Fifth Grade

Homework Policy

Each child should have an agenda where they record assignments daily. Homework is assigned Monday through Thursday and is to take no longer than an hour to complete. Book Report Projects are assigned monthly beginning in October. Students will receive a calendar at the beginning of October with all the book types that should be read (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, etc.) and due dates. Spelling is done in the form of a contract. Words and assignments are given on Monday to be completed and turned in by Friday, unless a change has been noted in your child’s agenda. A note will be sent home in Wednesday’s folder notifying parents of missing assignments. Late assignments will be accepted with a grade reduction of 10 points a day.

Grading Policy

A 93 – 100 C 74 – 80

B+ 90 – 92 D+ 71 – 73

B 84 – 89 D 64 – 70

C+ 81 – 83 F 64 and below

Student grades in each of the core areas are determined by the following: tests weigh 50%, test taking skills weigh 10%, classwork/participation/quizzes weigh 30%, and homework weighs 10%. Tests and Quizzes are the same across the grade level. Homework and Classwork assignments may vary due to the needs of the students in the classroom.

Awards

Principal’s All-Stars Student has received all A’s for that quarter.

A/B Honor Roll Student has received all A’s and/or B’s for that quarter

Vaughan on the Lawn Honor Ceremony

Cumulative A/B students will receive a medal.

Cumulative All Stars students will have their names engraved in the Vaughan Walk of All Stars.

Achievement Award This award is given to a student who has improved 1 letter grade in 3 core academic areas while maintaining other core grades. This award can be received, beginning with the second grading period and is not given in conjunction with other academic awards.

Good Citizenship Award The students must have an S+ in both Work Habits and Conduct to earn this award.

Wildcat Award – This is a teacher selected award given to a student who has shown tremendous effort in an academic and/or citizenship area during the grading period. Each teacher will present one or two awards per grading period..

Curriculum

All students will master the state Standards of Learning, as prescribed by the state Department of Education (DOE).

Language Arts

Students will develop oral language skills and an appreciation for all forms of literature using Prince William County’s Balanced Literacy Model, which includes shared reading and writing, reading and writing aloud, reading and writing workshops, interactive writing, and Writing Pictures.

The students will understand a variety of reading selections – fiction (poetry, historical fiction, novels – 200-300 pages, etc.) and non-fiction (biographies, history and science related articles, magazines, etc.)

The students will write for a variety of purposes, organize information, use vocabulary effectively, vary sentence structure, revise writing for clarity, edit final copies for grammar, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation.

The students must understand how to use research skills to paraphrase, summarize and identify information sources.

All students will have a portfolio that is maintained and sent home at least two times a year.

A dictionary and thesaurus are required materials for all 5^th graders.

Math

Basic multiplication facts, Complex multiplication and division, Multiply and dividing with decimals and fractions, with leading zero, Adding and subtracting fractions, Problem solving, Measurement – metric and standard English, Geometry, How to use a four function calculator.

Science

The students will understand the concepts pertaining to oceanography, matter, the rock cycle, weather, erosion, light and sound, animal kingdom, parts of a cell, and scientific investigations, the scientific processes. The students will independently complete a project to be entered into the Science Fair. Understand how graphs, tables and models work. Understand the difference between metric and English units of measurement.

Social Studies

The students will understand concepts pertaining to Native Americans, the Early Explorers, Westward Movement, Government, Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Reconstruction. The students must also understand geographic terms and locations in reference to the United States.

Technology

The students will select appropriate search strategies to access and retrieve information from various electronic resources, use proper keyboarding techniques for letters and numbers, have an understanding of basic computer theory, identify and describe important issues in a technological society, use grade appropriate curriculum related software, create simple databases and spreadsheets, enter, create a 1 to 2 page document using word processing, multimedia or publishing software, integrate computer graphics into word processed documents, explore and describe the basic components of telecommunications, participate in a class telecommunications project, use appropriate network etiquette.

Test Taking Strategies

The students work toward earning a test-taking certificate. To earn the certificate the students must understand what a passing score is (400 Pass, 500 Proficient, 600 Advanced), the three domains of writing and have knowledge of writing rubric, which is used for scoring writing. They must also understand the difference between timed and untimed tests, as well as fiction and non-fiction passages. They need to know how to highlight important information within passages, follow oral and written directions, eliminate trash, using post-it notes, use index cards for tracking, triple check their work when they complete their test, fill in all the blanks, make educated guesses when they don’t know an answer, understand how to pace, understand auditory and visual distractions, know testing terminology, and use scratch paper. The students must also understand when they can and cannot write in a test booklet.

Formal & Informal Assessments

Quantitative Reading Inventory (QRI)

Curriculum Mapping System tests (CMS)

Teacher-made Quizzes/Tests as needed

Weekly Writing Prompt

Weekly Spelling Contract Quiz

Standards of Learning (SOL’s) – (Writing is taken in March and the standardized section is taken in May)

Monthly Book Report Project (beginning October)

Science Fair Project (counts for the majority of Science/Reading/Writing grade for 3^rd marking period)

Parental Expectations

Emergency Phone Tree

Support the Code of Behavior

Science Fair

Field Trips

500 Word Club

Cinderella Project

Parent Classroom Volunteers

Dr. Seuss Readers

Test Taking Workshops

Lunch with Child

D.A.R.E. Graduation

Promotion Ceremony

Fulfillment of Parent Passport to Success

Discipline Plan

Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary believes that all children have the right to feel safe at school. Our school implements Prince William County’s Zero Tolerance Policy regarding drugs, weapons, and acts of violence, which harm or endanger others, to ensure the safety of your child.

Our proactive schoolwide discipline plan is both comprehensive and proactive. Each grade level has a management system, which includes clear, consistent student expectations and consequences posted in the room, regular class meetings, incentives for good behavior, and reinforcement of guidance lessons regarding life skills (responsibility, organization, friendship, effort, patience, perseverance, problem solving, caring, flexibility, sense of humor, integrity, initiative, common sense, curiosity) This plan is implemented through the use of a color-coded system.

Ø Green – the student displays appropriate behavior within the school and classroom.

Ø Yellow – warnings for inappropriate behavior choices.

Ø Red – the student violates Prince William County’s Code of Behavior and/or school rules.

Since this is a proactive plan, the children begin each day on green and their behavior choices reflect any color changes

(The plans may vary between grade levels.)

Back to top

Safety phone number

To report student absences – please leave child’s name, teacher’s name and grade.

(703) 494-9955

Attendance Policy

All explanations of absences shall be received in writing to your child’s teacher, no later than the second day after he/she returns. If no such notification is received, the absence will be marked as unexcused.

Students receiving excused absences shall be responsible for contacting their teachers to make arrangements for make-up work within a time specified by the teacher.

Students who miss ten or more days of school, excused or unexcused, for which little or no make-up work is completed, may be considered for retention.

Recommended Internet Links

Ms. Brewster's website

Privacy Policy webmanager Disclaimer



Teachers: A. Bell B. Sloan L. Wall	Homework Policy Grading Policy Awards Curriculum Supply List Formal & Informal Assessment Discipline Plan Attendance Links	Newsletter calendar

Homework Policy Each child should have an agenda where they record assignments daily. Homework is assigned Monday through Thursday and is to take no longer than an hour to complete. Book Report Projects are assigned monthly beginning in October. Students will receive a calendar at the beginning of October with all the book types that should be read (fiction, non-fiction, mystery, etc.) and due dates. Spelling is done in the form of a contract. Words and assignments are given on Monday to be completed and turned in by Friday, unless a change has been noted in your child’s agenda. A note will be sent home in Wednesday’s folder notifying parents of missing assignments. Late assignments will be accepted with a grade reduction of 10 points a day. Back to top Grading Policy A 93 – 100 C 74 – 80 B+ 90 – 92 D+ 71 – 73 B 84 – 89 D 64 – 70 C+ 81 – 83 F 64 and below Student grades in each of the core areas are determined by the following: tests weigh 50%, test taking skills weigh 10%, classwork/participation/quizzes weigh 30%, and homework weighs 10%. Tests and Quizzes are the same across the grade level. Homework and Classwork assignments may vary due to the needs of the students in the classroom. Back to top Awards *Principal’s All-Stars* Student has received all A’s for that quarter. A/B Honor Roll Student has received all A’s and/or B’s for that quarter Vaughan on the Lawn Honor Ceremony Cumulative A/B students will receive a medal. Cumulative All Stars students will have their names engraved in the Vaughan Walk of All Stars. Achievement Award This award is given to a student who has improved 1 letter grade in 3 core academic areas while maintaining other core grades. This award can be received, beginning with the second grading period and is not given in conjunction with other academic awards. Good Citizenship Award The students must have an S+ in both Work Habits and Conduct to earn this award. Wildcat Award – This is a teacher selected award given to a student who has shown tremendous effort in an academic and/or citizenship area during the grading period. Each teacher will present one or two awards per grading period.. Back to top Curriculum All students will master the state Standards of Learning, as prescribed by the state Department of Education (DOE). Language Arts Students will develop oral language skills and an appreciation for all forms of literature using Prince William County’s Balanced Literacy Model, which includes shared reading and writing, reading and writing aloud, reading and writing workshops, interactive writing, and Writing Pictures. The students will understand a variety of reading selections – fiction (poetry, historical fiction, novels – 200-300 pages, etc.) and non-fiction (biographies, history and science related articles, magazines, etc.) The students will write for a variety of purposes, organize information, use vocabulary effectively, vary sentence structure, revise writing for clarity, edit final copies for grammar, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. The students must understand how to use research skills to paraphrase, summarize and identify information sources. All students will have a portfolio that is maintained and sent home at least two times a year. A dictionary and thesaurus are required materials for all 5^th graders. Math Basic multiplication facts, Complex multiplication and division, Multiply and dividing with decimals and fractions, with leading zero, Adding and subtracting fractions, Problem solving, Measurement – metric and standard English, Geometry, How to use a four function calculator. Science The students will understand the concepts pertaining to oceanography, matter, the rock cycle, weather, erosion, light and sound, animal kingdom, parts of a cell, and scientific investigations, the scientific processes. The students will independently complete a project to be entered into the Science Fair. Understand how graphs, tables and models work. Understand the difference between metric and English units of measurement. Social Studies The students will understand concepts pertaining to Native Americans, the Early Explorers, Westward Movement, Government, Revolutionary War, the Civil War and Reconstruction. The students must also understand geographic terms and locations in reference to the United States. Technology The students will select appropriate search strategies to access and retrieve information from various electronic resources, use proper keyboarding techniques for letters and numbers, have an understanding of basic computer theory, identify and describe important issues in a technological society, use grade appropriate curriculum related software, create simple databases and spreadsheets, enter, create a 1 to 2 page document using word processing, multimedia or publishing software, integrate computer graphics into word processed documents, explore and describe the basic components of telecommunications, participate in a class telecommunications project, use appropriate network etiquette. Test Taking Strategies The students work toward earning a test-taking certificate. To earn the certificate the students must understand what a passing score is (400 Pass, 500 Proficient, 600 Advanced), the three domains of writing and have knowledge of writing rubric, which is used for scoring writing. They must also understand the difference between timed and untimed tests, as well as fiction and non-fiction passages. They need to know how to highlight important information within passages, follow oral and written directions, eliminate trash, using post-it notes, use index cards for tracking, triple check their work when they complete their test, fill in all the blanks, make educated guesses when they don’t know an answer, understand how to pace, understand auditory and visual distractions, know testing terminology, and use scratch paper. The students must also understand when they can and cannot write in a test booklet. Back to top Formal & Informal Assessments Quantitative Reading Inventory (QRI) Curriculum Mapping System tests (CMS) Teacher-made Quizzes/Tests as needed Weekly Writing Prompt Weekly Spelling Contract Quiz Standards of Learning (SOL’s) – (Writing is taken in March and the standardized section is taken in May) Monthly Book Report Project (beginning October) Science Fair Project (counts for the majority of Science/Reading/Writing grade for 3^rd marking period) Back to top Parental Expectations Emergency Phone Tree Support the Code of Behavior Science Fair Field Trips 500 Word Club Cinderella Project Parent Classroom Volunteers Dr. Seuss Readers Test Taking Workshops Lunch with Child D.A.R.E. Graduation Promotion Ceremony Fulfillment of Parent Passport to Success Back to top Discipline Plan Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary believes that all children have the right to feel safe at school. Our school implements Prince William County’s Zero Tolerance Policy regarding drugs, weapons, and acts of violence, which harm or endanger others, to ensure the safety of your child. Our proactive schoolwide discipline plan is both comprehensive and proactive. Each grade level has a management system, which includes clear, consistent student expectations and consequences posted in the room, regular class meetings, incentives for good behavior, and reinforcement of guidance lessons regarding life skills (responsibility, organization, friendship, effort, patience, perseverance, problem solving, caring, flexibility, sense of humor, integrity, initiative, common sense, curiosity) This plan is implemented through the use of a color-coded system. Ø Green – the student displays appropriate behavior within the school and classroom. Ø Yellow – warnings for inappropriate behavior choices. Ø Red – the student violates Prince William County’s Code of Behavior and/or school rules. Since this is a proactive plan, the children begin each day on green and their behavior choices reflect any color changes (The plans may vary between grade levels.) Back to top Safety phone number To report student absences – please leave child’s name, teacher’s name and grade. (703) 494-9955 Attendance Policy All explanations of absences shall be received in writing to your child’s teacher, no later than the second day after he/she returns. If no such notification is received, the absence will be marked as unexcused. Students receiving excused absences shall be responsible for contacting their teachers to make arrangements for make-up work within a time specified by the teacher. Students who miss ten or more days of school, excused or unexcused, for which little or no make-up work is completed, may be considered for retention. Back to top Recommended Internet Links Ms. Brewster's website Back to top *Privacy Policy* *webmanager* *Disclaimer*