Welcome to

1. Welcome to Third Grade at Reed Elementary! 2014-2015

2. Your 3rd Grade Team: • Kelli Baker • Angelica Perin • Shia Vandovinos • Kelly Holmes • Jill Roecker

3. Reed OwlExpectations • Respect others • Respect yourself • Respect your environment • Respect the work

4. To be a successful Third Grader: • Come in each day ready to learn • Do your best on all you do • Ask questions • Be aware of and follow expectations

5. What are the school hours? • The earliest students should arrive at school is 7:25. • Our students will go to the gym if they arrive before 7:45. • School begins at 7:55 and students are considered tardy if they arrive after that time. • If your child is absent, please send a note, (not an email) the day they return to school. • Our students are dismissed at 2:55 each day.

6. A bit to look forward to:

7. Math • Numbers, operations and quantitative thinking • Patterns, relationships, and algebraic reasoning • Geometry and spatial sense • Measurement • Financial Literacy • Processes used in problem-solving

8. Science Through the scientific process, we’ll explore… • States of matter • Patterns and systems in environments • Adaptations and inherited traits • Solar system • Earth science • Force and motion

9. Social Studies • Map Skills • Communities • Government and citizenship • Cultural celebrations • Economics • Landforms • Inventions and inventors

10. Reading Workshop • Readers will get a chance to explore the world of fiction and nonfiction by selecting, reading, and sharing “good fit” books. They’ll have opportunities to practice reading strategies independently, with a peer, and in small literature groups. Students will gain the knowledge to respond to text in many meaningful ways: by thinking and talking about reading, by actively participating in book club discussions, and by engaging in a variety of projects that promote higher-level thinking.

11. Writing Workshop • We will explore many different genres of writing this year. The students have a writer’s notebook to develop and record ideas and will get a chance to participate in conferences, experience the steps of the writing process, share writing with peers, and publish finished pieces.

12. An Overview of our year

13. Our Daily Schedule • Start 7:55 • Lunch 12:30 • Recess 1:05 • Specials 1:20 • Release 2:55 • Please see your teachers webpage for more specific times if you would like more information.

14. Homework • Check agenda book daily for information. • Students should complete the weekly homework, which has activities that align with the curriculum. Homework is due on Friday mornings. • Please encourage them to read and practice math facts every evening • Please check e-mails and the newsletter for project due dates and test dates.

15. Homework

16. What you can do to help  Set up a study area which includes a homework survival kit. Schedule a time for homework. Encourage students to work independently. Challenge your student to do the harder assignments first. Checklists help students stay organized. Mark tests, projects, and other due dates on the family calendar. Check your student’s Red Take Home Folder/Agenda daily and the Blue Tuesday Folder weekly. Go through graded work together. When you have time, practice some learning activities on the weekends. When in doubt, ask your child.

17. Grading information and staying informed • How grades are collected (percentages, rubrics, etc) • Reworking a failed assignment • Make-Up work policy • When graded work comes home • Check planner/agenda with your child • Progress reports • Report cards

18. How will school and home communication occur? • Daily folders/Agendas • Tuesday folders • Grade level newsletters • Reed website • Eye Opener • School messenger calls • E-mail is the best way to contact me

19. Birthday Celebrations at School Due to the Texas nutrition laws, parents will NOT be able to supply the class with any food items in celebration of a child’s birthday. This includes cupcakes, candy, cake, etc. Another option that parents could consider is to send a goody bag for each student in your child’s class. NO CANDY will be allowed in these goody bags, but you could include items such as stickers, pencils, small “treasures,” etc. Due to student privacy and safety concerns, we will no longer be able to allow students to distribute birthday invitations at school. We realize that connecting with other families for birthday parties, playdates, etc., can be a challenge. In an effort to help you contact other families in your child’s classroom, we are offering the opportunity to share your email address with other parents in your child’s class who may also choose to share their email addresses. If you opt into this communication loop, your teacher will send out your email address along with your child’s first name and last initial. An “opt-in” form was sent home on Tuesday. Please return the form no later than Friday, September 19th. We will then provide you with email addresses for all families in the classroom who agree to share them. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

20. Overdrive – Online Library! • Reed is proud to offer eBooks and audio books to our students 24 hours a day/7 days a week for FREE! • You can access this online library from the Reed Website. Just click on the Library tab at the top of the page. • A list of compatible devices is there for you! • Students will need their student ID number in order to “check out” books.

21. What do I need to know about the school parking lot? • Use the northwest entrance only. • Do not drop off students anywhere but along the sidewalk. Students should never be asked to walk through the parking lot unattended. • When visiting the school, please do not park along curb in the front of the school, this area is reserved for buses and daycare vans only. Always use a parking space when coming inside. • We will stagger our dismissal times to help with traffic congestion each afternoon. • Kindergarten will be dismissed at 2:50 • 1st - 6th grade students will be dismissed at 2:55 • Remain in your car and follow the flow of traffic around the lot. Teachers and students will be watching and students will be sent to your car. • Signs were provided to each family picking up students by car each day. They have your student’s name, grade, and teacher listed. Please attach it to your visor or place it on the dashboard of your car each day during pick up. The signs will speed up dismissal and are also helpful during rainy weather when students wait in the gym. School staff can quickly see which child you are picking up and bring him/her to your car. • Car signs are also a safety measure to ensure we are releasing students to the correct adult. Please help us by ALWAYS having your car sign visible. * For safety purposes, students must have a signed note from a parent if they have a change in the way they get home for the day.

22. Parent Waiting Area • This is a location for parents who choose to park and walk to the school to pick up their children each afternoon. • To help staff ensure we are releasing students to the correct adult, we ask that parents have the safety sign provided by the school that states their student’s name and grade. Parents will show the sign to the staff member on duty and students will be sent to the parent. • Our Parent Waiting Area is for the safety of all students. In the past, teachers have become distracted during the dismissal period while visiting with parents and students left the school without the teacher seeing them leave. • The Parent Waiting Area is NOT an attempt to keep parents away from teachers or to extend the amount of time it takes to unite parents with students after school. It was created to provide a place for parents to wait that will still allow teachers to focus completely on ensuring all students are dismissed safely. • Parents who need to speak to a teacher can still do so by scheduling an appointment or waiting until approximately 3:15 when students are all dismissed for the day. * For safety purposes, students must have a signed note from a parent if they have a change in the way they get home for the day.

23. Dismissal: Headache free… • Try to have your child go home the same way each day. • If they are going home a different way than normal, they must have a note.

24. Our Handbook

25. Volunteers We love our volunteers! Thank you! • Please make sure you have completed the yearly online registration and the criminal history background check on the Allen ISD website. Click on “Register to be a Volunteer” under the “Human Resources” tab. • Watch DOGS

26. PTA • • Join the “Gene M Reed Jr Elementary School PTA” Facebook Book Page to stay connected. • • Browse the new PTA website under the Parents tab on the Reed homepage http://www.reedpta.org/ memberships forms are located under “Volunteer Here”. • • Calendar of events located on website via PTAvenue.com where you can sync the events to your smartphone calendar.

27. Thank you for coming! Other Information and Questions…