Welcome to 6th Grade Curriculum Night!

1. Welcome to 6th GradeCurriculum Night! Reed Elementary 2018-2019

2. What are the school hours? • The earliest students should arrive at school is 7:25. • Students in 6th grade will go to the gym if they arrive before 7:40. • School begins at 7:50 and late arrivals are considered “partial day absence(s)” if students arrive after that time. • If your child is absent, please send a note the day they return to school. Notes must be submitted within 3 school days. • Students in 6th grade are dismissed at 3:00 each day.

3. What will my child learn this year in reading and writing? • Students will read and understand a wide variety of literary and informational text. • Students will compose a variety of written texts with a clear controlling idea, good organization and sufficient detail. • Students will research and learn how to locate a range of relevant sources. • Students will work on listening and speaking skills. • Students should read and write on a daily basis.

4. What will my child learn this year in math? • Students will use math to solve problems connected to everyday experiences, how concepts are relevant to their lives • New Concepts: Proportions, Ratios, Percent, Order of Operations, Pre-Algebra concepts such as solving equations and creating equations from word problems, increased vocabulary • How to help your child • Make sure their multiplication facts are memorized • Encourage them to ask for help or stay for tutoring if they feel it necessary • Check notes in math journal (JAM) nightly. • Check Mrs. Hullum’s website for math activities and games • Pre-AP Math – 6th grade TEKS – Target Time – projects and extending learning from regular math class. • Math Homework – any unfinished work from class.

5. What will my child learn this year in science? • Students will be conducting laboratory and field investigations for at least 40% of the instructional time, by using scientific inquiry methods, critical thinking, scientific reasoning and problem solving while making informed decisions • Students know to use a variety of tools and safety equipment • Students know the differences between elements and compounds • Students know that matter has physical properties that can be used for classification • Students know that some of Earth’s energy resources are renewable, some non-renewable and some are inexhaustible • Students know that force and motion are related to potential and kinetic energy • Students know that the Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it just changes form. • Students understand the structure of Earth, the rock cycle, and plate tectonics • Students understand the organization of our solar system and the relationships among various bodies that comprise it • Students know that all organisms are classified into Domains and Kingdoms

6. What will my child learn this year in social studies? • Students will study people and places of the contemporary world. • Societies selected for study are chosen from the following regions of the world: Europe, Russia, and Eurasian republics, North America, South America, Southwest Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia , and the Pacific Realm. • Students describe the influence of individuals and groups on historical and contemporary events in those societies. • Students identify the locations and geographic characteristics of selected societies. • Students will identify different ways of organizing economic and governmental systems. • Students compare institutions common to all societies such as government, education, and religious institutions. • Students explain how the level of technology affects the development of the selected societies. • Students will expand their knowledge by doing a variety of projects on the selected countries.

7. What is my child’s daily schedule? • 7:50-8:00 Unpack/Announcements • 8:00-10:10 Block 1/2 • 10:10-10:25 Fitness Recess • 10:25-12:35Block 3/4 • 12:35-1:05 Lunch • 1:05-1:20 Fitness Recess • 1:20-2:05 Target Time (Intervention/Enrichment) • 2:10-2:55 Specials • 3:00Dismissal **Parents: Please consider non-academic subject times for student appointments. Thank you.**

8. How will grades be determined for my child? • Daily written work • Daily oral work that can be evaluated to measure student progress/achievement • Projects • Lab work • Presentations • Performance requirements in alignment with course standards • Tests • Quizzes • Homework • Grades are based on the following scale: A - 90-100, B - 80-89, C - 70-79, F - 69 and below. • Daily work and homework will make up 60% of a student’s grade. • Tests, quizzes, and projects will make up 40% of the student’s grade.

9. Will my child have homework this year? • Unfinished class work that was assigned during the day becomes homework for that evening. • Teachers may assign homework to be completed at home in addition to unfinished class work. • Sixth grade homework should average 60 minutes collectively in all subjects. However, this may increase due to the student’s work habits. • Students should read and/or work on English homework at least 30 minutes each night. • Math Homework – typically Monday-Thursday

10. LATE WORK: • Late work is defined as any assignment that is not turned in the date it is due as long as the student is not absent that day. Ten points will be taken off per school day for late work up to THREE school days. Teachers will communicate with parents if students are missing assignments through the daily folder, weekly progress reports, email, or phone. We look forward to working with you as a team to ensure students complete all assignments on time. Students that do not turn in work will be assigned working lunch on Thursdays until the assignment is turned in. MISSING WORK: • Missing homework will be listed on the Missing Homework Form, located in the red folder. Please check this nightly and provide a parent signature for each missing assignment. For every 5th missing assignment, students will serve an after school detention (Thursdays from 3:00-4:00). MAKE –UP WORK: • Students will be given an opportunity to make up work missed due to an absence. There is no penalty for make-up work as long as it is returned within the school district timelines – for every school day absent, the student has one school day for completion. If your child is absent and you would like to request work for them to complete while at home, please contact your child’s teacher.

11. How can I support my child’s learning at home? • Check your child’s red folder and agenda each evening. This has the student’s nightly assignments, missing homework form, and conduct sheet. • Check the back pocket of your child’s red folder each Tuesday for important school information. • Sign up for family access to receive grade alert notifications.

12. Behavior Expectations • Each student has a red communications folder which should be checked daily and signed each day there is a conduct mark in the folder. • Agendas should be checked nightly to ensure all homework assignments are addressed. • The communications folder is the basis for a student's nine weeks conduct grade. • Consequences for not following expectations include: • signature in communications • lose privilege of hoot party • lose “extra” 10 minutes of lunch recess • loss of classroom privilege • contact parents (phone call, e-mail, or note) • After school detention will be held on Thursdays from 3:00-4:00. Parents will be notified by email or phone of students serving detention. Students will receive a detention when they drop from an S to anN in conduct and again when they drop from an N to a U. Once a student is at a U the teacher will consider a referral to the office. • office referral • Extreme inappropriate behavior will result in immediate removal from the classroom with an office referral.

13. What are the school and classroom behavior expectations? • Rewards for Positive Behavior • “Hoot Out Coupons” will be given out at teacher discretion for a variety of reasons. Students will turn coupons into homeroom coupon folder. • Students may win classroom privileges. • Examples: • Music pass • Eat with a friend at lunch • Snack pass • VIP

14. How will school and home communication occur? • Daily folders/Agendas • Tuesday “mail”- graded work will be in back pocket of red folder • Grade level newsletters • Reed website: www.allenisd.org/reedes/site/default.asp • Eye Opener – there is a link on our webpage • School messenger calls • Teacher emails/phone calls • Email the subject teacher for specific content questions • Email homeroom teacher for general concerns and comments

15. Birthdays • Schools are now able to accept birthday treats in celebration of a child’s birthday. The items should be commercially prepared and have the ingredients label available to ensure no child with an allergy has a reaction. • Due to food allergies and sensitivities, we prefer that parents send non-edible treats such as pencils, erasers, stickers, or other small treasures.  Non-edible treats ensure that ALL students are able to participate in the celebration. • Due to student privacy and safety concerns, we will no longer be able to allow students to distribute birthday invitations at school. • We realize that connecting with other families for birthday parties, playdates, etc., can be a challenge. In an effort to help you contact other families in your child’s classroom, we are offering the opportunity to share your email address with other parents in your child’s class who may also choose to share their email addresses. If you opt into this communication loop, your teacher will send out your email address along with your child’s first name and last initial. • An “opt-in” form was sent home on August 29th. Please return the form no later than Friday, September 14th. We will then provide you with email addresses for all families in the classroom who agree to share them. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

16. Overdrive – Online Library! • Reed is proud to offer eBooks and audio books to our students 24 hours a day/7 days a week for FREE! • You can access this online library from the Reed Website. Just click on the Library tab at the top of the page. • A list of compatible devices is there for you! • Students will need their student ID number in order to “check out” books.

17. What do I need to know about the school parking lot? • Use the northwest entrance only. • Use the crosswalk to cross in the parking lot near the front of the school. • Do not drop off students anywhere but along the sidewalk. Students should never be asked to walk through the parking lot unattended. • When visiting the school, please do not park along curb in the frontof the school, this area is reserved for buses and daycare vans only. Always use a parking space when coming inside. • We will stagger our dismissal times to help with traffic congestion. • Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 2:55 • 1st -6th grade students will be dismissed at 3:00 • Remain in your car and follow the flow of traffic around the lot. Teachers and students will be watching and students will be sent to your car. • Hang tag signs were provided to each family picking up students by car each day. They have a designated family number. Please attach it to your rearview mirror or place it on the dashboard of your car each day during pick up. The signs will speed up dismissal and are also helpful during rainy weather when students wait in the gym. School staff can quickly see which child you are picking up and bring him/her to your car. • Hang Tags are also a safety measure to ensure we are releasing students to the correct adult. Please help us by ALWAYS having your car sign visible.

18. Parent Waiting Area • This is a location for parents who choose to park and walk to the school to pick up their children each afternoon. • Parents will give show their family hang tag to the staff member on duty and students will be sent to the parent. • This is for the safety of all students. In the past, teachers have become distracted during the dismissal period while visiting with parents and students left the school without the teacher seeing them leave. • The parent waiting area is NOT an attempt to keep parents away from teachers, but to provide a place for parents to wait that will still allow teachers to focus completely on ensuring all students are dismissed safely. • Parents who need to speak to a teacher can still do so by scheduling an appointment or waiting until approximately 3:15 when students are all dismissed for the day.

19. How can I volunteer at Reed? • Complete the criminal history background check –link on the AISD webpage: https://www.allenisd.org/Page/214 • Inform your child’s homeroom teacher if you can help with any of the following: • Making copies • Filing Tuesday papers • Laminating/cutting • Party preparations • Science Fair • other

20. Is there a grade level handbook I can take home? • YES! You will get a 6th Grade Handbook at Curriculum Night. Handbooks will also be posted on the 6th grade website. • Please read the handbook over with your child and return the back signature page to your child’s homeroom teacher.

21. How can I update my child’s information electronically through the Family Access program? • Allen ISD is requiring all families to update student information electronically this year. • Contact Ms. Spielman in our school office if you need help with a password or anything else related to skyward login.

22. Thank you so much for previewing our Curriculum Night/Student Handbook information! Please bring your questions, comments, suggestions, etc., to our Curriculum Night Q&A session.Thursday, Sept. 6th5:00 – 5:45 OR5:50 – 6:35