1. Ms. Gonzalez Mrs. Amarante

2. A Little About Us Ms. Gonzalez- Math and Science - Bachelor’s Degree in Elem. Edu with ESOL Endorsement. -SLP-A certified -Teaching for over 7 years in private and public school settings -Over 14 years of experience working with children. -I am currently attending Carlos Albizu University for my Master’s in speech language and pathology. Mrs. Amarante- Reading, Language Arts & Social Studies -Teaching for over 12 years in charter school settings at the elementary, middle and high school levels. -I am your child’s reading and language arts. -I have been at Silver Palms since 2009

3. Volunteer Policy - Must complete a total of 30 volunteer hours - An additional 15 hours per child - Must be cleared in order to attend in-class & school activities or functions. - (See office for clearance) - All donations must be turned in with a receipt (gift cards welcome!) (1 hour will be given for every $3.33 spent.)

4. Important Rules Students must be in class, seated and working on their warm up by 8:00 am. Doors open at 7:45 a.m. Students must bring their book bags, materials, agenda, and homework to school everyday. Students cannot bring toys, trading cards, hats, I-pods, electronic games, etc. to school. If your child is absent, send an ANF with him/her stating the reason for the absence and the date(s) they were absent. Absences will not be excused without the Absence Notification Form. If absences are NOT excused within 72 hours the child will still be given the work to make up, but will receive a grade of “Z” which could greatly affect their average. – (The ANF can be found in the front office and on the school website www.somersetsilverpalms.net)www.somersetsilverpalms.net

5. Class Dojo - Gonzalez Students earn points for positive behaviors Students lose points for negative behaviors such as being unprepared for class talking out of turn etc. Students can cash out their points on Friday for motivational rewards. Sign up for Class Dojo in order to view your child’s progress/ daily behavior in class via the app.

6. Classroom Management Each student manages his/her own behavior. Each time a rule is broken, the student must move his/her card to the next color that follows (green, yellow then red). Each color has a different consequence. * Students with incomplete or missing homework will begin each day on yellow. Consequences/Warnings: 1. First-Verbal warning 2. Second -change to yellow, note home to parents. 3. Third- color change to red = Detention

7.  Math Word Problems  Number Sense  Multiplication  Division  Fractions  Measurement  Geometry  Algebra  Data Analysis  Time

8.  Context Clues  Affixes (prefixes, suffixes & base words)  Synonyms, Antonyms  Multiple Meaning Words  Author’s Purpose/Author’s Viewpoint  Sequence of Events, Drawing Conclusions, Main Idea, Making Inferences, Noting Details  Cause & Effect  Text Structures (How is the story organized?)  Compare & Contrast  Theme  Story Structure (characters, setting, plot)  Figurative Language (similes, metaphors, idioms, etc)  Text Features in Informational Text (bold words, captions, headings, etc)

9. Percentages 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 59 and below = F * Spelling, vocabulary, reading comprehension (Skills Tests), and grammar tests are administered biweekly * Spelling test will be counted as a classwork grade. * Math, Science, and Social Studies test days vary. * Reviews are done in class prior to the test. Grade Weights * Tests: 60% * Class work: 30 % * Participation & Projects 10% Grading Policy

10. Students are responsible for copying their homework daily onto their agenda. Home-learning is checked/tracked daily. Home-learning must be completed entirely, neatly, and in pencil in your child’s own handwriting in order to receive full credit. Home-learning MUST be done completely ( meaning nothing must be left blank ). They are ALWAYS encouraged to TRY their BEST! Students must always attempt to get an answer or the assignment is incomplete. Homework is NOT checked for accuracy or perfection Three (math) / Four (reading) missed or incomplete homework assignments (called infractions) will result in a detention (3 detentions for missed homework results in loss of privileges such as field trips). Each nine weeks, they start “fresh”. Special projects will be assigned periodically throughout the year, specifically in Science and Social Studies. DUE DATES ARE IMPORTANT Students are given 15 minutes to copy homework in agenda. They can always access homework on our webpages if they run out time. Home Learning Policy

11. Reading Comprehension Homework -Students MUST show their evidence in the story -Stories should contain notes, paragraphs numbered, and underlined evidence to show where the answers to their questions were found. -Circle key words/ideas -Students may highlight (yellow is preferred)

12. How can YOU help? -Make sure homework gets completed daily. -Make sure they’re SHOWING THEIR WORK in both reading and math homework. -Underlining in story, identifying key words -Be their biggest cheerleader! Push them to be the GREATEST version of themselves! Motivate them and praise their successes. -Ensure they are in class [on time] every day -Check their grades and reinforce skills you see they struggled on - Ex: Skills test: Cause & Effect (D 60%) -Run a quick google search for resources on 3 rd grade cause & effect activities.

13. Students are encouraged to come early the day after an absence (beginning at 7:15) to make up any missed work. This gives us ample time to reteach anything they missed and gives them a more one-on- one instruction on what they missed. Students may be pulled from special area classes to complete core curriculum make up work if need be and with permission from special area teacher. If the student’s absence is UNEXCUSED, the student will receive a Z (0%) on any missed assignments.

14. Contact Information Ms. Gonzalez- lgonzalez@somersetsilverpalms.netlgonzalez@somersetsilverpalms.net Mrs. Amarante- aamarante@somersetsilverpalms.netaamarante@somersetsilverpalms.net VISIT OUR WEBSITES!!!! We will post important announcements/information, special area schedules, wish lists, calendar, Curriculum, HOMEWORK, and much more. Directions to log on are as follows: – Go to www.somersetsilverpalms.netwww.somersetsilverpalms.net – Click on Elementary, About Us, Staff Directory and then the teacher’s name Our Teacher Web will be updated weekly.

15. All payments will be made online via the school store. Cash will not be accepted unless it’s for Jean Days. Directions to log on are as follows: – Go to www.somersetsilverpalms.net www.somersetsilverpalms.net – Click on Elementary, and then School Store Lets Check out teacher webpages & school store now

16. Thank you for choosing Somerset Academy Silver Palms to meet the needs of your child. Don’t forget to sign in

17. Visit the Book Fair today Open until 12:00