I'd like to welcome you to 5th Grade! We call ourselves “Elemiddle” since we are not quite Middle School age, but more mature than Elementary.  This will be my 41st year in teaching (feel free to tell me you're shocked considering how young I look!).  I have taught grades Head Start to 5th grade during my career, some in PAISD, some in Catholic school in S. Carolina, and now at the best school ever-St. Catherine!!    My goal is to ensure your child has a positive learning experience at SCS and to help each one do their very best.
          The subjects we cover in my classroom as part of the 5^th grade curriculum are: Math, Literature (reading), English, Vocabulary, Social Studies, and Science.   Vocabulary  will need the most at-home practice and study at first.  Accelerated Reader (AR) is a large part of our classroom.  Each child will be assigned goals for each 9 weeks and will be expected to reach them.  MY goal in Literature is for each child to leave my class a better, more confident reader.  This will help in ALL subject areas.  Projects are a part of Social Studies and Science and will be assigned during the year.  We have adopted a new Math curriculum to help our students reach their potential, and we will inform you about that later this year.
      Another LARGE part of 5^th grade is…Camp Kappe!  It is a week long field trip to study the environment.  The students LOVE Camp Kappe!
     All 5th grade parents are expected to sign up for Class Dojo, a text messaging app.  It shows your child's behavior on a daily basis, and I will communicate through the app as well as through the Agenda Book.  Class Dojo also allows me to send pictures of the students as they are working during the school day.  Information on Class Dojo will be sent home the first week of school.  A copy of our class rules will also be sent home the first week.  Please read and discuss these with your child, and return the bottom portion signed.
          At SCS, part of our curriculum is to serve others.  Fifth graders must complete 5 service hours this year.  These hours should be completed outside of school and should not be performed for family members.  Students may find the service hour form located on our homepage, and have the person/agency sign it stating the service and how many hours were completed.  These will be due before Field Day.
          The link to our Vocabulary book (level blue) is: http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/vocabulary/signup_student.cfm?typeID=9&level=blue.  No passwords are needed to get here, but you will need to register with an email address and then pick a password.  Any other links to textbooks will be sent home as they become available.
          I hope you and your child will have a positive experience this year, and I am available for conferences if you have any questions.  Thank you for entrusting your child to us at St. Catherine School!