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