I am so very excited

for a new year! This

newsletter has been
assembled to clarify
vital information that
will allow us to begin
our journey together
toward a very positive
and rewarding year.
Open lines of commu-
nication between the
parent, student, and
teacher are the key to
promoting an educa-
tional climate that is
conducive to learning.
I am looking forward
to working with both
students and families.
Please feel free to
contact me at any
time if there are any
questions or circum-
stances you would like
to discuss. Contact infor-
mation is included to the
right of this section. You will
receive additional communi-
cation throughout the
school year, and I am availa-
ble for parent/teacher/
student conferences outside
of the regular scheduled
times. The classroom web-
site (see top right) is a re-
source built for you that in-
cludes a calendar of events
with assignments, spelling
lists, test dates, and special
events. I look forward to
building a relationship with
you thus providing the best
educational experience for
all involved.

Welcome Back to School!
Refining Responsibility
As students approach middle
school, the importance of
organization and responsibil-
ity reaches a higher intensity.

Each student will be provided
with an agenda by the school.
Homework, due dates, and
other events will be written in
these agendas DAILY during
Space Maintenance as an
organizational tool for the ever
more independent student.
Agendas will be checked at
random for completion, and
each student remains on the
honor system regarding home-
work communication as long
as homework is routinely
returned. Parents will be noti-
fied when a homework as-
signment is missing within 48
hours. After missing three
homework assignments, stu-
dents will be recommended
for the school Hands on
Homework program. Stu-
dents and parents whom are
interested in the program
otherwise may contact the
school office for information.

During Space Maintenance,
students will be asked to
maintain their own space.
Time will be given each
month for the deep cleaning
of desks, but students are
expected to maintain order in
their spaces every day much


like adults maintain a home. Our light-
hearted, yet very practical, goal is to
maintain a desk that resembles a file
cabinet while leaving behind the desk
that resembles a bucket. This skill will
prove invaluable when finding supplies
in lockers becomes a priority.

Students will also apply for a job that
will help to maintain the classroom. Jobs
are paid in Class Cash and may be
deposited into the students class account
for further use and privileges throughout
the year as tangible rewards of responsi-
bility. The class accounts reflect a stu-
dents hard work and responsibility and
allow each to practice authentic math
literacy. This tiny economy also serves
as a learning tool in our walk through
history.


A Place of Inquiry

August 27, 2014
180 www.gillespiegrade5.weebly.com






Parents are part of
the classroom.
Please fill out the
form attached to
start your involve-
ment!



Contact Information:
christina.gillespie@livingston.k12.mt.us
224-0009

Check here for calendar of
events/assignments,
spelling lists, pictures,
videos, skill practice,
live discussion blogs, and
more!

A copy of this
newsletter is
on the class-
room website.

Support at home can ensure responsi-
ble work habits and organization.
Students will bring home a Reflection
and Goal Sheet for parent review at
the end of each quarter. On these
sheets, students reflect upon their own
responsibility and organization while
identifying successes and setting cor-
rective goals for struggles identified
for the previous quarter. Self-
reflection, organization, and responsi-
bility are critical qualities for middle
school success. This year is designed
to ease the transition between inter-
mediate and junior high.
Students will have opportunities
to work on projects throughout
the year that integrate multiple
subjects. This is an opportunity
to view academics and learning
as flexible, dependent academic
skills rather than separate school
subjects taught at different times
throughout the day. These pro-
jects will also make clear how
school subjects apply to real-
world concepts through problem
solving, critical thinking, and
application with a focus on
engineering, scientific
practices, use of mathemat-
ical data, and close reading
of informational text. Due
dates will be included in
agendas (and on the class
website), and each project
will be accompanied by a
rubric that details which
subjects are graded and
which criteria are exam-
ined. By self-checking
work, using rubrics, and
adhering to due dates, each
student can experience suc-
cess in these project-based
assignments and further
prepare for middle school
expectations. Some projects
to look forward to include
the Hall of Heroes Wax Mu-
seum, Wolf Reading Project,
Superhero Story, and multi-
ple book studies related to
social studies and science.
found on the classroom
website.

On regular weeks, spelling
tests will be given on Fri-
day. Short weeks (3-4 days
in length) will include
Find Five spelling words.
These five spelling words
will be found by students in
their writing folders and
written in their agendas on
Spelling words will be giv-
en to students for practice
at the start of five day
weeks. Regular week
spelling lists are posted on
the website each week for
home access (sometimes I
am late with this when
times are busy, but I do my
best to keep up). Spelling
practice and games can be
the first day of the week.
Students are encouraged to
find words in their work
that they have misspelled
and choose words with an
appropriate level of diffi-
culty. Short week tests
will be given on the last
day of the week. It is the
students responsibility to
schedule a make-up test
with the teacher.
Practical Projects
Spelling
Language ARTS
enrich the curriculum
throughout the year.

Students are encouraged to
read at home regularly to
strengthen reading skills and
quicken reading fluency.
Strong reading skills support
all subjects!

Rich writing pieces which
encompass expository, crea-
tive, persuasive writing, and
poetry fill the years curricu-
lum. Students will engage in
writing both small portions
and larger pieces that weave
into the curriculum tapestry
and stem from the students
imagination.

The editing process is heavily
practiced at this level and is
most focused on in the Super-
hero Story writing project.
Students spend a lot of time
building characters, planning,
and prewriting before their
first draft. The piece is then
edited throughout the entire
year in response to writing
lessons. Each writing lesson
serves to enrich stories and
apply writing concepts re-
quired in state standards. At
the projects end (September-
May), students stories come
alive at the publishing party!
Students are encouraged to
dress up as one of their char-
acter creations and read to
another class.

Rubrics will accompany large
writing assignments in which
the editing process will be
examined criteria. Students
will be expected to complete
final drafts by a posted due
date (written in the agenda
and on the class website).
Unless unforeseen circum-
stances obstruct plans, stu-
dents will have plenty of time
to complete final drafts in
class.

Language Arts encompasses
reading, spelling, and writing.
Our reading program includes
many different components.
Students will be participating
in guided reading groups,
whole group instruction, and
independent reading. In addi-
tion to the reading program,
students will also be reading
articles from newspapers and
other sources regularly to
develop highlevel reading
skills (summarizing, inferring,
predicting, and reading for
information) and to encourage
critical reading of authentic
text.

LASSS is the application of
language arts through social
studies and science. Much of
the abundant literature that
will be studied ties to social
studies and science for appli-
cable reading experiences on
all levels. Literature circles,
book studies, and read-alouds
SUPERHERO
STORIES: A year
-long writing
project comes to
life at the end of
the year in
celebration of
students growth
and success.
Page 2
180

Throughout the year, we have an oppor-
tunity to once again participate in the
Indian Education for All Speaker Series.
This is through our partnership with the
Yellowstone Gateway Museum. The
Speaker Series incorporates Native lan-
guages, resources, culture, and leaders
to achieve diplomacy for Native and Non-
Native people. Our objective is to share
an awareness of Montana Tribes, past
and present, and their significance in
enhancing our understanding of Mon-
tana history. This program is in joyful
compliance with the Montana Constitu-
tional Act of Indian Education for All.
Math concepts that will be
primarily focused on this
year include place value
from the thousandths to the
billions, three digit multipli-
cation, multiplying decimals,
long division, dividing deci-
mals, geometry, data, meas-
urement, and operation of
fractions with same and
unlike denominators.

Students will often focus on
key vocabulary through
song. These songs along
with math practice games
are accessible on our class-
room website. More math
practice games will unlock
as we enter into new con-
cepts, so stay tuned!


Math homework will
be given on Mondays,
Tuesdays, and Thurs-
days. All math home-
work may be corrected
on the students per-
sonal time for credit.
Homework corrections
will receive full credit.
Math is an ongoing
process in which mean-
ingful learning most
often occurs when
identifying and cor-
recting mistakes. This
policy encourages that
practice.

Retakes of math tests will be encouraged every unit. Students will
receive tutoring in small groups on target concepts before the sec-
ond test is given. Only individual target concepts will be retested,
and students will receive credit toward their initial score. The initial
score does impact the final, so it is important for students to do their
very best on each test. As other groups are tutored, students will
complete individual, real-life application math enrichment projects
that align to our state and district standards.

During Math Mountaineers, students will be working on specific,
hands-on math skills in small groups. This portion of the day is
designed for students to build skills at their own pace and at their
own level. Each student presents a different set of experiences for
each math skill. This time in the day allows students to rebuild
skills or enrich skills already mastered. Students achievement will
be assessed on the growth of the student throughout the quarter.
This program is designed to meet the student at various levels to
complete a sturdy math ladder of skills for SGMS. The purpose is
individualized instruction for growth. Student grouping will con-
stantly change according to course offerings and student choices.
Although much of the sub-
ject areas through these
times can be sensitive, the
East Side team strives to
provide a well-rounded
perspective with the focus
on diversity and the idea of
humanity at its highest.
This subject is often the
focal point of family con-
versations and provides a
solid connection between
home and school.
Our social studies curricu-
lum runs the intriguing
timeline from slavery to our
time of Obama.
Students will experience
this timeline through simu-
lations, art, poetry, litera-
ture, and projects.
Above all, students will
utilize other subjects
through their application to
history and humanity.
Math
Social Studies
Science
include macro-invertebrate
classification and life cycles,
fly casting (potential and kinet-
ic energy), fly tying (life cy-
cles), fly selection (scientific
process), human impacts, na-
tive fish, aquatic nuisance spe-
cies, food webs, historical and
current relationships between
Montana tribes and fish, and
fish body systems. Students
will become Watershed War-
riors and participate in one
hour activities/lessons on Fri-
days. Students will also be
invited to join an after school
club on Wednesdays
(W2O) to learn more
about scientific applica-
tions in our watershed.

A schedule for Water-
shed Warriors and antic-
ipated dates will be sent
home at the end of Sep-
tember.


Other science concepts, standards, and projects include science
process skills, What Does a Scientist Look Like, What is Water,
Astronomy, Ecosystems, Soils, Earths Systems, Food Origins, and
Environmental Action.
Science will involve many
exciting, hands-on experi-
ences and projects.

Throughout the year, more
than 1/3 of scientific con-
cepts and standards will be
explored through the art of
fly-fishing and through
watershed stewardship.
Yearly fundraising and a
critical school partnership
with Matt Wilhelm of Yel-
lowstone Fly Fishing
School makes this pro-
gram, Watershed Warriors,
possible. Topics covered
Page 3
A Place of Inquiry


Homework
Students will be assigned homework on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Please check the agenda nightly to make sure all as-
signments are completed.

*Spelling words will be sent home at the beginning of full weeks for practice.
*Project due dates will be posted in agendas and on the class website.
*Homework may not be posted on the website until the day of class since circumstances and student needs dictate lesson
and homework.

Due to uncertain circumstances, if a student for any reason is unable to complete an assignment throughout the day, this will auto-
matically become homework to be completed at home and returned to school the following day. It is the students responsibility to
return work to the appropriate assignment slot.

If students are struggling to complete their homework, East Side has a homework program, Hands on
Homework, available on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. This free program runs from 3:15-4:15.
Snacks are provided along with teacher support. Please inquire in the office if you are interested in this
program.

For each homework assignment turned in, students will receive a mark on their Class Credit Card. Students who earn an excellent
credit rating are eligible for additional privileges!

Tests
Test dates will be posted on the class calendar and on the class website. Students are responsible for writing these dates in their
agendas. It is the responsibility of the student to meet with the teacher to schedule a time for make-up tests.

Late Work

It is the responsibility of the student to turn in homework on time. However, there are circumstances that exist in life in which
homework will be turned in late. When this is the case, it is up to the student to turn homework in to the late work slot. For each day
the assignment is late, five percent of the homework points will be deducted. Special circumstances do happen, and the student
should communicate these to me immediately. It is my job and privilege to support every student in learning and responsibility.
After three weeks of missing an assignment, the student will receive a zero. Students will have the equivalent of extra days to the
days absent to make up work. For example, if a student is absent three days, the student will be given three days upon return before
points are deducted for a late assignment. Parents will be alerted within 48 hours of a missing assignment through email or
text.

Procedures, Odds, and Ends

Students create their own Bill of Rights and Class Constitution in class as a group commitment to each other of their expectations of
each other and their peers. These are posted in the classroom throughout the year as a reminder and guide of responsibility. If a stu-
dent does not follow classroom procedures or violates another students rights, a verbal warning will be given in which a conversa-
tion between the student and teacher will take place. The second offense will result in a fine of class cash. The third and fourth of-
fense will result in an additional fine and jail time (missed recess). These consequences are designed to mirror adult responsibilities
and privileges. The choice of responsibility will equal additions of privileges. Most consequences in Room 180 are positive; it is
rare that a student misses a recess as it is an important part of the school experience. After a severe infraction (in which safety is a
concern or repeated infractions of the same cause), students will complete a Take Paws form in the principals office as dictated by
school policy.

Conferences
Conferences are designed to be student-lead. Students will be responsible for self-reflection and setting appropriate quarter goals.
This is a critical step toward middle school! The conference is meant to be a celebration of each students growth in his/her learning
and responsibility. The parent will be contacted if a refocus on education or responsibility is necessary before that time.
School-scheduled conferences are focused on positive communications and relationships.


We, _____________________________________________________________________________, have
read the classroom newsletter as a family.

Questions:




Comments:




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Best Email to Reach Family for Class Updates: ________________________________