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Our class is made up of 19 wonderful students. We have 10 boys and 9 girls. Third grade is an exciting time for everyone! Third graders have a very busy schedule. Students spend their time working on projects, experiments, research and many other activities. Organization is a very important skill that we will practice every day by using our agendas. You will see tremendous growth in your child this year!
Homework:
Homework is assigned nightly, Monday through Thursday, with some exceptions to ongoing projects over the weekends. It is expected that third graders do approximately 30 minutes of homework each night. Homework assignments are written on the board each day along with special reminders for students to record in their “Agendas” (assignment book). Agendas are special notebooks that each student in my class will be given on the first day of school. It is VERY IMPORTANT that students have these Agendas with them AT ALL TIMES. Your child should bring the Agenda to school each day and to take it home at the end of the day. The Agenda is also a great tool for parents and teachers to communicate by writing important notes/information. Please refer to their agenda each night for homework assignments. If it is possible to give advance notice on an assignment, I will be sure to have your child record it in their agenda.
Typically, homework will consist of two subjects a night such as a math assignment and spelling assignment (There may be some exceptions). These assignments are due the day after they are listed in the agenda.*Please note however, Reader's Responses will be assigned on Mondays and are due each Thursday. This response may be completed and turned in at any time by Thursday throughout the week. This way, you and your child can decide when it is most convenient for them to complete their response. At times, there will be projects assigned that will have a future due date. Students will be able to work on these assignments at their own pace based on their organized timeline.
One Last Thing…
Written homework should take approximately 30 minutes each night (in addition to the 20 minutes of reading). That is, your child should spend 30 minutes of concentrated effort on their work. If your child ever works this hard and yet finds they are having extreme difficulty finishing a given assignment, please have them stop. Then, send me a note explaining the problem.
Nightly Reading (every night & 7 days a week):
Students are expected to read orally and/or silently at home every night for 20 minutes. This is in addition to the homework assignments. Please encourage your child to read something on their reading level. I try to encourage creative ways to incorporate reading into their daily lives. You can read to your child. They can read to you. They can read to a younger/older sibling or vise versa. There are books on tape, fun magazines subscriptions and great chapter books! I encourage children to take books on car rides to the doctor’s office or when they are picking up their sister at dance class. A weekly trip to the Library can be a sought after tradition for years to come.
I will also offer a monthly Scholastic Book Club order through our classroom if you are interested. This is a great way to get kids excited about books and pick themes of interest!
Classroom Expectations:
Our classroom must be one with harmony and respect to all persons and property. Harwinton Consolidated School operates under a set of four school-wide positive expectations:
1. Respect others
2. Respect property
3. Be responsible
4. Be safe.
These expectations are taught and modeled in all areas of school-life. Students are able to earn Husky High Fives when demonstrating these positive behaviors and earn rewards that reinforce positive choices.
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Our class also has a whole class reward system. As we work together throughout the day the class can earn "letters" to a hidden mystery word or words (much like Wheel of Fortune). This hidden word is actually the words of the reward. When all of the letters have been shown, the class earns that reward! This is a fun way for us to work together as a team. Students enjoy earning the mystery letters and figuring out the mystery reward!
Classroom Behavioral Modification System:
I would like to explain our classroom behavior modification system. A traffic light hangs in our classroom. On the outside of the traffic light are clothespins with each student’s name on them. Every student starts the day off on the green light. The green light symbolizes expected behavior. If the students are not following the classroom expectations they move their own names up to the yellow light. This yellow light is a warning light. If they are still not following class expectations they will move themselves to the red light. Then a note will go home to explain what happened, and if need be, a phone call. If you have any questions please contact me.
Our Class Mascot:
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This year our class has adopted a classroom husky puppy (stuffed animal). Students will participate in activities such as a writing contest for naming our mascot. Students will also be able to ‘puppy sit’ our class mascot over the weekends. Students can sign up for a particular weekend. The puppy comes with a backpack, books about Husky dogs, and a journal. Students will read what other people did on their weekend adventures with our mascot and write about their own adventures. Students are encouraged to take pictures of places they go with the puppy and attach to our class journal! I hear Husky dogs like to go on ski vacations and local fairs! Read about where our family found this lost dog and who he already meet with the O’Connor family this summer! *Each student must sign up for at least one weekend with our mascot. A year calendar will be place in the classroom where students can pick a fun weekend that works for you and your family! I will try to post pictures of your adventures with our Husky on our classes’ webpage. So, send them in!
* Be sure to check on the "What's Hot" link of "Our Mascot" to learn more about our class mascot.
Personal Belongings:
Please remember to have labels with your child’s name on personal belongings. This is very helpful when locating a lost item. Also, please remember that toys and games are not allowed at school. This includes Webkins, Pokemon and any other item that can be lost, broken or misplaced.
Snack:
There will be time in the morning provided for a working snack each day. I would like to encourage a nutritious snack, e.g. a piece of fruit, vegetable sticks, cheese, granola bars, etc. for this time. This snack will be eaten while working, so the easier to be eaten, the better. (Fruit cups with syrup are often messy, so I would like to discourage them.) PLEASE do not send in a drink for snack time. Water bottles are allowed.
Buses/Dismissal:
Buses and dismissal schedules have been sent in and set up with the main office over the summer. If there is a variation to the dismissal plan, please send a note with details of the change.
Classroom Book Orders:
I will be sending home order forms for Scholastic books monthly. This is a wonderful (and cost effective) way to build up your child’s library. It also encourages children to pick books of interest to them. Students are so excited to look through the book selections and even more excited the day the books arrive! *If any parent is interested in coordinating the books orders for our class this year, please let me know.
Birthdays:
We would love to celebrate your child’s birthday! If you would like to send in cupcakes or a small snack for the entire class in celebration, please send a note/email indicating the day the snack will be sent in. If your child has a summer birthday, we will celebrate his/her birthday at the end of the school year. If you would like a creative alternative to cupcakes or food some parents have opted to come in a read a story to the class and donate the book to our class library in honor of their child. Other options would be to donate a class game or a small class craft. If you would like to try one of these options, please let me know at least a week in advance due to the demanding schedule of third grade.
School Shopping:
Children often enjoy shopping for new school supplies. Although I will provide pencils, the “Agenda”, crayons, glue, scissors, dry erase markers, single subject notebooks (to start the year off), folders and pencil cases for the children to use/share, your child may bring in his/her own special supplies to keep inside his/her desk. If you are shopping we use lots of single subject notebooks throughout the year. I find that single subject notebooks work the best for organizing subjects and tasks. Pocket folders are also a great way to stay organized throughout the year. The above items are used frequently in Third Grade. (I prefer not to have large binders in the desks because they take up too much room.)
Classroom donations: If you would like to donate an item to the classroom during the year Ziploc bags, glue sticks, OLD/USED TENNIS BALLS, (for the bottoms of chairs and desks)and dry erase markers are always appreciated. We are also always looking for unwanted/used games for indoor recess. I also like to keep a craft bucket for indoor recess (buttons, felt, string, fabric, etc.). If you would like to get rid of any of these items our class can always use them!
Parent Connections/Resources:
I believe that a strong home-school relationship is very important. Please remember that I am always here for you and your child. You may contact me with any questions or concerns that you might have throughout the year. You may also send a note in your child’s Agenda that will go back and forth from school to home every day. Also, feel free to contact me through a telephone call to the school (485-9029) and leave a voice message (I check them daily), or my email address: o’connorr@region10ct.org.
I look forward to working with you and your child this year!
Sincerely,
Rhea O’Connor