Dear Parents:
We are off to a great start this year! The kids are beginning to settle down
and are learning what is expected of them as third graders. Let me begin by
introducing myself. My name is Patty Hill. I have taught at this school for
29 years, and yes I am now teaching the children of former students. But I
love my job, the kids, and everyone I work with and I wouldn’t want to be any
other place.
Sets of Papers:
Mrs. Powell and I want to keep you informed at all times as far as what is
going on in our classrooms. Once every two weeks we will send home all of
their papers in an envelope along with a newsletter to let you know what
concepts we are covering in class, as well as any upcoming tests, reports,
etc. The envelope needs to be signed and returned to school by Friday of the
week we send the envelopes home. You can keep the papers and newsletter at
home. However, I keep a “memory folder” for each child with
important/special papers from third grade. Each time papers are sent home,
please try to send several of your child’s favorite papers from that envelope
back to school for their folder. Each child will get to take their folder
home at the end of the year.
Math:
Third grade math is a lot different from 2nd grade math. They copy their
work out of the book onto notebook paper rather than using the consumable
books. Each child has their own math book and they can take it home anytime
they need to finish an assignment. The material covered is also more
difficult, but when we learn a new concept, I try to teach it in gradual
steps so everyone will understand. I emphasize to the children that I want
them to feel free to ask me questions any time. I need to know if they don’t
understand.
Our math series concentrates on third grade concepts that should be learned
as well as Kansas standards that need to be met to succeed on the required
Kansas Assessment tests in the spring. An important component of this series
is access to a website which provides extra practice, test prep, e-
manipulatives, e-games, brain teasers and more, to help with each chapter in
the book. I have added a section on our webpage which will take you directly
to the site, or you can go to:
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmm/g_3.html
I have noticed that some of the kids need to “brush up” on the basic facts
(addition and subtraction). This is rather common after the summer break.
Please continue working on these at home. We will begin with a quick review
of addition and subtraction facts, but we don’t spend a lot of time in third
grade learning basic facts. They should know them fairly well by now.
However, I know it is more difficult for some to learn them. Practice is the
best solution to this problem. There are many games available on our webpage
under the “Math Links” section. Miss Dixon also has a lot of fun math links
on her technology webpage. I also have an alternative program that can be
used. It is called Touch Math. If your child is still using fingers to add
or subtract, this might be a good option for them. It does require practice
and help at home to learn the program, but most of the time it is time well
spent. If you are interested, send me a note, and I will give you more
information. I will also have this information available on Parent
Information Night (Sept. 3rd).
Homework and Grading:
Our assignments are usually short enough that everyone should have plenty of
time in class to finish their work. If they don’t finish in class, it is
their responsibility to take it home, finish it, and bring it back to me the
next morning. I will also encourage everyone to take the assignment home
each night to have a parent check it for errors before we grade it in class
the next day. Their daily work score is a large part of their quarter grade.
So I am trying to give them a chance to improve their grade by checking and
correcting their work at home. If they don’t have the assignment, or it
isn’t finished when we grade it in class the next day, it is considered a
late paper. Beginning next week, points will be taken off if it is late. I
will write “late” in the upper right-hand corner of the paper so you will
know it was late. I know everyone gets very busy in the evening, so if your
child doesn’t have time to finish because of family activities, just send me
a note to let me know and I will give them an extra day to complete the
work. **Please make sure they bring the late work to school so they can work
on it in class if there is time.
The grading system is different for third graders. They will now receive
letter grades for math, social studies, science and language arts classes.
The content and expectations in these areas are increased in third grade, and
we felt it was appropriate to assign letter grades to reflect the higher
level of work. We use the grading scale provided by the Archdiocese. A copy
of the grading scale is on our website.
We usually grade our papers together. Each child grades their own paper. If
he/she misses too many on the assignment, I usually ask them to correct it so
they will understand their mistake before we take the test. ***Sometimes an
answer has been marked as incorrect because the problem was copied wrong from
the book.
When I grade papers, I use the following symbols:
CIRCLED NUMBER- wrong answer
“X” ON/BY A NUMBER-didn’t answer the problem
UNDERLINED NUMBER- backwards number, or the number should have
been
written neater
C- problem was copied out of the book incorrectly
NA- number of problems not answered
EC-extra credit
Science/Social Studies:
I teach both science and social studies. Rather than trying to work both
subjects in each day, we alternate them. We will start with a chapter in
science, and then we will do a chapter in social studies. I try to use the
4th grade programs as models as much as possible to make the transition to
4th grade easier. For science, we read a section of a chapter, and then they
answer 10 or 11 study guide questions. We go over the questions and answers
in class, and they are given an opportunity to correct any wrong answers.
The quiz over this section of the chapter is the study guide question sheet.
They are given the questions and the answers, but it is their responsibility
to make sure they have the correct answers on their paper. If they take the
questions and answers home and study for the quiz, they should do great every
time. There is a test at the end of the chapter, but that is an open-book
test. Each child has their own science book and may take it home anytime.
We will begin the first chapter in science on Wednesday or Thursday. We will
do the first few study guide questions together so they will understand how
to answer in complete sentences. We will take the quiz over these questions
sometime next week. Check planners and the website on Friday for an exact
date.
We have a wonderful social studies book. I think the kids will really like
it. Each child has their own book and can take it home anytime. We will do
the first section together so they can learn how to take notes as they read
(pick out the important facts) and look up definitions. It is important for
them to take good notes as they read to help them study for tests. They can
also take their books home to study or finish notes. The social studies
grade is based on the notes and definitions they do in class and the test
they take at the end of the chapter. This test is NOT an open-book test.
They need to study the information and know it when they take the test.
Class Web Site:
We have a classroom web page. I hope it will be helpful for you. I will put
announcements about tests, book orders, etc. on this page. There will also
be information about Language Arts and Religion on the page. There are two
ways to get to the web page. You can type
www.TeacherWeb.com/KS/StJohnSchool/3rdGrade into the address box. (It would
probably be a good idea to bookmark this or place it in your Favorites
file.) You can also get to our class page from the school website (www.saint-
johns.net/school). Click on Teacher Pages. Then click on 3rd Grade, and it
will take you directly to our class web page. There is a special feature on
the webpage. It is called NewsFlash. If you haven’t signed up for this
page, I would encourage you to do so. Go to the NewsFlash section and click
on the “Add Email” icon and you can add your email address to the list.
Whenever we update or add information concerning tests or important class
information, you will receive an email alerting you to check the NewsFlash
page for changes. (There is also a NewsFlash for Mrs. Powell and Mrs.
Harkin, so make sure you sign up for all three.)
***If you have any suggestions for items you would like added to the web
page, please let me know.
Missing Work Number:
Every child has been assigned a missing work number. This number is very
important as far as staying updated on any missing assignments. There is a
section on our class web page for missing work. We try to update it daily.
If your child has any missing work, it will be listed on this page BY THEIR
NUMBER. We don’t use names.
***Your child’s missing work number is ________________.
(I tried to use birthdays to make it easier for you to remember.)
Birthday Treats:
Birthday treats are shared with the class/group rather than in homeroom. We
will share treats at the end of the day (around 3:00). So the Red group will
have treats in Mrs. Powell’s class, and the Yellow group will have treats in
my class. If you have any questions about this, please let us know.
Snacks:
Each morning we have a snack after recess. Your child will be responsible
for bringing his/her own individual snack. Snacks should be brought to
school in backpacks. Each student stores his/her own snack in his/her own
individual backpack. Students may bring several days worth of snacks as long
as the snacks can easily be stored in individual backpacks. Students may not
share or trade snacks with other students. Snacks should be nutritious and
should be a reasonable amount of food – this is not a substitute for a meal.
Cookie Sales:
I have a special project I do with my third grade class each year. The third
graders sell cookies and brownies to the intermediate grades during morning
recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The third graders get some first-hand
experience with handling and counting money, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th
graders get a mid-morning snack. We have used the money in the past for our
school auction, Toys for Tots, Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence, The Dream
Factory, The Ronald McDonald House, United Way, the Red Cross, as well as
purchasing many things for our school.
In order for this project to be successful, I will need some help from you.
I will need parent volunteers to send 2 dozen treats for our sale. Please
don’t feel obligated to volunteer, but every little bit helps. All parents
in the school have the option to send in cookies, so you only have to send
cookies 4 or 5 times a year. (They don’t have to be homemade cookies.
Dillons and Hy-Vee make great cookies!!) I will send an information sheet
home through backpack mail in a couple of weeks with a sign-up sheet. If you
are interested in helping, please fill out the sheet and return it to school
ASAP.
I hope I have answered some of your questions about my class. If you ever
have any questions, please feel free to call me, or you can email me at:
hill@saint-johns.net
I’m looking forward to a great year. I hope to see you at the Parent
Information Night on September 3rd.
Sincerely,
Patty Hill
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LANGUAGE ARTS
Greetings from your third grade Language Arts teacher! The purpose of
teaching Language Arts to your child is to instill in him/her an appreciation
for literature and provide him/her with the writing skills that are so
necessary in today’s society. Before I share some of our calendar, I’d like
to briefly introduce myself and inform you of some classroom procedures that
involve you.
My name is Michelle Powell and this is my sixteenth year with The St. John’s
Catholic School and my seventeenth year with the Archdiocese. My husband,
Brian, and I have two children – Jack, 12 years old in 7th grade, and
Miranda, 9 years old in 4th grade.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Graded material will go home with the 3rd grade newsletter. Keep
your child’s papers and return the manila envelope. If you have concerns,
call, write an email, or send a note. Students will be scored with a
percentage and the corresponding letter grade. The scale is the same for all
of their classes.
GRADING SCALE
100-94%=A’s 93-87%=B’s 86-75%=C’s 74-68%=D’s
2. Weekly spelling tests are given every Friday morning unless it is a
three-day week. The dictation sentences and challenge words will be coming
home every Monday. Please help your student prepare by having them write the
sentences and challenge words. They may then turn these in on Friday for
extra credit before taking the test. The spelling tests can also be found
weekly on our teacher web page. The students will receive letter grades.
3. Reading Logs are collected every Friday. The first went home with
your child on the first day of school. The students and/or you record the
minutes/hours they read at home, which will earn them a Read-In at the end of
each quarter (also Pizza Hut Book It, Oct.-Mar). We ask you to sign and
total the minutes each week. The students should be reading and recording a
minimum of an hour a week. THIS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL ACTIVITY. It is
reflected on the grade card in the section labeled “Work and Study Skills”.
The students really enjoy watching their reading time increase each week on a
chart in the classroom.
4. Multiple Skills is a weekly reading activity done in the classroom.
It is used to check and improve silent reading and comprehension, and is done
at individual levels.
5. D.O.L. (Daily Oral Language) will be done on a daily basis in
class. The purpose of DOL is to review and introduce punctuation,
capitalization, and usage skills. This editing practice enables the students
to become better writers and editors of their own work.
MONTHLY ACTIVITIES
Book reports will be prepared once a month. Encourage your student
to read at least one chapter book a month. If you would like suggestions
for possible books, check the attached list. Book report projects are
started in class, but tend to be completed at home. On two of the nine
months you will be asked to share a book AND book report project with your
child (*). Please look forward to these opportunities. The kids love your
interest and involvement.
Book Report Due Dates:
Sept. 30 March 2
Oct. 30 April 7
*Dec.3 *May 7
Jan. 29
Finally, I will stay in touch with you using this newsletter, which comes out
every two weeks. You may also check the 3rd grade web site.
www.teachersweb.com/KS/StJohnSchool/ThirdGrade
If you have further questions, concerns, or comments, please don’t hesitate
to call. Your child’s success is my number one concern. We are all looking
forward to a super year.
Sincerely,
Michelle Powell
powell@saint-johns.net