Mrs. Slade’s Third Grade Back To School 2014 - 2015

Meet Mrs. Slade I am so excited to be your third grade teacher! I love to teach, read, and spend time with my wonderful family! We love to travel, go on picnics, and have family movie or game night.

Daily Schedule 8:40-9:00 Morning Work 9:00-9:15 Spelling/Word Work 9:15-9:25 Vocabulary 9:25-10:00 Reading Comprehension 10:00-10:15 Morning Recess 10:15-10:45 Writing 10:45-11:00 Fluency 11:00-11:30 Guided Reading 11:30-12:15 Lunch 12:15-12:45 Computer Lab 12:45-1:00 Gumball Math 1:00-1:40 Math Lesson 1:40-1:55 Afternoon Recess 1:55-2:30 (Music & Art, P.E., Computers, Library) 2:30-3:15 Math/Science/Social Studies 3:15-3:25 Clean Up

Lots of Learning We are learning so much in Third Grade! Your student will be learning new reading comprehension skills, how to write longer pieces, and many new math concepts! There is a lot to learn, and not much time to do it in. It will take a lot of practice, and one-on-one time to master all of these skills! YOUR CHILD NEEDS YOUR HELP! Practice makes perfect, and most of the individual practice takes place at home.

Daily Homework At Home Reading Fluency Passage Your child should be reading a book on their exact reading level. I will help them determine what this is.  They will be reading for comprehension and will be completing a book report to be shared with the class Please sign and record the minutes on the Reading Calendar that will be sent home at the beginning of each month. Our goal is to have every student read 20 minutes each day. Fluency Passage We work on reading a passage MANY times per day. They will bring it home DAILY to read to you two times. Please record the time it took your student to read the passage, initial the bottom, and return to school the next morning in the Homework Folder. We will usually complete the comprehension questions in class. If they are unfinished, please have your student complete them at home. A fluency passage will be coming home the first day of school!

Weekly Homework Tuesday Folders Tuesday Folders come home with important information EVERY TUESDAY. Please send the folders back on WEDNESDAY (the next day). Homework Folders Weekly homework packets will be sent home on Tuesday, and need to be returned the following Monday. Please HELP your child with their homework, but please don’t GIVE THEM THE ANSWERS.

Attendance Third Grade is FULL of hands on experiences. These experiences can not be recreated or sent home in case of absences. THIS IS WHY ATTENDANCE IS SO IMPORTANT! We understand that sickness, and emergencies happen. Please do not send your student to school sick. However, please make every effort to have them at school ON TIME, EVERY DAY! If your student is absent for any reason, they are responsible for any work that they missed.

Weekly Assessments FRIDAY ATTENDANCE IS VITAL! We assess students every Friday in multiple areas that we have been working on during the week. Language Arts Assessment Spelling Test The words that are sent home on Tuesday will be tested on Friday (3 days later). Math Skills Quiz Reading Fluency Timing We include practice for these assessments in weekly homework packet. Weekly Assessments are almost impossible to make up. Please make sure that your student is in class ALL DAY on Friday.

Fun Fridays In Third Grade! This year in Third Grade, we will be having Fun Fridays! If all of your work is complete, you can choose which fun activity you would like to participate in. If you have any missing assignments, you will be going to study hall to complete them.

WE NEED YOUR HELP IN THE CLASSROOM!! This year we have VERY large class sizes! In order for your child to have the best experience in Third Grade, we need all of the help we can get. There will be a sign up page at Back to School. I need a Room Mom, Party Planners, and Tutoring help. Tutors will be needed EVERY week. They will be working one on one with students in reading and math.

Fantastic Field Trips! We will be going on some fantastic, fun field trips this year! One this fall, and then one in the spring. Watch for more information to come! I will send home a sign up for parent volunteers when we get closer to the date.

Standardized Testing Standardized Testing will take place the last part of April and the Beginning of May. We will announce the dates AS SOON as we know! It is imperative that your student be in school and rested during these times!

Third Grade Behavior Expectations Rule 1: Follow directions quickly. Rule 2: Raise your hand for permission to speak or leave your seat. Rule 3: Respect everything and everyone. Rule 4: Make smart choices. Rule 5: Keep your dear teacher happy.

Behavior Management Positive Individual Positive Classroom Students collect “Bee Bucks” to purchase classroom prizes. Positive Classroom Work towards classroom/table points for rewards Behavior Clip Chart Students have the opportunity to move up & down the chart. Rewards will be given when they move up. If they are in the lower zones, these punishments will be given: Think About It! -- Warning Loss of Privilege-- 5 minutes of recess is lost (usually). Parent Contact -- whole recess is lost to fill out a note that will be sent home. This note MUST be signed and returned the next day or the student will miss an additional recess. Multiple verbal warnings are given before students will be moved down the chart.

Behavior Notes

School Wide Behavior Management Syracuse Elementary has a school wide aggressive behavior management plan. This can be found on the school website. This behavior management plan will be used for aggressive behavior and override our card system. The Syracuse Elementary Aggressive Behavior Management Plan is generally handled by the administration.

Communication Weekly newsletters will be sent home in the Tuesday Folders and can also be found on my website http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/Page/57099 . E-mail daslade@dsdmail.net (This is the best in most cases. Please try this first.) Phone: 801-402-2600 I will be at the school from 8:15 - 3:45 if you need to contact me. You may be asked to leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Birthdays and “Treats” Treats are completely optional. Small prizes may be substituted for treats. Another option is to donate a book to the classroom library in the student’s name. Snacks will be passed out at the end of the day.

Student Supplies Your student will need the following supplies for the upcoming school year. The school provides one box of crayons for the year and one pencil and one glue stick per child per term (4 a year). The rest comes out of my own budget. Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.  Pencil Box  Composition Notebooks                   1" Binders Wide Ruled Filler Paper (the reinforced kind is AMAZING!)  Portfolio Folders (2 pocket folders)  Sheet Protectors Pink Erasers                              Pencils (These will go into a class "pot" to be distributed throughout the year as needed. I prefer Ticonderoga brand, as they tend to last longer.)  Post-It Note Pads 

Thank you for all of the hard work that you have already put into your child’s education! I look forward working with you and your student this year! I am super excited for a fantastic school year in Third Grade!