Third Grade Handbook - Mrs. Turner's Class
Third Grade Handbook
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Ms. Matthew: Linda.Matthew@
(623) 445-8251
Mrs. Frandsen: Jeanine.Ryan-Frandsen@
623) 445-8257
Mrs. Hammit: Barbara.Hammit@
(623) 445-8252
Mrs. Butkiewicz: Christa.Butkiewicz@
(623) 445-8256
Mrs. Turner: EJ.Turner@
(623)445-8255
Welcome to the Third Grade!
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The third grade team at Norterra Canyon strives to create a learning experience complete with academic challenge and personal growth for all students. We believe that by working together as partners with families we will create the best possible learning experience for all third graders. We are very excited to be working with your child this year. We are looking forward to a fantastic educational journey.
3rd Grade Schedule
8:15-10:00 Reading
10:00-10:30 Language
10:30-11:45 Math
11:45-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Social Studies/Science
1:30-2:15 Specials
2:15-3:00 class meetings; word work; small group instruction
*Schedule subject to change.
Special Area Schedule
We have specials from 1:30-2:15 daily. Please contact our special area teachers directly with any questions or concerns. They are also an important partner in your child’s education!
Policies & Procedures
Behavioral Expectations
Students are expected to act in good character and treat others with respect. We model and teach these expectations across our campus with Pirate PRIDE. Our students understand and value the traits of Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence. PRIDE has become an integral part of our daily lives at Norterra Canyon, and we find continuous ways to reinforce and celebrate these values.
This year we will be using a colored “clip chart” to monitor our behavior and classroom choices. Your child will have a clip in each classroom that they will physically move up or down the chart, depending on their choices. In order to move up, students must go above and beyond in their behavior choices. We believe that this system will be a positive way for students to monitor their choices and will give them behavior goals to strive for! As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call or email your child’s teacher.
|Red |Students who reach the red level will be rewarded for their positive choices. |
|Outstanding! | |
|Orange |Students who continue to make positive choices move up to the orange level. They are one step closer to having |
|Great Job! |outstanding classroom behavior! |
|Yellow |Students who make positive choices will receive recognition as they move up the chart. |
|Good Day! | |
|Green |Everyone starts the day “Ready to Learn”! Students can “clip up” or “clip down” throughout the day depending on |
|Ready to Learn! |their behavior choices. |
|Blue |Students who receive a warning will move to blue. This serves as a reminder to students to think about the choices|
|Think About It! |they make. |
|Purple |Students, who continue to make poor choices, will move to purple. They will complete a behavior reflection to be |
|Teacher’s Choice! |signed by parents. |
|Pink |Students who move to pink will have their parent contacted, and the appropriate consequence given. |
|Parent Contact… | |
Tardy & Absence Procedures
It is important that students arrive on time to class. Warm-up and review activities will begin upon entering the classroom. Students who arrive at school after 8:15 will need to go to the office to obtain a pass to enter the classroom. Please refer to the Student Handbook for Norterra Canyon’s tardy policy which went into effect during the 2011-2012 school year.
Please call the attendance line to report an absence at (623) 445-8290. Please call or e-mail your child’s teacher for homework when an absence occurs. If you have a planned absence which will require make-up homework, please give your child’s teacher a week’s notice to gather materials.
Parent Volunteer Information
Parent Volunteers are a wonderful and enriching part of a classroom environment, and we welcome your involvement. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the sign-up information that your child’s teacher will be sending home at the beginning of the school year. If you do wish to volunteer, please attend Norterra Canyon’s volunteer training. If you’ve previously attended the training there is no need to attend again.
Also, if you have a special skill, interest or hobby that you would like to share with your child’s class, please let your teacher know. We welcome guest speakers!
Snacks and Water Bottles
Due to the heat, water bottles are important to maintain hydration on hot days. Please be sure to send a labeled water bottle to school with your child on P.E. Days. Water bottles are acceptable on other days as well. (Please note: No color water or vitamin water is allowed in class)
Birthdays
Birthdays are special times for children. We will celebrate birthdays during the last fifteen minutes of the school day. It is important to the integrity of our classroom structure that you plan these events with your child’s teacher in advance. If you choose to bring in a food item please be sure that it is store bought, as per district policy.
Homework Expectations
Homework is a great opportunity to practice concepts taught in class. Math homework will be sent home most days and will be recorded in their student planner. Each class may have a slightly different homework schedule based on the students’ needs and teacher’s preferences. Contact your teacher right away if you have questions about your child’s homework routine.
Students should not spend more than 30 minutes on homework each night. Homework should never become a stressful or frustrating experience! If you have any concerns about the amount of time you are spending on homework, it is crucial that you contact your child’s teacher right away. Modifications can be made, but we can only do that if you communicate your concerns!
One of the most important responsibilities that parents have in their child’s education is establishing expectations and a routine for homework completion. Please help your child to be successful in school by showing them that you value their homework responsibilities, and teach them the organizational and time management skills they need to become independent.
Students will keep a weekly reading log. Students are expected to read a minimum of 20 minutes per night in addition to the regular homework. A reading log will be given at the beginning of each week and returned on Fridays. Please be sure to sign this nightly. Research shows that children who read daily with a caring adult score higher on standardized tests, develop a love of reading, and achieve better academically.
Grading Policy and Scale
DVUSD uses an on-line gradebook called Powerschools. If you do not have your child’s access code, please request it from the front office. Please view your child’s grades frequently and communicate any concerns with your teacher immediately.
The grading scale for third grade is:
100-90 A
89-80 B
79-70 C
69-60 D
59 & below F
Planners
Each third grader will be receiving a Norterra Canyon planner the first week of school. This needs to be brought to school each day. The homework that your child is responsible for completing will be written in their planner. Please check and sign these daily.
Academic Information
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Subject Areas & Curriculum
All lesson planning is directly aligned with the Arizona Third Grade Academic Standards as defined by the Arizona Department of Education, and Common Core National Standards.
• Reading:
Language Arts is taught for the first 90 minutes of the day. The following are some research based high-yield curriculum models and programs that we use:
➢ Pearson Reading Street (can be viewed online)
➢ Literacy Stations
➢ Literature Studies
➢ Guided Reading
➢ Skill Groups
Writing:
Writing is integrated into all content areas. The following are some processes we will use on a daily/weekly basis:
➢ Reflective Journals
➢ Write From the Beginning
• Spelling:
Spelling will be differentiated based on students’ needs. Please help your child study their words throughout the week so they will be successful on their tests.
• Mathematics:
Math is taught for 1 hour each day. We use a hands-on approach to build a strong conceptual foundation for each new concept. Students will be expected to achieve the following within the math curriculum:
• Understand unit fractions, use fractions in measurement & data, understand equivalent fractions, and compare fractions.
• Explore equal groups as a foundation for multiplication & division, understand the relationship between the two, develop strategies to multiply & divide, and use to solve measurement problems, demonstrate computational fluency when problem solving.
• Develop conceptual understanding of area, and solve problems involving area, solve problems using shapes
• Develop strategies for addition & subtraction, use to solve measurement problems, identify patterns in number & operations,
Math homework is assigned as practice of what we have learned in class and is an essential part of your child’s learning process. Some of the resources and models we use are:
➢ Scott Foresman envisions (can be viewed online)
➢ Investigations
➢ Centers and games
• Social Studies and Science
The third grade team will not rotate classes for these content areas. This will allow us to provide a rich and exciting project-based curriculum within our classrooms that integrates technology, literature, and writing with our science and social studies standards. Homework will not be assigned frequently, but you will be asked to complete some home projects throughout the year. These are designed to offer meaningful opportunities for you to learn with your child while building vital connections that children need for valuable, authentic learning.
The following are the areas of study we will explore:
Social Studies:
American History
World History
Civics and Government
Geography
Science:
Life science: life cycles and functions of plants, plant and animal adaptations
Physical Science: light and sound, energy
Earth Science: rocks and minerals, layers of the Earth
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