5th Grade Team: Aline DeSousa, Laura Maiorana,

Stephanie Zelonis and Samantha Pukash

Welcome to Back-to-School Night!

Teacher InformationAline DeSousaKean College B.A.Major- Education K-8 Minor- Psychology

Happily teaching at Faber for 33 years !!!!!Have taught grades 6,5, and 4I enjoy preparing students to be lifelong learners while having a little fun.

Teacher BackgroundLaura Maiorana

● Kean University, Bachelor of Arts in Education with subject matter specialization in Mathematics

● 6th year teaching fifth grade at John P. Faber

Teacher Background

Stephanie Zelonis

● Fairleigh Dickinson University, Master of Arts in Education

● Fairleigh Dickinson University, Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

● 7th year teaching at John P. Faber

● Previously taught 4th grade and Basic Skills Reading at John P. Faber

Teacher Background● Samantha Pukash

● Montclair State University● Bachelors of Arts in Family and Child Studies● Master of Arts in Education

● Certified in Elementary grades K-6 with a subject matter specialization in math grades 5-8 and Special Education

● Third year teaching at Faber Elementary!!

● Previously taught reading intervention in Readington Township

Classroom Schedule ● All students begin in Homeroom every morning for

attendance, lunch count and notice distribution ● Block Scheduling

● ELA and S.S. (2 Blocks daily) - DeSousa or Zelonis ● Math (1 or 2 blocks daily)- Maiorana or Pukash● Science and Spanish (2 blocks per week) - Maiorana

or Pukash ● Health with Homeroom - 1x week (Friday)● Specials:

● Monday - Thursday: 1 special● Friday - 2 specials

● Each child has a copy of their schedule in their locker and planner

Daily Procedures ● Locker Usage (arrival, between classes and

dismissal ONLY!)● Students are responsible for taking out what they

need for each class ● If work is left in the locker (starting October 1), it

will be considered late: responsibility● Do-Now on board upon entering the classroom● Bathroom: sign in and out, not during

lessons/instructions● Snack time: one healthy snack is acceptable, should

not cause a distraction● Water bottle on the corner of desk

Classroom Expectations ● Read directions carefully● Respect yourself, others and materials ● Students will not get up in the middle of

lessons, directions, or presentations, which will cause distractions and confusion

● Try, try, and try!● No tolerance for bullying. Report incidents

immediately!

Homework Procedures ● Always posted in the

classroom

● Student’s responsibility to make sure it is copied down in homework notebook

● Planner checks

● Planners signed only on an individual, as-needed basis

Grading Scale Subject:4 Outstanding achievement in grade level expectations 3.5 Achieving above average grade level expectations 3 Meeting grade level expectations 2.5 Progressing towards grade level expectations 2 Inconsistently meeting grade level expectations 1.5 Limited achievement in meeting grade level expectations 1 Below grade level expectation

Skill:+ Exceeds expectations

= Meets expectations- Area of concern

Curriculum● Language Arts

● Reading ● Novels ● Anthology: McGraw-Hill Reading Wonders

● http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/

● Reading Log ● Independent Reading in classroom

● Writing: Lucy Calkins Writer’s Workshop ● Main units of study: personal narrative, informational,

opinion/persuasive, compare and contrast● Mini-lessons, independent writing, teacher-student

conferences, pair-share

Reading Log

● Must have parent signature AND amount of time spent reading each night to count!

● Will be tallied at the end of each month and count as a Reading grade

● School-wide initiative to have children read each night

Curriculum, continued● Social Studies

● Integrated through Language Arts and novels ● Topics include geography, World War II/the

Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement

● Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Timelinks:● Topics include the history of the United States

Curriculum, continued● Mathematics

● Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley enVision Math 2.0

● Practice MULTIPLICATION daily!● Topics of study: multiplication,

long division, fractions, decimals, geometry

● Weekly quizzes (Google Classroom)

● Tests will all be taken online (www.pearsonrealize.com)

● Homework (book or online)

Curriculum, continued● Science

● Foss Next Generation● Hands on science investigations● Units of study:

● Earth and Sun● Living Systems (live bugs!)● Minerals and Solutions

Curriculum, continued● Health (1x per week)

● Healthy eating choices, goal setting, safety issues, body systems

● Spanish (1x per week)● Duolingo.com ● Projects ● Students need headphones

Genesis ● Online grading system● Grades will be updated weekly! ● Log-on at any time to see your child’s current

grades, missing assignments, etc. ● Obtain log-on information from the school

website● https://genesis.dunellenschools.org/

Conferences● Thursday, November 15: afternoon and

evening

● Friday, November 16: afternoon only

● Will be held with your child’s homeroom teacher

● Sign-up sheet available tonight

Contact Information● School emails:

● Mrs. DeSousa: desousaa@dunellenschools.org● Mrs. Maiorana: maioranal@dunellenschools.org● Miss Zelonis: zeloniss@dunellenschools.org● Miss Pukash: pukashs@dunellenschools.org

● School Phone: 732-968-5311● Write a note in your child’s homework planner