July 28, 2014
Dear Families,
It is with pleasure that
I welcome you all to the 2014-2015 school year. I am delighted to return to Milton
Elementary after three years in the middle school. I have worked at Milton
since 2001, and spent eight of those years teaching literacy and social studies
on a 5th and 6th grade multi-aged team. I am very excited
to return to fifth grade (an age I love), and to teach all subjects to my own
class. I also am looking forward to close collaboration with Audrey Osman and
Gloria Crowe (special educators), Tiffany Brigham (speech and language
pathologist), and the rest of the fifth grade teaching team.
As you prepare your
supplies for the coming school year, please keep in mind the following.
1.
Students must
always come to class with a pencil.
I have found over the years that students begin the year with many and then run
out quickly. Please bring just two or three to school at a time and keep the
rest at home to save as the year progresses.
2.
Milton
Elementary School uses a reading and writing workshop model. I would like
students to have two single-subject
wide-ruled spiral notebooks, one for reading mini-lesson notes and
responses and one writer’s notebook. These will usually be kept in the
classroom.
3.
For math, students
should have a simple one-inch
binder. Worksheets, classwork, and homework will be kept and organized here.
4.
Finally,
students should have two sturdy pocket
folders. One will be used for literacy papers and homework, and the other
will be used for science and/or social studies.
Students will not have
lockers or desks, so I discourage carrying around the weight of extra supplies.
Some items will be kept in the classroom and supplied to students as needed.
That being said, I will happily welcome any donations that you are able to make
to our classroom supplies. These include: wide-ruled loose leaf filler paper,
markers, colored pencils, glue sticks, glue, scotch tape, and pencil top
erasers. I will not supply students with pencils as they are quick to run out
and students need to develop the habit of preparedness for middle school.
Please expect a call home if a student regularly is without a pencil.
Supplies
Individual
|
Classroom
|
Pencils (two or three,
daily. Sharp and with erasers)
Two single-subject
spiral notebooks
One one-inch binder
Two pocket folders
|
Wide-ruled loose-leaf
filler paper
Markers
Colored pencils
Scotch tape
Glue/glue sticks
Pencil top erasers
Extra folders/notebooks
|
Students do not have
specific reading requirements for this summer, but regular reading at home is
strongly encouraged. If you are looking for ideas, please consult the 2014-2015
Dorothy Canfield Fisher list.
Most of these books can
be found at the Milton Public Library (Kathy Dulac is an amazing resource), the
school library, or Barnes and Noble.
Students will have short
but frequent homework assignments to practice math, spelling, grammar,
vocabulary, or writing. Occasionally, students will be asked to complete a
writing piece or a project at home. It is not my intent that students spend
hours on homework, but that they develop strong skills and independent work
habits. Assignments as well as school and class announcements and updates will
be posted on our classroom blog: http://miltonmarsh5.blogspot.com
At the start of the year
you will receive more information, schedules, etc. In the meantime, please
enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer. I look forward to meeting you all in
August.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Marsh
