Dear Third Grade Students and Parents,
Welcome to Third Grade at Divine Mercy Academy! I am thrilled for the opportunity to be involved in the education of these wonderful children!
The supplies that your child will need for this school year are:
*An assignment book – I will be distributing these at school so that they are all uniform. The cost is $3.75, which can be sent to me at your earliest convenience.
*5 two pocket folders – Spanish, Social Studies, Science, Learning Center Activities, and Transporting Loose Papers Home
*1 wide ruled notebook – Reading
*at least 2 #2 pencils at all times
*scissors
*crayons, markers, or colored pencils
*glue and/or glue sticks
*a pencil box – large enough to hold their art supplies, but small enough to fit in their desks
*a ruler – with inch and centimeter measurements
*a colored pen – this can be any fun color, but it MUST be a pen, not a crayon, marker, or colored pencil. This helps their corrections stand out when we check work together. I will be providing this the first day and allowing them to choose from a variety of colors, but if they lose the one I give them, it will be their responsibility to replace it.
I plan to have tissue and hand sanitizer in the classroom for the students’ use. If anyone is able to donate these items, it will be greatly appreciated.
Here are some things that will need your attention on a regular basis:
· There will be homework assignments every night except on the weekends. Please check their assignments books daily and initial them as completed (If something is incomplete, jot a little note for me.)
· One night each week will be a Reading assignment. In addition to reading the story aloud, they should also study the comprehension questions and vocabulary that go along with the story. Although Reading and Spelling tests will be given each Friday, the story and words will not always be assigned on Thursday nights. Feel free to review the vocabulary and Spelling words with them all week. The vocabulary definitions will be found in their Reading notebooks.
· When Math worksheets are assigned, I ask that you check them and review any incorrect answers with your child. Circle the number of any problem that you feel needs further review.
· All scheduled tests will be listed on the board well in advance and are to be copied into the students’ assignment books. You will also be able to find assignment updates on the third grade homework portal of the DMA website: www.dmacademy.com. Please review the material for any tests with your child
· Completed tests will be sent to parents directly through the Thursday Communications Folder. This means that often the children haven’t seen them yet. Please review every test with your child. Praise them for their good work and let them have their stickers. (I gave them each a sticker book to try and fill this year.) Review any wrong answers with your child and make sure they understand why it is incorrect. I am always happy to hear a wrong answer challenged if the student can explain it differently in a way that it makes sense.
· Birthday treats are welcomed and enjoyed by the class. If your child has a summer birthday, he/she may celebrate it during the school year on a day of your choice. Please let me know if you plan to send a treat. There are 11 students in our class this year.
· Gym is on Tuesdays this year.
· I will be teaching all Math, Reading, and English. I will be with the students daily until 11:00. Mrs. Borghi will be with them from 11:00 through dismissal.
The rules of our classroom are:
*No talking out of turn.
*Be kind, be honest, be a friend.
*Be prepared
*Be respectful of self and others
The consequences for breaking the rules are:
Name in notebook – each infraction Name in notebook 5 times in a week =drop in behavior level
Drop in behavior level = loss of privileges
Drop of 2 behavior levels = loss of play time
Drop of 3 behavior levels = a call home and disciplinary action (i.e. silent lunch, after school detention, or other as deemed appropriate, in some cases we may have to work together to solve the problem.)
Please review these rules. I will be explaining the privileges and consequences in more detail to the students. There are some fun perks for keeping their names out of the notebook.
If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me at any time. I really feel that education works best when teacher and parent work together for the good of the child. My number is 724-336-2525. I am always willing to discuss any issue.
Thank you again for blessing me with this wonderful opportunity! I am very excited for the year ahead! I hope that together we can make it a fun-filled year for the students!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Olszewski