While you wait… Locate your child’s desk and make yourself comfortable! Complete all items in the Forms, Forms, Forms! packet. Write a note to your child on the index card. Leave it on the desk and put your child’s name on it. They will love it!

Mrs. Kern’s Classroom Room 220

“The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.” ~Walt Disney

“Owl About” Mrs. Kern

Behavior Management

BYOT – Bring Your Own Technology All classrooms at Discovery are now considered to be BYOT. This initiative invites children to bring in their own personal devices from home – iPads, Chromebooks, laptops, etc. We will use the devices for academic purposes only: Reflex, Aleks, Achieve 3000, RAZ Kids, etc. Please be sure that the device that you send in with your child is one that your child knows how to use on his or her own and is already equipped with the necessary applications.

Belongings Please make sure that all items that your child brings to school are clearly labeled. Many coats, sweaters, gloves, and hats look alike. Please leave all toys at home, as these items tend to get lost or broken.

Birthdays Birthdays are very special in Room 220! We will celebrate your child with a birthday song, and he or she will receive a birthday card and pencil. According to the Loudoun County Food Policy, “no food is to be brought into and shared within the classroom” for purposes of a birthday celebration. If your child would like to bring something in, he or she may bring a favorite book for the classroom library or game for indoor recess. If you plan to invite every student of Room 220 to a birthday party for your child, I am happy to distribute invitations.

Book Orders Approximately once a month, I will send home Scholastic Book Club flyers, which offer books at reduced prices. This is a great way to encourage your children to select “just right” books and excite them about reading. Look for the first round of flyers in the next couple of weeks!

Classroom Visits We love parent volunteers! You may also visit to have lunch with your child. Our lunch is from 11:35-12:05 each day. If you need to speak with me, please contact me to make arrangements prior to coming in. When you visit the classroom, please make sure to stop in the Main Office where you will sign-in and retrieve a visitor badge. Even if you are a regular school volunteer, please make sure to sign-in.

Communication - Agendas This year, your child will receive an assignment book (agenda). In it, your child will record homework, reminders, and upcoming test dates. Your child is responsible for recording math and reading practice when it is assigned (usually Monday-Thursday). I may also jot notes in your child’s book occasionally. Please review your child’s assignment book each night and help him or her use it wisely. This changes in the fourth quarter! Lastly, please initial at the bottom of the page each night to help us know that you are helping your child use his or her agenda.

Communication - Conferences Conferences will be held at the end of the first grading period, during the week of October 30. An online sign-up will be sent out in early September. Look for information in the weekly newsletter! We can also schedule conferences at any time during this school year upon your request, but please inform me of your concerns so I can be prepared to adequately address them.

Communication - Email My main form of communication is via email. My email address is heather.kern@lcps.org. Weekly newsletters will be sent electronically once per week. E-mail responses are almost always within one business day. If there are urgent matters during the day, such as a change of dismissal, please contact the front office – do not e-mail me! If you do not have Internet access at home, please let me know ASAP!

Communication – Thursday Folders We will also be sending home a blue pocket folder, called the Thursday Folder, every Thursday. This folder will contain any information from the school and the class, as well as graded and returned work from the week. Please check this folder every week, remove and review its contents with your child, and return the folder on the next school day.

Communication - Website Please check our third-grade website for information about third-grade teachers, our supply list, curriculum by the quarter, study guides, special events, links to special websites, and other information pertaining to our whole grade level. To find my page, go to the Discovery ES webpage (www.lcps.org/des), hover over Classrooms, and then choose Third Grade from the drop-down menu. Lastly, click Mrs. Kern’s class.

Dismissal Changes/Absences Please send in a note or call the office in a timely manner. In addition to a note or phone call, please email dis-absentee@lcps.org and myself. Each day in the classroom is important; therefore, if your child will be absent due to an appointment or family trip, please inform me as soon as possible.

Grading

Homework WHY HOMEWORK? There will generally be homework every day, Monday through Thursday. Homework will consist of reading at least twenty minutes each night. In the event of an upcoming test, studying (preferably with an adult or older sibling) can be substituted for independent reading. Students will have a required Reading Log to be filled out nightly. In addition to reading, your child needs to practice his or her math facts for at least 10 minutes each night. This can be done by making and reviewing flashcards or spending time on one of our online math programs such as Reflex or Aleks. Assignments should not take more than approximately 30 minutes each night.

Lunch & Snack Packers: Please send your child’s lunch in a clearly labeled lunch box. Buyers: Please send all money to school in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch number clearly indicated. You may wish to consider the lunch account option to relieve yourself from the daily chore of gathering loose change. Please send in a healthy snack each day. Water bottles are a necessity!

Specials Schedule Day of Week Special Monday Music and PE* Tuesday Art and SEARCH/Counseling (alternating) Wednesday PE* Thursday Friday Library *Please make sure your child wears appropriate clothing and sneakers on P.E. days.

Standardized Testing Testing in third grade includes the SOLs, Virginia Standards of Learning tests, which assess comprehensive knowledge in content areas of reading and mathematics, and measure achievement of students against objectives and skills defined by standards set by the state of Virginia. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/index.shtml Further information about both of these tests will follow in the springtime.

Tardiness School begins promptly at 7:50 AM. If you drive your child to school, please provide ample time for him or her to be in the classroom and settled by 7:50 AM. Students who purchase breakfast need to be in the classroom with their food by 7:50 as well.

Thank you SO much for coming tonight! I am excited to begin this school year with your child and to create a comfortable, safe, loving, and energizing environment for him or her! Don’t forget to join the PTO! Questions? Comments? heather.kern@lcps.org (571)-252-2370 Thursday, August 24!