Wasatch Elementary Disclosure Document Third Grade (2018-2019) Jackie Wedick Heninger, Room 207 801-578-8574 x 207 jacqueline.wedick@slcschools.org Overview: Welcome to Third grade! Third grade is a year to solidify and enhance students reading skills. We will work on fluency, vocabulary, phonics and comprehension. The basal readers include a variety of literature genres, vocabulary, spelling, phonics, grammar, and multiple leveled mini books. We will also read a variety of other books for fun and as they tie into 3rd, grade Social Studies, Science and Character Education curriculums. We will learn Traditional Cursive and practice for fluency and legibility. In Mathematics we will use the new Eureka series. We will use ST Math, FAST Math on the computer and other math related websites to reinforce math skills. We start with more difficult concepts such as multiplication and division, so students have the full year to practice mastery. Then we cover the basics and expand to other abstract concepts: number sense, patterning, addition and subtraction, data, measurement, estimating, rounding, decimals, geometry, and fractions. Social Studies will include citizenship, government, communities, map skills, and land forms. Science themes will include living and nonliving things in our environment, the sun, moon and stars, gravity, force and motion, and simple machines. Concepts from the Utah Common Core will be taught using their basal programs, by researching specific topics, fieldtrips, discussions and experiments. Grade Level Goals and Objectives: Utah has adopted a Common Core Curriculum (in coalition with about forty other states) which outlines standards of learning that are essential for all students at each elementary grade level. The curriculum includes ideas, concepts, and skills to provide a foundation on which subsequent learning may be built. The curriculum for each grade level can be accessed on the Utah State Office of Education s website at http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/core. Arrival Procedure Students are expected to remain in the main hallway until the doors open at 8:25 a.m, when the first bell rings. School starts at 8:30 a.m this year. When students enter the classroom they are expected to turn in their homework folders and begin writing in their journals. In order to prepare for SAGE testing, students will become familiar with writing for an allotted time. This will stimulate the brain in the morning and get the kids focused and ready to learn.
*Note: Please try to be on time. If you are running late, students must check in at the main office. All other school entrances will be locked after the tardy bell. Dismissal Procedure Students will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday and at 12:50 p.m. on Friday. If you are picking up your child, please arrange a meeting spot with them that they can remember and get to easily. Aftercare: If your child attends Aftercare they will go there directly after class. Sometimes students are unsure of when they attend, especially at the beginning of the year. If you have a set schedule for what days they will be going please let me know, so I can help remind them. Lunch Please label all lunch boxes/bags with your child s name and room number (207). If your child is buying lunch, please place the money in an envelope or zip-lock bag with their name and room number. If they turn the payment in to me in the morning, I can make sure their account is credited. Note: You may also pre-pay for lunch accounts online at paypams.com. If you would like information on qualifying for free or reduced lunch prices, please contact the main office for forms. Absences SLCSD allows 5 unexcused absences per student per year. Vacations will not count as excused absences and will result in a lack of instructional time for your child. If your child is absent, you must send a note stating the reason for your child s absence on the day they return to school. A call to the office on the day they are absent is also required. It is important that your child only miss school if he/she is ill. Student work cannot be prepared in advance for unexcused absences such as vacations. Without my direct instruction, it will be difficult for your child to complete. Also, it is impossible for you to help your child make up all the work that he/she would be missing. We do not give busy work in third grade and therefore, most of the work is teacher directed. However, I will do my best to deal with this on a case by case basis. Lateness/Early Departures If your child is late for school, policy requires that you write an excuse note stating the reason for the lateness. If your child has to leave school early for any reason, a note should be sent to the school that morning, so that your child will be packed up in time. If your child is being sent home sick, you do not need to send in a note. Lateness and early departures are recorded on your child s permanent record cards. Labeling Please label everything your child brings to school. All items (jackets, backpacks, lunchboxes, etc.) need to have your child s name on them to prevent loss. Our lost and found is located in the downstairs hallway by the music room if they do happen to misplace an item.
Classroom Plan The classroom plan is a set of rules for the classroom. The first week of school I teach a lesson on the Pledge of Allegiance. During this lesson, students learn about making and keeping promises. Together, we develop our own Classroom Pledge based off of the rules the students suggest. When students are in charge of their own learning, they become more intrinsically motivated. Each child will sign and decorate a star to signify his/her willingness to adhere to the rules they developed. These stars represent how each student uniquely contributes to the class. Please search the walls of the classroom for this year s current rules! Classroom Incentive Systems: *Islands - Our classroom will have two incentive systems in place. Students will be grouped by Islands. I want students to feel comfortable working together to achieve a common goal. Students will change Islands halfway through the school year to give them the opportunity to collaborate with other peers. Each student within the group has a responsibility he/she has to adhere to. Students can earn Island points in a variety of ways. Examples include: showing up to class prepared, participating, helping others, completing work on time, and keeping the classroom clean. The Island to reach 50 points first, will get popcorn for their table or be permitted to draw a stick from the incentive jar. Each student at the table will get the chance to draw his/her own stick. (One student per day is allowed to cash in his/her stick, just so there are not 6 special needs having to be fulfilled in one day.) Ticket examples include (but are not limited to): ComputerDibs Job Swap Teacher s Chair Stay in for lunch and watch a movie Listen to music while working Teacher has to organize the student s desk Move desk near a friend for the day Pick a partner Use pen for a day Sit on the floor with a pillow
Use teacher supplies *Houses- Depending upon the year, we may have Hogwarts Houses instead of Islands. Students will be sorted into those groups and be expected to complete the same responsibilities. Team building will tie into this literary theme and encourage students to work together. *Have you filled your bucket?- I wanted the students to have an incentive system that focused on individual progress, in addition to the whole group, so I added a system that could address this need. Teachers around the country have started to adhere to the system and I found their testimonials to be rather useful. The system was developed as a follow up to the book, "Have You Filled A Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids" by Carol McCloud. The program focuses a great deal on character development, which can really help establish a positive working community. Essentially, when the students do and say things that are kind, considerate, caring and respectful, they are being a bucket filler. When students are mean, inconsiderate, uncaring, or disrespectful, they are bucket dippers. Students will get a sparkler (fuzzy) to add to their bucket when they are participating and being helpful within the classroom. At the end of the week, each student will empty his/her bucket into the classroom bin. When the classroom bucket becomes full, the class will have a celebration. This is a nice visual way students can see how their individual efforts have helped out the classroom community as a whole. Homework Policy Students will receive nightly math homework. I refrain from math packets because I like to see how students are grasping the material on a daily basis. If it appears that students struggled with the previous night s homework, I will re-teach that lesson the following day. This helps me gauge their progress. Literacy will be done a bit differently. Both Ms. Wiscomb and myself will be sending home weekly literacy packets that include a variety of spelling/word work, comprehension pages, grammar worksheets and a reading log. This homework packet will go home on the first school day of each week (usually Monday) and be returned on the last day of the week (usually Friday). If there are less than four days in a week there will not be a spelling list in that week s packet. Please correct your student s work in the literacy packet prior to turning it in. Most work should be able to be completed independently by the student, although it is important that you are available to offer support as needed and review his/her work. It would be ideal for students to have a quiet working space and a regular schedule for completing their homework each week if at all possible. Instructional Materials Our Reading text is called Wonders copyright 2014, by McGraw-Hill. Spelling, vocabulary, grammar and writing will come from this program. Our Math book is called Eureka, copyright 2015, by Great Minds Publishers, a non-profit organization. Spelling Each week students will focus on a new phonics pattern. Spelling tests will be given on Fridays (with the exception of unusually short weeks within the year). The list of words will also include high frequency words in addition to some content vocabulary that we use in other subjects. Students will be given opportunities in class to practice what they learn.
However, it is also expected that they will complete spelling homework and practice as needed at home. Science, Social Studies and Art These subjects will be integrated into the curriculum using a variety of mediums including dance, drama, and music. Technology will be used in the classroom in a variety of ways. Students will become competent with applications designed for student uses and develop rudimentary keyboarding skills. Keyboarding can also be practiced at home. This will help your child perform well on his/her SAGE exam at the end of the year. Reading Levels At Wasatch Elementary, students are assessed using the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) to determine their reading level. I will be using both their numbered leveling system as well as a Guided Reading leveling system within the Wonders program. Grading Procedures Clear benchmarks are established for grading students within the Salt Lake City School District. Grades will be given based upon student performance toward the establishment benchmarks. These benchmarks are tied to the Utah State Core Curriculum. Items that will be graded are tests, daily assignments, homework, and special projects. In addition, teacher observation will inform the grading process. Birthdays In accordance with new school procedures, we are requiring that students no longer bring food items in celebration of their birthdays. A celebration can still take place, but trinkets, games, donated classroom books, and cards are preferred. Contact me directly prior to your child s birthday and if you have something special in mind we can work it out on a case by case basis. Invitations Birthday invitations may not be handed out in class unless you are inviting the whole class. No exceptions. While being invited is exciting and wonderful, being excluded (regardless of reason) can cause a great deal of pain and sadness. While I understand completely that inviting an entire class to a party is usually not an option, I do ask that invitations for specific students are either mailed or passed directly from parent to parent in a respectful way. Also, please ask your child to refrain from pointing out that certain students are invited and others are not, both in the party planning phase, and afterwards. This is greatly appreciated. Field Trips Specific information will be sent home regarding any upcoming field trips. Family Situations It helps me to be informed of important experiences that may be affecting your child s state of mind, such as: illness in the family, a best friend moving away, conflicts among family members, loss of a pet, etc. Although I am interested in anything that could be affecting your child, it is not necessary for you to reveal personal information. Please know that anything you do say will be kept in the strictest confidence.
How to Contact Me The best way to contact me is through my district email account: jacqueline.wedick@slcschools.org. You may also call the school office at 801-578-8564 and leave me a message. Our classroom extension is 207, but I ask that you do not call the classroom directly during teaching hours. This disrupts whatever we are currently working on, and I almost always am surrounded by a classroom full of little ears hanging onto every word. After school is the best time for me to discuss matters of concern with you. Coming into the classroom, calling, or emailing are all great, and I have more time to engage in conversation when the school day is over. Donations/Volunteers I will gladly accept any donations for room 207. If you are interested in volunteering your time, I have a variety of opportunities that will be available for sign up at Back to School night. Class Directory Please keep this in a safe place. This resource has been very helpful for both students and the parents. It makes it easier to set up play dates, or inquire about an assignment or school function. Please utilize this list when sending out birthday invitations. I look forward to working with you and your family to create an enjoyable and successful year. Thank you in advance for your support. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Teacher Date: Student s Name: Parent Signature: