3rd Grade Open House Welcome Parents!

About Us Ms Goldman: This is my 7th year teaching at Mater Gardens Academy, but my 1st year teaching 3rd grade! I’m really excited to be working with you and your children this year! I grew up in South Florida and went to school at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) I have 2 sisters, a dog named Lucy, and I love to travel and read! Mrs. Castro will be our interventionist this year. She will be working with your students daily along side of me. Mrs. Castro has 2 kids, Alyssa and Angelo and has a real cute pup named Fitz too!

Attendance Policy School starts at 8:00 A.M. (Note the new time) If your child is not in the classroom by the time the bell rings, please have him/her check in at the school office before coming to class. A maximum of 10 handwritten notes will be allowed. If a student is absent 3 times without an excused note, they will receive a referral note. After 10 tardies, a student will receive a referral. Please send a note to school with your child the day they return to school. Absences can only be excused before 72 hours. For every 10 early dismissals, a student will receive a referral. Early dismissal: Students must be in school until 10:30 in order for it not to be counted as an unexcused absence.

Dismissal Dismissal: Dismissal will be at 3:00 every day, except Wednesdays when dismissal will be at 2:00. We will be conducting dismissal from the classroom this year. Students will be kept in the classroom until their name is called. If your child is going home with someone other than you, that person MUST be listed on their Emergency Contact Card or the child will not be released. Please provide a written note prior to dismissal if your child’s dismissal will be different that day. Students who are walkers/bikers MUST complete a “Permission to Walk/Bike Home” paper. Dismissal will be different the first 2 weeks of school, but then the new system will begin.

Drop Off Procedures Parents are permitted in the classroom on the first day of school, after that they will no longer be allowed in the building without a visitor's pass. After the first day, students are expected to go to the cafeteria until 7:50 when they will be walked to their classroom. Any student arriving after 7:50 should go straight to the classroom.

Uniform Policy Students are required to wear the proper uniform Students that do not follow policy will not be able to return to class unless the proper uniform is in place If a student does not follow the guidelines 3 or more times, they will receive a referral All students are to wear uniforms everyday, unless a school function is being held, like UMATER, which may allow for them to wear different attires Fridays are jeans day for $1.00

Volunteer Clearance ANYONE planning to enter the building at any time for any reason MUST apply online through dadeschools.net to be a volunteer. You will not be able to enter the building without a volunteer number. This must be re-done EVERY school year. AFTER signing up you must make sure you’ve returned the volunteer paper in your welcome packet.

DON’T FORGET TO SEND RECEIPTS Volunteer Hours It is mandatory that parents complete 30 hours per student and 15 hours for each sibling, as per parent contract. Each hour is equivalent to $5. 15 hours must be completed by January. Many events are coming up in order to complete some hours. Hispanic Heritage Book Fair Night World’s Finest Chocolate Sales Please remember to register via the portal for a volunteer number. DON’T FORGET TO SEND RECEIPTS

Parent Portal Please check routinely for grades in the parent portal, this will be the best way to stay up to date with your child’s grades. Parents need a pin number, please contact the office staff if you do not have one.

PTO Join the School-Wide “Classroom Messenger” Code: Q3D7XH Visit the cafeteria today to inquire about more information Apply for Homeroom Representative DUE: Friday, August 30th

New Birthday Procedures Birthday parties are only to be held 1 time per month. They will take place the last 30 minutes of the day. Parties will be limited to cake/cupcakes & drinks The Homeroom Representative will coordinate a day/time with the birthdays for that month.

Communication Procedure The best way to communicate is contacting the teacher is via e-mail, notes in the agenda book or via classroom messenger. Administration requests that you contact the teacher prior to contacting the Leadership Team

Grading Scale 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 59 or lower = F Homework: 10% Classwork: 30% Projects: 10% Tests/Quizzes: 50%

Classroom Expectations The subjects we cover during 3rd grade are: Reading & Language Arts Writing Math Science Social studies Spanish ****Stay tuned for information on upcoming novels

FSA/Portfolios Math Reading Portfolios begin in January Weekly Cold-Read Tests different standards The district uses it for promotion Not permitted to go home

Homework Procedures Students will be given homework on a daily basis. Students are to complete homework according to directions given by the teacher and be returned daily in their homework folder. After the 4th missed homework assignment a detention will be issued to be served on Tuesday’s after school from 3:15-4:15. Not completing homework will also result in an unsatisfactory stamp in their agenda for the day. All unsatisfactory stamps do need to be signed by the next school day to prevent a detention from being issued. No late homework will be accepted unless absent. Homework is due on the day your student returns to school. Missed homework assignments may affect your child’s “Homework” grades Homework will not be written on your teacher’s website, so it is important that your child copies their homework on a daily basis. We encourage you to check your child’s agenda book daily to guarantee their homework is being completed. Any missing homework assignments will reset at the beginning of every semester.

Classroom Management Plan 1st time : Verbal warning 2nd time : A yellow stamp will be issued in agenda along with a note describing the behavior. All stamps are to be signed by the very next day your child returns to school. 3rd time: A red stamp will be issued in the agenda book along with a note describing the behavior. All stamps are to be signed by the very next day your child returns to school. 4th time : Detention issued Severe Disruption: Immediate Referral to Administration (conduct grade lowered to an F) 3 Detentions will result in a referral. 3 Referrals will result in the loss of 3rd Grade Activities At the end of the day the students will have their agenda’s stamped. If a student receives 5 green stamps at the end of the week they will be allowed to visit the class treasure box. Students who receive 3 red stamps will be issued an after school detention. Excessive red stamps will result in the loss of privileges such as; field trips, class activities and other special school events.

Our Classroom Economy Jobs Salary Bonus Fines Auctions

Electronics This year we are encouraging the use of tablets, but for educational purposes only. Please speak with your children about not leaving them in school/lending them out. Please make sure they are charged before sending to school. We will be using them for “I-Ready,” reading stories and when students are done with their work. Please do not go out and purchase one, we will have some classroom ones as well as our computers.

Study Habits Study on a daily basis Study ahead of time Use Flash Cards Highlight important information Get into the habit of using Quizlet

Shoparoo/Box Tops Download App Take pictures of your receipts Earn points/money for the school We will be collecting Box Tops all year, please send with your child.

Classroom Messenger Download the Class Messenger App It is used for reminders and announcements Class code: TQ4V94

Contact Information I look forward to having a great year with your child. Should you need to contact me, please do so by calling (305) 512-9775 or by email. jgoldman@matergardens.com www.matergardens.com

Due Dates Supplies are due no later than Tuesday, PLEASE have them labeled and ready to go. Please have “Welcome Packets” in no later than Friday, August 26, 2016. Contact Cards due Friday Lunch forms due Friday Parent Contracts due Friday

Wish List 1. Clorox Wipes 2. Tissues 3. Hand Pump Hand Sanitizer 4. Large & Small Ziploc Baggies 5. EXPO Only Erasers and EXPO only Spray 6. Magic Erasers 7. Paper Towels 8. Small individually wrapped candies (Starburst, Hershey Kisses, Life Savers, etc. NO PEANUTS) 9. Small individually wrapped snacks (Chips, Cookies, Fruit Snacks, NO PEANUTS) 10. Classroom Economy Auction Donations 11. Post it Notes 12. Large chart paper 

Let’s Have a Great Year!