Welcome to Fulbright Elementary and Room 13! I am very excited to welcome you and your child to third grade!  We have a busy but exciting year in store for us. I know that together we can build a group of responsible, independent, lifelong learners.  It is extremely important that we maintain a close relationship regarding your child.  Feel free to contact me at school (447- 4735) or by e-mail at mrsathompson@comcast.net anytime. No question is too big or small.  Let’s ensure your child’s success by keeping the lines of communication open.

          Our school is online at www.fulbrightelem.org.  I encourage you to log on to find information about our school and classroom.  You will find important information if you follow the third grade link to my home page.  There are links for homework, notes, spelling lists, project information, and much more.  I update the site at least weekly.  My previous classes have really utilized this tool, and I encourage you to utilize it as well.

 Attendance

            Third grade has a very rigorous curriculum. Attendance is very important. Sometimes, however, absences are necessary. It is the responsibility of the student to request all missed assignments on the first day back to class. Please be sure to return all make-up work in a timely manner. If it is an extended absence, you may call the school to arrange pick-up of missed assignments. However, if it is a planned absence, I do not provide make-up work in advance. I will discuss make-up work with the student on his/her first day back to class. Please be sure to return make-up work in a timely manner.

          Tardiness must be kept to a minimum.  Ms. Mitchell has implemented the A.N.T.S. program - Absolutely No Tardies Equals Success at Fulbright! Students are allowed to enter the classroom at 7:38. The school day begins at 7:40.  We begin with math activities, daily grammar, and a journal response. If your child is tardy, he/she not only misses valuable

instructional time but also poses a disruption for the classroom.  Tardiness will prevent your child from earning perfect attendance, and habitual tardiness will require an administrative conference.

Classroom Procedures

            Every day your child should bring home his/her clear view binder which will contain the assignment notebook, notes and important information. Graded papers will be sent home on Tuesday and Friday of each week.  Please remove all papers and return daily.  When sending money to school, please send it in an envelope with your child’s name, purpose for the money, and how much money is in the envelope written on the outside.  This is to ensure that the money is credited correctly.

          Fulbright requires that each student in grades 3-5 purchase and use an assignment notebook sold in the school store.  Parents must look at these and

initial/sign these each night. I will check these and make a note if a signature is missing.  If it becomes a habitual problem, that will result in a parent contact. These are excellent communication tools. It is a great place for the teacher and parents to jot quick notes to each other. Feel free to use this space for questions, concerns, or comments. I will also notate daily behavior (by color) in the box each day the student is not on green. If you write a note to me, please remind your child to place his/her assignment notebook in my "inbox" on my desk so that I am sure to read it.

          Periodically, I will send home book orders for your child.  This is an excellent way to build an inexpensive, at-home library.  Also, the classroom earns points for each book ordered.  This is how I build our classroom library as well as book sets that we use throughout the year.  If you choose to order, please send in the money (check or money order ONLY - payable to the book club) and completed book

order by the due date. I will also send home information on how to order ONLINE (credit cards accepted online).

          PTA information will be distributed at the beginning of the year.  The PTA makes many of our programs possible.  We would not be the school we are without the support of our wonderful parents.  Please take time to join the PTA. Our classroom goal is 100% membership in our PTA. Don't forget - friends and relatives can join, too!

          Cursive handwriting is a very important third grade skill. We will be working each day on letter formation. At the beginning of the year, we will review the printed letters. Following print review, we will begin learning our cursive letters! As soon as we learn all of our letters, spelling tests will THEN be given in cursive only. That generally begins late 3rd or early 4th 9-weeks.

          Multiplication is an extremely important third grade skill in preparation for fourth grade. Please make this a part of your weekly studies. We will review this constantly throughout the year. Every Friday we will have a math facts test. We will begin the year with addition and subtraction review and will then move to multiplication facts. A schedule will be sent home.

           Our class will have a weekly classroom newsletter, Thompson Times, which will come home on Fridays. It will have important information such as upcoming news and events, information about what all is happening in our classroom, class needs, and thank you notes. Attached to the Thompson Times will be our weekly word study with the following weeks spelling and vocabulary words as well as spelling and vocabulary homework assignments for the following week. Vocabulary assignments are due on Tuesday. Word Study assignments are due on Thursday..

Supplies

            It is very important to the learning environment that your child has the proper supplies.  This is needed in order for your child to complete their assignments.  Please make sure that your child has what they need at all times. Our supplies are consumable and need to be replenished as needed.  Our school cart sells many of the basic school supplies. You may send money for your child to purchase the items they need.

 

Visitors

            All visitors will need to report to the office before coming to the classroom. Visitors may not come directly to the classroom. This is for the safety of all children. Visitors will be given a visitor tag to wear for the safety and security of all children in the building. I have an open-door policy, so you may visit our classroom at any time. However, visitors are

asked not to interfere with the teaching process, nor to request a conference while students are in the classroom.  I am not available to visit with you regarding your child while students are in the classroom. Please be sure to set up an appointment beforehand.

Conferences

            LRSD had 2 scheduled conferences per year.  I will send a note home with your scheduled time prior to the conference day. If at any time you would like to have an additional conference, please call me at school or e-mail me to schedule a time.

 Homework

       LRSD policy states that third grade students should have nightly homework. Students can have 30 – 45 minutes of homework each night.

Homework, other than Word Study, will be assigned through Tic Tac Toe Homework. Each week, your child will be given a new Tic Tac Toe grid with many choices of assignments. Your child must complete the 3 activities that are starred and will then choose 2 other activities for a total of 5 activities for the week. Your child can always do extra assignments, and I will award bonus points. Please be sure that the boxes completed are colored or have an “x” in them. Homework should be attached to the tic tac toe grid when returned. New tic tac toe grids will be distributed each Monday and due on Friday.

         Each Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday I will check for homework and note it in on the reward chart on each student's desk. For each assignment returned, your child can earn a sticker on his/her chart. When the chart is filled up, your child will earn a trip to the treasure chest and a homework pass. Homework passes can be used for ONE tic tac toe box or ONE word study/vocabulary assignment. Homework

passes MAY NOT be used for projects or tests. Homework charts will be taped INSIDE the assignment notebook, so you can closely monitor that your child is turning in his/her assignments. I will also note in the assignment notebook if homework is missing that day.

Tests

Friday is considered “Test Day.” Each Friday we will have spelling, reading, DLR, and math facts tests. Social Studies and Science tests will NEVER be on Friday. They will be throughout the week. All tests will be announced 3-5 days ahead of time with the exception of math tests. Math is worked on in class every day with very little preparation required for an exam (other than math facts).

 Spelling/Vocabulary

            Spelling will be taught through the use of spelling patterns and frequently misspelled words.  We will have daily hands-on phonics/spelling/word

work activities.  Every Friday we will have a spelling test. The students will know, ahead of time, 20 of their spelling words. I will also give 5 mystery words - following the pattern that we are studying for the week. If the students know the pattern and can use it, they will be able to spell these words without any problems.  Finally, there will be five dictation sentences. I will orally give a sentence using a weekly spelling word. Students will be graded on capitalization, punctuation, writing the complete sentence, and spelling the spelling word correctly.   

            The students will be given a list of weekly vocabulary words to learn the meaning of each week. These words will be part of the spelling test as bonus. A vocabulary test will be given over these words as well. Vocabulary is a key component to reading, so we will work very hard to build our classroom vocabulary!

Language Arts

           Language Arts includes writing and grammar. Writing will be taught through an individualized writer’s workshop approach.  Children will keep a writing notebook and journal and will conference with the teacher individually. Writing and journals will be assessed by rubrics.  Students will also keep a writing portfolio to document progress.  We will also be doing Daily Language Review sheets (referred to as DLR) each morning to improve grammar. The sheets are broken into days (Monday-Thursday) and will be completed throughout the week. We will check them daily and the students will be given a test on Friday, which will consist of my choice of sentences we have corrected together in class as well as any additional questions covering grammar skills learned/reviewed/reinforced through DLR. Be sure that your child brings this worksheet home every Thursday to study.   

 Discipline

            Our classroom will follow the card system this year.

    *Green - Appropriate Behavior

    *Yellow - Warning

    *Blue – Parent Contact

    *Red - Administrative Conference/Behavior Document

         I will put the daily behavior color in the assignment notebook each day IF your child is not on green. This must come back daily with a signature.

Loss of recess will not be an acceptable punishment. Therefore, we will have behavior incentives. Your child can earn $5 in Thompson Bucks for every day that he or she is on green. Randomly throughout the day, I will be awarding Thompson Bucks for exceptional behavior. At the end of the month, we will have a Behavior Bash which can be a

party, a free recess, or something similar. A set dollar amount will be set each month in order to get to attend the Behavior Bash. I will announce that at the beginning of each month. Randomly, we will also have free recess days!! We will also have a ticket jar in our room. Each day I will hand out tickets to those who are "caught being good!" On Friday, I will draw five names from the jar to visit our classroom treasure chest!!! Finally, I will also have group incentives. Students will be sitting and working in cooperative groups. Throughout the day they can earn marbles in their group cup. At the end of the week, the group with the most marbles earns a trip to the treasure chest!!!! I will need lots of help, please, in keeping our treasure chest stocked full of FUN items for the children to earn!!!!

Accelerated Reading

            AR is a reading program at Fulbright. It encourages students to read books and then take a test on the book. You will find all of the tests listed by title, author, and book level at www.renlearn.com. Click on "store" and search through quiz titles through this area. Remember, Fulbright has the new and improved AR system, so students have access to ALL tests that AR has had created. The tests are on computers located throughout the school.  By answering questions correctly, your child will receive points based on the length of the book and its reading level.  Each 9-weeks the students get to go to the AR store and spend their points. This is an excellent reading motivational tool. Our class also has individual AR incentives. For every 90% and above on a chapter book, your child will earn 10 marbles for his/her group marble cup. For every 10 AR points earned, your child will earn a trip to the TREASURE CHEST! When your child reaches 100 points, he or

she will get to sit at the teacher’s desk for the day! When your child reaches 200 points, he or she will get to have a special lunch out with the teacher! When your child reaches 300 points, he or she will get to spend $5.00 on the next classroom book order! Finally, we will work on individual goals set each 9-weeks for each individual child! Achievement of those goals by the end of the 9-weeks will result in a special treat. Our AR bulletin board in our classroom will note individual progress towards those goals. Students must reach their individually set point goal and the 85% mastery goal in order to receive their reward AND to attend the AR store.

 

AIP

     Early in the year, I will begin looking at test data from last year’s standardized exams. If your child scored below proficiency, it will be necessary to develop an Academic Improvement Plan (AIP). Please

be sure to attend any conferences related to the AIP. Failure to participate may result in retention of your child.

SOAR

     SOAR is a computerized assessment program which will be utilized throughout the year. Students will use this program to take 6 benchmark tests throughout the year. We will utilize this testing information to track your child’s progress in third grade and to help guide remediation and instruction. We have found this information invaluable as well as a direct influence on student achievement.

Email

    I communicate FREQUENTLY through the use of e-mail. I send reminders and various information to keep you up-to-date on classroom activities.

Sometimes I might e-mail you pictures of things going on in the classroom or simply something AWESOME your child did that day! I love to share anecdotes about your child with you! Please notify me as soon as possible if your e-mail address should change throughout the year. If you do not have access to e-mail, I will send home a hard copy.

Edline

Edline is at Fulbright! You will have immediate access to your child's academic process ONLINE! Usernames and passwords will be sent home. I update the site weekly, and you will be sent e-mail notifications when those updates are made. It's an excellent way to stay on top of your child's grades so that there aren't any surprises.

Snacks

Students are allowed to bring a HEALTHY snack each day. We have this about 9:00 or 9:30 each day. Healthy snack choices would include veggies, fruits, half a sandwich, crackers, pretzels, etc. Please do not send cakes, cookies, candy, or bags of chips. Please only send one serving size. We will have snack while we work, so it needs to be something that is easily consumed. Finally, if you would like, you could send in extra snacks that I keep in my desk in case someone forgets. We may not always have these on hand, so please be sure to pack a snack daily.

Lunch Money

I encourage you to pay in advance for several lunches - that way your child does not have to worry about running out of money. The office is limited on money to loan for lunch, so you may be called if your child has forgotten his/her lunch and has a 0 balance

in his/her lunch account. Please note, you now can pay your child's lunch account ONLINE. Please see the lunch menu page for a link to your child’s lunch account.

 

 Technology

Follow us on Facebook! An informational handout will be coming home with detailed information.

I will frequently make video clips of student presentations and post those online. It will be a great way to see your children in action!

Finally, we will be working with PowerPoint and PhotoStory to create various projects this year. We look forward to showing off all that we can do! :) 

 

    I hope this letter has given you an understanding of our classroom and procedures.  I know that we will have a GREAT year in third grade this year at

Fulbright.  Please contact me any time with any questions or concerns.

Thank you,

Amy Thompson

National Board Certified Teacher

Fulbright:  447- 4735

E-mail: mrsathompson@comcast.net

Web Site:  www.fulbrightelem.org