Hello! I am Wendy McLaren and I am teaching 5th grade. I love this age group of kids because they love to learn and work independently. This will be my 18th year in the school district. I have taught, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade during those years, but 5th has been my favorite. I am originally from Arizona, but have lived here for 27 years.

I am truly looking forward to sharing this year’s accomplishments and adventures with you. This year my goal is to teach my students about responsibility. At the front of my classroom it reads: “I am RESPONSIBLE...” This year, we will learn what being responsible means. I, like you, want your child to be responsible. I believe that students at this age are able to learn to understand their role within a group and take responsibility for their education. Students are in control of what and how much they learn. Parents and teachers are the facilitators, working as partners in order to help the child; but in reality, your child is in control of his/her own learning. I try to teach my students that they are in control and have a responsibility to “decide on their own, without supervision.” This means turning in assignments and notes from home without continual reminders. I also try to teach how they are responsible for their actions towards others in our classroom. In our class, we depend on each other to help one another to make our learning environment the best it can be. Students will be expected to work quietly so that all can perform to their best potential. They also get to learn to be responsible with class jobs and earning money

**The link to " Teacher's Planbook" is an important resource. It shows what we will be doing each day in class, our weekly schedule for each subject, and a list of each week’s spelling words. This web page can be accessed while traveling on a trip or if your child is sick. You are always able to keep up with class assignments. I usually update it each Friday. **

I look forward to working with you and your student. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Wendy McLaren

907-225- 4128