Welcome to Third Grade! Curriculum Night

Meet the Teachers Team One: Ms. Weiss – Math and Science Mrs. Savage – Language Arts and Social Studies Mrs. Fitzsimmons – Special Education Co-teacher Team Two: Mrs. James – Language Arts Ms. Kurtz – Math Mrs. Weatherly – Social Studies and Science

Homework Policy NEW DeKalb County Grading Policy Homework & Grading Your child can expect between 30-45 minutes of homework nightly. Reading for 20 minutes and 10 minutes of math fact practice is in addition to the above time. NEW DeKalb County Grading Policy Homework= 5% Projects= 25% Test/Quizzes= 30% Class Participation= 40% --------------------------------------- 100%

Vanderlyn Expectations Conduct Vanderlyn Expectations Follow directions the first time given. Maintain a quiet voice in the hallways. Keep hands, feet, and objects to self. Demonstrate respect for self, others, and school property. Conduct Grades Please use your child’s daily check sheet to monitor their conduct grades. S (Satisfactory)= 0-4 Checks N (Needs Improvement)= 5-9 Checks U (Unsatisfactory)= 10 or more checks

Student Absences Attendance We will collect missed work for students who are absent. Students will receive the missed assignments upon their return to school. Please plan vacations around the school calendar. It is extremely important that your child is at school every day. Please be sure to let us know why your child is absent so we can input your child’s absence correctly. If your child is ill, we must have written documentation. An email will not suffice.

Test Dates CoGat October 9 – October 15 ITBS CRCT April 16 – April 25

Common Core Why Common Core? To ensure that all students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in postsecondary education and the workforce. To ensure that students are receiving a high quality education consistently, from school to school and state to state. To provide a greater opportunity to share experiences and best practices within and across states that will improve our ability to best serve the needs of students.

Meeting Your Child’s Needs Differentiation Meeting Your Child’s Needs Throughout each subject, your child will experience differentiated instruction. We work to identify your children’s individual strengths, areas for growth, learning styles, and academic needs in order to implement instruction that allows for a positive and productive learning experience. This may look like station teaching, small group guided instruction, different classwork and homework assignments based on learning needs, etc.

Reading Goals Reading & ELA Deepen comprehension Increase vocabulary Foster a love for literature and authors that will last a lifetime . . . . that will last a lifetime.

Focus Making good book choices Making connections to personal experiences, other texts, and the world Visualizing to create mental images while reading Inferring and predicting Identifying important story elements Summarizing and synthesizing Understanding elements of fiction and nonfiction Exploring a variety of genres Reading aloud with fluency and expression Participating in Literature Circles

Math Math Goals All students will be able to divide and multiply up to the number 12. Yes, we do long division in 3rd grade! We will work on improving fact fluency with nightly homework. All students will tell time to the minute, measure elapsed time, and measure time before and after an hour. If you look to the next page of what every third grade math student should know, you will see there is a lot on there. This list are some of the main objectives of third grade. There will be a lot more. These first few weeks have been a review. As you know we are working on rounding right now which is a new concept for many students. We will also start adding with bigger numbers and subtract with regrouping.

Third Grade Science Units Heat Habitats of Georgia Pollution Rocks and Minerals Fossils Soil Magnets

Themes of Social Studies Beliefs and Ideals Conflict and Change Distribution of Power Individuals, Groups, Institutions Location Productions, Distribution, Consumption as of Study

Important Reminders VIP packets are sent home each Thursday. Please sign and return on Friday. Classroom check sheets are in your child’s agenda. These should be signed weekly. Homework can be expected each week night and may consist of projects, as well as daily assignments. Students will not have homework on Fridays. Please check agendas nightly.

Lunch and Snack Reminders Prepaid lunch money will be collected each day. Parents can also pay online at mylunchmoney.com Students may bring a light “healthy” snack. A small bag of crackers or fruit would be a good choice.

Visiting for Lunch You may visit during lunch Cafeteria Procedures Visiting for Lunch You may visit during lunch We do not allow fast food in the lunchroom – please do not bring it when visiting. The first ten minutes of lunch are “quiet eat time” – please help us enforce this by respecting the policy when visiting.

Birthday Celebrations Birthdays Birthday Celebrations On your child’s birthday, we will celebrate by: -presenting them with a homework pass -allowing them to sit with a friend at lunch *Students with summer birthdays can make arrangements with their homeroom teacher.

Potential Field Trips Field Trips Seminole Landfill Federal Reserve Stone Mountain Fernbank Science Center

Websites Please check our websites for information regarding: Homework Important dates Useful websites Electronic textbooks Much more….

Contact Information Email is the most effective way of reaching us. We check our email several times a day. In the event of a dismissal change, please send a note with your child in the morning. If there is an emergency during the day, please call the front office to make changes

Final Thoughts Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s performance. We will be contacting each parent to set up conferences after Labor Day.