Important Classroom Information

 

Parents,

 

This booklet is full of classroom information and will prove to be a very useful reference for you.  Although I will discuss most of this in detail at our parent night in a few weeks, I wanted to give you the opportunity to go ahead and read through this material, so you will have early communication from me about these specific classroom topics. You will want to keep this and other information sheets that I will be sending, in a safe place at home for future reference.  I spend a lot of time on the computer typing sheets to help keep you informed.  You will acquire a good sized bit of communication from me.  Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or if I can assist you.  We are in this together this year.  We all want to help your child be successful.

 

Release of Information

The school has asked for permission to release your address and phone number to all our students in order to print a class roster.  This will be very helpful if your child has questions on an assignment or has been absent and needs assistance from a friend.  This will also help you if you need another parent’s assistance.  You will receive these class rosters as soon as they are completed.

 

Birthday Treats

We enjoy the opportunity to help celebrate each child’s special day.  Please send me a note or let me know a few days in advance to make me aware of your intentions.  Individual items such cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or doughnuts are quick and easy to pass out, but if you would like to send a cake or big cookie, those are fine as well.  I do not mind taking care of these for you.  Please double check our number of students, so no one will be left out.  Be sure to also refer to your school handbook for additional information on this topic as well as birthday invitations.  If your child has a summer birthday and you have a preference for celebrating at the beginning or the end of the school year, let me know. 

Birthday Blessings

We will recognize your child for his/her birthday blessing in our weekly Chapel service in the week closest to the birthday.  Your child will also have the opportunity to be our Chapel helper.  We attend Chapel every Thursday at 10:15; unless we have All-School Chapel, and I will make you aware of that date and time. I hope you will be able to join us for your child’s special day.

                                                             

Resources

Our school believes strongly in developing the “whole child.”  This means that while we stress educational achievement and growth, we also encourage emotional, physical, social, and religious development as well.  We utilize exceptional educational materials and offer many resources which stimulate and challenge our students to discover God-given gifts, talents, and abilities, which are to be developed and have the capacity to make a positive impact on their lives and in our world.  Here at Gloria Dei, your child will participate in Chapel services, Physical Education, Art, Music, Computers, Library, Spanish, Chorus, and a Science Lab.  These will be wonderful opportunities for growth! You have received a schedule for our resources, and our schedule is also posted on our class website.

Class Parties

We love to learn and parties can correlate very nicely with holidays or topics of study.  We will be celebrating fall with a fun-filled festival week and Valentine’s Day with a small snack and craft. We will celebrate Christmas, Easter, and the end of school with a class party.  We will have details and information for you as each celebration approaches.  If you have any particular sensitivity that you would like for me to be aware of, I would appreciate your speaking with me in advance. There was an opportunity for you to sign up at Open House to help with these celebrations. If you did, I will send reminders as each celebration approaches.  If you did not sign up and would like to help in any way, just let me know and I will contact you.  If you are able to join us for a class party, we ask that you make other accommodations for younger siblings.

Snacks

We will work in a short snack break each morning.  Your child may bring in a healthy snack.  (Please do not send candy, cookies, or chips, etc.) We try to help encourage healthy eating habits.  *I ask that you refrain from sending any RED dye juices because these are difficult to remove from the carpet in case of spills.

 

Field Trips

We will try to schedule four field trips this year. You gave permission for your child to go on these trips when you signed our registration form.  As the time nears for each trip, you will receive information about each and you will have a fee that must be returned by a given date.  Please watch for notices, check your child’s agenda, and the calendar on our webpage to keep up on due dates for field trip money.  If field trip money is not returned on time, your child will still be able to go on the trip; however, the cost of the trip and a $5.00 fee will be added to your bill for that month.  Many places we visit will allow some chaperones.  I will let you know on field trip notes how many chaperones may join us.  Let me know anytime you would like to accompany us.  We would love to have you with us, but we ask that you please make other accommodations for any younger siblings on these days.  Unfortunately, they will not be able to join in on our field trips.

 

Scholastic Book Orders

Book order forms will be sent home at the beginning of nearly each month. I always give a week before I ask for order forms and checks to be returned.  Reminders will be written in the agenda.  These book orders are opportunities to increase your home library.  You are not required to purchase any books; however, if you choose to do so, checks are to be made payable to the book club, not to Gloria Dei.  Please do not send cash.

 

Parent Conferences

We have parent conference dates built into our school calendar.  You can expect a beginning of the year conference with me. I will also be sending notes or calling you periodically to discuss progress or concerns, so please keep me informed of any phone number or e-mail changes.  I highly encourage open lines of communication.  I will work very hard to help in any way I can.  I am flexible and easy to talk to.  Please do not hesitate to contact me or ask questions.

 

Progress Reports/ Midterm Grades

We will only be sending progress reports home for students that need them.  If there are specific subjects, work habits, behavior or attitude concerns, they will be addressed at this time, and you will need to sign and return the progress report. Though you may not receive an official progress report, in an effort to keep you informed, I will send home a midterm report of grades at this time. 

 

Grading and “Weighting”

You will receive some specific notes about many of my grading habits.  Some tasks receive stars or smiley faces, while others may actually get letter or number grades.  Some jobs receive a “check” and are corrected in class by your child.  (I fully expect your child to be checking and correcting as we take the time to do this in class. It will not help your child if he/she has incorrect answers to study.) Please be sure to refer to the sheet in your folder related to specific grading habits. 

You also need to be aware that our grades in each academic subject are weighted. You will receive a copy of our specific categories and their respective weights in determining grades for progress reports and report cards.  

Also, I am very aware that I am far from perfect.  I am a busy mom of three and I am involved in many activities, so sometimes I do make mistakes grading papers.  Please go through your child’s papers, and feel free to contact me about answers or possible discrepancies with grades.  I will be happy to review them and address your concerns.  I want the best for your child, as you do.

 

Grade Scale

Our grading scale is as follows:

93-100= A     85-92= B     75-84= C     70-74= D    69 and below= F

Parent Signatures

You may need to sign some of your child’s papers and return them to school.  Look for “Please Sign and Return” stickers or notes on any papers and ALL test grades below a “C.”  This will let me know you are aware of that particular grade.  Your child will be expected to return these in a timely manner.  There will be a consequence for unreturned signatures.  I would ask that you return these papers to school the next day. 

 

Homework / Class Work Grades

Homework and class work grades will count as part of an overall average in each subject.  It is imperative to teach kids the importance of staying on task, keeping organized, planning ahead, and completing all work in an appropriate amount of time.  We will be using random assignments to record weekly grades in all areas. Your child will not only have daily tasks to accomplish, but also several weekly jobs to complete as well.

Honor Roll

A high percentage of our third grade students have been able to attain Honor Roll.  This is a very big achievement for this challenging grade.  For a child to be recognized for the Honor Roll, several requirements must be met.  A student’s grades are NOT the only consideration for Honor Roll.  Not only does your child have to have all “As” and “Bs” in all academic subjects, but they must also have a score of satisfactory (or above) in all resources and in all work and study habits.  Homework completion, classroom attentiveness, task and time management, effort, behavior, and attitude are all taken into account as well. An Honor Roll student is one who has success “across the board.”  At the end of each quarter, we will recognize all students who achieve Honor Roll.  These students’ names are added to a bulletin board by our main office and their names will also appear in the Gloria Dei newsletter.  They may also receive a certificate and a new pencil.  At the end of the year, only students who have achieved Honor Roll in all FOUR quarters will be recognized during our third grade program. 

Agenda Notebook

This year, as a third grader, your child will be responsible for keeping an agenda notebook.  Part of your little one’s morning routine will be to copy homework assignments and important notices into this notebook.  I will teach the kids how to neatly and properly record information in this notebook.  In the first few weeks, as we learn routines, I will check agendas daily to make sure all assignments and notices are written completely and correctly.  Before long, the students will take on this responsibility independently.  PLEASE  begin checking the agenda at home daily to make sure your child is taking this responsibility seriously.  When you go over your child’s homework that evening, you will see the assignments and be able to see if all work is complete and NEAT.  We have found that students who use this agenda wisely have VERY few incidences of homework offenses and get much higher grades on tests and report cards than classmates that do not use the agenda as indicated.

While this is a great organizational tool for your child, the agenda also is another way for us to maintain daily communication about expectations and to keep you informed about what your child is studying in class.

 

Pack Up/ Homework Materials

We will take time each day to pack all necessary materials for study or to complete homework responsibilities.  We go over the homework assignments, and I tell the kids exactly what needs to be packed. I walk them through pulling items from their desk and I remind the kids to pick up any homework sheets at this time. It is absolutely imperative for your child to learn to LISTEN and pay attention as we pack up, so all necessary materials will be gathered and for papers to make it into the homework folder. *PLEASE REMEMBER OUR SCHOOL POLICY. . . STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED BACK INTO THE BUILDING AFTER DISMISSAL to retrieve anything forgotten! I know this policy may create headaches at times, but our children must learn this responsibility, and we must hold them accountable.  They must learn the life lesson that there will be unpleasant consequences when responsibilities are not met.   

 

Homework

Expect homework each night Monday through Thursday, except for special circumstances.  All assignments should be written in the agenda.  Written assignments and studying should not take much more than an hour and may even decrease as the year progresses.  I will not assign homework on the weekends, so this will be an ideal time to practice MATH FACTS or work on longer term, special projects, or book reports.  As I stated before, we must get the kids into the habit of completing their homework and doing it NEATLY.  Please encourage your child to complete and turn in all homework assignments and projects on time. This will help students to not only learn responsibility and accountability, but also, to take pride in their work.

Homework will be checked every morning.  We will check homework in class, or I will collect and grade it. Our school understands the importance of homework practice and accountability so much that a school wide plan has been implemented.  You have received a copy of this plan in our school handbook and should have already signed and returned the paper stating that you have read and understand this policy.  We will enforce this plan and record all homework offenses.  There will be consequences for each offense.  Your child will earn a detention with a third homework offense. A third homework offense in a given quarter will keep a student off the Honor Roll.   

There may arise a time that your child may forget an assignment or materials.  Because you want to help your child, you may decide to call a study buddy to get the words, assignment or make a copy or fax the page, etc.

Please keep in mind that, while it is good to have your child complete the assignment, he/she will still get an offense because it was his/her responsibility to bring the necessary materials home.  The children will not learn the importance of that responsibility, if we don’t hold them accountable. You may refer to your handbook, or speak with me if you have questions.

 

Testing Schedule

Generally, we will follow a weekly routine for tests in the area of reading, spelling, and math.  Tests in language, science, and social studies will culminate lessons or units of study.  Students will be told well in advance and will have ample time to prepare for the tests.  We may have periodic quizzes to keep us studying responsibly, and we WILL have timed math drills daily on math facts to maintain and chart progress in this area.  Remember.... PRACTICE!  PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

Math Facts  

One very important way that you can help your child be successful in math this year is to PRACTICE  MATH  FACTS  NIGHTLY  AT  HOME!  I cannot stress to you how VERY imperative this is.  Because of our quick pacing and varied mathematics instruction, we do not have the time to practice facts in class, other than in our timed activities.  We will work on non-graded speed drills each morning, take GRADED timed tests 1-2 times each week, and also work on math races (incentive to keep practicing) 1-2 times each week to practice on speed and recall of math facts.

I strongly encourage you to make (or buy) flash cards with multiplication and division facts and practice, practice, practice.  The answers should be recited as quickly as your child can recite his/her name. This WILL be achieved by consistent practice for a few minutes each night.  *By third grade, addition and subtraction facts should already be memorized and completed quickly. We will begin with a little review and then quickly move into multiplication and division.

 

Speed Drills/ Timed Tests/ Math Races

          Just a reminder about these “math fact tests”:

*Speed Drills and Math Races are strictly for practice and are NOT GRADED.

*Timed tests (50 problems in 3 minutes) are GRADED.

S.R.A. (Scholastic Reading Achievement)

We have a supplemental reading kit in our room that we use for extra skill reinforcement and comprehension practice.  We also want to teach the kids to manage their time and tasks, so they will learn to complete daily jobs as well as weekly tasks. The SRA is one of these weekly tasks all students will be responsible for completing.

The students will be expected to complete one short S.R.A. story each week. These are pretty easy to accomplish and all students may get assistance at any time from me or Mrs. Thrash to answer questions.  The students do receive grades on these.  We want to encourage the kids to use these to their advantage, so we allow them redo any grade below a “C”.  They can be redone AT ANY TIME in the grading period.  We encourage the kids to keep the graded SRA sheets in their S.R.A. folder until both sides of the recording sheet are used and until the story is corrected for the higher grade. The final average of the low grade and the higher grade will be recorded in my book. These SRA grades will count for five percent of the overall reading average.  Be sure to ask me about these grades if you do not notice recording sheets going home. 

S.R.C. (Scholastic Reading Counts)

This is a SCHOOL WIDE reading incentive program that is directed by Mrs. Jarjoura, our Librarian.  Students may check out selected books from the library.  These books are allotted a point value based on the difficulty level.  As the students complete a book, they can take a short computer quiz on that book. If they answer a required number of questions correctly, they pass the quiz and get the points.  Mrs. Jarjoura tracks these points through the computer.  Kids who meet school goals are given prizes and an ice cream party.  We will also be tracking individual progress in our classroom with our own chart.  Mrs. Thrash and I will also be giving little prizes to encourage and reward good reading habits.  In third grade, students are expected to accumulate a minimum of FIVE SRC points each quarter, and these points will count as five percent of the overall reading grade. 

Classroom Management Plan 

Expectations and Behavior Chart

All students must follow classroom rules.  We all work and learn better in atmospheres where kindness, cooperation, respect, positive attitudes, and self control are evident.  My priority is for all children to have a safe educational environment that will optimize learning potential.  Students will need to follow these guidelines: We will be caring and respectful to others.  We will be good listeners and follow directions.  We will complete work quietly, timely, and neatly.  We will always strive to do OUR best.

Though we all make mistakes, it is important that we learn from them.  If a student is not acting responsibly or is having difficulty with classroom expectations, consequences are in place to gently encourage proper behaviors and attitudes.

  We have a behavior chart and a discipline notebook to track good citizenship.  Each day, students will begin with a green card.  Consequences for negative behaviors will affect the card color that stays in your child’s behavior pocket.  This is the general procedure for changing cards:

 

1^st offense: A verbal warning

 2^nd: The behavior card will be changed to blue, and the student will sign our discipline book.  The student will lose five minutes of recess.

3^rd: The behavior card will be changed to yellow, and the discipline book will be signed.  Ten minutes of recess will be lost, and a note will be sent home to be signed by parents.

4^th: The behavior card will be changed to red, the discipline notebook will be signed, all of the recess will be lost, and a note will be sent home to be signed by parents.

 *Some concerns or offenses may need to be handled on an individual basis.