Welcome, Parents!Welcome, Parents!Welcome, Parents!Welcome, Parents!

To Mr. FordTo Mr. Ford’’s 5th Grade Classs 5th Grade Class

Background on Mr. Ford

• Recognized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as an outstanding educator (Teacher Spotlight May 2010)

• Honored by Senator Arlen Specter for outstanding teaching

• 2 Time Recipient, Phillies All-Star Teacher

• 3 Time Nominee, Chester County Teacher of the Year

• Director of Children’s Theater Program – Mr. Ford Productions 2008-present

• 10 years of teaching experience

• CTN, Student Council, Drama Director, Tech, Web

• Highly skilled in technology used in the classroom

Professional Preparation

• Teacher in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 2005 – 2012

• Taught grades 2, 4, and 5

• Teacher in West Chester Area School District

• Taught grade 5

• Has worked with students as young as 2 and as old as 15

• Second year at St. Peter the Apostle

• On track to receive MA in Education Administration by May 2016

On a personal level• My wife Melissa

and I have been married since June 2012.

• We have 2 dogs named Lucy and Lolli.

• And a son named Zachary, who is 18 months old.

Religious Background• 13 years of Catholic education at St. Dorothy

School and Malvern Preparatory School• Faith in God is extremely important, especially

at this age• Vital for both children and adults to have faith

in today’s world• “For I know the plans I have for you, says the

Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

My Teaching

StyleMy teaching style is very different!

I like to keep my class up and moving as often as possible.

I teach from their desks, my desk, and any other place I find that will grab their attention!

The 50/50 Rule

I promise to only believe 50% of the stories your child tells about life in your house as long as you promise to believe only 50% of what they say when they get home from school! When in doubt, always ask me first!

Communication!• Please remember that we are on the same

team. We both want the best for your child.• If you have a question or concern, please have

the respect to follow the chain of command and come to me first.

• As long as we keep the lines of communication open, we can work together to help your child succeed to the best of his/her ability.

• Email is the best method of contact!

Educational Philosophy• I have a strong belief that all

children can and will learn.• I believe that all children want to

do well.• The best kind of door is an open

one for communication.

Student Expectations• I expect your child to come to school and

participate in all activities.• I expect your child to be civil and friendly to

all of their classmates.• I expect your child to complete all

assignments on time.• I expect your child to develop some

organizational skills.• I expect your child to try their best to learn.

Absences/Notes• If your child is absent or misses class, it is his/her

responsibility to obtain any missed assignments and/or notes. If they do not finish copying notes in class, it is his/her responsibility to obtain those notes from a classmate or on the website. A note must be sent in upon their return to school.

• Student Handbook: # of days absent = # of days to make up work

• In the case of a scheduled absence or trip, the teacher reserves the right to not allow the student to make up missed tests and assignments. Check PowerSchool to see if your child has any missed assignments or missed tests, noted as “I.”

Birthdays• A birthday is an occasion to celebrate, so

feel free to send in a snack!• Please do not send anything messy (things

with a lot of icing, things that melt, etc.)• Please notify me via email at least 24 hours

prior to sending in a snack and let me know what you are sending just in case we need to make an adjustment. The more notice you can give, the better.

Homework Policy• Homework is a very important part of

your child’s education. It is given to help your child reinforce and enhance what we learn in class. I ask that you sign your child’s homework book every night until further notice.

• Later in the year, you will not have to sign the book any longer.

Homework (cont’d)• Homework should be done neatly

& according to the directions.• It is the child’s responsibility to

write down & complete his/her assignments. If they forget to write something down, homework is posted on our class website.

Questions about Homework

• How much homework assistance should I give? This year, your child should begin to do most of their homework independently. If they have a question, they should definitely feel free to ask for your help, but they should not need you to sit with them while they do their homework.

• Should I quiz my child on the content they’ve studied? When they have a test and they’ve studied, they should have you ask them questions about what they’ve read to be sure they’ve comprehended the material.

• When is the best time for my child to do homework? When they get home from school, be sure your child has a break before they do their homework. Give them 30 minutes or so to have a snack, watch tv or do something else that lets them relax. Trying to come home after a long day in school and begin homework without a break will only make them feel burnt out.

• How long should homework take? This will vary depending on the amount of studying your child does each night. Pages in the workbook should not take any more than 10-15 minutes each to complete. As far as studying goes, I highly recommend helping your child to pace themselves. There is a lot of content, especially when it comes to Social Studies & Science. I encourage them to study a little bit of each every night so they are not overwhelmed when a test comes around. Homework time varies for each student.

Questions continued• What if my child forgets a book? If your child forgets a book, they

have several options:– In the case of a forgotten workbook, Call another student and ask them to read

the questions over the phone and do the page on loose leaf or theme paper, OR if the other student hasn’t done the page yet, make a copy.

– If for some reason you cannot get a hold of anyone else in the class, they can email me and see if I have the book at home and can help them in any way. Emailing me and saying they forgot the book is not an excuse to get out of homework.

• What if my child has a baseball game or other activity and can’t finish their homework? School comes first.

• What if my child doesn’t understand part of the homework and I don’t understand it either? They can call another student in the class or email me, and we can hopefully clear up any confusion.

Grading• Grading will be based on several

different criteria and a variety of techniques.

• The grades will be based on test and quiz scores, homework, classroom participation, and any projects that are assigned.

CONFERENCES

WhatWhat’’s New in s New in Grade 5?Grade 5?

WhatWhat’’s New in s New in Grade 5?Grade 5?

Test Folders• Test folders will be sent home every

Monday. I ask that you sign each test paper. Test folders will be due back by Wednesday.

• Sometimes corrections must be done on tests. Corrections should be stapled behind the original test/quiz and returned with the other test papers. There are “How to” guides on website.

“Would you like to use a lifeline?”

• The website will be your lifeline! Check it every day for updates.

• Homework will be posted on the site everyday along with any clarifications.

• If you or your child has a question about homework or anything else, email me! I check my email a few times every night and will get back to you as soon as I can.

• Please don’t abuse the privilege of emailing me at home.

Bookadventure.com• Bookadventure.com is a great way to

have your child practice comprehension.

• After they read a book, they can go to bookadventure and take a short quiz on what they’ve read. They will earn points and can claim prizes at no cost. Some of these prizes include homework passes and lunch with Mr. Ford.

• A great incentive to read

The Mad Minute• Every day in math, your children will

have a Math Maintenance followed by a Mad Minute before we get into the day’s work. The Mad Minute is a timed review of addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Each day they will try and improve their time. Knowing their multiplication tables by the time they get to grade 5 is crucial to their learning this year.

The Morning Meeting• When time allows, we will have a

morning meeting.• It will serve as a welcoming activity to

start the day and establish community.• We talk about what’s going on in our

classroom and any exciting events going on in the children’s lives and play a short team building game.

Pop Quizzes!• Pop quizzes are given to ensure that

your child is keeping up on the reading and listening in class.

• Pop quizzes count for a very small portion of their grade.

Teamwork• I am a strong believer in teamwork. Children

should always be able to work in teams, even in difficult situations.

• Throughout the course of the year, children are put into teams for several classroom activities and projects.

• By the end of the year, the class will learn to depend on each other, count on each other, and get along with each other. It’s something that is very important in my classroom.

Bonus Bucks & Behavior

• I’m sure your children have told you by now about their Bonus Bucks.

• They can gain them for good behavior, test scores, doing kind things, Bookadventure, the list goes on.

• They can lose them for behavior, incomplete homeworks, and things of that nature.

• When it comes to behavior, I try and speak to the child about the problem before calling home. If they are corrected in class for something, bucks are withdrawn from their account first. After 2-3 warnings/discussions, I contact the parent unless the problem is severe. Keeping an eye on their accounts is a good way to keep track of what’s going on.

Bonus Bucks• Please check your child’s Bonus

Bucks account on a regular basis. I try to update them every 24-48 hours.

Google Classroom• Please check Google Classroom on a

regular basis. As assignments are graded, I have told them to log in to see if they need to make corrections or respond to comments.

• Google Classroom assignments are not sent home in paper form.

Testimonials• As the year was coming to a close, my

daughter and most students in the class were actually sad to say goodbye to 5th grade (normally the end of school was a joyous time!). I know that Eric Ford is one of those teachers that a student is lucky to get maybe once in their lifetime. I am sure that my daughter will forever remember his remarkable, positive influence on her life.

–Greg DiFonzo, Parent

• My son did well in school before 5th grade but did not really like school. Then he had Mr. Ford. I then had a child who looked forward to going to school, a child who became more and more confident, organized, and responsible as the year progressed, a child who saw that learning could be fun, and most importantly, a child who realized that he was able to do so much more than he even thought he could. It was amazing to see the difference. –Christine Cunningham, parent and former teacher

• Eric has a gift for teaching. He bases his relationships with his students on mutual respect. From day one, Eric is clear about what he expects and he has this ability to inspire his students to achieve. Eric turns tedious tasks into adventures because he understands the mind of a child. He is innovative and his skillful use of technology keeps his classroom on the cutting edge of everything new. –Andrea Meals, Parent

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Conclusion• I feel that you, the parent, are the

most important teacher your child will ever have. Success can be achieved when we work together.

• Always remember that I’m here to help your child, so don’t be afraid to ask if you feel they need something.