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Grades 5 & 6 - Lee Van Dine

Welcome!

I am excited and honored to begin my 32nd year of teaching at the Waitsfield School. The Waitsfield School and extended Valley community is a vibrant, supportive and collaborative place to explore learning opportunities beyond the classroom setting. With this in mind, I believe fifth and sixth grade is an exciting time for social and emotional growth. It is also a time for learning key academic skills while realizing one's potential across all academic settings. Supporting students in finding their personal development of strategies for successful learning outcomes will ensure success and growth for each individual. Some of these skills include: respect for one's self and others, time management, organizational practices, and self advocacy skills. This year will offer a variety of experiences for your child to foster their personal development while working hard to attain knowledge and confidence within themselves. I truly value the insights, interests, and talents each individual brings to the classroom setting. An emphasis will be placed upon student voice and choice in collaborative curriculum building while exploring the HUUSD Learning Expectations. Establishing a partnership with learners to build the curriculum based upon their needs and interests will be our driving focus for personalized student engagement. Supporting students to reach their utmost potential while finding their passions within the learning experience is how this school year will be designed.  

Respectfully,

Lee S. Van Dine

Classroom Norms:
Expectations will be based upon the We Rock Waitsfield School norms. These include: being Engaged, Responsible, making Safe choices, and being Kind in all aspects of our day. 

Typical Homework

Students will typically be assigned homework Monday through Thursday.  These assignments will generally stem from the academic day, essentially work that may not have been fully completed or in need of additional student investment. At the end of each school day we will spend time filling out assignment books and packing carefully to make sure what is needed at home gets there. Here are a few homework reminders: 

1. Students are expected to take the responsibility for getting their work done well. While it is fine (wonderful, in fact) for a parent to be involved, they should never feel the need to have conflict with their child about doing homework. 
2. The homework book is a means of communication for parents to be able to "check-in" with their child's workload. Students should be using this tool as an effective way to communicate with their parents while staying organized and using good time management skills with weekly assignments. 
3. There may be times during the year when a student cannot get their homework done. This could be due to a special family event, an illness, or other unexpected reasons. There may also be an assignment that a student attempts to complete, but finds too difficult for some reason. It is always appropriate for a parent or sibling to help, but please stop if the student reaches an unhealthy level of frustration. Just put a brief note in your child's assignment book (or e-mail me) stating that they tried but need some help at school. This shows that the student took the responsibility for their work, and communicated their need for help. Communication is the key when difficulties arise. Student self-advocacy is an important part of  middle level development, as extra-curricular schedules often dictate a limited capacity for time available with homework.