2014 - 2015

The 3rd Grade Team STEM – Math and Science Mrs. Sarah Gonnella and Ms. Jenn Warner

Humanities – ELA and Social Studies Mrs. Mary Mechalske and Mrs. Leah

Offutt

Specialized InstructionMs. Chrissy Bixler – ELA SpecialistMs. Carey Sneska– G & T Mrs. Miki Fitzgerald – Math ResourceMs. Samantha Gostic and Ms. Kristi

Pfeffer Resource Teachers

Our Schedule

8:55- 9:20 Homeroom9:20-11:20 AM Rotation11:25-12:25 Specials12:30-1:00 Lunch1:00-1:20 Recess1:20-3:20 PM Rotation3:20-3:40 Flex Time3:40-3:45 Pack-up3:45 Dismissal

Flex Time

This is something new we are trying this year. It is designed to be a time where we can provide intervention and reteach as necessary. The children will be expected to be working with a teacher, an assistant, or independently.

Attendance• Carroll County Public Schools

recognizes the importance between attendance and academic success.

• Please contact the school every day your child will not be present for learning.

• Please make arrangements to obtain missed class work if applicable.

• Please contact the school nurse or school counselor, if your child’s absence will be more than three days due to illness or emotional concerns. There may be supports available for you and your child.

Attendance

• All student absences must be reported to the school office. This can be done with a phone call, hand written note signed by the parent, or by email to: RUEattendance@carrollk12.org

• For more information regarding attendance and attendance procedures please see the student handbook, or the Student Services Manual located on the CCPS website

Cafeteria• Cafeteria Account

• Personal Identification Number (PIN)• Help your child remember his/her 5 digit

PIN #• Monitor your child’s account on

www.schoolpaymentsolutions.com• $$$ Money $$$

• Parents/Guardians choose the amount of money to place in their child’s account

• Money can be used for meals or snack• How do I start or add to my child’s account?

• www.schoolpaymentsolutions.com• Check or Cash

Annual Parent Permission Process• The annual parent permission

process has gone online this year. • Parents should have received an

email last week about completing the permissions through the ESP Center.

• These include: Disclosure of Directory Information, Students in Media Coverage, Use of Student Work Product, and Indication that you have received the Portable Electronic Devices School Board Policy.

New Visitor Protocol• A Camera and buzzer system has

or will be installed at all schools to increase student safety and school security.

Carroll County Public Schools Visitor Entry Protocol

All exterior doors must be locked after AM

student arrival All visitors must ring the main entrance buzzer

to request entry Prior to allowing entry to the building, staff will

monitor visitor entry and ask the following: 1. Full Name 2. Reason for visiting 3. Visitor appointments with staff will be

verified

Staff will direct visitors to the main office for sign in

Visitors including volunteers, are required to sign in through the computerized system (name, date, time and purpose of visit)

All visitors must show photo identification card All visitors must be issued a visitor’s badge

(exceptions: employees displaying a CCPS badge) Contractors and service providers paperwork will be

reviewed and verified Visitors must return their badges to the main office

and sign out when leaving

Visitor Protocol Continued

Portable Electronic Devices

• BYOD – Bring your own device, is a policy being piloted by several elementary schools for the first 2 quarters of this school year.

• Runnymede will be implementing the policy beginning at quarter 3 in January 2015. At that time students will be allowed to bring devices to school to use within the guidelines for students in grades 3 – 12.

• More information has been provided in the September Newsletter.

Student/Parent Handbook

• IMPORTANT RESOURCE !!!!• One Student/Parent Handbook

is distributed to each family including an insert with important information relevant to RUE, and the CCPS calendar with policies and important dates.

• PLEASE USE THESE RESOURCES

Miscellaneous Reminders

Birthdays - Birthday invitations can be distributed at school if done in an unobtrusive manner.  Please send In only non-food items. Alternative possibilities include pencils, stickers, goody bags, etc.

Supplies•Tissues and Ziploc bags•Please Visit our Lending a Hand Board•Third Grade Memory Books – Gift Cards to Wal-Mart for photo printing

Volunteers - Please be sure to take a volunteer training session 7 school days prior to volunteering in the classroom

Toys and Electronics Policy

No electronic radios or games

No trading cards

No Toys/Stuffed Animals

PARCC Testing

Students in 3rd grade will participate in the State

PARCC testing for Reading and Math. Testing Dates are TBD and you will be

getting more information about this as the year

progresses.

Field Trips• FIELD TRIPS ARE ALIGNED TO THE

CURRICULUM & ARE CONSIDERED PART OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL TIME….ALL STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND!!!

• In order to chaperone, you MUST have completed a volunteer training at least 7 days prior to the trip – THE SOONER YOU GET IT DONE THE BETTER

Field Trips• Please send in a money order or

check made out to Runnymede Elementary

• We will try to accommodate as many chaperones as we can for each trip

• Be on the look-out for details on trip locations during the year!!

Book Orders• Homeroom teachers will be sending

home Scholastic books orders throughout the school year

• You can order online or send a check into school with the order form (checks made payable to Scholastic)

• Scholastic allows you to…• Choose from a variety of grade and

reading level specific books for your child

• Earn free books for the classroom library

Agendas

• Homework Assignments• 20 minutes of reading

(Strive for 25)• Word study• Math practice

• Communication Source• Code of Conduct • Clip Chart Behavior Log

Report Cards

This is the first year that you children will receive letter

grades on their report card.

Discovery Education

A great resource for parents to use at home is Discovery Education.

Steps on how to access Discovery Education from Home:

1.Go to https://carrollk12.discoveryeducation.com/ 2.Children log in with their computer log in user and password. (In the front of their agendas)

What is PBIS?• The application of

evidence-based strategies and systems to assist schools:

• to increase academic performance

• increase safety

• decrease problem behavior and establish positive school cultures

PBIS Big Ideas• Positive Behavior Support is

a process for teaching children appropriate behavior and providing the supports necessary to sustain that behavior.

• PBIS is not a curriculum - it is a framework for systems to identify needs, develop strategies, and evaluate practice toward success

Why PBIS?• PBIS helps reduce challenging

student behavior through a proactive, positive, and consistent manner across ALL school settings.

• Additionally, it helps improve academic achievement and social competence.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Be RespectfulBe Responsible

Be Ready to Learn

Bus

Bathroom

HallsClass

Cafe. Recess

Assemblies

Grade Level Incentives• Students earn tickets in all

classrooms and throughout the school for displaying appropriate behaviors

• Grade Level rewards given at least twice a month:• Bring a stuffed animal to school• Pajama Day• “Hopper” Day• Extra recess

Consistent Consequences

• General reminder will be given about appropriate behavior.

• Individual reminder/redirection will be given about appropriate behavior.

• Chronic behavior will result in a support room or office referral.

• Certain actions warrant immediate administrative involvement such as fighting, using inappropriate language, harassment, threats, and possession of contraband or weapons.

Classroom Clip Charts

Color LevelPink Outstanding

Purple Great Job

Green Ready to Learn

Yellow Think About It

Orange Consequence

Red Referral

Classroom Clip Chart Log in Agendas

A u g u s t S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 4

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 25 AM

26 AM 27 AM 28 AM 29 AM

25 PM

26 PM 27 PM 28 PM 29 PM

1 AM

2 AM 3 AM 4 AM 5 AM

1 PM

2 PM 3 PM 4 PM 5 PM

8 AM

9 AM 10 AM 11 AM 12 AM

8 PM

9 PM 10 PM 11 PM 12 PM

15 AM

16 AM 17 AM 18 AM 19 AM

15 PM

16 PM 17 PM 18 PM 19 PM

22 AM

23 AM 24 AM 25 AM 26 AM

22 PM

23 PM 24 PM 25 PM 26 PM

29 AM

30 AM Pink = Outstanding Yellow = Warning Purple = Great J ob Orange = Consequence Green = Ready To Learn Red = Referral

29 PM

30 PM

Third Grade Commitment to Parent and Students

Parents will receive regular communication:

•Letters

•Data Binders

•Agenda Books

•Quarterly Progress Reports

•Phone calls

Math Homework

•Math Resource Folders

•Basic Fact Bags

•Homework Labels

•Nightly Assignments and Unit Reviews

• If your child is stuck, write a note!

Mathematically Speaking Newsletters

• Inside your child’s Math Resource Folder, you will find a plastic page protector. This page protector will house all of our Mathematically Speaking Newsletters.

• The Mathematically Speaking Newsletters are a tool we use to communicate with parents about the curriculum expectations and standards. These newsletters will include parent-friendly language and examples.

Online Resource for Parents at Home

•Carroll County Teachers with the help of Donn Hicks (Elementary Mathematics Supervisor) have made this resource to help parents at home.

http://video.carrollk12.org/ElementaryMath

•X-tra Math is a basic fact website that you will be receiving a letter about in the future to help your child practice his/her basic facts.

STEM Data Binder• Means of tracking student progress

• Way for student to take ownership in his/her learning

• Form of communication with parents

• Periodically you might see a label in your child’s data binder with an updated grade. Please contact your child’s STEM teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

• In the data binder you will find a bright piece of cardstock that says “New STEM Data”. This divider will mark the new work samples in the data binder.

• Work in the data binder is used when determining report card grades

• STEM Data Binder Samples will include:

• Unit Check-Ups (Post Tests)

• Quizzes and Basic Fact Quizzes

STEM Grading Policy•Work in the data binder is used when

determining report card grades

•Math report card grades consist of an average of all of the samples in the STEM Data Binder

•When determining an overall letter grade, the specific indicators are used.

•At the top of each assessment, you will find an indicator box that includes what your child has earned for each of the included report card indicators as well as an overall letter grade.

•Fact fluency is an indicator on the report card but it is not used to determine the overall letter grade.

STEM Grading• Tests & Quizzes from the

data binder. • Grading Scale

• 90% - 100% O = A• 80% - 89% S = B• 70% - 79% S = C• 60% - 69% N = D• 59% & Below N = F

Third Grade SpecificsUnit 1: Foundation of Multiplication,

Division and AreaUnit 2: Strategies for Addition, Subtraction,

and MeasurementUnit 3: Equal Partitioning and Naming

FractionsUnit 4: Multiplication and DivisionUnit 5: Multiplication, Division, and AreaUnit 6: Equivalence and Comparing

Fraction, Measurement and DataUnit 7: Geometry and MeasurementUnit 8: Computational Fluency

What about high ability learners?

In Grades K-5, CCPS teachers will utilize

the Progression Documents to meet the

needs of our high ability students.

Flexible Groupings •This year in math we will be using

flexible groups to meet the needs of all students. This means depending on the concept or skill your child may work in a different math group or classroom.

•We will assess the children’s knowledge and Ms. Warner and Mrs. Gonnella will make groups to meet the needs of all learners.

•SO just because your child is currently assigned to one of our classes this does not mean that they will not be working with both of us.

Fact Practice• Your child will bring home a

Basic Fact Bag each night. Please help your child review his/her facts at least three times per week.

• The facts that your child will practice will include any addition and subtraction not yet mastered as well as all of the multiplication division facts to 100.

Science

Living ThingsRoad Trip Through MarylandSTEM Unit A work in Process

Physical Science

Ways to contact us with ANY questions or concerns:

• Good times to call us: before school (8:00-8:45), during planning (11:30-12:15), or after school (4:00-4:15)

• Written notes or notes on the homework

• Email

• STEM Website

Questions for STEM Teachers

REMEMBER...This is not a

conference; please refrain from asking

questions specific to your child.

Third Grade Instructional Materials

• Social Studies Alive! • McGraw-Hill Wonders

Social StudiesEconomics

Carroll County

Regions

Instruction will be integrated intoELA. Parent letters will highlight

learning objectives and keyvocabulary.

Determining Reading Levels

• Houghton Mifflin (phonics)

•Running Records (comprehension, fluency & decoding)

•Scholastic Reading Inventory Score (SRI)

•The Comprehension Benchmark Assessment (CBAs - reading comprehension and writing

•Writing samples

•Daily classroom performanceThird Grade – On Grade Level   

Quarter 1WINTER

Quarter 2 

Quarter 3SPRING

Quarter 4

Reading Level N O --- ---Scholastic Reading Inventory 454+ 483+ --- 572+Comprehension Benchmark Assessment -- ≥ 70% -- ≥ 70%

County Writing Rubrics – Dev. of Ideas2+ 2+ 2+ 2+

County Writing Rubrics -Organization2+ 2+ 2+ 2+

County Writing Rubrics – Clarity 2+ 2+ 2+ 2+County Writing Rubrics – Conventions

2+ 2+ 2+ 2+

Strive for 25

Students who read daily will grow as readers and be much more successful when reading

• Students read books on their independent reading level.

• Students will write a brief letter discussing their reading

• Teachers will be sure that students are selecting books appropriate for their reading level

Please be sure your child brings a book to school every day

Word Study HomeworkStudents will have nightly word

study homework that will consist of different engaging activities

that reinforce spelling patterns/syllable types taught

through our Fundations phonics instruction. A parent letter will go

home at the beginning of each new unit with the attached

homework activities.

Cursive Handwriting

Why teach cursive?

Fluent, spontaneous handwriting makes more working memory available to focus on higher level thinking.

The lack of an automatic command of handwriting can inhibit a student's ability to write, affect his self confidence and encourage him to avoid writing,

Data Binders

• Means of tracking student progress

• Form of communication with parents

• Way for student to take ownership in his/her learning

Data Binders

E.L.A. Sample work:•Wonders assessments

•Writing pieces

•Responses to texts

•Graded class work

•Social Studies assessments

•Fundations assessments

•REV It Up assessments

Thanks for coming!