Classroom Ins & Outs

BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT-  I believe in a positive environment for the student and 
the teacher.  The environment should be rich with positive self-talk and 
positive self-action.  The classroom should be a place where the student and 
the teacher feel comfortable and safe.  It is my belief that a child will 
reach his or her potential in a loving and inviting atmosphere. Every child 
should use kind words and action and the teacher should do the same.  
Children are very bright and creative people.  They find solutions to 
problems we adults sometimes cannot solve.  They also know the difference 
between right and wrong.  On this premise I know that we (the students and 
the teacher) can thrive in a wholesome and nourishing environment.

PROCEDURES-  The students and I generated essential agreements during the 
first week of school. Beginning the second week, if a rule is broken, we will 
implement the "Stop Sign" procedure as follows:
Every child begins on green(go). If an infraction is made, they will move to 
yellow. They have the chance to improve their behavior which means they have 
the chance to go back to green or the choice to move to red (when another 
infraction happens). If they move to red, you will receive a note home from 
me. They will also be monitoring their own behavior weekly. The "pink sheet" 
will be turned in on Friday to me. I will make the necessary comments and it 
will be sent home on Monday for you to sign and return to school. I will keep 
this in my files at school. You are welcome to review any of their behavior 
sheets at any time. 

ATTENDANCE-  Attendance is very important during third grade. Please make 
sure your child is at school each day and on time. Every minute is precious 
in the development of your child's mind-socially, intellectually and 
behaviorally. It would be fantastic if your child was at school by 7:50 each 
morning. When children walk in at 8:00, they immediately begin their day 
being rushed. Since we use every minute of the day, it is imperative that 
your child be at school on time. The earliest your child may arrive is 7:30. 
If your child is absent, please make sure that you send a note explaining the 
absence on the day your child returns to school.  

LUNCH MONEY-  Lunch costs $1.75 for students and $3.00 for adults for a full 
meal. Milk purchased alone is .60 cents.  We only accept cash for 
lunch payment at school. Lunch money is collected every Monday. Please note 
that you can also pay for lunch online at mealpay.com.  You can also be 
notified if your account is low by selecting a certain amount (such as $10).  
Once your account reaches that amount, you will be notified via email to add 
more funds. If you add more funds to a negative account, please print out an 
account balance and send to school as it sometimes takes up to two days to 
post.

TRANSPORTATION CHANGES-  If your child will be going home a different way 
than what was already discussed, please send a written notice.  If 
transportation needs change during the day, please send a fax no later than 
2:00 p.m. explaining the change along with photo identification.  With 23 
students in the class, a note will help me keep up with your child's 
transportation needs. 

HOME FOLDER-  Each child will receive a two-pocket folder that will be sent 
home daily. The left hand side will be labeled Kid's Work and the right 
will be labeled Parent Info. Homework and classwork completed daily or 
weekly  will be placed (by the students) in the left pocket and all info for 
the parents (notes, PTA info, Oops! notes, etc...) will be placed in the 
right hand pocket. Please note that this folder is to be sent home and 
returned daily. This will be your child's responsibility. Please make sure to 
look in the folder daily, only returning the papers or notes that need to be 
sent in the following day. 

CLASS WORK-  Each day in class, the students complete class work.  This 
work is in the form of morning work (work done the first 15-20 minutes of 
class) or practice work (work done after a concept or skill has been 
introduced).  Class work is practice for the students.  Grades will only be 
given after a skill has been properly introduced and practiced.  Anecdotal 
notes may be taken daily to see how your child completed his or her work
(quantity, quality and completion time).

HOME WORK-  Homework will be given Monday through Thursday.  Homework is a 
review of the skills and concepts presented in class.  Students are 
responsible for all homework. It is to be completed on time and handed in 
daily. APS policy states that homework is now 5% of your chld's grade.  
(Please note that homework will not be provided for students taking vacations 
during the school term.)

CURRICULUM-  The students will be working with a variety of textbooks for the 
year.  However, there is a main textbook for most of the subject areas in 
third grade.
Language Arts-     MacMillan/McGraw Hill- Treasures
Additonal Reading- Junior Great Books
Mathematics-       Every Day Math (University of Chicago)
Science-           Macmillan/McGraw Hill
Health-            MacMillan/McGraw Hill
Social Studies-    MacMillan/McGraw Hill

Art, music, guidance and physical ed. do not have specific textbooks to 
follow.  The third grade team formulates the curriculum for these subjects 
with assistance from the speciality teachers.

SPELLING TESTS- Spelling words will be given on Monday. It is your child's 
responsibility to write the words in their agenda. The words are generated 
from the Spelling portion of our Treasures Reading series. Spelling pre-test 
will be given on Mondays. If your child scores 100%, they will be exempt from 
the test on Friday. They will however still have to complete any spelling 
work that is given in class and/or as homework. 
***Please note that spelling tests will not be given until I can assess the 
needs of the students. I will let you know when this changes.

UNIT TESTS- Students will be given tests in all subject areas once the unit 
has been taught. Quizzes will be given weekly.

PARENT COMMUNICATION-  This website will be updated weekly and may 
occasionally be updated throughout the week. 
*All parental correspondence will be located under Announcements.  
*Progress reports will not be sent home as you now have access to my 
gradebook. You are able to see all your child's grades each week. If your 
child receives a failing grade on a test, I may ask for a parent signature to 
be sure that you have received the test.
   
*Please do not hesitate to contact me for any reason.  I want the best for 
your child and the class as a whole!

Sincerely,
Kim Makurat