Classroom Procedures

Welcome to third grade. I am delighted to be working with your child this year. A new school year is an exciting time for children and teachers. From time to time I will put in a "home phone call" to touch base with you on your child. I am looking forward to a happy and successful year.

Arrival and Dismissal

Please have your child arrive on time each day. Students enter the classroom at 7:55. The late bell rings at 8:05. If your child arrives after 8:05 he/she must go directly to the health office for a late pass. Please notify the school if your child is going to be absent. When your child returns to school please write a note regarding his/her absence. In the event of an absence due to a vacation the school should be notified in advance.

The students are dismissed each day at 2:30 PM. and bus students are dismissed at 2:25 PM. If your child is going home a different way than usual, please send in a note or call the main office. Your child must be signed out in the main office if you are picking your child up before dismissal.

Visitors

All visitors must report to the main office to sign in and receive a visitor's pass. If you are dropping off items, these are to be left in the main officer for your child to pick up at a convenient time so as to avoid classroom interruptions.

Homework

Students will have homework Monday through Thursday. All homework will be put in their homework folders. Homework assignments will be written in their homework assigment book and homework assignments can be accessed from my web page by clicking on the homework link. A student receives a check if homework is not turned in the next morning. Each time a student receives a check for not having homework, he/she will stay in at recess for 5 or 10 minutes and will then go outdoors to finish his/her recess time. If a student receives no checks fo that month a free homework pass is received to use for the following month on any one homework assignment. Homework checks do not carry over to the next month. Everyone begins the new month with no checks.

If your child is absent due to sickness, it would be most beneficial to him/her to have the day's work picked up after school, providing the child is well enough to do the work. If your child is going to be absent for more than one day, please return the completed work from the day before when you pick up the current classroom assignments.

When a student is absent from school for a vacation that is not scheduled on the school calendar, the missed work will be given to your child when he/she returns to school. a reasonable amount of time will be given to complete the work.

Signed Folders

This is where students put all corrected seatwork and homework papers and notices from the school and me. The signed folder is to be taken home every night. It is the responsibility of your child to make sure one parent sign the calendar box every night. Your child receives a sticker when the folder is returned the following morning, providing it has been signed. This system lets me know that you are aware of what is going on in our classroom every day and that papers are reaching home and are seen.

Readers' Bookshelf

A detailed explanation of this program is sent home at the very beginning of school. This proves to be a very successful program for students. I encourage students to read independently as much as they can every night. Just a reminder that the requirement is to read three books each cycle. Books assigned for the literary circle, should your child join this program, will not count towards readers' bookshelf as readers' bookshelf is part of their homework assignments, not a lunchtime activity by choice. There will be lottery drawings to receive free books at the end of each cycle. There are three cycles to this program. There is also the opportunity for your child's name to be put on the Wall of Fame for reading ten books in one cycle.

Current Events

The class will be responsible for presenting current event articles. Current event will be assigned to four or five students on a Monday and they have until Thursday to bring their article in. Current event sheets for the information to be written on will go home with the child. The news can be local, state, national or world news. Please help your child choose an appropriate news article. It is also helpful to review/discuss the article with your child so he/she will feel comfortable when presenting their piece.

Medications

All medications should be given to the health office if taken during school hours. This also includes cough drops.

Book Orders

Once a month your child will bring home an order form from Scholastic Book Club. If you wish to order, fill out the form and make a check payable to Scholastic Book Club. No cash, please. If ordering from two different order forms, one check only needs to be written to Scholastic.

Birthdays and Invitations

When it is your child's birthday he/she may bring in a birthday treat. Please try to have the treat be all the same so there will be no difficulty with student choices. It is best if the treats are brought in with your child in the morning and the class will enjoy the treat during lunch period or later in the day in the classroom. Extra treats for other teachers and students in other classes are not permitted. Arrangements for students with summer birthdays will be made in June. Please do not send invitations to school to distribute unless everyone in the class (or all boys/girls) is invited.

Miscellaneous

Each day the students are requested to bring a water bottle (no juice or soda) to school which they will keep on the floor where they are sitting. Due to the later lunch for third grade this year, the students are asked to bring a small, simple snack that they would be able to eat while we are working.