Welcome to 5NV Open House Night Mrs. Venema’s Class 2013-2014

About Me• I am from Perth, Australia.

• This is my second year here at SAS. I’m here in Shanghai with my husband, Steve (he teaches MS Orchestra), and our two children (Jocelyn – 5 years and Malachi – 2 years old).

• This is our 9th year in Shanghai. We have spent 7 years teaching at SCIS in Hongqiao. There I taught Grade 1 and Grade 3.

• I’ve taught Grade K-7 in Australia, as well as library, technology, an Education Support Unit, and have been the acting principal in a remote desert school.

5NV Blog

• Updated every week: Informs parents of upcoming curriculum topics, important dates, and reminders of upcoming events

• Includes photos from time to time

• Parent emails are set up to receive a notification when the blog is updated.

CommunicationBlog: http://teachers.saschina.org/nvenema/

My Email: nicole.venema@saschina.org

Agendas: These need to travel to and from school each day. You can write me a note in the diary, or send me an email. Students update their Agendas on Mondays with homework and upcoming events and throughout the week as needed.

All classroom communication will be via emails and the class blog page.

Emergency Phone Tree

Take-Home Folders• Go home most days• Contain important school information,

permission slips, flyers and The Eagle

5NV Schedule

• Specialist rotations• A typical day• Last period rotation

Core Subjects• Technology is incorporated into every

subject (blogging, Google Earth, Mathletics, etc.)

• Math: Everyday Math

• Mathletics: An online supplement that is aligned with our Everyday Math curriculum

• Reading: Workshop model designed to meet and challenge the needs of every student through mini-lessons, conferencing, and sustained reading of student selected books

• Writing: A workshop model where idea development, voice, organization, conventions, word choice, sentence fluency, peer / self-editing and revision skills are continually reinforced

Core Subjects (continued)

• Social Studies: American history units from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries

• Science: The Scientific Process, Health, Landforms, Models and Designs, and Ecosystems

• Word Study: Emphasizes spelling patterns to assist students in expanding their English vocabulary

Core Subjects (continued)

• Passport Club: Parent supported, organized and operated geography program for the entire Elementary School

• Notify Linda Yeh (linda.yeh@saschina.org) and myself.

• Sign in at the office if arriving late.• Sign out at the office if you are leaving early

during the day.• Students absent for extended periods should

email me for homework , and see me when they return for catch up work and instructions.

Student Absences

Homework

• Homework is assigned Monday - Thursday• 25-30mins from core subjects (math, language,

social studies, science) per night.• 25-30mins from Chinese class per night• 25-30mins reading• Various projects and special assignments will

be additional homework throughout the year.• Access to a computer with a reliable internet

connection is essential for blogging homework and Mathletics.

Birthdays• We would love to celebrate your child’s birthday

with them, here in class. Please feel free to send in or bring along a birthday treat to share – morning snack time is usually best for this (10:00-10:15).

• Please email me to arrange the best day and time.

• N.B. We currently have 17 students in our class.

• Unless your child is inviting the entire class to a birthday party at home, please arrange to distribute birthday invitations outside of school time.

Room Parents & Volunteers

• Our Room Mom is Stephanie (Cheryl’s mom) and Young Hee Oh (Christina’s mom) will also help out.

• Some activities where we will need parent volunteers include: Parties (Halloween, Winter Holiday, Chinese

New Year and End of Year). Field trips

• I will advertise the need for volunteers closer to the scheduled dates on the class blog.

Fifth Grade Expectations• Respect• Honesty• Responsibility &

Independence

A taste of what we expect from our Grade 5 students…

The Dot Game

1. Find the other people with the same color dot that you have. No Talking! No Peeking at your dot!

2. Find the basket with your color dot. Sit here and introduce yourself to your new

group.

Build the tallest structure you can using these materials.

It must support the marshmallow at the apex.

You have 15 minutes of build time.

Reflection TimePlease use the pink and blue Post-it notes to

write a quick reflection for your child.

SuccessesWhat did you enjoy or like about this activity?

ChallengesWhat did you find difficult, challenging or frustrating about this activity?

Questions or Comments

Please use the yellow Post-it notes if you have a question that was not addressed in my talk.

I will respond in a group or personal email.

Thank You For Coming!I look forward to working with you and your child

in the year ahead.

Next stop: PAC @ 7:30

For an overview of our specialist teachers.