1. Welcome to Third Grade
Ms. Poling
Room 317

2. About Me
I was born and raised in Berkeley County. I graduated from Musselman High School and earned my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Shepherd University.
This is my eighth year teaching third grade; my fourth year here at Mountain Ridge Intermediate.
I have a five year old son named Colton. He will be attending Kindergarten this year.

3. Class DoJO
Class Dojo will be used this year. This is a program that is being used school wide. It tracks behaviors, both positive and negative. There is an access code that can be found laying on your desk. PLEASE be sure to visit this app/website and login as a parent.
Dojo points that are accumulated will be turned in for coupons to do various things. Ex: earn computer time, the ability to wear a hat for a day, eat lunch with the teacher.
We also have “celebrations” once a class goal is reached. If your child doesn’t have the predetermined amount of points, they will not participate. Example: Once we have points, the class will have an extra recess. In order to participate each individual must have 10 dojo points.
Negative points will result in parent contact. If there are more than 5 negative points given in a day a note that needs to be signed and returned will be sent home. After two of these for the same behavior, the student will be written up in WVEIS and sent to the office.

4. Our Schedule
School starts at 8:45. If you are dropping your child off, please be prompt. Arriving after 8:45 will be marked as tardy.
8:45 English Language Arts
9:45 Mathematics
10:55 Recess
11:30 Lunch
12:00 Reading
1:15 Science
1:45 Social Studies
2:10 Specials
3:15 Dismissal
Mrs. Simpson and I will be switching classes for Science and Social
Studies. Social Studies will be taught by Mrs. Simpson.

5. Materials #2 pencils 4 1-subject spiral notebooks Loose leaf paper
Your child will need the following things for third grade:
#2 pencils
4 1-subject spiral notebooks
Loose leaf paper
Dry erase markers
Erasers
Scissors
Glue sticks
Crayons
A large pack of Post-Its
Highlighters
Multiplication flash cards

6. Third grade curriculum
Third grade is a challenging year! The curriculum becomes harder, expectations higher, and students are introduced to the state standardized test at the end of the year.
Berkeley County adopted a new Reading Model a couple years ago. Our reading block will consist of a whole group minilesson, guided reading, independent reading, and partner reading.
We will be using a basal reader that will have that week’s story inside of it that can come home daily. We will also be using books from the library to focus on specific Reading skills. And at times, we will be reading from a chapter book. Every week, we will have a Reading grade.

7. Third Grade Curriculum
For Math, we use Everyday Math, which is a spiral curriculum. If you are from Berkeley County, this is what was used in second grade.
There will be a weekly spelling list found in your child’s planner every Monday.
Fridays will have a Reading, Language, Spelling, and Math grade.
Science and Social Studies test will be more spread out and will be notified about beforehand.
Each subject will have a weekly grade. Graded work will come home in your child’s red folder weekly. I also highly encourage you to use Engrade. If you do not know your login information, a letter with that information will be sent home within the first couple of weeks.

8. Teacher Website
From Mountain Ridge Intermediate’s website, you can access my teacher website. Click on Teachers and select Kimberlea Poling.
Important announcements can be found here.
The weekly spelling words will be available here.
Under the calendar you will be able to see
*dates of Science and Social Studies tests
*upcoming events
This presentation is there if you want to revisit it.
I will update the website as frequently as I can.

9. Mountain Ridge Intermediate
Each student will receive a planner. Homework assignments and notes from me will be found here. Please check your child’s planner and folder daily.
Here we offer a STRINGS and a Band Program. Both of these programs have tables set up in the cafeteria if you would like to sign up or to get more information.
The PTO also has a table set up in the cafeteria.
Starting after Labor Day, the school will be selling snacks on Wednesdays and Fridays. Snacks range from $0.50-$1.00 and will be distributed at the end of the day.
Absences require a written note within 48 hours of returning to school. Please be sure to send in a note or the absence will be marked unexcused.

10. Volunteering
Berkeley County has changed their policy for volunteering.
They now have a Level 1 and Level 2 volunteer.
The level 1 will allow you to attend field trips as a chaperone. This requires a background check which has a fee of $ This will be good for two years. After the background check, you will still have to be board approved. You can find directions on how to go about doing this on the county website.
The level 2 volunteer is submitting your name to the board for approval. This will allow you to come into the classroom as a volunteer. Examples, to help with a classroom party or do a read aloud.
If you payed to be a Level 1 volunteer, that is still good for this year. You do not need to reapply.

11. Thank You for coming to orientation
Before you leave, please sign in on one of the computers. It’ll take just a few minutes. The computer labs are also open near the cafeteria so that you can sign in for tonight and select what you are willing to volunteer for. This will automatically make you a Level 2 volunteer so that you can work with kids here at school.
Remember to sign up for Class Dojo using the access code in your folder.
I look forward to working with you and your child this year!