Back to School Info

About Mrs. Fiete:

I grew up on the west side of Indianapolis, where I graduated from Ben Davis High School with Honors. I attended my freshman year of college at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. Then, I transferred to Indiana University, Bloomington where I graduated with a double major of elementary education and special education. I received my Master's Degree from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2008.

I taught for three years at IPS School #60 at 34th and Meridian Street, in downtown Indianapolis. I joined the Brownsburg community 5 years ago at Cardinal Elementary. After two years at Cardinal, I came to Brown to teach fourth grade! This is my eighth year teaching.

I was married this summer, so I'm still adjusting to my new name! I currently live in Danville with my husband and our two dogs. We have a basset hound named Zoe and a golden retriever named Hezekiah.



Grading:

Grades will be put into Powerschool throughout the week. I encourage you to log onto Powerschool to remain up-to-date with your child’s grades. If you are unable to log onto Powerschool, contact me from time to time and I’ll let you know your student’s grades. Grades will be sent home at midterm for every student. Graded papers will be sent home each Friday.

There are many reasons for homework to be assigned in my class. All assignments will be posted on the classroom blog: www.mrsfiete.blogspot.com . It is your child’s responsibility to write the assignments in his/her assignment notebook. The will receive classroom money for filling out their assignment notebook and getting it signed. I will not assign homework that should take over an hour for your child to complete. The only times your child could have more than an hour’s worth of homework is due to being absent or not utilizing work time given in class.

Responsibility is a character trait we will be working on this year and your child will be practicing it daily. I generally do not require students to turn work in on the day assigned, so your child may take their work home and double check it. First and last name must be written in cursive on every paper. Papers requiring a heading (on loose leaf paper) must have all the components, or receive points off the assignment.

Math:

Brownsburg has adopted a new math curriculum called Everyday Math. This curriculum is very different from our math programs in the past. It’s a different way of thinking about math completely. As we get into the groove and adjust to this new curriculum, we have been warned there may be bumps in the road for students, parents AND teachers. As we navigate these new waters together, I encourage you to have patience with this new method. My hope is that we’ll have smooth sailing sooner than later! There will be more information on Everyday Math throughout the coming weeks. I encourage you to look over information sent home and never hesitate to ask questions!

Knowing and mastering math facts is essential in the fourth grade. Students will be given timed tests for grades. Students will be expected to complete 100 math problems in 5 minutes. Students will first master addition, then subtraction, then multiplication, and finally division. All facts should be mastered by May of 2011. It’s essential that they practice these facts at home! Please let me know if you need flash cards, game ideas, or website where student can master their facts. Periodically, I’ll list these ideas on the website.

Reading:

Fourth grade is a big year for students. No longer are they learning to read, but instead they are reading to learn. This is an important and tumultuous jump. Stories in the reading book, as well as novels, will be longer and more time consuming. Students will have to go back to the text to answer more complex questions. This goes for science and social studies too! We will be reading out of both the textbook and outside books.

Just like last year, students will be administered the DIBELS test to measure their reading fluency. This score determines whether they will receive extra interventions to improve the rate at which they read. Below are the expected levels of fluency throughout the year:

99 wpm fall
105 wpm mid-year
118 wpm end of the year

*wpm = words per minute

Social Studies:

This year, students will be studying Indiana History. We’ll also be working on map skills, timelines, and critical thinking skills.

Science/Health:

This year science and health grades will be combined. We’ll be studying magnets, electricity, weather, states of matter, as well as the scientific method. Students are tested on their science knowledge of ISTEP+ this year. Therefore, it’s important that they understand many of the scientific foundations. In health, we’ll be learning ways to manage our emotional and physical health. It’s all about making good choices!

Handwriting:

No handwriting grades will be given. Students should be able to write their first and last name in cursive legibly. They should also be able to read cursive. They are not required to write in cursive.

Discipline/ Behavior Management:

My classroom discipline policy is also known as “cards.” Each student has a series of colored cards. Each day, each student will start on green. If a rule is broken or an inappropriate behavior occurs, the student will be asked to “flip a card.” The series of cards and rewards/penalties for the week are as follows:

Green = GREAT! Student will earn 5 dollars

Yellow = Caution! Student will earn 2 dollars

Orange = Not so good! Student earns no money

Red = Bad Day! Student will pay $10 and may be asked to fill out a lifeskill agreement.

At the end of the nine weeks, we will hold an end of the nine weeks auction. During the auction, students can buy prizes with the money they’ve earned.

LIFESKILL AGREEMENTS

The following are consequences that will be followed for serious and/or repetitive inappropriate behavior. Please note that the following is for every nine weeks. Students will start over at the beginning of a new nine week period. At the end of each nine week period, students who have 1 or fewer Lifeskill agreements will be able to participate in our classroom’s celebration and auction.

1st Lifeskill Agreement

Warning and student may participate in the celebration and auction, but will lose 25 in-class dollars

2nd Lifeskill Agreement

Student has lost the privilege of participating in our classroom celebration, but may still participate in the auction. Loses 50 in-class dollars

3rd Lifeskill Agreement

Student has lost the privilege of participating in the 9 Week’s Auction and celebration. Student must call home to explain situation to parents.

4^th Lifeskill Agreement

Student has a conference with Mrs. Fiete and parents

5^th Lifeskill Agreement

Parent Conference with Principal and Mrs. Fiete

Classroom Supplies:

Your students should be set with all the necessary supplies to start the school year. However, you may need to replenish their supplies throughout the year. If your student is missing some necessary supplies, I will try my best to send home a note in their Friday folder. If you need assistance with getting or replenishing supplies, please contact the school’s office or myself—we’ll put you in touch with someone that can help!

Water Bottles:

I allow water bottles in my classroom. If your child has some type of water bottle, they may bring it in for use. Please make sure it is a bottle you do not mind having your child write their name on and it must have a lid (sports bottles are perfect!). Due to health issues, I expect water bottles to go home frequently to be washed or a new one may be brought in. Please, no flavored water.

Book Orders:

Periodically throughout the year I will send home a book order form. This is a great way to get great literature at a discounted price only available to school systems. For every dollar spent, our class earns one point towards purchasing reading and learning materials for the classroom. If you make a purchase, please pay by checks made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. If you’d ever like to make a purchase as a gift, let me know and I can work with you to get the books to you.

School Language:

As adults, we understand that certain language is not to be used in certain situations. Fourth graders are learning this skill. Curse words are not permissible at school for any reason. Additionally, the following words are sometimes acceptable outside of school but are not in the classroom. Students will receive a consequence for using any of the following words:

sucks
blows
frickin' or freaking
retard or retarded
gay

bites

Any language that is considered offensive or aggressive will have a consequence.

Communication:

Parents know their children better than anyone-- including their teachers! In order for this year to be as successful as possible, it's important for parent and teacher to communicate openly and freely. Please never hesitate to contact me. Email works best for me, but I am able to return phone calls during lunch and after school. Together, we can make this a great year for our students!