Third Grade

Parent Handbook

2015-2016

Miss Benvenuto, Miss Kasica & Mrs. Percarpio

Table of Contents

Welcome Letter 3

About The Teachers 4 Homework Expectations Missing and Incomplete Homework 5-6

Classroom Rules and Rewards 7 Home-School Communication 8

Class Website Take-Home folder Homework folder Friday Folder

Snacks & Birthday Celebrations 9-10

Academics 10

Social Studies Science Writing

Academics Con’t 12-14

Math Reading Penmanship Spelling PARCC

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Dear Parents and Guardians, We are very excited to be your child’s third grade teachers for the 2015-2016 school year! With your help and encouragement, your child will embark on a journey of growth and discovery this year. We compiled this handbook as a resource to facilitate our cooperation as parent and teachers, and to familiarize you with the expectations and routines in third grade. Please review this handbook thoroughly and discuss all sections with your child. We will review the procedures thoroughly and frequently with our classes, but your additional support will encourage them to develop skills critical to their lifelong success. Although our teaching styles may differ, third grade works together as a team! It is our goal to make this a fulfilling and fun year of learning. Please feel free to come to us with your concerns, so that we can ensure that your child has a successful and enjoyable year in third grade. Throughout the year, changes to this handbook may be necessary. Any changes will be communicated to you immediately. Sincerely, Miss Benvenuto, Miss Kasica & Mrs. Percarpio tierney.benvenuto@wwrsd.org Miss Benvenuto allison.kasica@wwrsd.org Miss Kasica marissa.percarpio@wwrsd.org Mrs. Percarpio

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About The Teachers

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. My name is Mrs. Marissa Percarpio and I am so excited to be your child’s 3rd grade teacher this year! Third grade has always been special to me and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to share it with all of you. I received my Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Vermont where I studied Elementary Education and English. Most recently, I received my Master’s Degree from Montclair State University in Educational Leadership. This is my seventh year at Berkeley Elementary School and I couldn’t have asked for anything better! I am so looking forward to a terrific year full of fun and learning! Hello, my name is Miss Allison Kasica and I am very excited to continue in my fifth year of teaching at Berkeley Elementary School! I graduated from the University of Hartford with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Elementary and Special Education. My teaching philosophy is to help my students experience the joy of education and to become lifelong learners. I am enjoying having your children in my class and I look forward to getting to know them better. I will do my best to make this a positive and successful school year! My name is Miss Tierney Benvenuto and I am so excited to be starting my year in third grade with your children! I student taught in third grade last fall in Westwood, so I am very familiar with the curriculum and the Westwood staff. I have enjoyed getting to know your children so far and I look forward to continuing the year together. I feel as if I could not have asked for a better group of students for my first year! I am confident that your children will have a positive year filled with fun learning! Your children have given me a warm welcome to the Berkeley family, and I feel so lucky to be here!

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Homework Expectations

The goal of homework is to give your child meaningful practice of skills learned in school. If a specific piece of homework is especially challenging for your child, don’t sit up all night trying to figure it out! Please make a notation on the homework explaining the issue. We encourage you to work with your child as they complete homework assignments, but please remember this is your child’s homework, not yours! If your child is struggling, we need to know in order to help them. Homework will be given every night with the exception of Fridays and holiday weekends or weeks. You can expect to see your child complete the following on a nightly basis:

● A math worksheet reviewing the skills taught during the lesson that day or the prior day.

● Reading a “just right book” for twenty minutes and completing a reading blog post on Google Classroom

● Spelling activities from Treasures workbook Your child may have several projects or long-term assignments throughout the year. Depending on the project, your child will have anywhere from a week to two weeks to complete it. Projects may be assigned in all subject areas, including science and social studies. Math homework Homework assignments will not be graded, unless stated otherwise. However, students are responsible for completing it every night and bringing it back to school to be checked. If a student has a specific problem with a skill, problem, topic, etc… please be sure to write a quick note to let us know so that we can help!

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Reading Homework Students are expected to read for a minimum of twenty minutes each night and complete a short reading response on google classroom. Spelling Homework Students are given spelling workbook activities to help prepare them for our weekly spelling tests. Spelling is due on Friday, unless stated otherwise.

Missing & Incomplete Homework

If a child forgets to bring their homework to school, or did not complete the assignment, the procedures listed below will be followed.

● 1st missing assignment: OOPS! We all make mistakes and are forgetful at times, but the work still needs to get done. The student will use however long it takes to complete the assignment during their recess time OR the student can choose to take the work home.

● 2nd missing assignment: The student has the choice to use recess time to complete the assignment OR the student will take the assignment home to complete for homework (in addition to whatever is assigned that day).

● If missed assignments become excessive, a parent will be called and the student’s grade will be impacted.

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Classroom Rewards

Students will also be recognized for their outstanding behavior and choices both as a class and as individuals.

❖ Raffle Tickets: Miss Kasica and Mrs. Percarpio’s third grade classes use a raffle ticket system in order to encourage positive behavior. Raffle tickets are awarded both individually and as small groups.

❖ Class Dojo: Miss Benvenuto’s third grade class uses Class Dojo as reward and

positive reinforcement management system.

❖ Compliment Chain: Mrs. Percarpio’s class also has a compliment chain. It reads:

For all the nice things people say, We’ll add a link each day. When the chain and the floor do meet, Mrs. Percarpio will bring us a special treat!

Each time our class is given a compliment, we add a link to our chain. Once the chain hits the floor, we have a special treat. My “treat” usually comes in the form of a free time during the week to play math games in small groups.

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Home & School Communication

Frequent parent-teacher communication is very important to the success of your child. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact us immediately.

Class Website

Check out our class website for important information pertaining to our class! Be sure to bookmark it. Go to the district’s s website; www.wwrsd.org. Click on Berkeley, then, click on staff. You will find the names of all the teachers listed there. Check our site often for great links and to keep up-to-date with special goings on. You can email us anytime, or call us after school. We will do our best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Take-Home Folder & Friday Folder

All third graders have take-home folders. The take-home folder is for any notices, backpack notes, fundraisers, or important communications that you will need to see. In other words, the take-home folder is more for you, than it is for the student! In order to stay organized, take-home folders should be emptied every time they are brought home. If you have anything important that you need to send me, send it via the take-home folder. Students check their folders every morning to see if there are any special notes for me, or forms that need to be handed back. Mrs. Percarpio’s class has Friday Folders. These are YELLOW folders that are sent home each Friday. The two pockets are labeled “Keep at Home” and “Bring Back to School”. Anything in the “Keep Home” section is yours to keep! Anything in the “Bring Back to School” section should be signed and returned to school on Monday.

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Snacks

Third graders will be permitted to eat a HEALTHY snack before lunch time. They will have approximately ten minutes to eat while they are completing their work. The snack should be easy to consume so that they can continue to work. Snacks do help students maintain focus throughout the morning, so please pack a healthy snack that does not require a fork or spoon.

Birthday Celebrations

Everyone loves to celebrate their birthday! If you would like to send in treats, you are more than welcomed to do so. Treats will be eaten during snack time, or, right after lunch. Please be sure to let me know ahead of time if you plan on bringing in treats. If possible, please drop the treats off early that morning. (Please do not send anything that needs refrigerating.)

Invites for Birthdays

If you are planning to have a party outside of school, please do not hand out invitations in class unless the whole class is invited. We do not want any hurt feelings.

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Academics

Third grade will be a year of rigorous learning! Social Studies

Topics will include, but are not limited to: o Map Skills o Lenape Native Americans o New Jersey and its symbols o Economics

Science Topics will include, but are not limited to:

o Rocks and minerals o Living vs. Non-living things o Life Cycles o Matter o Forces & Motion o Plants

Writing

Each writing class will begin with a mini-lesson that teaches students specific writing skills. Students will keep their writing notebook in school. This will hold their writing ideas. Students will pick out writing ideas and develop them fully through the writing process from drafting to publishing. During the year, students will work on the following types of writing:

o Personal Narratives o Non-fiction o Fiction o Responses to Literature o Poetry o Craft Study

Math

Students will be working on many math concepts this school year. We will use the district’s new math program, EnVision, as a tool to teach the

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curriculum, as well as supplementing with other materials. During the entire year, we will work on math facts becoming automatic and students increasing their problem solving skills. The specific math units we will cover in third grade are as follows: Numbers and Operations

o Addition & Subtraction o Multiplication & Division o Money o Fractions o Using a number line and number grid o Place Value

Geometry

o Two dimensional shapes o Polygons o Symmetry

Measurement

o Perimeter o Area o Volume o Time o Temperature

Discrete Mathematics

o Bar graphs o Picture graphs o Tables o Analyze data o Probability

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Reading This year, we will continue to use Treasures to supplement our Reading curriculum. Treasures is a great resource with multiple components to help increase students’ reading levels. Third graders will learn a new reading comprehension skill each week. On Mondays, students will read a short story to introduce new vocabulary. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we will use the SmartBoard to read a story as a whole group. The skill will be modeled and students will engage in guided practice activities. Students will then practice applying the comprehension skill using their own just right books. A comprehension test is given each Friday. NOTE: Although there are only 6 questions on each test, there are many tests given each marking period. If a student doesn’t do great one week, he or she has many weeks to bring his or her grade up! Some comprehension skills include, but are not limited to:

o Making connections o Predicting o Inferring o Asking questions o Visualizations o Comparing and Contrasting o Drawing Conclusions

To become fluent readers, it is crucial that students read as much as possible. To assist in this effort, all students are expected to have a “just right” book with them at all times.

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FIVE FINGER RULE

When choosing a just right book, students should use the five-finger rule to determine if it is too easy, too difficult, or JUST RIGHT! Any more than five mistakes on a page, indicates that the book is too hard. Another great indicator is fluency. When students are reading, it should sound as if they are talking. Ask your third grader about these things!

Penmanship

Third graders love cursive! Students will learn one letter at a time throughout the year. Students will have many opportunities to practice each letter and learn to bridge them together. This will be a gradual process to ensure that no one is overwhelmed. We are preparing students for what lies ahead in fourth!

Spelling

Students will be using spelling words from our Treasures program! Students will complete various activities throughout the week; a test will be given each Friday.

PARCC

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The PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) will be administered in the Spring of 2016. Students complete this Language Arts and Mathematics assessment using Chromebooks. We prepare for the PARCC in many ways including the online practice tests and Measuring Up Live. For more information, visit the link below. http://www.parcconline.org/

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