I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you back to school. I hope that you had an enjoyable and restful summer vacation. I will be teaching Reading to Grades 5-8 and Social Studies to Grades 7 and 8. Reminders, some general information, school rules and regulations are listed below. If you have any questions concerning any of these, I will be happy to address them at the Parent /Teacher Meeting on Wednesday, September 7,2016 at 6:00 PM.
This year we will continue to follow the ELA Modules from Engage New York Common Core Curriculum. This curriculum requires that every student reads both fiction and nonfiction texts. The children will be responsible for buying the books that the state is requiring them to read in order to satisfy these standards. I will list the names, authors, and prices of the books that we will be reading for Module 1. I can order these books for you or you can purchase them yourself. If you would like me to order books for your child, please send the money in an envelope with your child’s name and grade on the first day of class, Thursday, September 8th or you can give it to me at the Parents’ Meeting. I will be ordering the books on Friday, September 9th. It is important that your child has a copy of the book since we will be using it in class and at home. The same procedures will be followed for the other three Modules throughout the year.
Please check the blog frequently, so you can keep yourself updated on what your child is doing in each class in terms of homework assignments, tests, and projects. The school blog site address is http://olqmnyc.blogspot.com/. You must check all four teachers' blogs to keep updated about tests, assignments, and projects in each of the six subject areas. Your child is responsible for all work, tests, or projects, even when he/she is absent Remember, the blog is updated by each teacher every day, so it needs to be checked every evening.
Enjoy the remaining days of vacation and I look forward to seeing you on September 7th.
Sincerely,
Donna Toscano Larios
Reminders:
September 7th: Parent-Teacher Meeting at 6:00 PM in your child’s homeroom. (You will be given a folder containing forms that need to be filled out, signed, and returned to the Homeroom teacher before Monday,9/12- please send all forms back in the folder that you receive them in).
September 8th- First Day of Classes (line up in the backyard before 7:55AM). All students should have their school supplies, bookbag, money if you would like me to order the book needed for Module 1, and must be in full uniform.
September 9th- Money due if you wish to order books for Module 1 (in an envelope with your child’s name and grade).
General Information/School Rules and Regulations:
1. Please sign all papers distributed in the parent packet. You will receive two emergency cards to fill out. Fill out all parts including the mother and father’s name even if you are not living together. Include the following information: phone numbers- including cell #’s, whom to contact in case of an emergency, and remember to fill out the back of each card and sign the bottom. You must list the name of someone that we can contact if there is an emergency or your child gets sick and needs to be picked up. Also in the parent’s packet is an academic contract, parent’s handbook, Internet usage form, Sept. calendar, photo release form, textbook loan form, technology usage form, a general field trip consent form, and a parent signature sheet for the Handbook. Please complete all forms and return them to me no later than Monday, Sept.12 in the folder you received them in. Please do not return the September calendar or Parent Handbook. They are for your own information.
2. All school supplies should be in by Thursday, 9/8. (If your child does not have the necessary materials, he/she cannot be expected to do the necessary work)
3. Please cover all soft covered books, and maybe add some cardboard, so the books do not rip. If they are broken and you can fix them, please feel free to do so. Please make sure your child’s name is in each book. It is very important to cover the books because the soft-covered books break very easily and pages start to fall out.
4. Check your child’s notebooks, folder, and book bag every day to see what is going on in class, or if there are any notes from teachers concerning homework or classwork, and make sure that he/she has all the necessary supplies every day.
5. Please send a note when your child is absent or when you need to pick he/she up early from school. If the school does not receive an absence note, your child will be marked illegally absent. If your child is sick for few days try to have someone come to school to pick up books needed to complete the work your child has missed. All students are responsible for turning in any assignments missed while they are absent from school. They will be given one or two days to complete the assignments once they return to school.
6. Please read the monthly calendar, the school blog, and the Parent Handbook carefully. Also, check your child’s grades on Cornerstone, so you know right away if your child is having any problems in school. You will need to get a password in order to have access to your child’s grades.
7. Please make sure that your child is on time for school each day. If your child is late more than two times per quarter, he/she will not be able to receive Honors. In addition, he/she will not be allowed into class without getting a late pass.
9. All students should be in full uniform each day unless otherwise specified on the blog, IRIS alert, or in the homework assignment book. That means shoes, socks, sweaters, vests (for girls), having the proper haircut (boys), etc. This is all stated in the Parent's Handbook. Good conduct, effort, keeping belongings neat and organized, completing homework and classwork assignments, arriving at school on time, and being respectful to classmates and school staff are other criteria which are evaluated when determining your child’s character development grade.
10. Detention will be served during lunchtime and afterschool by any student who breaks school or class rules such as misbehaving in class, not completing homework or classwork, or not signing notes or test papers.
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Books to purchase for Module 1
*Grade 8 book to purchase for Module 1 (September):
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, HarperCollins Publishers, 2013 $9.00
(If you would like me to order it for you, the money is due on the first day of school in an envelope with your name and grade on it).
*Grade 7 book to purchase for Module 1 (September):
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011 $ 9.00
(If you would like me to order it for you, the money is due on the first day of school in an envelope with your name and grade on it).
*Grade 6 book to purchase for Module 1 (September): The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan, Disney-Hyperion,2006 $ 9.00
(If you would like me to order it for you, the money is due on the first day of school in an envelope with your name and grade on it).
*Grade 5 book to purchase for Module 1 (September):
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz, Scholastic Inc., 2002 $8.00
(If you would like me to order it for you, the money is due on the first day of school in an envelope with your name and grade on it).
Please check each teacher’s blog for the supplies needed for your child’s homeroom.
