Dear Parents,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Veronica Clinton and I will be your child’s 3rd/4thgrade teacher. I received my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education from WashingtonStateUniversityand graduated from RitzvilleHigh School. Prior to Wilson Creek, I student taught in a 3rd grade classroom in Spokane, taught 2nd grade in Royal City, and most recently taught 3rd grade in Maple Valley on the west side. My husband and I are both teachers (he’s an Ag. Teacher in Hartline) and have a home full of animals. We currently have 4 horses, 3 dogs, and a cat. I am thoroughly enjoying living in Eastern Washington again and am very excited to become apart of the Wilson Creek community.I look forward to meeting each of you.

During this year, I hope to create a warm comfortable environment where your child will be able to focus on his or her learning. I also hope to achieve a special relationship with all of my students and their parents. I look forward to meeting you and I welcome your involvement in our classroom. We are always looking for volunteers to help us out. If you are interested, please let me know when you would be available. I am also looking for a “event committee”. Their job would be to schedule and plan the various special events throughout the year.

My classroom has ONE main guideline “Feel free to do anything that doesn’t cause a problem for you or anyone else”. Our class also follows a code. Our Code states: When we care about each other and our classroom, we share our resources, we listen carefully, we help each other learn, we are respectful of others and their ideas and we work hard. We understand that everyone makes mistakes and we stop our actions if someone asks us to stop. Additionally, we will be setting learning goals for our year.

In order to help your child organize himself/herself and keep track of his/her homework we will be using a HOMEWORK folder. This folder needs to be brought to school EVERY DAY. One pocket will be for papers that need to come back to school and the other pocket is for papers that can be kept at home. The folder will also contain his/her reading log.

Homework will most often be Monday through Thursday and will most often be a previously learned math skill and take a very minimal amount of time. This homework needs to be SIGNED by a parent and RETURNED to school the next day. You will also see your child’s weekly spelling list. On the bottom or backside are several study activities. Your child needs to complete 3 each week. They then attach the necessary paper work and return it on Friday. Finally, don’t forget to have your child read nightly for 20 minutes and then record it in their reading log. My main goal for homework is that students remember to RETURN it on time. This teaches students to be accountable for themselves. Thanks for your help; together; we can teach our students strong study skills.

Your child will also be sharing some of his/her daily work with you through our LET ME SHARE folder. Each Wednesday, your child will bring home the folder of the previous week’s work. You then need to look over the work, sign, and date the sheet inside. The folder needs to be returned promptly on Thursday. Please note that not all work is returned home. The students and I will be selecting pieces of work for their portfolio. The portfolio allows students to reflect on their work and take an active role in their assessment. I then use the portfolio to assist in grading and as a resource at conference time.

I also plan to recognize students in two ways. The first way will be through the Star of the Week. Each student will get a chance to be the Star of the week and a letter will be sent home giving further details. Second, I will be sending home Good Job slips. These slips are given to students as a compliment for good behavior and deeds. Characteristics may include helping others, being respectful, being responsible, or being a good citizen. Please take a moment to discuss with your child his or her positive behavior.

Attached is a “Student Profile” sheet. Please fill out both the front/back, and return it with your child. This information will help me get to know your child and your family better. It also helps me contact you quickly and effectively. Finally, a rough schedule is also attached. Know that our days will change, but in general, this will be our plan for each week.

I am very excited to begin this year with your child. If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact me at 345-2541 between 7:30-8:00am or 3:05-3:35pm. Email is also a means of communication . I ask that ALL major concerns be communicated by phone or in person and not by email.

Sincerely,