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OUR CLASS WEBSITE
This website will serve as a resource tool for both students and parents as
well as a communication tool between us all. Please explore it now and check
back often, if not daily, for important information and updates on the
happenings in and around our classroom, school, and school community.
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PORTAPORTAL
This is a website (www.portaportal.com) that we utilize as a 4th grade team.
With the code below, you can access our online portal page to important
educational links from Accelerated Reader and AR Bookfinder to all you ever
wanted to know about the solar system, Native Americans and the U.S.
government as well as at-home resources and homework helpers. Your child
should use it often! Here's how:
1. Go to www.portalportal.com.
2. Under "Guest Name" type srs4thgrade and click "Visit."
3. Start exploring!
Let me know if you find a great website to add to the collection!
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HOMEWORK
Homework can be expected each day, Monday through Thursday. It will almost
always include math and will always include 20 minutes of independent
reading, a school-wide expectation. Including the required reading, homework
should never take more than one hour and should never be a stressor for
students or parents. Projects take place in class. Students may elect to
bring all or part of a project home to work on or complete, but please know
it is never required by me to do so, especially over a weekend.
PLEASE NOTE: I do not require that each student have an agenda, but I do
strongly recommend one, or something similar, to record homework, due dates,
class and school events, logins and passwords, changes in dismissal, etc.
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BLOG
To the left is a blog link that we will use periodically throughout the year
to respond to questions I post regarding our curriculum or current events. I
will review this thoroughly with the class, but please note that your child
is to never post their last name. Only responses with fist names or
nicknames will be approved. Also to note, if the name isn't capitalized then
it doesn't get approved either!
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"DOWNLOADABLES"
This section of the website is where I place "downloadable" copies of
anything I have electronically that I think you may want or need. Please
check there as the year progresses for any such documents.
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KHAN ACADEMY
For free at-home tutoring, especially in math, please visit
www.khanacademy.org. This was mentioned at orientation and the utilization
of it is highly encouraged. Please let me know if you have any questions.
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The VISION of Sarah Smith Elementary School is a community where learning is
a passion, excellence is achieved, and dreams are realized.
The MISSION of Sarah Smith Elementary School is to promote a safe, nurturing
environment grounded in a relevant, comprehensive curriculum. With a
commitment to excellence, our staff will strive to ensure that students
become critical thinkers, life-long learners, and responsible citizens in a
global community.
We BELIEVE:
* Students are our focus.
* Individuals are unique and valuable and must be treated with equality,
dignity, and respect.
* Every student has the ability to learn and the right to a quality
education.
* A quality education meets the needs of individual learners.
* All members of the school community serve as role models by practicing
professional ethics.
* Learning is a life-long process.
* Children are our greatest resource and the key to our future.
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A l l s c h o o l s f o r m i l e s a n d m i l e s a r o u n d
M u s t t a k e a s p e c i a l t e s t ,
T o s e e w h o ’ s l e a r n i n g s u c h a n d s u c h –
T o s e e w h i c h s c h o o l ’ s t h e b e s t .
I f o u r s m a l l s c h o o l d o e s n o t d o w e l l ,
T h e n i t w i l l b e t o r n d o w n ,
A n d y o u w i l l h a v e t o g o t o s c h o o l
I n d r e a r y F l o b b e r t o w n .
“ N o t F l o b b e r t o w n ! ” w e s h o u t e d ,
A n d w e s h u d d e r e d a t t h e n a m e ,
F o r e v e r y o n e i n F l o b b e r t o w n
D o e s e v e r y t h i n g t h e s a m e .
-from Dr. Seuss' "Hooray for Diffendoofer Day"