Mason Creek Elementary Ms. Woodfin’s 3rd Grade Mason Creek Elementary 2016-2017

About the Teacher I can honestly say that I love to work with children! It is a true joy to be in this profession and touch the lives of so many. I look forward to getting to know everyone, and I’m very excited to start this school year.  See you Monday!!

Departmentalizing This year 3rd grade will be changing classes!  Your child will have one teacher for reading and social studies, and another for math and science. Writing will also be taught by the homeroom teacher. The teams will be Mrs. Flotz/ Ms. Woodfin and Mrs. Kingeter/ Mrs. McKoy.

Morning Arrival Students arrive and are part of a school-wide morning assembly in the gym each day. From there, we will go to the classroom for morning procedures such as unpacking, making a lunch choice, attendance, etc.

Calendar Math Douglas County uses the Calendar Math series to help students review skills previously taught. It is used daily and word problems are practiced each day as well.

Science Science can be one of the most fun subjects! There are so many cool experiments to do. Our first unit is on habitats and I hope you know where you are and where to go. 

Math Math is always full of fun and games! Most 3rd graders can’t wait to learn multiplication and division. We start off with addition and subtraction and work our way to multiplication & division!!! Throughout all of our units, we will apply problem-solving skills using various strategies.

Special Areas We will be scheduled for special areas each day from 10:00-10:50. Our PE teacher is Coach Hurley. Art will be taught by Mrs. Bonds. Music will be taught by Ms. Robbins.

Lunch Our class is scheduled to have lunch from 10:55-11:25. We LOVE having Mrs. Henry as our school’s lunchroom manager. Ice Cream is generally sold on Fridays. Please send $1 with your child if he/she wishes to purchase ice cream at lunch. You can easily pay for lunch online or send it in with your child.

Lunch-Box Please be sure that if your child is bringing their lunch to school they have it with them upon leaving in the morning. In the event of a forgotten lunch, we have a table for parents to leave the lunch box and your child will pick it up on the way to lunch. Thank you for your help with this!

Lunch Visitors Parents/Guardians/Family are welcome to join us for lunch. We do ask for you to sit at the designated parent/student lunch areas to enjoy your special time. We also like for everyone (including parents) to follow the café procedures. Don’t worry, your child can help you learn them. 

Recess Recess gives students an opportunity to socialize with students from other classes and get physical exercise. Join your classmates and other 3rd graders for games and fun from 11:25-11:45.

Writer's Workshop Writing is such a powerful tool that communicates what students have learned in the content areas. Conferencing with students gives me an opportunity to work with each child individually.

Reading and Word Study We will be integrating science and social studies into our reading time. I am looking forward to some new book studies!

Social Studies Social studies will feature several famous Americans that have made their mark in Georgia. Students will learn positive character traits displayed by these individuals as well. We will also explore our democracy’s roots in Greece. Hopefully, some junior entrepreneurs will emerge as we study economics later in the year.

Afternoon Dismissal Students will be handed transportation cards before dismissal. Dismissal begins at 2:35 with announcements. Car riders are dismissed first at 2:40 and bus riders dismissed at 2:45 by grade level. Please send a note with transportation changes or call the office ahead. Make sure your child is aware if he/she has a note in the bookbag.

Homework Homework will be assigned nightly. Each Monday the students will write their homework for the week in their agenda, but the work is due on Friday. Homework serves as a review and will only include skills that have been taught.

Special Projects ...and Many More! Projects will reflect what students are learning. My goal is to make sure that projects are fun and help connect learning to home! The science fair is just one of several opportunities to showcase our children’s achievements and discoveries. Learning is a celebration!!! ...and Many More!

Communication Parent communication is an essential piece in your child’s education. We have several tools to help keep your child on track. Agendas are a daily form of communication between school and home. I check and respond to my email as soon as possible. You can leave a voicemail message after regular hours.

NotifyMe? What is NotifyMe? It is an online notification system that we at MAES use. All notifications will be sent out on Tuesdays along with pack facts. It will contain various information just to keep you in the loop about all the exciting times here at The Creek. If you are not signed up please do so by visiting the Douglas County website.

Let me know on the sign in sheet! Volunteers Wanted: willing adults to participate in various ways of helping our students achieve success Where: at home or at school When: tell me your availability How: making games by cutting or coloring, sending donations for a school project, etc. Let me know on the sign in sheet!

for taking the time to attend Thank You... for taking the time to attend Open House! I look forward to working with you and your child this year. It is going to be a wonderful year filled with exciting learning activities!