August/September 2015Mrs. Weis’ ClassRoom 205 Welcome to 3 rd Grade Open House Please join us for Open House on Thursday, September 10 h. The evening starts with presentations in the Multi- purpose room. After that, you will have an opportunity to visit the classroom. I will be giving you a complete overview of our school day and school year. You will receive an entire packet of all classroom policies, responsive classroom philosophy and information about our entire curriculum. Please understand that I will be not be having conferences with parents at that time. I will have an online conference sign up sheet to discuss the success of your child. I will also have a classroom volunteer sheet available. During the first few weeks of school we will be getting familiar with our classroom, school and with each other. We will be learning routines and rules to establish a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. We will ease our anxieties about starting a new grade in a big school. We will begin introductory lessons in all subject areas. In a few weeks our classroom schedule is as follows: 8:35-8:55 Arrival, Unpack, morning work 9:00-9:45 Special 9:50-10:10 Morning Meeting 10:15-11:45 Reading/Writer’s Workshop 11:45-12:15 Science/Social Studies 12:25-1:30 Lunch/Recess 1:35-2:00 Quiet Time 2:00- 3:00 Math 3:05 Pack up 3:10 Dismissal (car riders/walkers/daycare) 3:22 Bus riders dismissed *Guidance will also be included into our schedule. Classroom Wellness Twenty three wonderful children do bring forth a lot of germs in a classroom. We try our best to take care of ourselves and others by using and disposing of tissues properly and cleaning our desks once a week. Here is some useful information and guidelines for adults and children that may be helpful in reducing the spreading of germs and keeping all of us healthy this school year. Practice good hygiene– wash your hands often. Do not share glasses or any food/drink with others. Stay home if you or your child are ill. Get a flu shot for both you and your child. As a working parent with a little one of my own, I do recognize how difficult it is to take off to stay home with a sick child. But, in the interest of all children, I ask you to use good judgment and keep a sick child home. Please keep in mind the health of others. In our classroom we have two stations of hand sanitizer and tissues. Students are encouraged and are responsible for taking care of their personal hygiene and personal desk space. Please practice good hygiene with your child as we will be practicing it in school. Third graders need a lot of practice and reminders with this. Taking care of ourselves takes care of others too. Bathroom Pass All students may use the bathroom as needed. The bathroom pass is open all day: when students arrive in the morning, during instructional time after directions are given, learning center time, Writer’s Workshop, lunch, recess, quiet time and at the end of the day during pack up before dismissal. Please encourage your child to wash their hands after using the restroom and returning promptly back to class. Birthdays! We have 4 September birthdays to celebrate! Giovanna’s birthday is on the 3 rd, Dakarai’s birthday is on the 15 th, John M’s birthday is on the 20 th and Alexander’s birthday is on the 28 th. Happy Birthday! If you’d like your child to celebrate their birthday with our class, please notify me. Since our school day schedule is jam packed, birthday treats will be sent to the cafeteria to share and celebrate during lunch. PLEASE make sure that any food you send in is nut free! Peanuts and tree nuts are not allowed. Healthy Snack! Due to a late lunch, we will have “working snack” in our classroom to help boost our energy and focus. That means that the students can have a healthy, dry snack as we continue our work. Some ideas for a dry, healthy snack are: Cheese sticks *Crackers Granola/cereal bars* Fruit snacks Dried fruit* Dry cereal NO CANDY, CHIPS or COOKIES! Water bottles are also welcome!