!‫ברוכים הבאים לכיתה ג׳‬
Welcome to 3rd Grade!
THIRD GRADE INFORMATION | 2014-2015/‫תשע״ה‬
Dear Third Grade Families,
B’rukhim haba’im l’Khita Gimmel/Welcome to Third Grade! The transition to Third Grade is an
exciting time for students as they enter the intermediate grades in our school. We hope you and your
child are as excited as we are to start the new school year! Your commitment to the experience of a
meaningful and empowering Jewish education at CESJDS is one for which we are grateful and from
which we are confident that your family will benefit for years to come. We look forward to greeting
you in person in just a few weeks. As we approach the opening of school, please note the following:
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To give you and your child the opportunity to meet their teachers and explore their new
classroom, students and parents are invited to our “Meet & Greet” on Monday, August 25,
from 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Tuesday, August 26 is the first day of school for all students.
A class placement letter and other information will be mailed to you later this month. During the days
preceding the first day of school, you or your child may have questions about what will be different in
Third Grade, who’s who, where to go, and what Third Grade is like. This information packet
addresses many of these questions and provides helpful hints for getting off to a great start in Third
Grade. More specific information regarding our school community practices, procedures, and policies
is addressed in the Parent Handbook, which may be viewed here. Please read the entire Handbook
thoroughly, but direct particular attention to the sections on Dress Code, Dismissal Procedures,
Kashrut and Shabbat, and Food/Wellness Policy. The Family Handbook will also be addressed, along
with the academic program, at Back to School Night on Tuesday, September 16.
We look forward to greeting you and your children and to a wonderful new year.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Matthew Bellas
Lower School Principal
Lower School Contact Information:
Rabbi Matthew Bellas, Lower School Principal - x 4830
Rebecca Prigal, Assistant Principal of General Studies - x 4807
Yoram Bar-Noy, Assistant Principal of Judaic Studies - x 4812
Hannah Viana, Coordinator, Math & Science - x 4825
Alanna Kotler, Coordinator, Reading & Writing - x 4827
Lenore Layman, Director of Educational Support Services - x 4839
Ellie Klausner Pinsky, ESS Learning Specialist - x 1221
Cheryl Taylor, Guidance Counselor - x 4833
The Third Grade Team
Michele Kolodny, GS
Hadas Heyman, JS
Jane Shaughnessy, GS
Adi Moshkovitz, JS
Karyn Tauber, GS
Einat Hilleli, JS
Danna Gelles, GS
Megan Smith, Science
Katie Peters, Math
Two Teachers, Two Classrooms:
In Third Grade, the biggest change is that most students will have different classrooms for
General and Judaic Studies. Judaic Studies classes are grouped by level beginning in Third
Grade, so JS and GS teachers who share a classroom will not necessarily teach the same
students. General Studies classes are not grouped by level – all GS classes are balanced and
heterogeneous.
When placement information is sent out, it will note your child’s General Studies, Judaic
Studies, and Math teachers’ names and room numbers. Where to go on the first day of school
will also be indicated. That morning, students will be shown where all the Third Grade
classrooms are, and they very quickly acclimate to the new routine of having a different GS and
JS classroom. All Third Grade classrooms are in close proximity to one another.
Student lockers are assigned by the General Studies teachers and are right outside the General
Studies classroom. The lockers are for all of the student’s books, materials, snacks, etc. for
both GS and JS.
Your Third Grader’s Day:
Please aim to drop off your child at 8:00 AM in order to ensure sufficient time to walk to their
classroom, get the day’s materials from their locker and settle in. School starts at 8:15
AM. This means that at 8:15, students should be in their classrooms with their books and
materials, ready to begin the learning day. Students who come to the classroom after 8:15 miss
the critical morning transition into the school routine as well as curriculum content.
Every school day begins with Morning Meeting, either in General Studies or Judaic Studies. This
opens the day with community- building activities, an introduction to the day’s lessons, and an
opportunity for students to learn and practice social and cooperative skills.
Before school
Students in grades 3-6 who arrive at school between 7:45 and 8:00 AM go directly to the gym,
where they are supervised until 8:00. Students sit with their own grade in a designated area in
the gym. When the bell rings at 8:00, they walk down to their classrooms and begin their
morning routines.
Daily schedule
We have a block schedule with a 6-day rotation. This means we cycle through A-B-C-D-E-F Day
schedules throughout the Lower School. In all Third Grade classrooms, General Studies and
Judaic Studies begin and end on alternate days (half of the grade will start with GS on A, C, and
E mornings and the other half will start with GS on B, D, and F mornings, and vice versa for
Judaic Studies). All classrooms have a sign on the door reminding the students what day it is
and whether it’s a GS or a JS morning when they arrive.
The day looks like this for Third Graders:
8:15-8:45
Morning Meeting (in JS or GS)
8:45-10:30
JS/GS
10:30-11:00
Recess
11:00-11:30
Lunch in cafeteria
11:30-12:15
JS/GS/Specials
12:15-1:00
Specials
1:00 – 2:00
Math
2:00-3:30
JS/GS
Third Grade Specials are as follows:
Art (once per 6-day rotation)
Music (once per 6-day rotation)
Science (twice per 6-day rotation)
Physical Education (twice per 6-day rotation)
Library (once per 6-day rotation)
Snacks and Lunch:
Students in Third Grade have snack time every day. We encourage children to bring a healthy
snack of fruits, vegetables, or protein.
Third graders will eat lunch in the cafeteria supervised by their GS teacher, a JS teacher, or a JS
assistant.
During the year, there are occasional class celebrations for which students bring in snacks from
home. Everything shared in school must be kosher. Please refer to the Lower School Family
Handbook for the School’s food policy and specific kashrut information.
We are not a peanut-free school. However, since snacks and lunch are eaten in the classroom,
individual classrooms may restrict peanuts or tree nuts due to student allergies. You will be
notified by your child’s teacher if this is the case.
Homework in Third Grade:
A key component of the transition to Third Grade is organizational and study skills. These skills
are modeled and reinforced right from the start, and we are mindful of appropriate homework
expectations for eight and nine year olds. Developing these skills is an ongoing process, and the
Third Grade teachers work with students (and their parents) to support them in attaining these
life skills.
The purpose of homework is for the children to practice and build on what they learned at
school and to develop the ability to work independently. They will not be asked to learn
something new or to use a skill they have not practiced in school. We believe that homework
must be meaningful, developmentally appropriate, and balanced. Your child’s teacher will talk
more about this at Back-to-School Night and throughout the year.
During the first week of school, all Third graders will be given a CESJDS assignment/agenda
book. Through regular modeling, practicing, and reinforcement of organizational routines in
class and at home, third graders begin to develop these essential life-long habits. The
assignment book goes home every night and must be returned to school every day.
Third graders benefit from working with their parents to develop a productive homework
routine. As the year progresses, students will be able to work more independently, but, at the
beginning of the year, they need your guidance to learn how to establish routines, organize
their time, and set priorities.
3rd Grade Supply List for the 2014-2015 School Year
Below is the supply lists for the 2014-2015 school year for third grade. When school begins in
the fall, individual teachers may have specific items that they will request for their class in
addition to the supplies listed below.
Most of these are shared community supplies and are managed by the teacher. Please do not
label these with your child’s name.
3rd Grade Supply List
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1 soft, sturdy pencil case
1 1 inch. binder (needs to be a view-finder binder white)
1 1-subject notebooks (wide-ruled) with a plastic cover
6 dozen #2 pencils
4 large pink erasers
1 pair small student scissors
2 marble composition books (wide-ruled)
1 pkg. write-on binder index tabbed sheets
1 1-inch binder (for science)
2 sets thick markers
2 sets thin markers
1 package of colored pencils 12ct
6 jumbo glue sticks
3 pads of 3x3” post-it notes (not accordion style)
2 pads of 4x6 post-it notes (lined or unlined)
1 pkg. of 5 highlighters (pink, blue, green, yellow, orange)
6 kippot & clips (labeled, in a Ziploc bag) for boys
1 plastic shoe box
1 set of thin dry erase markers (red, black, green, blue)
1 small manual pencil sharpener with receptacle
1 headset (see picture below)
Headset for students to use to listen/record information.