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Dear Parents/Guardians, Welcome to third grade! I am pleased to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and welcome your child to my class. In my experience, it is much easier to do my best when I know what is expected of me. To that end, I would like to share my expectations for your child and my classroom management procedures. I believe that a positive learning experience is built upon a cooperative effort among parents, child, and teacher. Third grade is a turning point in your child’s elementary education. The curriculum is considerably more challenging than in previous years. This, coupled with FCAT expectations, requires that your child put forth his/her best effort on all assignments. My expectations for conduct and academic standards are high. With your support both in and out of the classroom, we can look forward to a productive, creative, and enjoyable year together. Please feel free to contact me regarding any questions or concerns you may have. Messages may be left for me with our school secretary, which I will respond to as soon as possible. The school phone number is 446-6720. If you would like to E-mail me, my address is thompsonb@flaglerschools.com Sincerely, Beverly M. Thompson
Communication Communication between home and school is vital to your child’s success in the classroom. To keep you informed a folder with papers and tests your child has completed in all areas of the curriculum will be sent home every Friday. The folder may also contain a newsletter from me sharing noteworthy classroom news, important information from school administration, or specific notes regarding your student. Please take time to review and discuss these papers with your child. Help them correct and return any D or F papers. Then sign the Weekly Progress Report form, keep the papers (unless noted otherwise), and return the empty folder and signed Weekly Progress Report form on Monday along with any notes or questions you may have for me. Planners Planners will come home daily. Students will record important information, activities, projects, and due dates. Homework will be written in the subject area under the appropriate date and be placed in the pocket at the back of the Planner. I will mark their daily behavior, write a note if necessary (please initial these notes, so that I know that you have seen them), and initial their Planner. Please check, write me notes when needed, and sign it daily. Let’s Get Acquainted You can also help by providing me with information that will aid me in better understanding your child. Some things I am interested in include the following: ? Important experiences that may be affecting your child’s state of mind (death/illness in the family, marriage/divorce, birth of a sibling, a best friend moving away, loss of a pet, etc.) ? Special medical needs ? Study habits at home ? Television viewing/video game habits Although I am interested in anything that could be affecting your child’s state of mind, it is not necessary for you to reveal any personal information. Please know that anything you choose to share with me will be kept in the strictest confidence. Grading System The scoring system is as follows: 100% = A+ 90 - 99% = A 80 - 89% = B 70 - 79% = C 60 - 69% = D Below 60% = F We often review and correct assignments and homework papers in class. Papers that are corrected in blue or black ink are student corrected. These are “practice” papers and not recorded in the grade book. I will mark papers with a percentile/letter grade. I will notify you if I feel we need to meet to discuss your child’s progress and I hope that you would contact me with concerns you may have. I stress that the children should do their best on every assignment and would encourage you to have the same attitude at home. Other than percentile grades, you will notice a check system on some assignments. A check signifies that the work meets expectations, a check + exceeds expectations, and a check – falls below expectations for that particular assignment. Tests Students will note the date for subject area tests in their Planners. Spelling tests will be given on the last day of each week. Tests, Projects, and Book Reports receive a greater value toward the subject area grade than daily work. Please contact me if you would like more information. Homework Homework has a definite place in the educational process. As an extension of the instructional day, no ‘new’ material will be assigned. Homework aids the student in achieving classroom and educational goals as well as fostering responsibility. Students in my class will be assigned homework daily. Special projects and book reports may also require additional time on weekends. Assignments are checked in as the students enter the classroom first thing in the morning. If the homework is not complete or turned in, your child will receive an “incomplete” grade for the assignment. PLEASE NOTE: Your child will write Homework assignments in their Planner each day. Please check and sign the planner nightly. Homework I assign falls into one of these four categories: 1. Practice/Drill - An extension of work introduced in class, the assignment allows the student to practice the concepts we are working on in the classroom. 2. Unfinished Work - This work is generally due to an extended absence as students are allowed ample class time to complete daily work. Unfinished classroom assignments will not be sent home to complete. 3. Research - This work involves the use of reference materials for project-based learning. The student will have an extended time to complete these assignments. 4. Review - This is time spent at home studying and preparing for tests. In addition to the assigned work, the Flagler County School district expectations are that your child should read a minimum of 30 minutes each day. Students may take their textbooks home at any time, however, they must be returned the next school day. Please set up an area for your child to do his/her homework and stress the importance of completing homework assignments, as the additional practice is reflected in the students’ overall understanding of the concepts being covered in the classroom.
Absences Should your child be absent, please send a note or call the W.E.S. Sick Line (446-6722) to report the absence. All missed work is due as soon as possible after the child’s return (within the week). In the event of an extended illness, missed work will be sent home upon request. Please notify me the day before you plan to pick up the material. You will be able to pick up the work at the end of the school day at the front office. If your child has a responsible sibling at Wadsworth, I will be happy to send the work home with them. It is very important that your child have limited absences as we do many activities in class that cannot be made-up. Transportation Your child’s safety is of the utmost importance. A verbal message from your child is not sufficient for me to allow him/her to leave the school other than the records on file indicate. Therefore, your child must give me a dated and signed note if you wish to make a change for a particular day. In addition, there will be occasions during the year that the students will be assigned projects to be completed at home. Please be aware that only projects that students can hold comfortably on his/her lap will be permitted on the school busses. Larger projects may need to be brought to school by car rather than the bus. Thank you for your understanding. Schedule A schedule of our day is included in this packet. Adjustments may be made on occasion to account for special events, guest speakers, etc. Comfort We all learn best when we are physically comfortable. There are three areas to address in that regard: 1. Restroom - I have an open policy regarding restroom use; I only ask that the students not leave their seat during the teaching of the lesson and until assignment instructions have been given. If your child has any health problems that would cause them to need to use the restroom frequently, please advise me of the nature of the problem. 2. Water - If your child would like to have a water bottle at his/her desk for “emergency” drinks, a small container may be brought to school and placed on the floor beside the desk. Should the drink become a distraction, the bottle will be removed. Water only please, I do not permit soda, sport drinks, or juices during instructional time. We do have a drinking fountain in the classroom. 3. Temperature - The temperature in our classroom may be cooler than is comfortable for your child. Please send in a light jacket or sweater to be kept in the backpack if your child has a tendency to be cold. Oral Presentations The ability to stand in front of a group and speak is a valuable skill. I take every possible opportunity to allow the children to have that experience. Students will participate in Reader’s Theater, share writing for peer review, and present book reports and research projects to their classmates. Presentations not only develop speaking skills, but listening and viewing skills as well. Citizenship As I firmly believe that lifelong success depends on self-discipline, I have developed a discipline plan that gives every student the opportunity to manage his/her own behavior. I strive to maintain a positive classroom environment, where disruptions are minimal, enabling all students to concentrate on their studies. Behavior expectations are well within the capabilities of the third grade child. Therefore, I use a system of rewards for on-task behavior and consequences when class and school rules are not followed. A visual “Traffic Light” system on the chalkboard helps the students monitor their behavior. The following is my Behavior Policy: ? All students start the day in the “Green (Go)” section. If the student is on-task all day, I will mark a smiley face in his/her planner. ? Off task and/or disruptive behavior will receive a verbal warning. Should a second reminder be necessary, he/she will be asked to move their name to the “Yellow (Caution)” section. His/her planner will be marked with a worried face. The student will also complete a form reflecting on how to improve his/her behavior, the child and parent will sign and return. ? Should inappropriate behavior persist, he/she will be told to move his/her name to the “Red (Stop)” section. The student will then be moved to a “time out” area in our classroom or another classroom giving him/her the opportunity to reflect on the inappropriate behavior. A classroom Tracking Report for Minor Infractions will be completed . A sad face will be noted in the planner and a form will be completed as above. ? In cases where the student has not been able to restrain the inappropriate behavior(s), he/she will earn a “Pink Slip”, which is part of a school-wide discipline program. You will receive a note in the Planner detailing the incident. NOTE: Students who have earned three (3) Pink Slips will be sent to discuss their behavior with Mr. Terry, our Assistant Principal. Should the student earn four (4) slips in a thirty day (30) period, he/she will receive a Referral. Consequences may include detention in the Responsibility Room, after school detention, or other discipline determined by Administration. PLEASE check the front of your student’s Planner for school policies regarding rules and discipline for more information. Each student who remains in the “Green” all week will have an opportunity to choose a prize from my Treasure Box. Class Rules and procedures are posted and discussed during the first few days of school and reviewed throughout the school year. Classroom Library Over the years, I have “amassed” quite a collection of books for the students. I expect the students to treat them as they would their own books so that future classes may also enjoy them. They may take the books to their desk to read during D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time or when they have finished their independent work, however, students are not permitted to take books from the classroom without my permission. I will be teaching the children the proper procedure for handling books in our classroom library. Book Orders Each month, I will send home a Scholastic Book Order form in the Friday folder. The class earns points from each purchase, which are used to purchase more books for the classroom. Please send a check made out to Scholastic Books or the exact change for your order. Orders usually arrive in about two weeks from the order date. Volunteers I welcome parent volunteers in the classroom. Volunteers could provide extra attention for students, help with bulletin boards, art projects, copying, celebrations, field trips, etc. All volunteers must be cleared through the county office. Volunteer applications can be filed On-line at the Web site or picked up in the school office. Birthday and Class Celebrations If your child would like to share a commercially prepared (store bought) treat with the class to celebrate their special day, please send me a note prior to the day you will be bringing it so that I may plan accordingly. Treats will be eaten in the Cafeteria during lunchtime. Please note, if your child is having a party to celebrate his/her birthday outside of school, please do not send invitations for him/her to pass out in class. I realize that it is often difficult to invite all the students and those who do not receive invitations are understandably hurt. Therefore, I will not allow the children to distribute invitations. However, if you would like to send them to me, one week in advance, I will place them in the Friday folder of the invited students. The month of May will be our “Un-Birthday” month for those children who have summer or school break birthdays. If your child would like to celebrate with his/her classmates, please let me know which day. We will be having other celebrations throughout the school year. Please understand that it is district policy to accept only commercially prepared (store-bought) food items. Rolling Backpacks Rolling packs have become a very real hazard in the hallways and the classroom. School policy does not permit the use of rolling packs. A standard sized pack will be sufficient for your 3rd grader. Thank you for your understanding on this matter. |
