The ABCs of Third Grade

ABCs of 3rd Grade

ABSENCES: Much of our learning takes place together in class. We do lots of hands-on activities and group work. Please plan to attend school every day, except in cases of illness or emergencies. If your child will be absent, please call the HM office at 367-2160.

ARRIVAL for school begins at 7:55 am. The student day will begin at 8:05 am and end at 2:30 pm.    Please remember that there will be no school supervision before 7:55 am.  Also the office will be closing at 3:15 pm daily. 

BREAKFAST: Breakfast is $1.00 this year unless your child has free or reduced lunch. 

BIRTHDAYS: If you would like to send a treat with your child on or near his/her birthday, please feel free to do so. Please only include treats that can be eaten without the use of utensils (cupcakes or small treat bags are preferred) These treats will be eaten during our lunch. If your child has a summer birthday, you may send in treats on his/her “half-birthday.” Please do not send birthday party invitations to be distributed at school unless all children in our class receive an invitation. 

BOOK ORDER FORMS will be sent home for you and your child to look over every month or two. Book clubs offer fantastic deals! Checks should be made payable to SCHOLASTIC.
 
CONFERENCES are held twice throughout the school year. Watch for information and reply accordingly. We are also available to conference as needed, however, we will need to schedule a time convenient for both of us. 

COMMUNICATIONS FOLDERS help keep us organized. This purple folder houses important information that assists with communication between home and school. They should be taken home and returned to school DAILY.
 
DISMISSAL:  If there are any changes in home transportation, a note from home is required.
 
EMERGENCY MEDICAL FORMS should be on file in the office. If your address, or any of your phone numbers change, please inform the office (and us!).
 
EMAIL is our preferred method of communication because of the quick turn-around. If you have an email address that you check regularly, please provide it to us to maximize our communication.

FACT FLUENCY: It is important that your child practices his/her math facts every evening to improve his/her fact fluency. The students should be practicing multiplication every night!

GRADING: Students will be assessed using letter grades this year (E, M, P, L) based on their performance in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies.
 
HOME Challenges: A weekly home challenge menu will consist of math and reading practice. A science or social studies research project/assignment may also be assigned. Home Challenges will be given in the form of a menu to give students options. All Home Challenges are due on Friday. A minimum of 20 minutes of nightly reading is also expected for a total of 140 minutes a week. 

  INDEPENDENCE is a goal for students because it builds self-esteem and self-confidence. Third graders are very capable of doing many things on their own and I encourage them to do as much as they can for themselves in the classroom. Please encourage them to think through and problem-solve in everyday situations. 

JOURNALS (kept in binders) are used in for reading and math. They may be taken home as needed for the purposes of studying or sharing, however, they should be brought back to school as they are used frequently.
 
KEEP INFORMED by checking the Communications Folder daily for notes and information. Also, please check out my blog. We plan to update it regularly to share events, lessons, and photos from our classroom activities.  

LUNCH  Please send lunch money in with your child to add to his/her account. You are more than welcome to join your child and their friends for lunch in the cafeteria.


NEWSLETTERS will be done every week or two on our classroom website/blog. Please let us know if you need a paper copy. Important information is always included, so please read carefully. In addition, our school-wide newsletter is sent home each month.

OPEN HOUSE will take place on August 13 th. Come and meet your teacher!

PE  Students must wear sneakers daily. On non-PE days, we go outside for recess, so if your child likes to run or play on the playground equipment, it would be beneficial for them to wear sneakers daily. Flip flops are not allowed at school for safety reasons. 

PTO meets the second Tuesday of each month. Please come to the meetings to help design activities and fun events to help make this school year a blast. The PTO also does several book fairs throughout the year watch for information on those closer to time. Volunteering at PTO sponsored events is also a way to get involved here at Herbert Mills!

 
QUESTIONS: Instead of asking your child, “What did you do in school today?” ask, “What book did you read during independent reading?” or “What did you learn in math?” or “Tell me what you wrote about during Writing Workshop!” Show that you’re interested, and ask specific questions. Most likely, your child will respond positively and more openly.
 
REPORT CARDS will be sent home every nine weeks. Please see the district calendar for specific dates.
 
SUPPLIES: A supply list is available in the office. Please make sure your child is prepared for school every day with those essential items. Your child should also have supplies at home (as well as a quiet place to work) to complete at-home assignments. 

TARDIES: If your child arrives at school after the bell rings at 8:05am, a parent or guardian is required to walk him/her to the office to sign in. This is for the safety of your child.
 
UNIQUE: Each student in our classrooms is unique. We will do my best to differentiate instruction to ensure that all children get what they need to be successful in third grade.
 
VOLUNTEERS and VISITORS are welcome! There are many opportunities for you to be involved in the classroom this year. Be on the lookout for upcoming info. When you arrive at school to volunteer or visit, please register in the office and pick up a badge instead of coming directly to the classroom. This policy is for the safety of your children.

WISH LIST: Post-It Notes in interesting shapes or colors, colored copy paper, , dry erase markers, top-loading sheet protectors, cardstock (white and multicolored), multicolored pipe cleaners or Wikki Sticks, gently used games or puzzles for indoor recess or enrichment, toys or treats for our Treasure Box, amazon.com gift card to purchase books and other classroom items.

It is EXTRAORDINARILY important for your child to have a successful third grade YEAR. We will do our best to make learning fun and exciting – you can expect a lot of growth in so many different areas. It will seem as if the 2015-2016 school year will ZOOM by!