Mrs. Beltz’s 5th Grade
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 5th grade! I hope you are as excited to start the school year as I am. We work hard every day to make sure we are the best writers, readers, mathematicians, scientists, and history buffs. It is great to learn so many new things!
This is my 19th year teaching, and my 5th year at San Jose Catholic. I graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in elementary education. Then, in 2006 I received my National Board Certification, and later added ESOL to my certification.
My husband is a lieutenant for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. We have 3 children. Chandler is a MA for the Navy and is stationed in Naples, Italy. Mylee is entering 11th grade at Bishop Snyder, and Ana is in 2nd grade here at San Jose. In my spare time I enjoy fishing and nature, reading, and spending time playing board games with friends and family. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child in the coming year.
Mrs. Farrell and I will be team teaching this year. So, for a little over 2 hours a day Mrs. Farrell will teach your child Language Arts and Science. This will be a great benefit for all because Mrs. Farrell and I will be able to focus on our specialized subjects intensely. If you need to reach her, you can email her directly at farrell@sanjoseschool.com.
Planners:
Mrs. Farrell and I feel planners are a necessity for each student to have to keep organized. Each day, your child will write down homework in his/her planner. Every morning, I will collect the homework. If your child has his/her homework, he/she will receive a stamp with my name on it. If not, we will write the word “no” for that day’s homework. This is for you to know if your child has completed and turned in his/her homework to me. It also has an area that you can write notes or any other thing that you want to ensure I see first thing in the morning. All students must bring this to school every day.
I suggest that you check it every day as well. Students will have homework every day, so planners should never be blank. When they are finished, please check over their work, and allow them to correct any errors they have made. This will give you knowledge of what is being taught in the classroom including what your child may be having difficulty in and areas of success. All homework should be turned in without errors. If a student does not bring his/her homework completed, he/she will work on it during outside time.
Papers and Grades:
On Fridays, graded papers will be sent home in the Friday Folder. Grades can be viewed online. Simply go to the school’s website and click “Renweb” at the top of the page. You will need to sign your child’s planner to let us know you saw your child’s current grades before Friday of each week. We don’t want any surprises on grades, and checking weekly makes sure you know exactly what is going on in the classroom.
Your child’s grades will be based on a point system. The bottom number will show you the total number of points possible, and the top number will show the number of points earned.
Student Textbooks:
Your child is encouraged to take home his/her textbooks whenever he/she likes. However, these books are needed in class every day, so please make sure they are returned. If the textbooks are lost or damaged, you will be responsible for buying a new one. Fortunately, many books are online! Your child will get logins for these soon.
Lunch and Snack:
Lunch is from 11:45 – 12:15 daily. Your child may pack a lunch or purchase one. Parents are not allowed to deliver hot lunches to the school.
We will have a daily snack. Students should bring a single item to snack on that is not sugary or fried. Great examples are fruit, pretzels, cheese sticks, or carrots with ranch. Students may also bring a bottle of water each day to keep at his/her desk.
Attendance and Dismissal:
It is very important that your child attends school everyday. Students are let into the classroom at 7:30. If you need to drop your child prior to 7:30, you may at the cafeteria as early as 7:00. For safety reasons, no students can wait outside the buildings. We begin working promptly at 7:45. After that time, your child will need to go to the front office.
In the afternoon, car riders dismiss at 2:50 except on Wednesday when dismissal is at 1:40. You should pick up in the same location each day, even if a sibling is absent or not at school that day.
Conferences:
Conferences are held at the end of the first quarter for all students, and at the parent’s request after that. If you would like to set up a conference, please send a note or email with several days you are available to meet. I will respond with the time that works for us to meet. I will respond to all emails within 1 day of receiving them.
Citizenship and Classroom Plan:
Positive behavior is so very important. For this reason, Mrs. Farrell and I have a system to document each child’s conduct. They will be given reminders if an initial warning does not work. All reminders are emailed to the parent. If a student receives 5 reminders in a quarter, they will lose recess privileges for 1 week. Rewards are given for positive behavior such as lunch outside on Friday.
I am looking forward to a great year. I hope this information will help with any of your concerns. If you have any questions for me, email me at any time. My email address is beltz@sanjoseschool.com. I also have a website I hope you will check out to find answers to questions, upcoming events, study guides, and current happenings. The website is: beltz.educatorpages.com.
Thanks for all you do! I can’t wait to get started!
Mrs. Beltz