ABC's+of+Ms.+LaQuay's+Class

= The ABC's of Ms. LaQuay's Room =

Absences
Regular attendance is imperative at ASW.  When a child must remain at home for more than two days, please telephone the school office or contact the classroom teacher and request that assignments be prepared for your child to complete at home. Should the absence be related to a contagious disease, please inform the school nurse immediately. Excessive, unexcused absences will require a meeting with administration, teacher, parents and student. Excessive absences may put a student’s promotion in jeopardy. We strongly believe, that whenever possible, trips and home leave be planned to coincide with school holidays.
 * ** Absences for Health Reasons ** Please keep your student at home if he or she has a fever or has had one within the last 24 hours; a contagious skin disease; episodes of nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, or a fresh upper respiratory infection with flu-like symptoms. Parents should contact the School nurse when a student has a contagious disease such as measles, mumps, impetigo, chicken pox, etc., so that a letter can be sent to the parents of the other students in your child’s class.
 * ** Extended Absences ** When a family must take a student away from school for an extended period, prior notice of at least a week must be given to the Elementary School Office and the student’s teacher. We strongly discourage you and your family from taking extended absences for family holidays since it could affect your child’s learning. If the extended time is for a vacation, no homework will be given in order for you and your family to enjoy the traveling. We will encourage students to do some independent reading or to keep a journal. If a student is out for medical reasons, the teacher will help the family make up work as soon as the student is able to return or be capable of independent work. As the assigned work can in no way substitute for in-school participation, the student should expect further catch-up work upon his/her return.



Arrivals and Departures
To help give your child the best start to their school day, it is recommend that you arrive by **8:15** to give your child the opportunity to have 10 minutes to get settled in and organized for the school day ahead. Departure is at 15:20 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Departure is 14:35 on Wednesdays. Please set up a clear plan with your child and teacher about how he/ she will get home each day.

8:00-8.20 Playground or Library 8:20-8:30 Morning Routines 8:30-15:20 Normal School day! 14:35 Early Dismissal

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Art
Students in our class have art twice a week for 40 minutes on Mondays and Thursdays. Our art teacher's name is Mrs. Joan Anderson.

Assignment Tracker
A worksheet where students write down their classwork and homework assignments everyday.This is for students to track their work. Teachers mark grades or completed for each assignment.Parents should look over the tracker and noticed their child's marks and sign the tracker each week!



Back to School
The first few weeks of school will be spent getting to know one anotherand becoming familiar with new routines.



Behavior Chart and Card
The behavior chart in our classroom is inside the cabinet door. There are four stages: Green = full recess (zero to one warning/ reminder) Yellow = -5 minutes recess (2nd warning) & behavior card Pink = -10 minutes recess (3rd warning) & behavior card Red = No Recess (4th strikes--you're out!) & behavior card & parent meeting/ contact

Everytime your child fills out a Behavior Card it needs to be signed by a parent. Please talk with your child about the choices they made and encourage them to find positive ways to solve their problems! :)



Birthdays
"Goodies" are allowed in to celebrate your child's birthday, however you must let me know in advance. "Goodies" need to be easy for a child to pass out--nothing that needs to be cut/ sliced is permitted. You can drop the goodies off in the classroom in advance between 8:10-8:30am. We eat snack each day at 9:15am, and that is when birthdays are celebrated. Your child will have the opportunity to wear a birthday hat, get a birthday sticker, and pencil! The class will sing "Happy Birthday" and "Sto Lat." They will also receive a homemade card from their classmates for their birthday.



Book Bags
Students should bring their own book bag to and from school. They should have their homework folder packed neatly inside. Please check that book bags do not become a storage bin of stuff for your child.



Book Club Lunches
If your child reads for more than 10 hours a month outside the classroom and fills out the Book Club Form, then he/ she qualifies to come to our special Book Club Luncheon! At book club, we'll all eat together while discussing the books and authors we enjoyed. A special treat will also be given to the kids at this luncheon--- anything from yummy food treats, to pencils, to a free homework pass!



Book Orders
Every two or three months, I will be sending a book club order form for you and your child to look over. These clubs offer wonderful books at reduced prices and offer 20% of total offer back to the teacher to build the classroom library.These orders should take less time because they are coming from the UK rather than the USA. Shipping will be included. The payment is due in euros.



Celebrations
At the end of our units of study in reading and writing we will have celebrations to celebrate our learning. Each celebration is unique, but typically there is some type of treat and a product that demonstrates our learning!



Change in Transportation
Please confirm with the teacher your child's regular transportation schedule. Please send a note or call the office if your child will be going home a different way!



Clothing
Encourage your children to wear appropriate, comfortable clothing to school. Please put names on coats, sweaters, bags, and shoes.



Communication
Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to write a note, email or call. My website is my main form of communication, and its updated frequently with important upcoming dates and announcements. Please check at http://3laquay-2011.wikispaces.com at least once a week to be most currently informed.



Conferences
We begin this year with Hopes and Dreams conferences where I will be listening to your dreams for your child. In the fall, we will have Parent-Teacher Conferences. In the spring, we'll have Student-Led Conferences!



Differentiation
In our classroom, we differentiate instruction, which means that students are taught based on instructional level as well as interest. Groupings change frequently, as students' levels increase, or if they have an abundance or less prior knowledge about a subject.

English Language Learners (ELL)
In our classroom, Ms. Hammond comes in everyday during writing workshop to offer additional support to ELL students. ELL teachers also work with beginning ELL students in small groups 3 times a week.



Grading Scale
The scale we've been using in ASW elementary from kindergarten through 3rd grade has been: + mastered = developing - not yet evident* needs improvement This is the system I use to communicate with parents and students on the Assignment Tracker.



Handwriting
We use D'nealian cursive handwriting books. Cursive will be taught in the classroom and typically will not be brought home.



Homework
The Homework Policy in ASW is 30 minutes of homework a night in third grade. The third grade team has broken that down to mean 20 minutes of reading each night and 10 minutes of other homework. Each week students will be given a slip that shares their homework assignments for the week. Homework is a practice of lessons taught during schools and students should be able to complete their work independently. If your child is struggling with the homework, please contact me immediately and we'll figure out a resolution. If homework is not completed on time, students will be expected to sit out and complete their assignments before joining in at recess.

= Indoor Shoes =

Students need to have shoes to wear indoors to keep carpets and classroom looking tidy. Each day student should change into indoor shoes when they come inside and outside shoes when they go outside. It is also helpful to have a bag labeled with your child's name to carry indoor shoes to leave at our special classes before going to recess.



= Languages = Research supports building Mother tongue languages as much as possible. ASW has scheduled language classes for 45 minute blocks three times per week. If there is not a mother tongue language class for students, they join a foreign language class to learn French.

= Library = We have library lessons once a week on Tuesdays. We can check out 3 books & 3 magazines for 3 weeks in 3rd grade! Ms. Matter is our librarian!

= Lunch =

Third graders have the privilege of going through the lunch line to choose what they'd like to eat! They have the responsibility of making a healthy choice for food at lunch to best support their growth and learning. Parents please pay attention to what your children are purchasing for lunch and be sure to discuss your expectations. Click here to read an informative article by Kid's Health about school lunches.

= Math = Our school has adopted the [|Investigations Mathematics] series. It has a strong conceptual component that supports students developing a deeper understanding of the math. We have also purchased memberships to an excellent website called "[|Mathletics]." Here students are able to complete individualized lessons and practice basic computation in a fun way! Click here to learn more about our [|grade level expectations] .

= Music =

We have music twice a week with Mr. Minasz.We will have a third grade concert in the spring.

= P.E. = We have P.E. with Mr. Eleryk twice a week.Students should remember to bring a P.E. bag with gym clothes and shoes.

= = = Polish Culture =

Our class is broken into 2 separate classes. One Polish Culture class is taught for native speakers of Polish in Polish.The other is taught for foreigners in English with some basic Polish language instruction.

= Positive Rewards/ Reinforcement =

__**S.T.A.R. Student**__ -- Students That Are Responsible are rewarded with stars on a chart and a compliment! Once the student reaches 10 stars, they are awarded with the privilege of going out five minutes early for morning recess.After they have their five minutes, they go back to zero and start earning towards ten stars again!

**__Golden Time__**-- To reinforce positive student work habits -- each Friday students can earn up to a full hour of free choice time! When all class work and homework assignments for the week are completed correctly on Friday they are awarded with free choice time.

__**Above and Beyond**__-- This Student Recognition Program is designed to recognize students for their exemplary academic efforts, community service, citizenship, athletics, volunteer service, etc. Each week during the school year, elementary students will be recognized. I will nominate one student from our class each week that has demonstrated one or more of the traits recognized by the school wide program. The traits are inquirer, knowledgable, thinker, communicator, principled, open-minded, caring, risk taker, balanced, and reflective.

= PTA = Your involvement in our room, and at our school helps tremendously! Take time in the first few weeks of school to join our PTA. Your support of our school means alot.

= Reading = This year, students will be completing several reading units of study.Focused units are Building A Reading Life, Bringing Characters to Life, Nonfiction, Mysteries, and more!All units of study follow the same workshop format:

--whole class mini-lesson --independent practice (Teacher will confer with individuals or guide small groups) --Mid-Workshop interruption/ teaching point --Share -- Talking with partner about our reading

= Report Cards = Report cards will be issued twice this year: December and June.Revising and improving our reporting system is a school wide goal this year.Your feedback is welcomed!

= Science = Our science program is centered on inquiry-based learning:"Sound", "Earth's Features and Resources", and "Living Things."We love to take field trips based on these units--if you have any suggestions/ possibilities please let me know!

= Snack = Please provide your child with a **healthy** snack every day--please talk with your child about healthy but tasty snack possibilities!If you want to send a drink with your child,please send a water bottle--no juice or sugary drinks.Click here for an article to read with kids about healthy snack options!

= Spelling = We will base our spelling lessons on Melvin Ramsden's, Real Spelling program.Click here for a connection to a youtube video of Melvin teaching spelling.Each week students will be given a pretest based on a Real Spelling pattern.Then they will be assigned 6 of their misspelled words to practice while learning the pattern. In addition, students will be memorizing an additional 2 words a week from our high frequency word lists.They will also be tested on high frequency words--and will only be asked to practice misspelled words.

= Social Studies = Our social studies unit this year focuses on culture. We will be learning what culture is and how it relates to us!In addition, we will be participating in Service Learning projects throughout the school year.If you have an idea about how we could participate in a project that would tie directly with our science/ social studies curriculum--please share it!

= S.T.A.R. Chart =

__**S.T.A.R. Student**__ -- Students That Are Responsible are rewarded with stars on a chart and a compliment!Once the student reaches 10 stars, they are awarded with the privilege of going out five minutes early for morning recess.After they have their five minutes, they go back to zero and start earning towards ten stars again!

= Supplies = Most school supplies have been purchased for your child's use in school.Please also support your child by purchasing needed supplies for homework at home:pencils, markers, scissors, paper, glue, etc.This way your child will not ask to take home the school supplies!

= Tardies = Please make every effort to have your child at their lockers by 8:20am each morning.If your child arrives after 8:30am please sign them in at the office before sending them to the classroom.

= Toys = Students should not bring toys to school, as they can become lost and create conflict among students.We are not responsible for a child's toys if they choose to bring them.If they are playing with them during lessons, they will be put in the June box--and not returned until the last day of school, June 15th.Balls and equipment are provided for all children during recess and students are encouraged to share!

= Visitors = **__ADULTS: Parents & Grandparents__** -- I welcome and encourage family involvement, and I will let you know when I need parent assistance in the classroom!

__**Friends/ Cousins/ Kids**__ - The policy at ASW is that each student may have **__one__** guest for __**one half day**__ each school year. These visits are approved at the discretion of ASW administration and teachers. Please print and fill out the and return to the office a week prior to the visit.It is also helpful if you check in with teacher about the plans/ schedule happening in the classroom--so the best possible time for the visit can be planned accordingly!

= Volunteers = I feel that it is vital for a child to know that his or her parents support their education. As such, we will try to provide many opportunities for parents to volunteer and visit our classroom. Your support can be exhibited in a number of ways.These include helping with parties, assisting with special projects, sending in treats or party goods, chaperoning field trips, reading to the class, and preparing materials at home.

= Website = As mentioned earlier, our wiki will provide you and your children with everything you'll need for the year!It will allow your child to download assignments, find spelling words, and challenge themselves outside the classroom.It allows you to see upcoming dates, announcements, children's published work, and answers probably 99% of your questions!Please check back weekly for updates.

= Writing = Writing has become my favorite subject to teach!Your child will be writing in our classroom every day.Writing is also run as a workshop just like reading.We will complete several writing units this year as your child develops into a lifelong writer!

= Zzzz! = Make sure that your child gets plenty of rest. Setting and keeping a bedtime is a wonderful gift you can give your child. It will help them be their best at school. Click here to read an article from Time Magazine for Kids about Sleeping.