day of the Eagle Award Ceremony, students will be encouraged to “dress for success” in order to show pride in themselves and their school. Teachers will present a career lesson to their homeroom class on this day.

• Golden Eagle: 0 marks on update (per 9 weeks).• Blue Eagle: 3 or less marks on update (per 9 weeks).• Parents and all students will attend the ceremony,

where students will receive a certificate and a blue or gold dog tag for his/her backpack.

Rewards Continued• All teachers or staff members of the school will be giving

out tickets to reinforce positive behavior. The students will be able to exchange those tickets for rewards.

Media center helper for 20 minutes---20 tickets

Mystery reader in another classroom---30 tickets

Thirty minutes computer time---25 tickets

Lunch with a friend---15 tickets

Custodians’ assistant---40 tickets

Eat lunch with principal---50 tickets

Watering/weeding garden with custodian---35 tickets

Deliver announcements on BSEN---30 tickets

Principal for half-day---75 tickets

PE/Art/Music helper---30 tickets

Consequences

• Our primary job as teachers is to help your child learn. If there are undesired behaviors that prohibit his/her best learning or the learning of others, there may be a consequence.

• Your child may have his or her Eagle Update marked. • There may be a logical consequence.• Repeated offenses that prohibit learning or are a danger

to others may result in an office referral.

Restrooms

• All of Big Shanty will now be taking classroom restroom breaks. These occur every few hours.

• Please encourage your child to use the restroom during the allotted time.

• Emergencies happen, but if your child has the need for ongoing emergency restroom breaks, we will need to confer.

Cobb County Grading Scale

• A: 90-100• B: 80-89• C: 74-79• D: 70-73• F: 69-Below

Synergy Online Gradebook

• We will be using an online grade book this year. • This will allow you to be up to date on your child’s grades

and missing assignments.• Last year, parents were given a date and timeframe to

pick up logins. More information will be given about this later.

Online Gradebook

Staying Informed

• Eagle Updates are at the back of your child’s agenda. Please glance at it daily, but sign every Thursday.

• Academic Alerts go home for everyone at 4 ½ weeks.

• Report cards go home after 9 week intervals. These are traditional report cards, not standards based.

Homework

• Eagle Eye reading logs will need to be completed weekly.

• There will be Math homework. This depends on Mr. Desin’s preference. Please study multiplication and division facts with your child.

• If your child has unfinished work, he/she may have to bring it home to finish.

Eagle Eyes

• Eagle Eyes go home daily and are turned in on Wednesday. Please sign them daily on the back of the form. Eagle Eyes are required this year!

• Students will need to get a minimum of 9 Eagle Eye points each 9 weeks (4 of those points ned to be nonfiction). 12 points will earn a celebration after each nine week period.

• If your child is reading a large book that cannot be completed in a week, he or she may just “check in” with me.

• Please sign the back of the Reading Log every night to indicate your child has read 20 minutes each night.

CRCT

• We will have standardized testing this year, but there will be no CRCT!

• We do not know what this testing will look like yet! I have heard there will be a writing component, so this is something we will work on heavily this year.

BYOD

• Mr. Desin and I participate in the “Bring Your Own Device” program at Big Shanty.

• This is completely optional! Please understand that this can be an excellent tool to support learning, but you have to weigh the risks! Is your child responsible enough?

• Last year, the students that participated in this used their devices every day (either with Mackinvia, Study Island, or research).

• We have a secure Wifi with content filters.

Study Island

• We utilize Study Island a lot in our classroom. It is a web-based learning website that Cobb County finances.

• Study Island shows videos and allows students to answer questions related to Reading, Math, and Language Common Core Standards.

• Game mode is an engaging way for students to practice the standards because it allows you to play a game after answering a question correctly on the first try.

• Please encourage your child to use the excellent tool.

Communication

• You can contact me by e-mail at:

Keisha.gordon@cobbk12.org• You can call me at the school at:

678-594-8023 ext. 451• See my blog:

http://www.cobbk12.org/• Send me a note!• E-mail is the best way to contact me for questions.

Please be aware that our e-mail system will periodically quarantine e-mails.

Transportation

• If you have a transportation change please send a note!

• If your child’s transportation changes during the day, you must contact the front office. Please do not send me an e-mail.

• Please do not send transportation changes by e-mail. It may be hours (and too late) before I receive your e-mail!

Housekeeping

• If your child arrives at 7:50 or after, you must bring your child in to the school!

• No student will be allowed to check out after 1:45. • If your child is a car rider, he or she must be picked up

by 2:30. If there are no cars at 2:30 and your child isn’t picked up, he or she will be checked in to ASP.

• If your child has asthma, please make sure the nurse has an inhaler and a form to administer the medication.

Lunch/Snack

• Lunch money should be turned into the cafeteria (by your child) in the morning.

• Please send money in an envelope with your child’s legal name on it.

• Water bottles are allowed all the time. Your child may not bring colored or sugared drinks to consume in the classroom.

• Please send a healthy snack for our morning snack time. Lunch is late this year!

Birthdays

• Please do not have your child pass out invitations in my classroom unless there is an invitation for all of the students.

• Please let me know in advance if you will be sending something in.

• If you are sending in a birthday treat, it must be something that is already cut (cupcakes, brownies, etc.).

• The birthday treat will be distributed by your child after students have eaten their meal at lunch.

Questions?

Thank you for coming!!!!

• You can contact me by e-mail at:

Keisha.gordon@cobbk12.org• You can call me at the school at:

678-594-8023 ext. 451