Welcome Back to School
Ms. Morgan Mackey
Churchill School
Room 36
Welcome to 3rd Grade!
I would like to welcome you to 3rd grade. I am excited to start this new school year working together with you and your child. I hope this year will be a successful one for your child. In order to facilitate better communication, I would like to familiarize you with our 3rd grade routines.
Homework Policy
I feel that doing homework is an essential part of every student’s education. Homework is looked at as an important aid in helping make the most of their experiences in school rather than looked at as busy work. Assignments are given because they are useful in supporting what has been learned in class. They prepare students for upcoming lessons, and they teach responsibility.
Students will be given homework for reinforcement only. The goal of homework is not to frustrate your child. It is only to further practice what was learned in class. If at any time, your child is having difficulty with their homework, please let me know. You are welcome to work on the skill at home but I would also like to know when something is difficult to a child that I may have thought he/she understood. On occasion, I will give additional weekend/vacation homework which will be necessary for special projects and presentations. The expected amount of homework is approximately 30 minutes per day. In addition, your child will be expected to read 15-20 minutes per night and should record it on their weekly reading log. This weekly reading log will be recorded as part of your child’s independent reading grade. I recommend the following additional activities each evening: review spelling words and study basic addition, subtraction and multiplication facts.
As well, classroom assignments that are not finished by the end of the day will automatically become homework and must be completed by the beginning of the following day, unless told otherwise. This may increase the amount of time spent on homework.
Your child will be given an assignment book. I believe that this is an excellent way to teach beginning time management skills as well as responsibility, so I will be referring to it several times throughout the school day. Students will be responsible for writing down and completing their homework assignments each night. At the end of the day I will go around the room and initial their assignment notebooks, making sure they have their assignments written down correctly. I am asking that you check it each day and sign it to ensure that all assignments are completed as well.
Homework cont…
A portion of their grade will be based on the completion of homework and in-class assignments. I will be available both before and after school if you or your child should have a question. Each student is encouraged to see us at any time for help. If your child does not understand the homework, and you are not able to help, please write me a note. Your child will then have until the end of the day to complete the work. Please encourage your child to see us if they have any questions.
Each trimester, every student will be allowed to miss three (3) homework assignments without consequence, although he or she will still be expected to complete the work by the next morning. After missing three (3) assignments, each missing assignment for the rest of the trimester will result in a behavioral consequence. Please refer to the attached behavior plan for a further explanation. We stand by this policy because although I try not to assign a lot of homework, what I do assign is very important to your child’s success in our classroom.
I am requesting that parents make homework a top priority at home. Please make sure that your child has the necessary supplies and a quiet place to work. Daily homework time is beneficial and will show the student how important homework is. Students may need help in the homework process, but in no case should the parents do the homework for the child.
Grading Scale
Churchill School has moved to standard based grading which is, often times, difficult to understand at first. A rubric will be going home today as well. We encourage you to keep this available throughout the school year for you to refer to if you have any questions. Many assessments will have a rubric on the bottom so that you and your child can easily refer to it. Please do not get discouraged when you see an M. That means that your child is performing at grade level and is doing exactly what is expected of him/her in 3rd grade. Receiving an E is considered going above grade level expectations.
Take Home Folder
Your child will have a Take Home Folder. Each day, this will be sent home with your child’s homework, reading log, and behavior chart. Please check this folder every day. Important notes will also be sent home in this folder. Each Friday, the folder will include your child’s graded work and informational handouts in it. The folder will also contain your child’s monthly behavior report (see the attached Behavior Plan page). Please sign the behavior chart and reading log each weekend and return on Monday along with the folder.
Behavior
Appropriate behavior is expected from every child at all times in our classroom as well as the building. Good manners are expected to also be shown. Students who choose not to behave in an acceptable manner will be given a verbal warning, without consequence, to behave properly. Students who consistently misbehave or who are rude/disrespectful may lose free time, recess, or special privileges; such as field trips, movies, etc. Classroom and school rules are as follows:
1. Follow Routines
2. Show Respect
3. Be Responsible
4. Build A Good Reputation.
Students must follow these four rules at all times. Attached is a copy of the weekly behavior report that I will send home in your child’s Yellow Folder. If you have any questions regarding these procedures please contact me. Following these rules will result in school wide recognition and bimonthly reward assemblies.
Classroom Library
I encourage my students to order from book clubs. Book clubs are a wonderful way for the children to choose books that they want to read. In addition, ordering from book club benefits our classroom. We receive at least one bonus point for every $1 spent. I will spend these points on books for our classroom library, class sets of novels, and classroom incentives. I will send home at least one Scholastic Book Order Form each month. The due date will always be marked on the back. If you do decide to purchase books through the clubs and you need to write a check, please make it payable to Scholastic. I have created our online account and we encourage parents to order on-line. Each on-line order earns the classroom a free book!
I always welcome book donations in the classroom as well. If you are getting rid of old books, please keep in mind our classroom. We can never have enough books!
Supplies/Donations
Periodically check your child’s supplies and replenish them, if necessary. It is difficult for them to produce quality work if they do not have the materials to do so.
In addition to books, other donations for the class are always welcomed. Magazines, pencils, glue, leftover party supplies, beanbag chairs, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated.
Communication
I feel that it is very important to have open lines of communication between the teacher and parents. For this reason, I may occasionally call you “just to check in.” Also, please call us if you have ANY questions or concerns. I am usually in the building between 7:30 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The school telephone number is (708) 798-3424. You may also e-mail me at and I will respond as quickly as possible. If this is not convenient for you, drop me a note and I will be happy to call you in the evening.
Treats
If your child’s birthday falls during the school year, your child may bring some kind of non-edible treat to school. If your child’s birthday falls during the summer months, he or she may bring a treat on his/her half birthday or I will assign a day to celebrate at the end of the school year. Please make sure that all treats are not edible. If you plan to drop the treats off in the middle of the day please stop by the office first and they will make sure the treats reach our classroom. We have 22 students in our class this year.
Highly Encouraged
I highly recommend a few things to every parent:
1) Have your child read every night for at least 15 minutes. Daily reading will increase test scores and boost vocabulary development.
2) Talk to your child about what they read. Many children can read the words but understanding what they are reading takes many skills. Discussing the book will greatly help develop your child’s comprehension.
3) Ask your child what he/she did in school each day. Do not accept answers like “Nothing” or “Not much.” We always do something!
4) Be involved in your child’s homework. Ask to see and sign the assignment book and the completed assignments. Nobody likes surprises at report card time. This will keep you up to date!
5) Check your child’s Take Home Folder every day. There is always something in there that is beneficial to see.
Scheduled Classes
Your child will be learning the third grade curriculum. This means that your child will be completing activities and projects to enhance his/her learning. The subjects we will be covering this year are:
· Math- Addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, geometry, graphs and charts, and probability and statistics. At this point in the year, your child is expected to know his/her addition and subtraction facts. By the end of the year, he/she should know his/her addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts.
· Reading- Short stories from different genres (non-fiction, biography, poetry, realistic fiction, etc…), seven comprehension strategies, literacy stations, literature circles, and reading for information.
· Spelling-The spelling program is relatively new this year and comes from the same reading and writing series that we use. We are excited to continue with this new program that focuses on a variety of skills to strengthen spelling within written work. Students will receive words on Monday and work with these words throughout the week with different activities. There will be a test on Friday. Please practice these words at home.
· Social Studies- Movement of people, government, communities through time, and economics.
· Science- Time, weather, and sky, how living things interact and adapt to their environments, and investigating matter.
· Writing- Compose a variety of expository, persuasive, extended response and narrative pieces of writing. Students will work to develop voice in their writing.
· Music- Twice a week with Ms. Kubas.
· P.E. - Everyday with Ms. Milnes and Ms. Coules.
· Library- Once a week with Mrs. Hentschel.
· Art- Once a week with Ms. Callahan.
· Computers- Once a week with Ms. Darin.
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