Dear Parents,
Welcome to a new school year! We are off to a great start and are excited about the year ahead! The purpose of this letter is to acquaint you with your child’s schedule and the many activities in our classroom. The attached schedule shows you how our week will usually go.
I am looking forward to working with you to give your child the best education possible. Please contact me at any time if you have any questions (663-9835). I feel that communication between home and school is very important and I strongly encourage it.
Always Learning,
Mrs. Pritzl ~ ☺
LANGUAGE ARTS
Language Arts involves the teaching of reading, writing, spelling, penmanship, cursive writing, phonics and grammar. Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop have been proven to be very effective methods. This Language Arts framework helps children be independent allowing the teacher to work uninterrupted with small groups and individuals. The way students spend their time in this structured learning environment influences their level of writing/reading success and mastery. Writing/Reading Workshop is a thorough Language Arts management structure designed to fully engage students in reading and writing.
Reader’s Workshop
During our Reader’s Workshop time, we will be ‘Building a Powerful Reading Life’. We will be setting reading goals, tracking our reading, retelling stories and understanding what we are reading more than ever before. The steps in this reading process require students to be engaged with their reading and be responsible for what they are reading. With practice, our reading stamina will improve as well as our reading comprehension and reading skills (i.e. - inferring, predicting, text clues, figurative language, level of questioning, etc.). There are four units in the Reader’s Workshop series. We will focus on one unit each quarter. The units of study are: Unit 1 - Building a Reading Life, Unit 2 - Reading to Learn (Grasping Main Ideas and Text Structures), Unit 3 - Character Studies, Unit 4 - Research Clubs (Elephants, Penguins, and Frogs...Oh My!).
Writer’s Workshop
Writing Block
During this time, students will learn to think about and use writing strategies to write poetry, stories, journal entries and numerous other writing compositions. Along with applying phonics, they will have the opportunity to practice penmanship, to learn about the writing process, grammar, word choice, writing organization (beginning, middle, and end) and the mechanics of good writing. Students will have opportunities to choose what they want to write about and share their writing pieces with their peers. Students will write using their very
best creative spelling by s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g words out in order to spell them correctly (dictionary spelling). Students will be given opportunities to write about topics that are interesting to them. There are four units in the Writer’s Workshop series. We will focus on one unit each quarter. The units of study are: Unit 1 - Crafting True Stories (Narrative), Unit 2 - The Art of Information Writing, Unit 3 - Changing the World (Persuasive speeches, Petitions, and Editorials), Unit 4 - Once Upon a Time (Adapting and Writing Fairy Tales).
Word Work
This block allows students to explore words, word families (patterns), spelling and phonics. During this block, the high frequency words (grade level words used frequently in reading and writing) are introduced. Students are expected to spell these words correctly in their writing. Depending on your child’s developmental spelling abilities, he/she will practice spelling words that follow certain word patterns. We do numerous, interesting activities to help students read, write and spell these words. Every two weeks, your child will have new spelling words/cards in a small zip-loc bag in his/her homework folder. Please have your child practice their assigned spelling words. A reminder to study spelling words/sort, will be written in your child’s green Assignment Notebook.
MATH
Math will take place in the morning. We will be using a Common Core math series called Math Expressions. We will be working on problem-solving skills using manipulatives and will be highly engaged with justifying our math thinking. We will cover multiplication, division, measurement, time, graphing, multi-digit adding and subtracting, geometry, area and perimeter, and conclude the year with fractions. A ‘Homework’ page that provides practice to the daily lesson, may be occasionally assigned. This page will be in your child’s Stangel homework folder and will be due the next day. Multiplication/division facts will be practiced diligently at school and will be expected to be practiced at home too. This added practice will make a HUGE difference with your child’s confidence in math! Thank you, in advance, for this support and for encouraging your child.
SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES
Our Science and Social Studies instruction and exploration time will be in the afternoon. I will also be integrating some Science and Social Studies concepts into my Language Arts instruction. We begin the year by learning more about Maps and Globes. Other topics include: Water, Solar System, Structures of Life, Government and Responsible Citizenship.
******OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION******
READING FOLDER
Reading Logs will begin next week! Logs will be sent home on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Third graders are required to read at least 20 minutes four times a week. They then choose 2 of the 4 ‘Responses to reading’ to complete. Reading Logs are always due Monday morning. Reading and Reading Log completion is considered homework. READ TO SUCCEED!!!
FOLDERS / HOMEWORK
Your child brought many folders to school. We will be using them as subject folders. The blue Stangel Star folder that has been supplied, is the HOME folder and will contain papers for you to look over (homework, class/school info, etc.) to keep or return. Your child’s ‘Reading Folder’ with their Reading Log and classroom book, the Stangel Star folder (Homework/info), your child’s Forever Journal and a green Assignment Notebook will come home every night. Please check all of these daily. Please sign the green Assignment Notebook after homework is complete and return it back to school. ‘Friday Folders’ will be sent home every Friday afternoon. This folder will contain Stangel School informational papers. Please check this folder and return it back to school on Monday morning.
SNACK
Our morning snack and milk break time will be after our morning recess time which is at 10:15. Please send a healthy snack with your child each day for him/her to eat during this time. Please do not send snacks that contain nuts. Thank you! If it is hot outside, your child may bring a water bottle to place on his/her desk to drink water throughout the day.
LUNCH
Please inquire with the school office if you have any questions about hot lunch. Mrs. Svacina and Mrs. Schroderus will answer any questions you may have or help direct you to the appropriate source to best answer your questions.
VOLUNTEERS
I welcome parents into my classroom! You are an important part of your child’s education. Please feel free to stop in and visit at any time (you may want to check the attached classroom schedule first).I welcome any help that you can give (reading with students, one-on-one interaction with students, bulletin boards, field trip chaperone, helping during a classroom party, etc.). I appreciate your interest, help and support! If interested in helping in any way, please notify me and we will work out a schedule. Thank you!
3Pz NEWSLETTER
At the beginning of each month, I will update the 3Pz website. (Find the 3Pz website by going to the Stangel website via the Manitowoc Public School website). This is full of great learning info that took place during the month and some future dates and announcements! Thank you for taking the time to read the 3Pz website with your child! Better yet … have your 3rd grader read and explain this learning info to you.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR PROGRAM
My classroom behavior program supports theStangel School-Wide program and is a very positive one. I want your child to be successful in school and instill a sense of comfort and security here. Stangel School uses a program called PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support). It is a proven successful conflict resolution program that helps your child deal positively with feelings, emotions, agreements and disagreements. Tickets are rewarded for positive behavior and incentives are involved to continue to encourage this positive behavior.
Occasionally, when a student conflict arises that may need parental communication and support, your child will fill out a sheet and will bring it home for you to sign.
HOLIDAYS
Life can be very busy and holidays tend to make life even more hectic so I put a list together ahead of time so that you know, in advance, when you will need to send something for a holiday celebration. Your child was given the opportunity to pick the holiday that he/she would like to bring a treat. A week or two before the party, I will allow the students from the party treat committee to choose what they would like to bring (i.e.- juice, cupcakes, carrots, apples and caramel, etc. I try to keep it as healthy as possible.). We have four parties during the year--- Fall Fest, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and ‘Eating of the Green’.
There are 22 children in our class.
Your child is scheduled to bring a treat for the below highlighted class party:
Fall Fest Christmas Valentine’s Eating of the Green
***Please let me know if this date is not convenient. Thank you!
BIRTHDAYS
Your child’s birthday is a very special day for him/her. I would like to help him/her celebrate and feel extra special that day. We will create a special birthday book for your child and we will sing “Happy Birthday”. Your child may pass out a treat to the class if he/she would like. If your child’s birthday is on a weekend or holiday, we will celebrate on the closest school day to his/her birthday. We would also like to celebrate summer birthdays at the time of their half-birthday. I looked ahead at dates that would work for the students and have listed them individually below.
We would like to celebrate your child’s birthday on______.
***Please let me know if this date is not convenient. Thank you!
‘BE AN EXPERT’
Your child will be given the opportunity to share a talent, hobby or skill with us when he/she is ‘An Expert’. A reminder and instruction sheet will come home a week or so before your child’s turn to share. ‘Be An Expert’ sharing time will be on Friday for approximately 25 minutes. This is your child’s chance to teach and instruct the rest of the class in a topic that is familiar to him/her. It can be any activity that he/she does as an individual or that you may do as a family. Some examples are: scrap booking, fishing, stamp/coin collecting, dance, karate, beading, photography, baking cookies, stamping or basketball. So if Joe enjoys basketball, he might draw a picture of a court, bring in a basketball and wear his favorite player’s jersey. Joe would then proceed to tell us about rebounds, basketball regulations and how to follow through with a jump shot. We could go to the gym or outside to practice some of the things that Joe has taught us. Of course, Joe doesn’t know everything about basketball, but this is his chance to teach us what he does know. The more ‘hands-on’ the better! A family ‘Expert’ idea might be camping. Mary loves to camp with her family. She could bring in a tent and show us how to set it up. She could also show us some other important items to bring when camping. Some ideas that are excluded are anything having to do with video games and weapons of any kind. Bringing pets into school is also not allowed due to allergies, etc. Your child is welcome to bring in any items to make his/her ‘Expert’ time as effective as possible. You will fill out a sheet informing me of your child’s ‘Expert’ topic prior to his/her share time. At that time, you can write in any questions you may have and if special arrangements need to be made (i.e. ~ would like to be outside for the demonstration or use the gym, etc.). I’m excited to learn more about your child during this experience and anxious to give him/her the teaching opportunity for others to learn from him/her!
Your child will ‘Be An Expert’ on Friday, ______.
***Please let me know if this date is not convenient. Thank you!
I am looking forward to a great year! If you have any questions, please
contact me at the phone number/e-mail below.
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Your child’s Third Grade teacher is:
Mrs. Susan Pritzl ~ ☺
663 - 9835
(Cut-out and post for easy reference.)