WELCOME  FIFTH GRADERS TO THE 2012-2013 SCHOOL YEAR!  This is a milestone year as we prepare for the transition to middle school. Together we will explore new books, develop our writing styles, travel across the regions and through the history of the United States, discover the possibilities in science and compute our way through the year.

Our school telephone number is 540-751-2490. My email is pgriffis@lcps.org  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns throughout the year. If you would like to volunteer in our classroom, we would love to have your help. Just send me a note or email.

To get our school year off to a terrific start, please read over the important points below.

• Your fifth grader will use a planner this year. This is to go back and forth from school everyday. Upcoming tests and quizzes will be recorded in the planner by students. Parents, please have your child complete homework independently or with minimal help and check it over with your child. I encourage you to correspond with me through your child’s planner whenever necessary and I will do the same.  Homework completion is important, as it is a review of material taught at school.
• Our nightly homework should not exceed 60 minutes. It will typically be 20 minutes of math or 20 minutes of other homework as needed. There will not be homework on the weekends however some time may be needed to review for upcoming tests or quizzes. If homework was difficult or took longer than an hour, please make a note of this in your child’s planner and it will not count against him or her. Homework is not graded but is checked daily.
• All students are encouraged to keep a water bottle at their desks at all times. Good hydration helps keep us alert.
• Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear for P.E. everyday. 

Fifth grade students are encouraged to logon to the online Reflex math program at home. Each student has a unique login. This information was sent home with the students.