Third Grade Handbook

This is a handbook of various policies and expectations in our classroom. Please read it over, sign, and return the bottom portion of this page. The handbook itself should stay in the front page protector of your child’s FROGS binder.

I have signed below to indicate that I will do everything in my power to fulfill the obligations I listed above. Please read the rest of the packet, and then sign below to show that you have read everything and agree to the class policies and expectations. If we are both committed to these things, your child will have at home and at school the support needed to be successful this school year.

(Tear the bottom off and leave the top part. Keep the handbook in your child’s FROGS binder.)

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Topic	Page
About the Teacher	3
FROGS Binder	3
Behavior Policy	3
Birthdays	4
Book Reports	4
Field Trips	5
Grading Policies	5
Homework	6
Mystery Readers	6
Star Students	6
Supplies	7
Textbooks	7
Volunteers	7
Website	7
Wish list	7

I grew up in small-town Nebraska. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I taught second grade at St. Teresa’s Catholic School in Lincoln for four years. In July 2005, I moved to Denver and began teaching at St. Louis. I am looking forward to teaching third grade once again this year.

Each child has a FROGS (Fully Responsible, Organized, and Growing Students) binder. This binder is to come to school and go home everyday. Please make sure the super-duper work is removed from the binder each day. The students should take good care of their FROGS binder as they will be turned in at the end of the year. There will be a $3 charge for any lost FROGS binders.

Front pocket........................................................ Important notes from the teacher or school

Planner.................................................................... Student writes HW assignments each week.

Zipper pouch........................................................ Notes, money, etc. that need to be turned in to the teacher

2 Super-Duper work.......................................... Graded work and tests are returned daily; please empty each night

3 Homework.......................................................... Assignments to be returned to school the next day

4 Math-Fact-a-Day calendar........................ Calendar showing math facts to be memorized each night

5 Behavior............................................................. Weekly evaluation form – comes home at end of week, needs to be

7 Looseleaf paper...............................................Parent-teacher communication – write notes to the teacher, check for notes from the teacher, Be sure to date notes and leave all notes in binder so there is a record of our communication.

Back pocket.......................................................... Spelling words

During the first couple weeks of school, we will spend a good deal of time developing the students’ understanding of what it means to be a friend, to show respect, and to be responsible for our choices. On the last day of each week, you will receive a Weekly Evaluation which explains how your child’s behavior and work habits have been during the week. The Social Skills grades are based upon the check system I use to track behavior. When students misbehave, they are given a check next to their name on my recording sheet. (Some offenses, such as fighting, lying, stealing, and extreme disrespect automatically get 3 checks.)

Note: Repeated and consistent offenses may result in parent conferences and/or referrals to the principal. The behavior of students who continually disrupt and interfere with the learning process will not be tolerated.

At the end of the week, I total up how many checks each student has and assign them a Conduct grade using this key:

The Weekly Evaluation needs to be signed by a parent and returned to school on Monday. I emphasize to the students that it is THEIR responsibility to make sure this is done. The student needs to ask you to sign their evaluation, and the student should be sure it is in their FROGS folder before coming to school on Monday. Please help them out by making sure you sign it and give it back to them. Students will receive a punch on their homework punch card if their weekly evaluation is turned in on time. When they fill up their punch card (20 punches), it can be redeemed for a small prize.

A schedule of birthday celebrations has been sent home with your child. If you choose to send treats, please send pre-cut or individually wrapped snacks – the healthier, the better! The treats will usually be shared after lunch at 12:15.

We will be doing a book report or some other type of project each month. Guidelines for the report/project will be sent home at the beginning of the month, and they will be due at the end of the month. These projects are to be completed by the students and should be handwritten and/or hand-drawn, unless otherwise noted in the guidelines. Parents are allowed to help their child edit/revise, but make sure the student is using their ideas, not yours.

We will be going on several different field trips this year. Permission slips will be sent home with more information as the trips are planned. Most of the trips will require drivers. If you are going to chaperone a field trip, you must have taken the Safe Environment Training. You also need to provide the office with a copy of your driver’s license and insurance card and allow them to do a background check on your driving history. Talk to Mrs. Lunder or me if you have any questions.

Some of our daily assignments will not be given letter grades because they are for practice purposes, not assessment. I will sometimes use a stamp to indicate a paper was completed together in class. I check to make sure that work is completed and make notes so that I can address specific problems with the whole class, a small group, or an individual student. The only assignments that receive letter grades are those on which students are expected to demonstrate mastery. For example, when students start learning about past tense verbs, they may do several whole-class, small group, and independent activities over the period of a week or so. Later, they will be responsible for using correct past tense forms on a workbook page and in a writing assignment. Many students do poorly on a practice activity but master the material in time for the final project or test. The practice activities are to help students learn and to give me an idea of what they still need to work on before mastery is expected.

Students who are absent have one day for every missed day to complete their assignments. I will sometimes send their assignments with a sibling. Any work not turned in within this time frame may result in a zero.

If a student receives a 76% or below on a test, it will be sent home. It needs to be returned to school with a parent’s signature. If a student fails a test, they may be allowed to retake the entire test or correct the problems they missed. The option given to the student will depend on the format of the test. The two grades will then be averaged to determine the student’s grade.

Students will receive a Work Habits grade on the Weekly Evaluation. This grade will be based on whether in-class and homework assignments were completed. One letter grade will be subtracted for each missing assignment:

There will be some type of homework almost every night following the format below. Students will be informed of test dates in advance to allow them time to study. Students are responsible for writing their homework in their planners each Monday. I encourage you to look at your child’s homework, rather than ask if it was done, and make sure it was completed. Keep in mind that homework is to be completed by the student with minimal parental assistance.

Each student will have a homework punch card with 20 punches. They will receive a punch for every homework assignment turned in on time. When they fill up their punch card, it can be redeemed for a small prize.

Homework assignments are given a completion grade. I look over the papers to assess the students’ understanding of the skill. Each homework assignment is worth 5 points. One point is taken off for every day the assignment is late.

Your child will have several assignments during the school day for which he or she is responsible. If your child, for any reason, is unable to complete an assignment, this will automatically become homework to be completed at home and returned to school the following day. It is the student’s responsibility to return work WITHOUT any reminders. Work not returned may result in a zero.

Homework assignments will typically follow the following format this year (subject to change):

Any parents, older siblings, grandparents, relatives, or other special people are invited to surprise your child by being a “Mystery Reader” in our classroom. Mystery readers will visit us at 2:30 on Tuesdays or Fridays. Readers are asked to bring a book to read or read a teacher-chosen book from our classroom library. More information will go home at Back-to-School Night.

Each child will have a Star Student week at some point during the school year. The week before their Star Student week, they will bring home an envelope with 16 frogs inside. On them the child will write information about themselves. The frogs should be returned to school on the following Monday. On Monday they will bring home an “All About Me” bag. This bag should come back to school on Thursday or Friday with items or pictures that your child can use to tell about him/herself. Examples include a baseball, their favorite book, vacation or family pictures, or something they like to collect. The possibilities are endless. Your child will share these items with the class on Friday. They may also bring their favorite book and read some or all of it to the class.

Thank you for providing your child’s needed school supplies. Your child has a note of any supplies that still need to be sent to school. I will send home notes to let you know if any of the supplies need to be replenished throughout the year.

All of your child’s textbooks need to be covered. We will be covering most of them in class. If one of your child’s book covers gets torn during the year, please help them to recover their book. Paper grocery bags make wonderful book covers. Stretchy book covers are discouraged as they sometimes pull the binding and ruin the book. The current conditions of the textbooks were recorded before the year started, and they will be checked at the end of the year. Any significant damage will result in a fine being assessed.

Parents will have a variety of opportunities to volunteer in our classroom. A sign-up sheet will go home on Back-to-School night. I will then organize and contact volunteers as needed. If you are not able to fulfill a scheduled volunteer time, please send a note with your child or contact the office to let me know as soon as you can.

Our class website will be updated monthly. To find it, go to the St. Louis website (www.stlouiscatholicschool.org). Click on the class pages link, and then click on the Third Grade link.

The following items will be needed throughout the school year. Other items may be listed on our website or in the newsletter as they are needed. At Back-to-School night, there will be additional items you can volunteer to provide. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Monday-Friday	Reading, Math	Students should read for at least 15 minutes every night. If time allows, ask them questions about what they read (characters, setting, plot, etc.). Students should practice addition, subtraction, and/or multiplication facts every night.
Monday	Spelling and/or Reading	Tic-Tac-Toe spelling sheet goes home – due at end of week Reading comprehension page goes home – due at end of week
Tuesday	Reading	Read story from reading book to somebody.
Wednesday	Varies	Workbook page or worksheet from Math, Reading, English, or Handwriting
Thursday	Spelling, Religion	Study for Spelling and Religion tests.