Scholastic Books

At Meet Your Teacher, you received a Scholastic Book Order Form. Please help make our classroom library more interesting to students by ordering a book(s) for your own child. For every book you order for your child, I receive points that I can use to get books for our class library. In addition, if we can 

collect $250 in book order by the end of September, we will receive an additional 5,000 bonus points 

(which means we can order a huge amount of books). When I use the points to order books, I will ask the class for their input as to what books to order for our library. Thanks!

Our First Week

We have officially finished our first week of the school year! Over the course of the week, we went through my Classroom Procedure Manual and Behavior Handbook and together, we created our Class Constitution, which all students signed to ensure they understood the rules and procedures in our class. Along the way, the students also participated in activities to get to know each other better and establish a sense of community within our class. We also began instruction in all content areas. Please make sure you visit my "Announcements" tab to view assignments for the week. Also, please be sure to have your child fill out their reading logs, including a parent signature, and turn them in on Monday.

Additional Supplies Needed!

The science teachers have met and have asked their students to please purchase an additional spiral notebook to be used in conjunction with the new National Geographic Textbook Series we have adopted this year in Hillsborough County. Please have this notebook to school NO LATER THAN Thursday, August 25th, for our first day of science instruction. Thank you in advance! I look forward to a great year!

Welcome Back 2011

Hello! Welcome to our class blog! This website it used as a tool to communicate our studies, achievements, homework assignments, important dates, etc. to students, family, and friends. I update this site on a regular basis by posting pictures of what the students are working on and what is going on in our classroom. I look forward to meeting you all at Meet The Teacher this Friday August 19th, 2011 immediately following the Info Fair from 12:30-2:00pm! I have been working hard to get our classroom ready for your arrival! Here are some sneak peek shots of the room thus far. Please collect all of your supplies and bring them to school on our first day. Feel free to look around on our class blog to see what we will be working on this year. See you Friday!

**Parent Post: Homework Tips**

Parent Post

Homework Tips

Parents often ask how they can help their child(ren) with their homework. Here are some tips:

• Have a weekly meeting with your child (preferably Sunday). Use a family calendar and the child's planner to set a schedule for the week. Include upcoming test/quizzes/projects, and events such as practices and appointments.
• Set a timer for your child; have him/her estimate how long each assignment will take and set the timer for that amount of time. Timing each assignment helps to keep the child on task.
• Review your child's planner EVERY night.
• If homework is taking more than 1 hour per night, it could be because he/she 's not finishing work in school, finds the concepts too difficult, has difficulty concentrating, or is disorganized. Try to figure out what exactly is the problem.
• The primary role of a fifth grade parent is to:  be available if he/she needs help, check over their completed work, and provide them with encouragement and support. Your child should be moving towards independence before they move into middle school. This is a big step from last year for most of you, so it will take some time to adjust. 

Adios Summer...

Whoah! With a blink of an eye, the summer is coming to an end once again. There has been a lot going on since my last post. I travelled to Canada and Chicago to visit friends and took a cruise to Mexico and Grand Cayman for some rest and relaxation. I attended a professional development training, began studies for my Master's Degree and did some research for the next school year. I am excited and ready for the year to begin and look forward to meeting my new (maybe not so new if I had you in third grade) class of students! I hope you relax and enjoy these last few weeks of summer and are ready for another great school year at Gorrie! See you soon!

A Special Thank You...

Dear Parents,

I give you back your children, the same children you confidently entrusted to my care last fall.  I give them back pounds heavier, inches taller, months wiser, more responsible, and more mature than they were then.

Although they would have attained their growth in spite of me, it has been my pleasure and privilege to watch their personalities unfold day by day and marvel at their overwhelming development.

I give them back reluctantly, for having spent nine months together in the narrow confines of a crowded classroom, we have grown close, have become a part of each other, and we shall always retain a little of each other.

We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year.  I wish it could go on indefinitely, but give them back I must.  Take care of them, for they are precious.

Remember that I shall always be interested in your children and their destinies, wherever they go, whatever they do, whoever they become.  Their joys and sorrows- I’ll be happy to share.




Enjoy your summer and thank you again for all that you do!


Sincerely,
Mr. Catania