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Parent Orientation
Mrs. Villasenor
Welcome to our classroom. I am looking forward to working with you and your child this year. I hope the information will help you understand classroom procedures and expectations.
Mrs. Villasenor’s Educational Philosophy
It is my job to create a classroom where the students feel safe and are willing to take a risk. The mistakes your child makes help him/her to set personal goals. The mistakes focus the next lesson I will teach. We say that it is OK where we are, but it is not OK not to get better. We try to complete the task as best we can, knowing that the result just tells us what we know and what we need to work on. We work to use all the resources we have available to us when completing the assignment. We work, we laugh! We see the fun in learning something new.
READING
It would be beneficial for your child to be reading at home at least four times a week. When they are reading, you can help them by supporting the reading strategies I am teaching them at school. They have a notebook that shows the strategies being taught.
At conference time I will share with you their Lexile level, so that you may also assist them in selecting appropriate books that would help make them a better reader. I strongly recommend that you visit www.lexile.com. This site can assist you in getting the right book in your child’s hands. I have a link to this site on my webpage as well.
MATH
Students should continue to practice addition and subtraction facts. It is however, imperative that they know their multiplication facts by the end of October. I have included many fun multiplication math sites on my website. They can be found under Favorite Links on the left nav. Basically, we complete a lesson a day. You can expect daily homework. Please check the homework page on my website or their assignment book. If they do not understand something, please explain it to them. They must complete the homework.
HANDWRITING
As I see mistakes in your child’s handwriting, I teach to it. Please help by making them redo any homework that is too messy to read.
WRITING
I focus on the writing process. I will link the Six Traits of Writing with the stage in the writing process they should use the trait(s) in. The six traits are organization, ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and conventions. We will write personal experience narratives, fictional narratives, summaries, letters, and expository writings such as persuasive paragraphs. By the end of the school year students should be able to write a story with several paragraphs. The story should also contain a setting, developed characters, and a plot. They should also be able to write an informational paragraph/report using various research tools. I teach daily DOL (Daily Oral Language) and Grammar lessons where proper capitalization, punctuation, and basic grammar are taught. I further work to help them become more at ease when speaking in public.
SPELLING
Your child will have 20 spelling words a week. They will have a daily spelling assignment from their textbook. We take a final spelling test on Friday. If your child missed very few words on their pre-test on Monday they are given five “Challenge” words that they must also learn for the week.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The main instructional focus is learning about the state they live in. There are many fun things your child will get a chance to experience. We make a playdough map of Arizona. It highlights the three regions of the state. You will be asked to make homemade playdough. I send the recipe home for you to use. One of the ingredients is Cream of Tartar. I tell you this now, so you can put that on your upcoming grocery list. Until I made this playdough, I had no idea such a spice existed. We also dress up in 1880’s attire and go to the old schoolhouse in Tubac. We act out how school was like for boys and girls in the 1880’s. Also, we act like archaeologists and excavate a mock Hohokam dwelling. From what we find, we study the culture of the Hohokam people.
SCIENCE
The inquiry process establishes the basis for students’ learning in science. I cover the scientific method, famous scientists, changes in the environment, characteristics of organisms, renewable and nonrenewable resources, recycling, plant and animal adaptations, energy and magnetism, erosion, weathering, disposition, and weather.
COMPUTER
I teach them to use some of the basic components of PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and keyboarding. We also use the internet for research projects.
MONDAY FOLDERS
I send home on Monday your child’s work from the week before. You will notice some papers have descriptive feedback and some have grades. The papers with descriptive feedback are assessments I used for learning. The papers with a grade on them were assessments of learning and go in the gradebook.
BEHAVIOR
I have the rules posted on the wall. My consequences are logical, and I do not give rewards for expected behavior. I expect your child to have a positive attitude and a willingness to try. If your child’s behavior becomes a problem, I’ll contact you. One of the key behavior elements that ensures the success of your child is getting their homework done and in on time. I have homework assignments posted on my website for you to assist me in teaching your child this important responsibility.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
I see these as family projects. Your child will create a culture box that shows things about his or her culture. He or she will present the items in their box to the class. Also, my students invent something that fixes a problem that they or someone in their family has. At the end of the year they will also retell a story in another classroom.
SPECIAL CLASSES
Music – Monday
PE - Friday
Be sure your child is wearing their tennis shoes.
PE packet available by the door
Library – Wednesday- return books on Tuesday
Art – Tuesday
Computer – Thursday
GRADES
Grades are earned. In the middle of a quarter, progress reports are sent by mail to only those students receiving a D or an F. Please sign the report and return it to me. We function under a 90, 80, 70 scale. As mentioned earlier. Assignments turned in 1 day late will be docked 10%.
PARENT CONFERENCES
The sign up sheet for conferences is located outside the office. Please come ready to discuss any concerns and to celebrate your child’s progress so far.
MISCELLANEOUS
Birthdays- Let me know in advance if you want to bring a treat, so I can plan for it.
Snacks at recess- Your child may bring a snack, but it must be healthy.
Transportation- Please send a note if your child is going home in a manner other than the usual. Also, arrangements need to be made the night before.
Volunteers- Please let me know if you would like to volunteer this year. Also, give me an idea of the times you are available and what you want to do.
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