Gillette Road Middle School

1. Gillette Road Middle School Fifth Grade Orientation May 9, 2012 7:00 P.M.

2. Administration Mrs. Barbara Poole Building Principal & House II Principal Mr. David Cordone House I Principal Mrs. Nikki Slater House III Principal

3. The Middle School Child While your child is a middle school aged student, you can expect to see many developmental changes.

4. About Our “House” System • Gillette Road Middle School is divided into four houses • Houses I, II and III consist of two or three interdisciplinary • teams for grades 5 & 6, and one interdisciplinary team • for grade 7. • House IV consists of all special area teachers (music, • art, physical education, technology, health, home careers • and LOTE (languages other than English)

5. Benefits of the House System • Provides a small school experience in a large school • Simplifies the transitional experience for students from one grade to the next • Allows for increased communication between your child’s team of teachers • Allows teachers of the same interdisciplinary team to be near their team members

6. Interdisciplinary Teams • Each interdisciplinary team consists of two or three teachers. • Students will have at least one class with each of the teachers on a team. • Each team determines who will teach each of the core areas for the team

7. Schedule for 2013-2014 • Each 5th grade student will receive 80 minutes of instruction in ELA and math per day • Each fifth grade student will receive the equivalent of 40 minutes of social studies and science per day

8. The Benefits of a Team Approach • Teachers can focus more intensely as they make instructional plans for fewer content areas. • Students experience a variety of teaching styles. • Teaming allows students a smoother transition to the educational experience of the secondary level.

9. House I Fifth Grade Team Ms. Barrett Mrs. Mezzo

10. House I Fifth Grade Team Mrs. Gower Mr. Moran Mrs. Roffo

11. House II Fifth Grade Team Mrs. Conners Mrs. Tackley Mrs. Wasiluk

12. House II Fifth Grade Team Mrs. Kadlecik & Mrs. Bertone

13. House III Fifth Grade Team Mrs. Conese Mrs. Kosakowski Mrs. Harris Mrs. Bradt

14. House III Fifth Grade Mr. Downs Mrs. M. Coon

15. How will my child be placed? • Students are grouped randomly and heterogeneously into classes • It is not possible to request a teacher or a house

16. Gillette Publications There are numerous ways we at Gillette communicate with our parents, but we have transitioned to a “paperless” approach. A limited number of hard copies will be available in the main office for each of the following publications:

17. This publication provides parents and students with information from Board policies like the Code of Conduct to report card dates and information on school procedures at Gillette Gillette’s Student-Parent Handbook

18. This booklet is an organization tool provided by the District for each student to record their daily assignments and it is a vehicle which teachers may communicate to parents The Student Agenda

19. This booklet contains a listing of all of the extracurricular activities available to students at Gillette. Some are one-time events, while others may be offered for specified period of time. “What’s Up Gillette?”

20. Gillette has a monthly newsletter with a message from our building principal and highlights for upcoming events to be held.Our monthly newsletter is available on line. Monthly Newsletter

21. School Hours & Transportation • School begins at 8:00 AM and the last class ends at 2:40 PM each day • There are two bus line-ups at Gillette dropping off in the AM and picking up students in the PM • Late busses for after school clubs and activities pick students up at 4:10 PM (there are six area busses)

22. Gillette’s Friendly Support Staff! Other staff members who make Gillette a great place to learn and to grow!

23. Our Security Guard Mrs. Colunio

24. Sign-in/Sign-out Like all Schools in our district, Gillette has a sign-in and sign-out procedure for students. Parents are asked to sign into the building and report to the attendance office with their child when students arrive late. When picked up early, parents are required to show proper ID to our staff in the Attendance Office. To expedite the process, parents are encouraged to send a note ahead of time. Parents are always welcome to our building, but arrangements to visit a classroom must be made with the teacher in advance • . • .

25. Office Staff Ms. Sweeting Mrs. Davern

26. Our School Resource Officer • Deputy Katie Hayes • (Shared with Roxboro Road Middle School)

27. Office Staff Mrs. Brown Mrs. DiRoma

28. Attendance Office Mrs. Setter

29. Health Office Mrs. Copani Mrs. Myers

30. Student Support Services Mrs. Waters Mrs. Ormsbee Ms. Burrows

31. What support services are offered? • Newcomers groups • Groups that support social skill development • Peer-to-Peer Program with our elementary schools • Crisis Intervention Team

32. Resource Teachers Mrs. Mulvihill Mrs. Howieson Mrs. Kopp Mrs. MacKenzie

33. 5th & 6th Grade Choruses • All interested students may participate with parent permission • Chorus will meet after school from 3:00-4:10 P.M. • There is a minimum of two night performances, Festival of the Arts show, and some assemblies • Students who participate in chorus are also eligible to participate in the Show Chorus for the annual musical

34. Orchestra Students who perform at a certain level are allowed to participate. Meets Mondays & Wednesdays until 3:15 P.M. (grades 5 & 6) 7th grade meets during the school day Lessons offered through rotating schedule Students must make up work for classes missed Orchestra students receive a grade Band Students who perform at a certain level are allowed to participate. Meets Tuesdays & Thursdays until 3:15 P.M. (grades 5 & 6) 7th grade meets during the school day Lessons are offered through rotating schedule Students must make up work for classes missed Band students receive a grade Instrumental Music

35. Instrumental Music Teachers Mr. Liccione Mr. Turner Ms. Stephenson

36. Art • Mr. Heidemann

37. Physical Education Mr. Aldrich Ms. Kapelewski Mr. Merrick

38. Media Center Mrs. Watson, our Library/Media Specialist invites you to stop by our new Media Center.

39. Does Gillette have an active parent group? The Officers for the 2013-2014 school year are: President: Co-Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Gillette has a very active PTG! It will meet one Monday of every-other-month at 6:30 P.M. Please refer to the monthly newsletter.

40. Prohibited Items • Consistent with our Code of Conduct, there are some items that are not allowed in school. These items tend to be distracting to the learning process, and they also become items that are stolen from time-to-time. Some of these items are: • I-Pods, CD players, Cameras, and cell phones

41. Summer Expectations • The reading list for 5th grade will be posted on the website • A letter indicating a student’s placement will be mailed to parents the third week of August • A general supply list will posted on our website

42. Questions??? Before we take you on a tour of Gillette, can we answer any questions?

43. Thank You On behalf of the Gillette Staff, we thank you for coming this evening. We look forward to sharing a wonderful middle school experience with you and your child.