Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to third grade! This is going to be a fantastic year! We have so much planned! Third grade is a year of preparing your child to be a responsible and independent student. We have field trips, fun activities and lots of learning on the schedule.
We like to send out a letter to inform all parents about third grade policies, expectations, and upcoming events. Please review the following policies and information with your child. Keep the top two sheets to put on your refrigerator for easy reference.
Field Trips: Please update your volunteer status if you think you’d like to be a chaperone for any of these events. These costs are approximate and still need to be verified.
- October 16 - Slim Goodbody - Bodyology - $15
- February/March- Children's Theatre - $13
- Beginning of May - Old Salem - approx cost -$35 - Charter Buses (8am-5pm)
- TBD - James K Polk - required and paid for by Arts & Science Council Grant (if approved)
Late Assignments: Five points per day are deducted on assignments that are turned in late. It is the student’s responsibility to turn in late assignments.
PowerSchool: Please make sure that you are checking PowerSchool on a weekly basis. This is a great resource to keep up with missing assignments and with all the grades your child has earned. Usernames and passwords can be obtained from the office staff.
Grades: All assignments are checked for accountability whether it is classwork or homework, but not all assignments are graded. Please be aware that Science, Social Studies and Health will be taught in 2-3 week units throughout the quarter.
Homework: Homework will be written in the agenda. It is our expectation that the parent will initial the agenda each night. Homework assignments can be changed at teacher discretion. We encourage you to set up with your child a scheduled time for homework each day. Students should be able to do most assignments independently. Please check over assignments for completeness. Your child is expected to read every night for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Make-up Work: Any work missed because of absence or early departure will be given to that student upon his/her return. The length of time the missing work has to be completed is equal to the time the student has missed. If your child is out for an extended period of time, it would be wise to contact his/her teacher and pick up the missing work as the absence progresses, so your child does not feel overwhelmed when they return.
Communication: EMAIL – Please make sure that your child’s teacher has your correct, updated email address, as this is an efficient way to contact all parents. Email is the BEST way to contact us. You will find a list of the third grade teachers’ emails at the end of this letter.
Agenda/Calendar: Your child’s agenda and calendar will be used to record homework assignments and for notes written to you from the teachers when necessary. Please look at your child’s agenda daily to see assignments and any notes. These should be signed by parents daily.
Birthday Treats: Please give us a heads up at least a day in advance if your child is going to celebrate his or her birthday at school. This should be done in the cafeteria to limit interruptions to our instructional time. An order form can be found on the McKee website to purchase items through the cafeteria. They have cupcakes, cookies, ice cream cups and juice boxes available at a reasonable price.
Daily Snack: We will designate a daily snack time in 3rd grade in mid-morning. Snacks should be brought from home and should be healthy and simple (no candy). Our school is slowly transitioning from being nut free. However, we’d appreciate it if you limit items containing nuts to foods eaten in the cafeteria. For snack, we will continue to be nut free. This includes granola bars, chocolates, peanut butter, etc. If there is any doubt, please don’t send it in. Water bottles may be kept at the desks with students throughout the day. Please don’t send any snacks that require a spoon or juice boxes for snack.
Change in Transportation: If your child needs to change the way he/she is going home on a particular day, parents MUST write a written consent or send an email; otherwise, he/she will be sent home the usual way.
Student Teacher: Lauren Worthington is a senior at Appalachian State University and will be doing her student teaching in Mrs. Thurston’s classroom. We are excited that she’ll be working with the third grade team.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us via email, a note, or call the school after 3:10pm.
Sincerely,
The Third Grade Team
Mrs. DeJohn - [email protected]
Mrs. Hammer - [email protected]
Mrs. Thurston - [email protected]
Mrs. Williams - [email protected]