jsanchez@somersetmiramar.com

1. jsanchez@somersetmiramar.com Title I Annual Meeting and Open House

2. What is Title I? Title I is the largest federal assistance program for our nation’s schools. The goal of Title I is a higher quality of education for every child. The program serves millions of children in elementary and secondary schools each year. Somerset Miramar is a Title I school. “What every parent should know about Title I” brochures are available in our front office. For a detailed description of Title I, please attend our first School Advisory Council meeting in the beginning of September.

3. How Title I Works The federal government provides funding to states each year for Title I. The Florida Department of Education sends the money to the district. The school district identifies eligible schools (based on the number of students receiving free/reduced lunches)and allocates Title I funds. Somerset Miramar implements a school wide Title I program. This means that all students receive the benefits of our Title I funding.

4. School Status and Testing As part of our Title I compliance, we are expected to reach certain achievement levels dictated by our School Improvement Plan. We utilize FCAT (grades 3-8), Primary Reading and Math tests (grades 1-2), and FAIR tests (grade K) to determine our achievement levels. Our elementary and middle school are both “A” rated schools!!

5. Working together! Title I law requires meaningful involvement of parents in the decisions made at our school. How we work together is listed in our: • School Level Parent Involvement Plan; • District level Parent Involvement Plan • Parent-School Compact • Title I Plan (School Improvement Plan) All information is available on our school website, but the best way you can be involved is by participating in our School Advisory Council. (SAC) If you have any questions, please contact a member of our administration or our Title I liaison- Ms.Calvacca.

6. SAC(School Advisory Committee) Teachers, parents and administrators get together to discuss school related issues, concerns and projects. Look for the upcoming flyer with the first meeting date and time.

7. Uniform Policy Somerset Academy Miramar has a mandatory uniform policy. All polos must be gray and must have our school logo embroidered on them. Bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts and skorts) must be navy or khaki and must have the name of our school embroidered on them. Shirts must be tucked in and belts must be worn. Please ensure that your child has a navy blue sweater for cold days as no other color is allowed. The first and third Friday of each month are “dress down” days. Students may come to school in “regular” clothing and bring $2. The second and fourth Friday of each month are spirit days. Students can wear their class shirt and jeans to school. T-shirts are for sale through September 15. All shirt orders will be delivered to our school and will be sent home upon arrival.

8. Classroom Discipline Plan In our third grade class we focus on the positive behavior of students, instead of bringing attention to misconduct. We use the classroom rules to help monitor student behavior. Rewards are as follows: Yummy Treats stickers Verbal Praise treasure box Students who fail to follow the class rules will be given a verbal reminder of the rules and asked to move their baseball to “strike 1”. If another incident were to occur on the same day, the student’s name will be moved to “strike 2” and the student will have a time out of that day’s special class activity. If a student is called on a third time for breaking the rules, they will be asked to move their name to “strike 3” and will receive a note home. If a student receives 3 notes home in one week a detention will be assigned. Supervised detentions are held after school. Students and parents will be given 24-hour notification of the detention. Parents need to make the appropriate arrangements for pick-up after the detention.

9. Cafeteria Procedures and Rules Students are to enter the cafeteria quietly. Once seated, students must remain seated. Should they need to leave their seat for any reason, they must ask permission from the cafeteria monitor who will determine the validity of the request and proceed accordingly. Food trading is not permissible. Students are responsible for all items on their trays. Food is not to be thrown. It must either be eaten or discarded properly in the trash cans.

10. Class Parties Birthday parties are NOT permitted in our classroom but cupcakes or cake may be shared during recess or lunch time.

11. Medication If your child requires medication during the school day, please ensure that the doctor prescribing the medication fills out the proper form, and that it is submitted to the office. We cannot administer medication to your child unless the previously mentioned procedures are followed. Do not send any type of medication without proper authorization with your child, as he/she will not be allowed to take it.

12. Home Learning Home Learning is assigned Monday through Friday. Every student must also read for thirty minutes each day and complete the Reading Log daily. Failure to turn in or complete a home learning assignment will result in a “Missing homework” stamp in the planner. Please ensure your child’s assignments are kept in their home learning folder at all times. Vocabulary homework should be kept in the folder until your child has been assessed on their knowledge ofthe words. Reading logs should be kept in the prongs of the homework folder until they are collected at the end of each month

13. How parents can help… As a parent you can help your child by assisting him/her with home learning. It is also very important that you make sure that your child is reading daily. Please initial your child’s planner on a daily basis to confirm that home learning and reading are being done at home. Please provide your child with an appropriate and quiet place to study. There will be an FCAT parent university later in the school year. This workshop will provide parents with techniques needed to help their children prepare for the FCAT, including how to use the FCAT Task Cards you are taking with you today. As soon as the date has been set, you will be notified.

14. Grading Procedures Students will receive a grade for each subject. Students are expected to complete ALL class work during the allotted time in the school day. Students have sufficient time in class to complete assignments; therefore, incomplete work is NOT given for home learning unless otherwise specified. Weekly assessments are administered on Fridays or when the skill/concept has been taught. GradingScale: 90% - 100% A 80% - 89% B 70% - 79% C 60% - 69% D 0% - 59% F Weights • Class Work 25% • HW/Participation 15% • Projects 15% • Quizzes 15% • Tests 30%

15. Absences If a child is absent, he or she will need to bring a note the following day to excuse the absence. Excused absences are due to: Student illness Medical appointment Death in family Observance of a religious holiday Pre-approved school related activities Please make sure that your child attends school every day and that he/she arrives to school on time. Excessive absences and tardiness can negatively affect your child’s academic progress. Students will be required to make up assignments missed on the day that they return to class.

16. Visitors to School For the safety and protection of all students and staff, visitors must always obtain a “Visitors Pass” from the main office before proceeding to any area of the school building. If you plan on chaperoning field trips, you must fill out a volunteer application and obtain clearance BEFORE the day of our trip. Please email me or Ms. Uncapher, Activities Director, at suncapher@somersetmiramar.com for clearance confirmation.

17. Scheduling a parent-teacher conference… Parent and teacher communication is very important. To schedule a conference you may send a note with your child via planner or email me at jsanchez@somersetmiramar.com. Please stop at the main office for a “visitor’s pass” on the day of our conference. The office will notify me of your arrival and will direct you to our meeting place. Visit our class web page for useful links, resources and more! http://teacherweb.com/FL/SomersetAcademy/Sanchez

18. Volunteering/Donations for Re-registration Each family is responsible for completing 30 volunteer hours in order to be eligible for registration for the next school year. Please notify me via email at least 24 hours in advance if you plan on coming in to volunteer. If you are unable to physically volunteer, you may choose to donate to the school instead. Each hour required is equivalent to a $4 donation. Gift cards, cash and checks are accepted.

19. Dismissal Procedures Students are dismissed at 3:00 pm . Students who are picked up by their parents are dismissed on the east side of our building. Please make sure to pick up your child promptly. Teachers are expected to help expedite the dismissal process so please remember that dismissal is not a time for parent conferences. Please feel free to schedule a conference if you have questions or concerns that need to be addressed. Students that attend the After School Care program are picked up by after care staff directly from our classroom. If your child walks or rides bike home, they are to leave school grounds at dismissal. If you need to pick your child up early, please make sure you do so before 2:30 p.m.

20. Rainy Day Dismissal During inclement weather parents will be allowed to pick students up directly from the classroom. Students will not be allowed to walk or ride their bicycle home until the weather improves. Please make sure that your child knows what to do on rainy days.

21. Our daily schedule 8:30-8:45 Arrival/Bell Ringer 8:45-11:00 Reading and Language Arts 11:00-11:30 Lunch 11:30-12:00 Social Studies 12:00-12:30 Spanish ( everyday except Wednesdays**) 12:30-12:45 Homework Check 12:45-1:05 recess 1:05-2:20 Math 2:20-2:55 Science 2:55-3:15 Dismissal *We have library every Tuesday from 10:20-10:50. Students are allowed to check out 2 books within their reading range. **We have P.E. on Wednesdays. Students must wear their P.E. shirt, shorts (without pockets) and sneakers for P.E.

22. Our academic standards… Our state has joined the many others in the adoption of the Common Core Standards. These standards are used to guide our daily lesson plans and instruction in Reading and Math. Visit www.corestandards.org for specific standard information. We use the previously adopted New Generation Sunshine State Standards for Math, Science and Social Studies. For specific standard information please visit www.cpalms.org.

23. Why Common Core Matters 45 states will adopt the standards Define what students should be able to do at each grade level Designed to prepare K-12 to be career and college ready Aligned with college and work expectations Include rigorous content and application of knowledge

24. Common Core Reading, writing, speaking and listening are integrated More attention placed on writing, synthesizing information Requires students to form an argument or persuasive point of view Requires students to interpret print and nonprint texts Focuses on challenging texts, disciplinary literacy, reading informational texts, reading multiple texts, and the use of evidence “How do you know?”

25. In Math class… New Math skills are introduced and practiced throughout the year. We do not revisit mastered skills until “FCAT crunch time” so please help your child by checking home learning on a daily basis. In class, small group work will help struggling students and excelling students alike by providing each with the appropriate level of difficulty. Our Go Math series is available online through Think Central.com. Your child’s Think Central.com login information will be forwarded to you. Students will be assigned IXL Math for homework. At least 30 minutes should be completed EACH WEEK. They may choose to explore or practice the skills we are working on in class. I will run weekly reports to check on their progress. Your child has already been given his/her login information.

26. In Science class… This year we will learn about the scientific method as we cover life, earth, physical and space sciences. This will be the first year your child will be responsible for their own Science Fair project. Science fair projects will be monitored and checked as stated on the timeline you will receive. Please ensure that your child has all required assignments and/or materials available to review and correct in class. Please choose a science fair experiment that is appropriate for your child. They will be expected to explain the project in full upon its completion .

27. In Reading and Language Arts… Reading Language Arts Practice spelling and grammar with your child at home daily. Use home learning as a guide. Ask your child to share their writing with you. We use the four square method. A helpful packet will be sent home with your child. If your child can not read fluently please read with him/her every day, visit recommended websites and practice, practice, practice! Remember 3rd grade is all about READING TO LEARN not learning to read. Now is the time to seek outside help (private tutoring) if you feel your child needs it. Small group work will take place in our class and will be tailored to fit your child’s needs.

28. 3rd Grade Reading: What happens? Most parents think of reading as something that percolates in kindergarten and first grade. But in third grade, it takes on added significance. That's because students move from learning to read, to using reading in every aspect of learning. Reading suddenly becomes integral to every subject in school, and will continue to be so through college and beyond. Teachers expect third graders to read lessons and chapters on their own and to be ready to discuss them in class. Fluency also continues to be important as your child needs to read most words without having to sound them out in order to understand or comprehend the text.

29. At the beginning of the year your child should be able to… Read with understanding and fluency Figure out unknown words in context Recognize word patterns (prefixes and suffixes) Communicate in written form Retell stories with accuracy Correct themselves while reading Identify and spell many words Recognize parts of a story Read for more than pleasure Utilize a larger sight vocabulary

30. By the end of the year your child should be able to… Read with understanding and fluency Understand the meaning of synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms Identify the meanings of compound words Use punctuation cues to add meaning to the text Use graphic organizers to aid comprehension Make reasonable predictions Identify the main ideas of passages Identify character traits Summarize what they have read Have a larger sight vocabulary

31. Accelerated Reader Accelerated Reader is an incentive based reading program in which students are recognized and rewarded for reading books. Your child should read a book from the selected AR list, available at www.arbookfind.com, and take a multiple choice test on a computer in school. Students should check out books within their reading range. This reading range can be found on the STAR test report will be sent home next week. I have set up a tracking system in class, where students will be able to see how they are doing in comparison to other students in our class. This way they can monitor their own progress. I recognize students who succeed in my class and the school rewards winning classes as well.

32. Reading Plus Our school has purchased Reading Plus for our students. This program has achieved extensive, documented success in increasing scores on high-stakes standardized tests and in producing substantial gains in fluency and silent reading, comprehension, vocabulary, and overall reading proficiency for students in Grade 3 through college. Your child has taken a placement test for which you will receive a full report. These results will be used by the program to “prescribe” a track for your child to follow. Students will use Reading Plus in school and at home.

33. Q & A