Rising 5th Grade Families,
This coming year, the 5th grade team at Lewis and Clark will be moving towards a “departmentalized” model. In short, every student will be assigned a homeroom teacher and to a particular class “cohort.” At some points of the day, your child’s class will rotate to another teacher and receive instruction from that teacher in that content area.
Below are some questions we anticipate regarding this change in our program at LCE:
Why are we exploring this change?
One of the critical goals of 5th grade is to prepare students for 6th grade, and not only academically. 6th graders have many transitions throughout their day, and by practicing this in 5th grade, they will be more independent as they start 6th grade.
This also gives our teachers opportunities to develop deep skills and understanding of particular content areas. Our teachers do A LOT, and 5th grade standards are very rigorous. By asking our 5th grade teachers to be doing fewer things, but very well, our students should see a major benefit!
Is this a new thing? Do other schools do this?
It’s not a brand new idea, and several other schools use this model. Two of our neighboring schools, Hawthorn and Progress South have both used departmentalized grade levels with great success over several years!
How do special areas classes and lunch/recess work?
Your child will attend specials, lunch, and recess with their cohort/homeroom class
What subjects are being taught, and by whom?
The following teachers will teach ELA - Mr. Lee, Mrs. Heering, Ms. Otten
The following will teach Math - Mrs. Benson, Mrs. Carnes, Mrs. Morgan
Students assigned to Ms. Rohr will switch classes during intervention/WIN time, but she will handle all subjects and her students will be with her all day.
The partnerships will be:
Mr. Lee and Mrs. Benson
Mrs. Heering and Mrs. Morgan
Ms. Otten and Mrs. Carnes
Whom do I communicate with if my child has more than one teacher?
General concerns and questions can always be directed to the home room teacher, and you will receive newsletters/communication from that teacher
Questions about that particular subject can be directed to the teacher in charge of that particular subject
It might also be wise to communicate with BOTH teachers when you have questions or concerns to share.
Homeroom teacher will also facilitate Parent-Teacher conferences, and will have conferred with his/her partner teacher about your child in order to speak to your child’s progress in all areas
What about students with IEPs/504s/Medical Plans?
All of the teachers of students with these plans are made aware of accommodations, services, supports, etc., so as to ensure consistent application and implementation of these plans
So what about Ms. Rohr’s class?
If your child is placed in this class, it IS NOT intended to communicate anything about Ms. Rohr or your child, other than we feel that she is the best possible teacher for your child. This class will have opportunities to practice rotating/switching classes during Intervention/WIN time, and we will ensure that they are equally ready for this major part of 6th grade!
When do I find out my child’s class placement/?
This will come out in early August, along with placement information and welcome letters for your 3rd and 4th graders. You will get a welcome letter from both teachers, but will know clearly which is your child’s homeroom teacher.
We appreciate your support as we embark on this journey and expect great things from our 5th graders-to-be this year. We hope that all of you are having a wonderful summer break and are enjoying your time together as a family. We can’t wait to welcome you back in August!
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