Welcome to Fourth
Grade!
Parent Handbook
Trinity Lutheran School
2014-2015
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”
- John Dewey
Miss Kale
My name is Betsy Kale and I will be teaching 4th grade and 3rd grade mathematics this
year. I was born in Bowling Green, Ohio and raised in the Marysville area. I am a graduate
of Marysville High School. In 2012 I received my Bachelor of Science in Education from
The Ohio State University. I then obtained my Masters of Education from The Ohio
State University in 2013. I had the privilege of student teaching in the Fairbanks School
District. This will be my first year teaching and I am thrilled to be a Trinity Tiger!
There are four people in my family and we are very close. I live here in Marysville with my
two cats, Bear and Parker. Some of my favorite things to do include: reading, listening to
music, playing games, and traveling. One of my favorite places to travel to is Walt Disney
World. I am excited to see what this school year has in store!
Phone: 937-642-1726
Email: bkale@trinitymarysville.org
Mrs. Wishin
My name is Melody Wishin and I will be teaching 4th grade and 3rd grade mathematics this
year. I was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. For college, I attended Purdue
University and completed my bachelors in Elementary Education in 2005. I’ve had the
privilege to work in many school districts and teaching positions since I graduated. While
in Indiana, I taught 4/5 multiage, 5th grade, 6 – 8 mathematics, and tutored at Sylvan
Learning Center. While in Ohio, I taught 3rd grade four years at Groveport Community
School. Last year, I’m honored to say that I taught enrichment here at Trinity.
I met my husband, David, while at Purdue University. He works at Honda R&D. In May we
had our first child, baby Emmett James. We have two cats named Angus and Emma. Our
families live in Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri, so we spend many weekends visiting those
states. One of our interests is traveling and this summer we got an opportunity to see
Costa Rica. We’re also big Green Bay Packers fans and at some point hope to visit
Lambeau Field. That’s just a little bit about my family and I am really looking forward to
getting to know your family this year.
Phone: 937-642-1726
Email: mwishin@trinitymarysville.org
Mrs. Oliphant
My name is Samara Oliphant, and I will be teaching 3rd grade this year. I grew up in
upstate New York and moved to Ohio to attend college at Ashland University. I received
my Bachelor of Science degree from there in 2000 and later my Masters of Education in
Literacy in 2003. I taught 5th grade in New Albany before staying home with my children
when my second daughter was born. I returned to teaching in the Marysville School
District, and I am excited to now be here at Trinity.
I met my husband, Will, while at Ashland University. He works for Exel Logistics in
Westerville as a Director of HR. We have three beautiful daughters. Ava will be in 4th
grade here at Trinity, Clara in 2nd and Nora in Alt-K. We have two cats named Mitsy and
Sassy. We are all very excited to begin this year!
Phone: 614-202-0447
Email: soliphant@trinitymarysville.org
Mrs. White
My name is Cindy White and I am teaching 3rd grade and 4th grade mathematics this
year. I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Berea College, Berea, Kentucky. I also
received a Masters of Education from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. I have
been teaching at Trinity for thirty years. For five years, I was the Auxiliary Tutor, and I
am in my twenty-fifth year in the third grade.
My husband, Chuck, works as an accountant at Sam Dong, Delaware. I have five children.
Greg works in Dayton as a Chemical Engineer. Daniel is looking for a job using his
Environmental Sciences Degree with minors in Chemistry and Biology. Jennie is a senior
at Fairbanks High School. Kate is in Seventh grade at Fairbanks Middle School and
Elizabeth is in Fourth grade here at Trinity.
Phone: 937-642-1726
Email: cwhite@trinitymarysville.org
We are very excited to get to know you all and
look forward to a great year.
Helpful Parent Information
From Miss Kale’s Class
Specials:
Day of the Week
Morning
Afternoon
Monday
11:00 - 11:45 Spanish
Gym 1:50 - 2:35
Tuesday
11:30 - 12:00 Library
Wednesday
Chapel 9:00 (1st Half) *
Gym 1:45 - 2:30
Troubadours 9:30 (1st Half)
Thursday
Friday
1:10 - 1:55 Music
11:10 - 11:55 Art
*The second half of the year Chapel will be at 1:15 and Troubadours will move to 9:00.
Recess is from 12:00 – 12:30
Lunch is from 12:30 – 1:00
In class, students will receive computer and iPad lab. Library will also be added soon.
Classroom Behavior System:
In the classroom, we do have a color behavior chart. At the beginning of each day,
students will begin on the color green. If a student is making poor choices they will be
asked to move their card down. If they end up on the lowest color red then they have to
stop and complete a reflection form, which helps them to reflect on their choices and
strategize on how to turn their day around. The form will be sent home for you to sign, so
you are aware of what happened. If your child fails to bring in their form the next day
with your signature, then you will be contacted either through phone call or email and
your child will lose their recess time.
Purple – Role Model Student -- Best Color
Pink– Doing REALLY Well
Blue – Good Choices
Green – Right on Track
Yellow – Warning: Lose 5 Minutes of Recess
Orange – Teacher Choice: Reflection form (which must be signed by parents and
returned the next day) and lose 15 minutes of recess
Red - Parent Contact and a Visit to Mrs. Poling
In our classroom, I believe that it is important to reward good behavior, therefore my
system acknowledges and encourages good choices while helping students to correct and
learn from poor choices. To reward positive behavior, students will be given tickets that
will be used during our monthly drawing to earn prizes and treats.
I feel it is important to be positive and goal set when poor choices are made. When a
student owes me time for recess, I make sure to talk to them about the choices they’re
making and help them come up with strategies to improve their day.
During the first few days of school as a class we will work to create a classroom mission
statement.
Classroom Rules:
1. Listen when your teacher is speaking
2. Follow directions quickly
3. Respect others, yourself, and our school
4. Raise your hand to speak
5. Be safe, be kind, be honest
Communication Folders:
Communication Folders are sent home every day. On Friday, the folder will have a weekly
newsletter giving you information about each subject and upcoming events as well as
graded papers. Please go over the papers with your child.
Parent Communication:
- Each week I will send home a digital and hard copy of the weekly newsletter to keep
parents informed of what is going on in the classroom.
- Remind 101 will also be used to send reminders to parents about upcoming activities and
assignments.
- Regular emails will be sent to parents to also keep in contact regarding classroom
activity.
- Agendas will be sent home each night. Please review these with your student and sign
nightly. Your signature tells me that your student has completed the nightly homework
and that you have seen any important announcements written in the agenda.
- Before school (from 8:15 to 8:30) and after school (from dismissal to 3:45) I will make
myself available to answer any and all questions that you may have. Outside of these
times, I do ask that you set up an appointment with me to sit down and discuss any
questions or concerns. Please feel free to email me at any time and I will respond as
quickly as I can.
Homework:
Homework is given Monday through Friday as an extension or extra practice of skills
covered in class. On Friday, I will give students time to work on homework in class.
Students write their homework in their agenda every day. I will check all homework in
during announcements and sign their agendas. At the end of each day, we review our
homework responsibilities and if there are any questions or concerns we go over it then.
Please check your child’s planner each day to make sure they are keeping up with
assignments and to check for notes from me.
Homework should take no more than an hour. If an assignment is taking over an hour
please stop and write me a note so I know. Students will pull a card when any part of their
homework is not turned in.
If a child is sick for more than one day, the amount of days sick is the same amount of
time they have to complete their homework assignments. For example, if your child
misses four days of school then they have four days to complete their homework
assignments they missed.
Homework Club:
To encourage and motivate students to complete their homework, all of 4K will
participate in the homework club. At the beginning of each month, all students will be
part of the homework club. Each student will remain a part of the club for the duration
of the month, UNLESS they neglect to complete or turn in homework. Students will be
removed from the club if they neglect to complete any part of their homework during the
month. At the end of the month, all students remaining in homework club will be
rewarded. Homework club will reset at the beginning of each month to give all students a
clean slate. Students that maintain homework club membership for the entire school year
will participate in an end of the year party.
Spelling:
Each week on Friday students will receive their spelling words for the following week.
These words consist of five core words, 3 vocabulary builders, and 5 independent words
(words that the student should know and needs extra practice spelling). There will be
spelling homework every Tuesday and Thursday. The spelling homework due on
Wednesday will be given out the previous Friday with your child’s new spelling list. This
will be a consistent weekly spelling contract. Students will have a list of activities that
they may choose from to practice their words. Each activity has a point value associated
with it ranging from 5 - 20 points. Students must complete 20 points of activities weekly.
The test will be given on Friday.
Reading Log:
Students are expected to read for 20 minutes each night and write a few sentences of
reflection on what they’ve read. I will give students a fresh reading log sheet every
Friday. Students will return their reading log sheet daily to be checking for completion.
The following Friday, the log will be turned in (with a parent signature) to be graded.
I encourage students to be lifelong readers, which means they have a choice on what they
would like to read for their 20 minutes. They can choose to read an AR book, magazine,
newspaper article, etc.
Vocabulary:
This year fourth graders will be studying vocabulary using the Wordly Wise program.
Students will work through one lesson every two weeks. Students will be given time in
class to work through activities to familiarize themselves with the words. However,
students will still need to study these words and their meanings outside of class.
The Wordly Wise website http://www.wordlywise3000.com/ includes each word list and
games to help students study their words. Simply go to the website listed above, click on
the students link on the main page. Next, click on the fourth grade edition and find the
appropriate list of vocabulary words. Please take advantage of this website as a
wonderful way to study for vocabulary tests.
Students will also be given the opportunity to complete one of the activities listed below
to earn extra credit each week. Completing an activity will equate to 5 bonus points. :
1. Make flashcards to use as a study tool (must bring them to class to receive credit)
2. Play games for 15 minutes on the Wordly Wise website (have parents sign off in your
agenda for this task)
3. Write each word in a sentence using the appropriate meaning of the word.
4. Play charades with your family using your vocabulary words (have parents sign off in
your agenda for this task).
Healthy Snacks and Birthday Treats
Birthday treats are always welcome in our class. Please make sure it is a treat that is
easy to pass out (i.e. already divided into individual servings, no cutting involved) and that
you provide enough for 14 students.
If you have any questions please feel free to call or email.
Thank you and God bless,
Betsy Kale
642-1726 after 4:00
bkale@trinitymarysville.org
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
-William Butler Yeats