I graduated from University of Nevada, Reno in 2015 with a bachelors in elementary education with an emphasis in early childhood education and English Language Learners. Last year, I was a student teacher in 2 nd grade at Folsom Hills. After, I was hired to teach Project Lead the Way, a science program in 4 th and 5 th grade at Folsom Hills. This is my first year teaching and I could not be more excited!
When I am not in school I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, running, and watching sports. Go Warriors!
Contact Information: ksullivan@fcusd.org Email is my preferred method of contact Please leave your phone number and a couple times you are available if you would prefer I call you back. Otherwise I will email you back.
Classroom Rules: Be safe Be responsible Be respectful Be kind
Rewards and Incentives: Whole Class - The class will earn gems in a jar. If they fill the jar, students will receive a special treat or activity Individual - Students will monitor their behavior on a clip chart. Students will receive Curry Cash and fox awards depending on their placement at the end of the day. Students will be able to purchase items in our treasure box or lunch bunch.
Consequences for Bad Choices Students, who choose to break a rule, will be moved down the behavior chart. If the undesirable behavior continues, they will move down again on the behavior chart. At this stage, I meet with the student privately and they will fill out a reflection form which will be brought home and signed and returned.
8:25-9:05 a.m. Reading, Library, Second Step 9:05 9:55 a.m. Social Studies/PLTW 9:55-10:10 a.m. Recess 10:10-11:15 a.m. Math 11:15-11:55 a.m. Lunch 11:55-1:00 p.m. ELA 1:00-1:15 p.m. Mileage Club/Break 1:30-2:37 p.m. Small Group Rotations
We have officially made the switch from to Common Core Standards with the Adoption of our new ELA program. Although the concepts have not changed greatly, the level of complexity in each standard has changed. We are interested in seeing students think critically, solve problems and collaborate with peers.
We are using Benchmark Education materials. Each student will be given a Text for Close Reading. They will learn how to annotate the information they read as well as respond to different text features. Students will also participate in read alouds as well as small group instruction with Leveled Text and Reader s Theater.
Read Every Day! I will use their iready Diagnotic testing to give them a Lexile. It is best that students read in their lexile or a little above in order to improve their reading fluency. We will use the Reading Counts Program to help with reading comprehension. Students will earn points and rewards for reading.
Students in 3 rd grade will focus on three types of writing. Narrative Informative/Explanatory Opinion Every month students will write a formal paragraph/essay on the trimester focus area. Students will also have a chance to write in their journals and in other subject areas.
Students will work on a weekly spelling list, however there will be no formal spelling test each week. Students will be tested on spelling concepts within their unit assessments at the end of each unit.
We use Envision math. After our lesson and classwork, students will be able to start their homework in class and will take it home to finish. We will be learning multiplication and division this year, so flashcards at home would be helpful!
We will use the Project Lead the Way curriculum to meet the new NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)for Science. Students will learn to think like engineers to come up with possible solutions to problems and modify and try again and again until they find solutions. This is a hands-on approach to Science and is very engaging.
Third Graders will be learning about Government, Local History, Natural resources and Native Americans. Students will read informational text in their ELA Text as well as their Social Studies booklets.
Students will need to read for 15 minutes and fill out reading log each night. Students will begin their Math pages in class and will need to finish Math page for homework. Completed Math will be turn in the following day. Highly Suggested- iready Activities (30 mins for 3 rd and 40 mins for 4 th ) This program is a great way to meet student where they are at and continue to work on their needs.
PE- Monday and Tuesday from 1:15-1:45 p.m. Library- TBD Morning Sing- Friday 9:20-9:50 a.m.
We will learn about artists, musicians, and art through our FAME program. We will also be able to create 3-4 ceramic projects with our KILN (clay) program. We also will participate in our Science Discovery Days twice during the School year.
This is one of my favorite topics. I love field trips and the experiences that come with them. We are planning to go on two this year. Once the dates are booked we will send out more information.
Absent Work/ Independent Study Parents may request absent work to be sent to the office on the second day of a child s absence, otherwise students will receive their absent work when they return to school. If your child is going to be absent for more than five consecutive days of school, please contact the office ahead of time and an Independent Study Plan will be issued for your child.
3 rd Grade Grading Policy Third Graders will receive an M, D or L based on the following breakdown: Achievement on Grade Level Standards (overall grades) M-Meets or exceeds grade level standards D-Developing proficiency with steady progress on grade level standards L-Limited proficiency with limited progress on grade level standards
Wednesday Folders On Wednesday, your child will bring home a folder filled with important school notices as well as some graded papers. Empty the folder out and review the notices, corrected papers, and newsletters. Please sign and return the empty folder to school on Thursday. If you have a note for the teacher or something that needs to be sent back to school, put it in the folder.
Weekly Famous Fox Each week we will have a different Famous Fox. Each day the student will have an opportunity for the class to get to know them better. Your child will bring home a yellow folder explain what they may bring to share each day. It is a really fun week for each student.
Birthdays The students may bring in a treat to celebrate their birthday. Although I know cupcakes and cookies are well liked, students also love snack type foods such as fruit, yogurt, string cheese, etc. Treats must be individually wrapped for easy distribution and contain no peanuts (We have a student with a severe Peanut allergy) Summer birthdays will be celebrated in August.
Snack Time Students may bring in a nutritious snack to eat during the morning recess and may choose to bring in a small bottle of water to drink throughout the day. Students each lunch at 11:15. Some students also might need a small snack in the afternoon after our mileage club.
Spirit Days Every Friday is Spirit Day. Students should wear their Folsom Hills t-shirts or grey and navy blue on this day. The grade level with the most participation receives a fox for a week. The grade level with the most participation for the trimester receives a party.
Comfort Kits Please take the materials for the comfort kits. A informational letter is in the ziploc bag for more information.
PTA & Fundraisers Our main fundraisers are The Fox Fund, Amazon Smile, Raley s Something Extra Card & the Fox Trot. Many of our other programs are community events and are not meant to raise money. Please keep a look out for the Fox fun and help out where you can. PTA memberships are due on August 28 th. Membership allows access to our student directory.
Parent Involvement I love having parents volunteer in my classroom. If you are interested in help please sign up tonight or email me. All volunteers must be cleared through the district with their ID, TB test, Application for category 1 and additional fingerprints for category 2. Some of our field trips require category 2 status to come, so please keep that in mind.
Parent Volunteer Jobs include: Room Parent Wednesday Folder volunteer Copy Master Party Planners/Helpers FAME Docents KILN volunteer Science Docent Classroom Helpers (TBA-Based on Intervention) Please sign-up on the back table if you are interested
Classroom Wish List My Wishes are displayed on the paw prints on the white board. How does this work? Just grab a paw, purchase the item for our classroom and send the donation into the classroom along with the star. Thank you for participating! Any donations now and throughout the year are greatly appreciated.
Questions????