Welcome to Grade 3 The International School of Tanganyika

Grade 3 Has Four Classes 3W: Ms. Melanie and Ms. Winnie 3B: Ms. Joyce and Ms. Aida 3H: Ms. Elaine and Ms. Irene 3McP: Mr. John and Ms. Mariam

Teaching Assistants Ms. Aida – 3B Ms. Irene – 3H Ms. Mariam – 3M Ms. Winnie – 3W

Support Teachers Ms. Ruth – Learning Support Ms. Tamsin – EAL Support

Contact us! You can reach us by at... Elaine Hall: Joyce Bolyard: John McPherson: Melanie Wipf:

The Curriculum includes... PYP Units of Inquiry Everyday Math Sitton Spelling The 6+1 Writing Traits Nelson Handwriting

PYP Units of Inquiry Who We Are- Human Body How We Express Ourselves- Advertising How We Organize Ourselves- Economics Where We Are In Place and Time- Inspirational People Sharing the Planet- Water How The World Works- Plants

Parent Experts Wanted If you have a specific expertise related to one of our units we would love to have you come in and present your knowledge to our students. Please sign up on the sheet before you leave.

Assessment and Reports Ongoing assessment is used to inform teaching, provide feedback, and build a profile of children’s understanding. Written reports are prepared at the end of each semester. These are based on assessments, anecdotal notes and individual student continuums. Conferences occur twice per year in October (parent teacher) and March (student led).

Technology In Grade 3 Each classroom has a set of six laptops ICT integration occurs within the technology lab and in the classroom Grade level teachers work with ICT teachers to teach collaboratively Google Apps are introduced Resources aligned with our units can be found at the IST Grade 3 Blog which can be found at

Technology Continued PYP Technology Strands: create, investigate, collaborate, communicate, organize and responsible digital citizenship ****If you are getting from the Grade 2 blog, please “unsubscribe” from the

Special Days Interhouse Competitions occur about 4 times throughout the year. If you would like to help, please contact Ms. Straight. Assemblies occur about once per month. Grade 3 will perform at two assemblies this year.

Being Prepared for School Students are expected to: Wear the IST uniform (PE uniform on PE days) Bring a hat to school each day for outside play; “No Hat, Play in the Shade” Bring a water bottle with them each day Be at school and ready to learn by 7:10 Get a good nights sleep (8-10 hours) Leave toys, electronics and cell phones at home Come to school healthy and remain home if they are unwell Bring a healthy snack and lunch to school Make sure everything brought to school is labeled

Meals at School Please send healthy and nutritious food Please send enough food for both a snack and lunch and an additional snack on ASA days

Homework... Will be assigned weekly and typically involve open ended tasks for math, language and/or unit of inquiry. Students should be reading 20 minutes a day. Please help them set up a reading routine at home. We encourage students to take action with their learning at home and share their learning or independent projects with the class.

Homework Pointers Should be done in a quiet space away from distractions such as the TV, computer or siblings who are playing Set up a routine and area with access to materials they may need (pencils, paper, rulers, etc..) If a child needs assistance, try to help guide them to the right answer. Please write a note in the Linkbook or have the child come to the teacher the following morning for further explanation or assistance.

Possible Ways to Support... Check the linkbook each night Sit down and offer support while your child completes homework Come into the classroom and look at your child’s portfolio Play an educational game with your child Discuss posts from the third grade blog with your child Talk about the current Unit of Inquiry (UOI) and make connections from the UOI to family life Encourage students to take action based on their learning

Third Graders Are learning independence with many tasks at school and at home. Are becoming more responsible for their own learning. Are learning how to be caring, open-minded, principled, and balanced inquirers. We look forward to working with you as a team to support this growth and development.

Communication If you have further questions: Refer to the IST Parent Handbook Please contact us Thank you for joining us this afternoon!!!! We are looking forward to having a fantastic year!