The International School of Tanganyika 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. Mariam 3R: Ms. Michelle and Ms. Irene

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

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

Contact us! You can reach us by email at... Elaine Hall: ehall@istafrica.com Joyce Bolyard: jbolyard@istafrica.com Michelle Russell: mrussell@istafrica.com Melanie Wipf: mwipf@istafrica.com

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

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

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 at Open House

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 http://blogs.istafrica.com/grade3/

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

Special Days Interhouse Competitions occur about 4 times throughout the year; Athletics is scheduled to take place the morning of Sept. 25th Grade 3 students will be sharing their learning during an upper school assembly, which are held on Friday mornings 3H and 3W will share on Sept. 4th 3B and 3R will share on April 22nd Music concert is scheduled for Dec. 4

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 your ongoing support at home. We are looking forward to having a fantastic year!