September 4, 2015
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Our school year is underway! It has been great getting to know the
children the past couple of days. We
have spent a lot of time learning classroom routines and getting familiar with
each other. We have a wonderful class!
To help you better understand how things are
working this year, I’d like to share how we will be doing a few things in our third
grade learning community.
…
Beaver Folders:
All
students have a white school-issued folder that they will bring home with them
every day. Inside the folder you will find homework that needs to be completed,
notes from myself and the office, as well as any finished homework your child
may have done. Please take a moment to
check the folder each week, and make sure your child brings it back to school
every day. It is important for us to
communicate and this is a great way for us to keep in touch.
Unfinished & Absent Work:
Any
work not completed during the day will be sent home to be finished and returned
the next day. If your child is absent,
he/she will need to complete the work that was missed. Students will have a fair and appropriate
amount of time to finish any assignment they may have missed.
Math/ Homework:
Riverside Elementary utilizes the Everyday Math program for math instruction. Specifically, third grade’s math curriculum
involves group work, hands-on activities, problem solving, logical thinking,
and decision-making lessons. You can expect your child to have math
homework every week. Math homework is
intended to help reinforce concepts learned in class. I will always
explain how to do these assignments before students are sent home. Your
child should not be spending more than 30 minutes on math homework. If
this is the case, please jot me down a note at the top your child's homework,
and I will work with your child one-on-one in the morning to complete the work.
It is important to also note that students can, and are encouraged to,
bring home their math notebook to help them in completing their homework.
Independent Reading:
The amount of free
reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth
in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information
(Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988; Greaney 1980; Guthrie and Greaney 1991;
Taylor, Frye, and Maruyama 1990). Students who read independently become better
readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have
greater content knowledge than those who do not (Krashen 1993; Cunningham and
Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993). Please set aside at least 20 minutes each night for your child to read
independently or even better, aloud to you.
Planners:
Planners are another
way that we communicate with each other on a daily basis. At the end of
each day, we will fill out planners together with brief information in each
subject area so as to communicate what was learned each day. Please check
and sign their planner every day. By signing your child’s planner, you are
communicating to me that your child is completing their homework (this includes
their 20 minutes of independent reading each day). On occasion, I may write you a note in your
child's planner. Likewise, feel free to jot down a note in your child's
planner for me to read, as well.
Students know to show me their planners in the morning if they have
parent notes. Every Friday I will check to see that planners are signed.
I will always let students know a day ahead of time when we will be
checking planners. Students who have more than two signatures missing
will lose a ticket (for every 2 signatures missing, 1 ticket will be taken away).
Behavior
& Classroom Management:
Clip Chart
As a part of our school wide Positive Behavior
Support initiative, each class will use a clip chart to encourage positive
behavior. This is a fluid chart that travels with students throughout the
day. Please see below for an outline and
description of the chart.
- Role
Model (RM)
- Our qualification for Role
Model have changed this year. At the end of each day,
students on Super Star may be moved up to Role Model, if homeroom teacher
deems appropriate.
- Super Star (SS)
- Way to Go (WTG)
- Ready to Learn
(RTL)
- Students begin here every day!
- Make Better
Choices (MBC)
- Stop and Think
(SAT)
- Parent Contact
(PC)
Clip Hall of Fame
Our qualifications for Clip Hall of Fame have changed this year. This year, to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame, students must be name a Role Model 20 times.
Tickets
In addition to our clip chart, each class will also continue using our ticket management system. I have found this behavior management system to be the most effective in third-fifth grade classrooms. Please read below.
Our qualifications for Clip Hall of Fame have changed this year. This year, to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame, students must be name a Role Model 20 times.
Tickets
In addition to our clip chart, each class will also continue using our ticket management system. I have found this behavior management system to be the most effective in third-fifth grade classrooms. Please read below.
- Each child will begin each week with 2 tickets on Monday. Students can also earn tickets by exhibiting positive behavior throughout the week. If your child turns in all homework and has all signatures in their planner on Friday, they will keep all their tickets throughout the week. On Friday, we will check planners and have our weekly raffle for classroom rewards and incentives.
- Students will lose a ticket if they...
- ...do not complete homework on time
- ...are missing more than 2 signatures in their planners on Friday. For every 2 signatures missing, 1 ticket is lost.
...
As always, please feel free
to email or call with questions or concerns.
Homework:
- Read 20 minutes
Reminders:
- Red Parent Permissions Form: Due ASAP
- No School: Monday, September 7.
- Picture Day: Tuesday, September 8.
- World's Finest Chocolate (PTA): There are still plenty of boxes of World's Finest Chocolates left. Please sign out a box and help your PTA earn money for your school. Each box contains 60 items ($60). Money will be due 2 weeks after you check out candy. Sign out sheets are available in the lobby on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings between 8:30-9:00 AM, or you can see Donna or Cara in the office for a box. Main Office: 410-612-1560
Classroom Supplies:
Thank you,
Mrs. O'Neill
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