Welcome to Curriculum Night!

3rd Grade 2009-2010

Mrs. Heaser

　

Dear Parents,

It was so nice to meet most of you at the after school picnic, and again tonight. Since this is a short evening together, I went ahead and put some of my guidelines/expectations in this packet. I encourage you to take time to look through these at home to better understand the way things will work this year. Please feel free to contact me throughout the school year with any questions or concerns. I am available before and after school each day by appointment if you need anything.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lisa Heaser

heaserlm@unit5.org

728-2278

Homework Expectations

Third grade is a big adjustment and it is an expanding year for your child. They will be given homework on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Monday night homework typically will be math, spelling, or science. Tuesday night homework will usually consist of reading the story from our language arts book. Wednesday night homework will usually consist of studying for spelling tests, and there will usually be another brief assignment. Thursday night will be reserved for make-up work. Please be sure that your child has a place and time reserved for homework each night. Supplies such as pencils and paper should be available as well. It is not my intention for the homework to last more than thirty minutes. If you find that your child is spending longer on homework, or if it becomes frustrating for you as well, please contact me so that I can help. Also, if it is a big struggle, stop working, and you or your child can let me know what happened and we can work it out.

If there is an absence, the students have one day per absence to make up the work. For example, if they are out for three days, they have three days to make up the work once they come back. I understand that things happen and maybe your child will not get to homework once in a while. Please feel free to send a note to explain such situations. This policy is mainly for students to gain responsibility, and usually cuts back on "forgetting" homework.

Any pre-arranged absences, such as a vacation or special situation, homework will not be sent ahead of time. The students will have all work waiting for them when they return to school. The same time frame will apply – one day per each day missed.

NO NAME – Every paper graded has points, however, points will be deducted if the name is not on the paper. In other words, name is not on the paper, then they will lose that point. Keep in mind, if the assignment is out of 25 points, and they miss a point for no name, they can still receive an A. However, if the assignment is out of 6 points, and they miss a point for no name, then their grade will not be an A. I feel that putting their name on their papers is a very important skill, and I will remind the students several times a day to check to see that their name is on their paper. It is very time consuming for me to have to go through the grade book and see which child did not turn in their homework…and if there are several students who forget their name on their papers, it can become a dilemna.

Late Work – Grades will be dropped ten percentage points if the assignment is late. Students will have ample time in class to work on assignments, and they will also be given "catch up" opportunities throughout the day.

 

Appointments or early pick-ups

If students need to leave for an appointment during the school day, please write a note letting me know what time you will be here. This gives me time to get their homework gathered if needed. Feel free to email as well, and I will reply with a short message so that you know I got the email. Please know that sometimes email is not working or transmitting, so I may not get them in time.

You must check in at the office and let one of the secretaries know that you are picking up your child and sign your child out. The office will notify me that you are on your way. Thank you for following these procedures to help keep our children safe.

***If students forget an item that you need to bring back to school, drop it off in the office and we will pick it up at our convenience. To keep distractions at a minimum, we will not allow items to be dropped off in the classroom this year. ***

Classroom Expectations

It is important that your child is at school on time each day. The first bell rings at 8:25, allowing students to line up in the multi-purpose room, then the second one at 8:30, to mark the start of our day. Our class is a team and we count on each other, so we hope to have a healthy year. It is very important this year that your child is on time, so that they can walk to the classroom with their classmates. Please be sure to call the office to report any absences.

Our classroom rules are to be safe, responsible, and respectful. This is our school PBIS policy and so in compliance with that, children are expected to follow those rules. In doing so, they will receive praise, character grams, and a classroom ticket reward system. We will do reward system every week. Just like our school character gram store, students can save their reward tickets for "higher priced items". If students break one of our rules, they will get a warning, then time out, loss of recess, to the principal’s office and a phone call home. If it is a repeated pattern, parents will be contacted and students will be put on a modified behavior plan. We will have class reward parties throughout the school year as well to reward all of the students for working so hard to achieve our PBIS goals.

Friday Folder

Each Friday a special folder will go home with your child. This will contain most of the papers from the week. Please take time to look through the assignments with your child, sign the folder, and return it to school on Monday. I encourage you to use this as a communication tool throughout the year. Remember, by signing it that is showing your child your continued support, and is also showing me that you looked through their work with them. This is a great opportunity to praise progress!

Assignment Notebook

 Each night the assignment notebook will go home. Please look for the homework stamp to validate your child’s notebook entry. On nights with no homework, I will not send the assignment book home (mainly Thursday and Friday). Be sure to ask your child each night for their assignment book. This will keep the communication line open. Signing it each night will earn your child a sticker in their book each day or a ticket from the classroom. Any questions or daily comments can be written in the assignment book as well. I do not send it home over the weekend.

Grading

The third graders will be given letter grades this year in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science. The grading scale is as follows.

90-100 % A

80-89 %   B

70-79 %   C

60-69 %   D

0-59   %   F

Please look to Skyward on the internet to see student’s grades. If you don’t know your family’s access code, please contact the office and if you do not have internet access, please contact me and I can get you an update of your student’s grades at that time. We will have report cards sent home 3 times a year and one parent teacher conference. Please know at any time that you feel we need a conference, contact me to set up a time for us to meet.

Birthday Treats

Birthdays will be celebrated on the student’s birthday if it is during the school year. If they have a summer birthday, we will celebrate their half birthday. Please keep in mind that we are in school, and this is not the time or place for your child’s birthday party. If you would like to send treats in with your child, that would be great, but it is not a requirement. We are encouraging good eating habits, so fruits and vegetables are encouraged for treats. Regardless, all snacks need to be individually packaged and ready to pass out. I don’t have time to cut and prepare treats during the school day. I ask that if you send in drinks, have those individually packed as well.

Here is a list of some possible items:

Fresh fruit, veggies (carrots, celery), string cheese, yogurt, fruit snacks.

Newsletters & Website

A newsletter will go home every other Friday reviewing our weeks and relaying information to you. This will be on colored paper and will go home in the Friday Folder.

Please check our class website regularly to see any important news and reminders that may need special attention. The class homepage will have any announcements that come up on a day to day basis. It will not be updated daily, but it will reflect any important deadlines that you and your child should be aware of.

Post this packet where you can refer to it throughout the school year. My contact information is as follows:

 

Lisa Heaser

728-2278 Towanda Elementary School

662-0363 Home phone

(I do ask that unless it is an emergency, please contact me before 9:00 at home. I do have 3 children of my own to settle into bed and get ready for school the next day. E-mail is a great source to contact me throughout the evenings. Please let me know how you would like me to respond back to you, e-mail, note home, or phone call)

heaserlm@unit5.org

Thank you and I look forward to a great school year.

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