It's that time again already. The summer flew by for me. However, I'm excited about this upcoming school year.
I'm looking forward to meeting all of the students and parents. My hope is you're looking forward to the year too. Meet and Greet is Thursday at 9:00am for 5th graders (8:30 Kindergarten Parents only, 10:00 Grades 1 and 2 students and parents, 11:00 Kindergarten students and parents, 12:00 Grades 3 and 4 students and parents). I'll meet everyone and there will be a few forms to fill out which I need for the first day of school. Feel free to bring in your supplies if you would like.
This year should be an exciting one. I have some very cool things planned, quite a bit involving technology. This summer, all of our laptop carts were refreshed so they're better than ever. I plan on using them frequently throughout the year. Click
here for a sneak peek of our first Social Studies unit.
I love technology and will use it whenever I can. The school shares the laptop carts and computer lab, so it may be unavailable from time to time, but we'll work it in as much as possible. Of course, if you would like to contribute to the Brazile Class Technology Fund, that can always be arranged :)
Our class is set up with web cams, so parents, grandparents, sick students, etc. can see what's going on in the classroom anytime with the password. I'll send that out in an email as soon as I have addresses. Our class will have a "virtual classroom" set up at
www.edmodo.com. To log in there, use your student number as your user name and your password is your last name (If your last name has less than 4 letters, use your last name followed by the number 1). I'll post messages, assignments, and alerts there. Students will get their assignments through Edmodo, as well as submit completed assignments there. We're trying to "go green" as much as possible.
Our day will start off with journal entries (through Edmodo) each day focusing on writing skills. After announcements, we'll move to math fact practice (timed tests) and some math preview/review. We'll keep the same routine throughout the year. Our specials times this year is 10:40-11:30 each day except Wednesdays (9:05-9:35). Lunch is 11:53-12:23. These times could change, but I will send an email if it does.
Homework is very routine. Each night, we will have at least 15 minutes of IXL work (I'll specify which skill for each student depending on their ability level). There will also be about 10 minutes of Words Their Way spelling work and 20 minutes of reading (at least an hour each week). I will give some Math skill work many nights, but other than that - all work should be completed at school. We focus on project work involving research. I believe that it's my job to guide the students in every aspect of this, so I require all of it to be completed at school. We will work very hard each day, so the afternoons will be on their own besides what's listed above.
Grades will be posted online and I expect all students to check their grades weekly at least, to make sure there are no missing assignments. It would also be nice to have parents checking too :) I believe in being fair with the grades and not letting an extremely low score saddle a student's grades for the quarter. However, if a student fails to complete an assignment, they will earn a zero. Feel free to read the FAQ about grades tab on the class website for more details.
Personal responsibility is a theme for the year. It's the time to push the kids to take responsibility for their learning. At the same time, they must become accountable for the consequences if they fall short of the expectations. The way the class is set up requires time management and the ability to self-motivate. I will monitor constantly, but I will not hand-hold. We'll prepare them for middle school and for life.
Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns.
Thanks!
Shane Brazile