Mrs. Whitmore

Parent Letter Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s), This guideline is to help you understand what I will be focusing on for students in Special Needs Small Group Reading for grades 6, 7, and 8. I have listed for you a sample of areas that I will be teaching. The list is as follows: reading comprehension, reading fluency, spelling, various forms of written expression, the parts of speech, vocabulary development, capitalization and punctuation, rules to help read and spell, class novels, short stories, plays, modified grade level English activities, the use of MCAS Frameworks, and preparation for the MCAS test. I will also use assistive technology tools and ''Thinking Reader'' as supports to your child's learning. Part of your child’s English Curriculum will be based on techniques used in the Project Read Program and the Wilson Reading Program. Both of these programs are for students who need a systematic learning experience with direct teaching of concepts and skills through multi-sensory techniques. Each skill is based on prior concepts taught for mastery learning. Objectives in your child’s Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) will be addressed. There is simply no single approach to teach all students how to read. I will be using other approaches and techniques that will help your child to learn. Your child will have a weekly spelling test on Wednesday. Studying these words is a weekly assignment. Please review with your child progress that is being made by weekly going on-line to www.mygradebook.com and view what is being accomplished. The grid below explains my grading system. Basic Skills Quiz 10% Homework 10% Class Work 15% Dialogue Journals 15% Spelling Tests 15% Vocabulary Quizzes 10% Essays 10% Quizzes 10% Ready For Class 5% If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at school 356-3535 (Extension 119) for my voice mail or e-mail me at whitmore@ipswichschools.org. I appreciate your feedback, and I am looking forward to our working together as a team. Best regards, Mary Whitmore

How Are Grades Reported to Parents? I will be grading using the on-line program mygradebook.com. This will allow you to go online and check your child's progress in my class. It is a full-featured, completely secure Internet site that allows teachers to create accounts online and stores their students’ scores. Mygradebook has ''the parent/student viewer'' that allows you to log in and view only your child's grades. In order to use this feature, you will need to receive, from me, a password to access only your child's summary. Now, when your child says, ''all my homework is done'', you can go online and check. Mygradebook allows all of us — the teacher, the parent, and the student — to work together to ensure your child’s success in school. To access your child’s grade summary, you first go to the Homepage at www.mygradebook.com, click on Single Class Login and enter Classword Student Password: If you have any further questions, please contact me. My phone number at school is 978.356.3535 Ext.119. My e-mail address is whitmore@ipswichschools.org

Mission Statement Mrs. Whitmore’s Mission Statement for her reading students is to empower each adolescent to realize her/his importance in society. S/he will feel good about her/him self, enjoy learning, and accept their educational challenges.

Goals for Students 1. Each student will actively participate in his/her learning. 2. Each student will be able to asses and solve problems. 3. Each student will be a productive member of a team. 4. Each student will treat all people with respect, and demonstrate good leadership and citizenship.

Classroom Expectations Character Fairness Responsibility Citizenship Trustworthiness Caring Respectfulness (From a poster from the company Homeroom)

What Does Your Child Need to be Ready For Class? · Homework · Pen/Pencil · Independent Reading Book · Assignment Book · Positive Attitude for Learning

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