Parent Orientation: Back to School Night
Mrs. Johannah Aiken, Lakeside Farms,
5th Grade
OUR DAY:
8:57
9:00
10:00
11:00
11:20
12:25
1:10
2:10
3:10
3:20
Roll / Announcements / Opening Activities
Language Arts Block
Rotation 1: Science with Ms. Mansour
Snack / Recess (10:30 on Wednesdays)
Rotation 2: Math with Mrs. Cullen
Lunch (12:30 on Wed.)
Rotation 3: Writing and Novel Studies with Mrs. Ehlers
Rotation 4: Social Studies/ American History with Mrs. Aiken
Homework Folders / Day in Review
Dismissal (1:20 on Wednesdays)
Additional Subject Areas: PE, Visual Art, Music and Library
are on Wednesdays and / or Fridays.
Times are approximate and may change at teacher discretion in order
to accommodate maximum learning.
My name is Johannah Aiken. This is my twenty-fifth year of teaching for Lakeside Union
School District. I’ve been at Lakeside Farms for the past twenty two and I’ve taught grades 1 - 5.
I consider myself a ‘life-long learner’. My Bachelors degree is in Health Science. My Masters is in
Curriculum Development and Instructional Leadership. My PASSION is American History.
It is my personal philosophy that my job is not only to ‘educate’ your; I need to instill a sense of respect
for the people who came before us and founded this great nation I am also very interested in
brain research and maximizing student learning.
Matt Thompson, “Mr. T” is our fabulous principal! He has been a tremendous asset to our
school. He demonstrates respect and professionalism, and knows an amazing number of students by
name! The students, staff, and community at large think the world of him.
Morning Arrival: Students eating breakfast at school may arrive at 8:35. All other
students should be arriving between 8:45 and 8:57 am. There are no adults on duty
at the playground until 8:45, so children need to remain at the lunch tables until 8:45.
Attendance: At Lakeside Farms, we now use a computerized attendance program. It is important
for children to arrive on time every day. Roll is taken at 8:57 am, and instruction begins immediately
afterward. Students arriving after 9:00 need to check in at the office before coming to class.
Absences: If your child is ill and won’t be attending school, call the Absence Hotline at 390-2646
and choose option #1 on the first day of the absence. You can also follow the link through our
school website. If you cannot contact us immediately, please send a note stating the reason for the
absence with your child the day he or she returns to school. Funding for our school is greatly
determined by attendance, so we thank you in advance for your diligence in reporting absences.
Revised Sept. 23, 2015
Snacks: I’m sure you’ve noticed how much your child has grown since last
school year! Children at this age are constantly hungry, and
students who are hungry are not effective learners. Please send
nutritious snacks, such as an extra sandwich, cheese and
crackers, or fruit every day for your child to eat during
snack/recess. (Please do not send candy, sodas or caffeinated drinks.)
Lunch: Lunch is $2.50 per student. Parents who wish to ‘pre-pay’ for the month are
welcome to do so. Qualifying families can also receive assistance with these costs. (Please
inquire through the office for more information) The office cannot ‘loan’ lunch money. Thank
you for your understanding.
Appropriate Clothing: Your child will be running and
jumping on the playground, learning games and using objects
on the carpet, painting, and working with many kinds of arts
materials. It is important that your child comes to school
wearing shoes and clothing that allow for these activities.
Because we are nurturing a safe and respectful environment, clothing with “inappropriate” logos
or language, spaghetti straps, bare midriffs or back, or very “short shorts” are not permissible.
Showing of underwear is not allowed. Hair color, spikes and make-up are not appropriate
choices for elementary students. Shoes that are unsafe for PE and recess should not be
worn to school. If students dress inappropriately, parents will be called and students must be
picked up to change. I appreciate your support in maintaining a respectful environment.
Dismissal: Our dismissal time is 3:20 pm except for Wednesday.
Wednesday ‘early release’ time is 1:20. If you pick up your child at school,
you have three options for dismissal. You may wait outside the classroom,
you may park your car and meet your child at the lunch tables, or you may
drive through our ‘pick up’ circle outside the kindergarten playground.
Students whose siblings are in other grades may also be picked up with them.
Please understand that your child’s safety is paramount. Please do not ask your child to
meet you anywhere other than a designated pick-up area. We are simply trying to protect
your child.
If there is a change in how your child will be going home, please send a note with your child.
Please, do not call the office with last minute transportation changes, except in the case of
bona fide emergencies. (Do not leave pick-up information on my voice mail; I will not get it
until after the children are gone.)
Early Checkout: I keep teaching right up until the very end of the day. Please make
every attempt to schedule appointments either before or after school. If you do need to pick your
child up early, please go to the office to sign your child out. The office will contact me, and I
will send your child to the office. We will not be able to release your child to anyone not listed
on the emergency card.
Revised Sept. 23, 2015
OUR SPECIFIC CLASSROOM
Curriculum: The program that we have planned for our students is rigorous, engaging,
and developmentally appropriate. I plan lessons for multiple learning modalities, so that our
visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic learners remain engaged and focused. Please peruse the
handout of the Common Core Standards for Fifth Grade for more information.
Homework and School Communication:
The most important tools for home-to-school
communication are the Homework Assignment Sheet
and the Planner. I believe that these very
simple tools help students keep their ‘ducks in a row’,
and maximize their academic success.
Please check the planner nightly, as it will include
homework, corrected work, and correspondence.
We assign homework every night, Monday through Thursday. ALL work noted in the planner is
due the next day in class, unless otherwise noted. It is our philosophy that homework should
always be an extension of the learning that has already happened in class. We never assign ‘busy
work’. Please review your child’s work with him or her, provide encouragement / critique
when needed, then return the work to school, in that same planner the next day.
The planner will also include correspondence from our principal, Mr. Thompson, my notes to
you, information from the office and PTA, and graded work for you to keep. (Most notices go
home on Wednesdays or Thursdays, but homework is sent home daily.)
Volunteers: We LOVE parent volunteers! If you are
available to donate your time or skills, please sign up on our
’Volunteer’ Sheet. I do ask that you schedule a time, so that I
may arrange my schedule according to when volunteers will be
available. Please also sign in at the office prior to coming into the
classroom and pick up a volunteer badge.
We LOVE Parent
Volunteers!!!
If you have a special skill that you would like to share, I’d also be interested in knowing that! I
have, in the past, had architects, engineers, genealogists, fire fighters, artists, and musicians share
their skills with the students. We often times need assistance from people who can sew, build
things, or make phone calls.
Parent / Teacher Conferences: We will be meeting in December to review your child’s
first report card together. I’m also happy to meet with parents as individual needs arise.
Report Cards: Our report cards are ‘standards based’ and developmentally scaled. Report
cards are sent home in December, March and June. We will go over the report card and standards
in more depth during the December Parent / Teacher Conference.
Revised Sept. 23, 2015
School Supplies: I am a very ‘developmental’ teacher. I strive to provide every child with
the most appropriate tools for the tasks at hand. I thought you might appreciate a list of the
materials needed for this grade. This is not a mandatory purchase list. I will supply materials
for any child who does not have their own, and no child will ever be left out. I thank you, in
advance, for whatever you can do. These are items we’ll be using daily:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Two white, two-inch, three-ring “Presentation” binders with clear area for page insert
Clear, glossy, sheet-protectors (25)
Lots of No. 2 Pencils
Colored Pencils
Erasers: handheld-type
A pencil sharpener with a lid. (Not battery operated, please)
Colored markers, both regular and thin
Glue sticks
Headphones or Ear Buds compatible with iPads.
Special Projects and Supplies: Throughout the year, I will send home requests for
supplies for special projects that we are doing in class. I also have a ‘wish list’ that is available
by request. I appreciate whatever you can do to support me in making learning invigorating and
experiential.
Contact Information:
If you wish to contact me, please feel free to place a note in the right hand side of the folder for
me. I will make every effort to contact you the same day. Better yet, you can email me at:
jaiken@lsusd.net , and my email is linked to the school website.
Speaking of the school website, have you checked it out yet? You can find a calendar of
events, lunch menus, and links to all kinds of important information at:
http://www.lsusd.net From there, go to ‘schools’ then Lakeside Farms.
Voicemail messages can be left at: 390-2646, ext. 3009. Please remember that I may not
have an opportunity to check voice mail until later in the day, after you child has left.
Thank you, thank you,
thank you for coming to
Parent Orientation!
I look forward to the opportunity to educate your child!
Together, we will make a difference!
Johannah Aiken
jaiken@lsusd.net
Revised Sept. 23, 2015