Announcements

  • Weekly Progress Report – I will no longer send home weekly progress reports. If you want to know how your child is performing, please check Aspen. 
  • Weekly Homework Calendar – I understand that some students told their parents that they no longer have to sign the calendar; that is not true. If there is a line for a parent signature, then I am requesting place for you to know what is expected of your child. If your child tells you anything other than what is on the calendar, please believe the calendar. 
  • Conferences w/Dr. Brown – I added a link to the For Parents menu that allows parents to set up conferences with me based on my availability. Conferences are first come, first serve. If you do not see any availability, then I am fully booked.  Some concerns can be addressed via email. 
  • Emails – I try to respond to emails within two school days. I cannot respond to essays. If you have more than three questions, please schedule a conference with me. But most questions can be answered by thoroughly reading my syllabus. You can also see the FAQ I developed from the questions I received this past week from parents.
  • FAQ
    • Can my child complete class work assignments at home if they do not finish in class? No. Before we begin any assignment, I tell students how long each assignment should take. Sometimes, I ask students how long I should give them to complete an assignment. If a student did not finish a class assignment, more than likely they were off-task or they did not ask for help. If your child did not finish the assignment in class, then they should still submit it to receive a grade versus a missing assignment. I have noticed that students who do not finish assignments in class, they did not start the assignment at all.
    • Can my child turn in class work late? No.
    • Can my child make up any missed assignments? No. Only students who were absent can make up assignments they missed. Please refer to the attendance policy. 
    • Can my child turn in late homework? No. I only accept late work from students who are absent. I review homework the day it is due. 
    • Can my child retake a test? Yes, if they earned less than 70%. The policy is forthcoming. 
    • Do you offer extra credit? Rarely. Please do not depend on it to raise your child’s grade.
    • How can my child improve if you don’t allow make-up work? The quarterly grade is a culmination of your child’s performance and achievement in math. This means the quarterly grade reflects everything a student does and does not do during that period of time. So, moving forward, in order to improve a grade, performance has to improve. This means completing assignments, taking notes, asking questions, engaging in class discussions, and being focused. All of these studious behaviors will have a positive impact on students’ grades. It will not erase the past, but it will improve the grade moving forward. 
  • Lost Math Workbooks – Please make sure your child keeps up with their math workbook. We do not have extras. It costs money and time to order more books. Principal Baker suggested that I keep all workbooks in the classroom, but I really don’t want to do that because it will slow down instruction and learning. So, let’s make sure students keep up with their books. All workbook pages are posted on my website. I will also give students the link to access their online workbook via Savas. 
  • Multiplication Drills – The goal of multiplication drills is for students to become fluent. I’ve noticed that some students know how to “get to the answer,” but they don’t know their facts. These drills will begin this week. Students will be timed to complete 100 problems in 10 minutes. 5th and 6th graders should be able to complete 100 problems in 3 minutes. We will reduce the time by one minute in a couple of weeks. For preparation, please drill your children with flash cards and allow them to play online games that will help them. I will post them in Google Classroom.  
  • Do Now – These activities will begin this week. This is an opportunity for students to improve their grades because they review foundational skills. Students should complete one section per day. They will be given the first 5 minutes of class to complete the activity. Students can go back to the activity during math class if time permits. They can also access the assignment from class. If students are absent, they are expected to keep up or catch up when they return to school. Do Nows will be due at the end of class on the last day of class for that week. 
  • Weekly Homework Calendar Link

5th Grade Math

6th Grade Math

Learning Objectives

  • Use mental math to solve addition and subtraction problems. (Lesson 2-1)
  • Estimate sums and differences of decimals. (Lesson 2-2)
  • Model sums and differences of decimals. (Lesson 2-3)

Important Dates

  • 09/18/23 – Test on Decimals 
  • 09/22/23 – No School

Learning Objectives

  • Use positive and negative integers. (Lesson 2-1) 
  • Represent rational numbers on a number line. (Lesson 2-2)
  • Find the absolute value of an integer. (Lesson 2-3)

Important Dates

  • 09/18/23 – Test on Fractions
  • 09/22/23 – No School