Posted by MrLynch | Posted in Featured | Posted on August 5, 2012
Ok there future fifth graders – so you got questions. While I am definitely going to make you wait until the school year starts to find out most of the stuff your brain wants, here are a few tidbits:
Snack
It’s important to start off by discussing food because food is delicious. We have an early lunch, but we will still have a designated snack time each morning. You can bring in a healthy snack and eat it during the morning or during the afternoon. There is no official snack time in the afternoon, but if you’re hungry then snack away. I really don’t care when you eat as long as it’s not a distraction. If we’re in the middle of a discussion about the American Revolution at 2 PM and you pull out a taco, good for you. Tacos are yummy. However, if you start crunching loudly and fifth graders in India and Australia become distracted by your eating habits, then your taco is going ba-bye. I might even eat it. Feel free to bring a snack on the first day of school.
Recess
You will have recess outdoors everyday (25 minutes) unless it is raining. Unfortunately, fifth graders are notorious for melting in the rain so we don’t let you get wet. Last year I think I lost three or four students who melted. I miss them. On rainy days, recess will be in the classroom. The recess area at Thompson Brook is really cool and very large so there’s plenty to do.
Lunch
Mmmmm….food. If you haven’t heard from older friends, the lunch at TBS has a very good reputation. Every year I hear many comments from students about how good the lunch is here.
Bring it.
Buy it.
That’s your choice.
Lockers
You will be assigned a locker where you will store the dozens of sweatshirts and jackets you will keep forgetting to bring home. The lockers aren’t small, but if you buy a huge backpack meant to go on an excursion up Mt. Everest then it ain’t fitting. There’s no room in the class to store backpacks (except for the first day) so it needs to fit. Every once in a while I will remind you that your locker is ridiculously dirty and make you have a tag sale or just bring everything home.
Desks
Like your locker, your desk isn’t small, but you can’t fit all your worldly possessions inside.
Your quad. Not fitting.
Your field hockey gear. Nope.
Your favorite beach ball. Big no.
I will help you choose the right items to store in your desk and give you time each week to do some cleaning maintenance. Those of you who wouldn’t exactly call yourself “neat” or “organized” can take advantage of these times to keep yourself organized this year.
Specials
At Thompson Brook the specials are Music, PE, Art, Library/Health (one for each half the year), and Science Lab. You will actually have Science Lab twice a week. This means that you have one special a day, plus one day with two specials. During this two-special day one of them will be Science Lab. However, at Thompson Brook we consider every day a special day. Wow – that was bad.
Homework
Yup.
You gonna get it. You gonna get it good.
Monday – Thursday you’ll have homework and as a general rule, your weekends are homework free. The only time you might choose to do homework on a weekend is if you have a long-term project, but that would be your call. You might also decide to do homework you made up on sleepovers with your friends, but then I would just think you’re kind of weird.
Cats
No. You can’t keep a pet cat in your desk or locker. No one has ever asked me this before, but you never know so I just want to make it clear. No cats.
