Mrs. Ellis’ Third Grade Expectations
Welcome to the third grade! This year brings lots of changes and big growth for the kids. Please take a few minutes to read the information below. This will help explain how the classroom will function and what my expectations are of the students. As always, if there are any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with me! I am really looking forward to this year!
Classroom Expectations: I run my classroom as a community. The kids are set up into teams and will work together throughout the year. The first week of school we will work together to create a list of classroom responsibilities for all of us to follow. It is my expectations that these responsibilities be followed throughout the school day whether they are in my classroom or at lunch, specials etc.
On a daily basis we keep track of our behavior. We keep track of our behavior in a few ways. The main one is the Go for Good Behavior Chart located on the board at the front of the room. Each student has their own car with their name on it. Each day the kids will start their day with a car in the green. If a responsibility is not followed they will be given one verbal redirection. If it happens a second time the child will have to move their car to the yellow section. If it happens a third time, the child will have to move to red and they will be in detention either that day or the following day depending on timing. I reward my students on an ongoing basis, with B.E.C.S. Bucks and they will get a treat each Friday’s if they maintain good choices throughout the week. To start the year they may have two yellows and still get a treat. However, if they end up on red at any time during the week they will not get the treat on Friday. There are always chances to get you back to green, but that has to be earned throughout the day. I will be sending home the Classroom Responsibilities once they are completed.
Homework: Homework will be a part of your child’s third grade experience. However, being a parent myself I am fully aware of how active my families are. I respect this time and therefore the homework policy will be no more than 30 minutes a night of independent work. The kids will also be expected to read 15 minutes a night and review math facts for five minutes. Throughout the day I will be giving assignments and the kids will be recording them in their planners. Some days they will have opportunities to work on these assignments in class. However, I still send them home in the homework folders so that you are aware of what we accomplished that day. I will also give advanced notice of tests and assessments and will provide study guides when needed. I collect homework each morning. If the homework is not handed in, that child will have to stay after school to complete the work. They will call in the morning to let you know that the homework wasn’t completed and they need to stay until 4:00 that day to complete it. However, if at home your child does not seem to understand the homework please put a note on it, have them return it to me personally the next morning and I will go over it with him or her. There will be no penalty for this. My goal is “No Tears for Homework.” I don’t want homework to be an added stress at home. The goal is to teach responsibility and to firm up any new skills we are working on.
My late homework policy is if homework is late, they will be going to after school study session to get their work completed. If for some reason they cannot stay after school they will have that homework in addition to the evening assignments already given. I will also take points off the assignment that are handed in late; If an assignment is not handed in either after school or per other arrangement that assignment will receive a 0 in the grade book. The kids will be using a planner this year. We will be recording our homework daily. It is an expected practice that the parents initial the planner each night. This allows me to see that that the communication is going home. The homework assignments will be posted on my Teacher Blog which can be found on the Bromley Website. Lastly, any big projects that we have this year will be complete mainly in class. You may be asked to bring in extra supplies at these times.
Grading: In third grade we move to letter grades. They are as follows:
A+ 98-100% C+ 78-80% F 60% or below
A 94-97% C 74-77%
A- 91-93% C- 71-73%
B+ 88-90% D+ 68-70%
B 84-87% D 64-67%
B- 81-83% D- 61-63%
You will also see assignments come home with E, S and N. As I grade the assignments they are posted in Infinite Campus. Please keep in mind that grades may not be updated daily. You can always access your child’s grades at any time on Infinite Campus. Please see me if you need your access code.
Snacks and Bottled Water: Just like me the kids get hungry during the day. Each day, after specials the kids will have an opportunity to have a snack. These snacks are individual and will be brought from home. Please try to keep the snack healthy. Your child may also bring bottled water to the classroom. Please label the bottle and be sure to have it come home to be washed.
Special Schedules: We will be having a rotating specials schedule this year. I will be creating a master schedule which I will post on the blog and send home.
Classroom Parties: We will be having three different parties this year. A Fall Party, around Halloween. A Winter Party, right before winter break, and a Valentines Day Party. I will need parent volunteers. Please sign up for which party will work best for you.
Friday Folders: These folders will come home each Friday. There will be a sheet stapled to the inside of the folder. Please be sure to sign this each week so that I know the information was received.
Whew! That is a lot of information! I will be sending home more information in the next few weeks when it is needed. I will also communicate via newsletters and email throughout the year. I am really looking forward to this year with your child. Their success is the main goal for me as their teacher. You will be amazed at where they grow to this year!! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at anytime. Together, we make the team that helps your child to success!
Great Quotes I live by!
Prepare the child for the path,
Not the path for the child.
When the student is ready,
The teacher will appear.
Welcome to Third Grade!!!! It’ s going to be a GREAT year!!
