Thank you to all of the parents who came to Back to School Night last night! For those of you who were not able to join us, this is the information that was distributed. I will send a hard copy home with your child on Monday, as well. Please let me know if you have any questions, or would like to set up a time to meet in person!
IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Three of the field trip dates on the packet are incorrect. The correct dates and times have been entered on our Volunteer Spot page, and sign-ups for ALL field trips as well as Parent- Teacher Conferences are now available.
The corrected dates are:
10/23- Roman Legacies
11/12- Chief Lelooska's Lodge
1/22- Oregon Children's Theater- Geronimo Stilton, Mouse in Space
Feb (date still unconfirmed)- Tryon Creek State Park
2/26- On-campus science exploration day
3/17- Old Aurora Colony (12:00-3:30)
4/21- SCRAP (8:00-12:00)
5/26- Solar System Hike in Eugene (7:00-5:00)
Sorry for the mix-up!
I am really excited to begin a new year with such an amazing group of 3rd graders! Here is a brief overview of what you can expect this year. If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
Daily Schedule
Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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7:45-7:59
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Arrive, turn in homework, prepare for the day
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8:00-8:30
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Riggs test and new words
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8:30-9:45
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Math (Intermediate 4)
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9:45-10:00
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Snack
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Art
10:00-10:30
Snack 10:30-10:45
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Snack
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Snack
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10:00-10:45
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Guided Reading
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Guided Reading
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10:45-11:15
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P.E.
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11:15-11:45
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Music/Library
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Guided Reading
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Music/reading
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Portfolios
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11:45-12:15
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Lunch and Recess
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12:15-1:15
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Core Knowledge (History or Science)
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1:15-1:45
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World Language
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1:45-2:00
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p.m. recess
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2:00-3:00
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Language Arts
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3:00-3:25
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Planners, independent reading, cleaning, and pack-up
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I would love to have a volunteer who can stay in the morning until about 8:15 to help check in homework and planners. Let me know if you are interested!
Guided Reading occurs every day in our classroom, and I would love to have a parent volunteer during this time to help work with small groups.. If you are available and interested, please look at the sign-up on our Volunteer Spot page. . Thank you!
What do we learn about in 3rd grade?
Core Knowledge Units:
Fall
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Spring
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Ancient Rome
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First Peoples of North America
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Human body: Skeletal, Muscular, and Nervous systems
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Colonial America (up to the Revolutionary War)
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Vikings
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Ecology, Animal Classification (vertebrates)
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Early Explorers of North America
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Human Body: Eyes (light/optics)
Ears (sound/hearing)
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Alice in Wonderland
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Rivers of the World
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Astronomy
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The Wind in the Willows
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Do you, or someone you know, have a particular interest or experience that relates to one of our units? I am always looking for local Experts to enrich our curriculum. Please let me know if you have something or someone to share with us! Our goal as a school this year is to have at least one representative from each family spend some time in our classrooms. Guest speakers, special Read Alouds, field trip chaperones, and Guided Reading helpers are just some of the ways that parents can be involved. Let’s work together to find an opportunity that works for you!
Throughout the year, we use the Riggs curriculum for spelling and writing, as well as Institute for Excellence in Writing. We do a lot of writing in 3rd grade! We will also learn Getty and Dubay Italic Cursive this year. We start cursive in September, as we are reviewing the 71 phonograms. This allows a slow enough pace for students who are new or struggle with their phonograms, and gives a new challenge for Riggsperts to focus on. At home, you can help your student remember to slow down and focus on proper letter formation when completing homework, and by reviewing the phonograms nightly.
Field Trips
Our first field trip of the year is on October 23rd . We will be traveling to 4 locations as we tour modern examples of Roman legacies. Slots are listed on our Volunteer Spot. Please see the office to complete all volunteer requirements ASAP if you are interested. Field trip Fridays are instructional days- students are expected to be on campus from 8:00-3:30, in uniform. Please try to schedule long weekends and appointments on the 3 other Fridays of each month!
Planners, Homework, and Projects
In 3rd grade, we have homework every night! Once we get into the swing of things, you can expect Riggs/spelling every night, and math most nights. There will also be writing, history, or science, but those will not be the same every day. PLEASE check your child's planner every night to see what we're doing. In addition to the daily work, each unit generally has a Family Project. These are assigned 3-4 weeks before they are due. Project information, including directions and grading rubric, will be sent home (and be emailed out, and available on our class webpage!) Our first project, our Roman Legacies, will be assigned toward the end of September and due the end of October.
In addition to homework, your student's planner is also how I will communicate with you how your child's day went. Every afternoon, students will record what color they “landed on”. This becomes a running record, and it is essential that the planner be brought to and from school every day, checked by a parent, and signed. Thank you for your cooperation!
Falcon Five and our School-wide Behavior Policy
All students at CHPCS are expected to follow the “Falcon Five”- Falcons are Respectful, Resourceful, Responsible, Tolerant, and Safe. We have also created a color-coded system that will be the same in ALL classes. In 3rd grade, we have magnets that are moved down the chart as needed. They are:
Green- Everyone starts here each day- Keep it up!
Yellow- 1st warning (no “verbal only” warning this year). Please note, this is JUST A WARNING. We all slip up, and having a yellow means just that. Could you go an ENTIRE day without making ANY mistakes? I know I couldn't!
Orange- A 2nd warning
Blue- Time out. Student will take a short break from the situation to reflect before speaking to the teacher and re-entering the group.
Red- At red, there will be a logical consequence connected to the behavior, and the parent is notified, either by phone or email, depending on the situation. Red is either a '4th warning' for small behaviors, or a '1st time' for actions that endanger self or others.
Hot Pink- student is removed from the classroom. This is an office Referral and will be followed up by administration. Referrals also require a conference with the parent, teacher, and administrator.
A Full copy of our school-wide discipline policy is included at the front of every student's planner as well as available on the CHPCS website.
In conjunction with the consequences above, we also have several Positives to help children learn to make good choices! In our class we use the Class Dojo program to recognize positive behaviors. Class Dojo also allows you and I to communicate via “messenger” (like texts) and through “Our Story” which are whole-class updates and what’s going on in class. Signing up and checking Dojo is quick and easy, and I’m happy to answer any questions or help if you need assistance getting started!
Communication
The best way to reach me is by email. If you have something arise during the day that needs immediate attention, please phone the office. My primary method of communication will also be email. If you do not have email or have another preferred style (letters, phone, text..) please let me know. We also have a class blog. Ideally it will be updated each week, and will include news and announcements, upcoming events, as well as photos and updates of what's happening in the classroom. Please go to http://ch3rdgrade.blogspot.com/ and 'subscribe' to receive automatic notifications when updates occur!
I can also answer quick questions via Class Dojo messenger. This is GREAT for updates, like “Bobby is going to carline today.” or to request a call or conference.
Student progress will be communicated with the student portfolios. These are similar to what you are familiar with from 2nd grade, except that they are in binders instead of folders. Students will be reflecting on their work and selecting pieces to display on our “Best Work” wall (bulletin board in the hallway) and placing new items in the portfolios every Thursday. It will take us a few weeks to get up and running, but by the end of September, you should expect to see your child’s portfolio coming home every Thursday, to be returned to school on Monday. Please review new items, celebrate your child’s successes, and help them to set new goals for the following week.
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences
Fall conferences this year are the week of October 26-30th . A sign-up sheet is available on Volunteer Spot. I will be sending out the link on Friday, September 11th (after I’ve updated from in-person sign-ups at Back to School Night) and you can sign up at your convenience. I look forward to working with each of you this year to make 3rd grade an extraordinary experience for your student!
Thank you for coming tonight! Let me know if you have any questions that I may have missed! And, thank you for sharing your child with me!
Angela Gausman
(503)683.3140
http://ch3rdgrade.blogspot.com/
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