Welcome!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope that you had a very safe and enjoyable summer. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to my class. As the school year gets underway, I want to inform you of some 5th grade activities.

This year, your child will be administered the PSSA test, which assesses your child’s reading, writing, and math skills. Throughout the year, we will be doing a great deal to prepare for this test. We will be concentrating on independent reading, writing, and comprehension. We will also be stressing a variety of math skills such as geometry and problem solving.

Your child will be given a planner where they will write their homework assignments on a daily basis. I ask that an adult check and sign this book every night. If your child misses one assignment, that's ok. Everyone has a bad night here or there. After one assisnment is forgotten, your child will lose recess in order to make up the assignment. For each homework assignment that is missed from here on out, your child will lose 5 points of his or her homework grade in that subject for that marking period. Another purpose of this planner is to communicate with you about your child.

I ask that you put a book cover on your child's reading, math, social studies, and science books (It doesn't need to be anything fancy…A brown paper bag will do). This is to preserve the books for future usage.

Please visit the Reading, Science, and Social Studies links for a brief overview explaining how these subjects will be taught to your child in our 5th grade class. Also, please bookmark this page so that you can reference it throughout the year. Homework assignments as well as upcoming events will be posted daily. You can also check your child's current grades on Power School by visiting the Panther Valley School District website (a link can also be found on the "Homework" page). If you don't have a username and password, please contact the school so you can find out how to get one.

I am really looking forward to this school year, and I hope that your child is as well. Should you have any questions or concerns throughout the school year, please don’t hesitate to call the school at 669-9411 or send me an e-mail.

Sincerely,

Ms. Yurko