Third Grade
Hello Third Grade Families! We are so excited to be working with your students this
year. Please read over the following information with your child and sign and return the
page at the end by Friday, August 28, 2015. It will count as a homework grade in your
child’s homeroom class.
The students are graded on the following scale.
In addition to the A, B, C scale, you will also see
the students conduct grade, labeled with E, S,
or P.
ACADEMIC GRADES
A: 90 – 100%
B: 80 – 89%
C: 70 – 79%
F: 0 – 69%
Grade Break Down
Major Grades (tests, projects, papers): 30%
Daily Grades (classwork, quizzes): 60%
Homework: 10%
BEHAVIOR GRADES
E = (Excellent) Student has surpassed all
requirements and expectations of the
classroom, follows all rules, and is continually
being a role model student
S = (Satisfactory) Student has met all
requirements and expectations of the
classroom, follow rules, and is a good student
P = (Poor/Needs Improvement) Student is
struggling with requirements and expectations
of the classroom, following rules, and needs to
improve his/her behavior
Students are expected to be on time each day.
Instruction begins promptly at 8:00 AM.
Students arriving after 8:05 AM are marked
tardy, and those arriving after 8:30 AM are
counted absent. It is required to provide a
written note or email to the front office if your
child has been absent, including the date,
homeroom teacher, student’s full name, and
the reason for the absence.
HSI follows a specific dress code. Students
must wear the appropriate uniform shirt, pants
or knee length shorts, close-toed shoes, belt,
and student ID. If needed, a student can wear a
long sleeve shirt under their uniform shirt or a
cardigan.
• Be respectful to all students, teachers, and
staff.
• Follow directions the first time they are given.
• Raise your hand to speak.
• Keep your hands, feet, and belongings to
yourself.
• Be responsible for your own learning.
These are general rules. On the first day of
school we will discuss as a class what rules we
need to maximize our learning. We will add to
the general list any additional rules we decide
on and post these in our classrooms.
Students who earn positive Dojo points will
receive awards, such as coupons that can be
used for in-class prizes. (No shoes, use a pen,
etc.)
Students who choose not to follow classroom
rules will receive consequences relevant to the
rule broken. For example, if a student plays
during work time, they will have to complete the
work during recess.
We will also adhere to the following discipline
tree for reoccurring behavior issues.
• Step 1: Verbal Warning
• Step 2: Written Warning
• Step 3: Parent Contact
• Step 4: Teacher/Parent/Student Conference
• Step 5: Discipline Referral
To help monitor classroom behavior, we will be
using Class Dojo in our classroom this year.
Points will be given by all 3 teachers, however
parents will only need one log-in. Once you
have joined our class you will be able to check
your child’s progress anytime. You will also be
emailed a report every Friday. This report will
break down which teacher gave points and for
what behaviors. Students can earn points for
positive behaviors such as being on task,
following directions, and helping others.
Students can also lose points for negative
behaviors such as being off task, not following
directions.
Tables will also have the opportunity to earn
Dojo points. Tables may earn points for all
working cooperatively and following our
G.R.O.U.P.S. acronym ( Get along, Respect
others, On task only, Use quiet voices,
Participate, Stay in your group). The table with
the most points will be able to earn a prize.
The entire class will earn Dojo points as well
when everyone is showing on task behavior.
The class will be able to earn treats this way,
such as a popcorn party.
Please note, parents will have access to their
individual student’s Dojo points, but table and
class points will not be sent home. If you have a
question about these, please contact the
teacher.
Important information from school will be sent
home in the daily folder. This is a place where
we can communicate with parents! Please check
the folder daily for important papers and
information about upcoming school events.
Homework is important because it gives
students an opportunity to practice what we
learned in class. Homework will be graded
partially for accuracy and partially for effort and
completeness.
• Homework is assigned by each classroom
teacher.
• Students will bring home graded papers and
school information in their daily folder. Please
review the information and keep all graded
work at home. Please monitor grades in the
school database.
• Homework may also be unfinished class work.
• If a student is absent when something is due,
the assignment will be due on the day when
the student returns to school.
The best way to contact us is through email. We
check e-mail throughout the day and will
respond as soon as possible. We can be reached
by phone, however, it is difficult for us to take
phone calls during the day.
HSI: (512) 383-8378
www.hsiaustin.org
ELAR: Jasmine Simmons
jsimmons@harmonytx.org
Math: Whitney Wilkerson
wwilkerson@harmonytx.org
Science/Social Studies: Sonya Murphy
smurphy@harmonytx.org
When a child is absent, they are responsible for
making up any work that they miss. Students
should pick up their missing work from each
teacher. They will have one day for each day of
school they were gone to make up the work.
Much of our classroom work cannot be done at
home (readers theater, math manipulatives,
science experiments, etc.), so it is important for
students to have regular attendance.
• 1 day late = 10% off (90% A max grade)
• 2 days late = 20% off (80% B max grade)
• 3 days late = Incomplete
• At this point, parents will be contacted
and the student has 2 weeks from the
original due date to make up the
assignment for a maximum grade of
60%. Failure to turn in work after two
weeks results in a 0%.
Looking forward to a great
year in third grade!
Mrs.
Simmons
Ms. Wilkerson
Ms. Murphy
3
Language Arts &
Reading
Our class will be working on the following
topics throughout the school year:
• Reading Strategies
• Poetry
• Fiction
• Drama
• Expository
• Fables and Myths
• Media Literacy
• Expository: Procedural
• Expository: Cultural and Historical Texts
• Biography and Autobiography
• STAAR Review
• Research Project & Presentation
If a child is unable to complete an assignment
in class, it will be placed in the student’s
classwork folder. If a student did not finish
class work by Friday when it is collected it will
be graded and placed in the grade book as
incomplete. The student will receive this work
back marked incomplete and they will have an
additional week to complete it.
Math
We will be using Go Math this year. The
curriculum offers active, engaging, and
explorative ways for students to learn.
Students at Harmony School of Innovation will
have hands-on experiences in all subject areas.
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Unit 1: Place Value
Unit 2: Addition & Subtraction
Unit 3: Multiplication
Unit 4: Division
Unit 5: Algebraic Reasoning
Unit 6: Fractions
Unit 7: Geometry
Unit 8: Measurement
Unit 9: Data Analysis
Unit 10: Financial Literacy
Unit 11: Cumulative Review
STAAR Testing (May 9 and 10)
Unit 12: Step Up to Grade 4
In class we create a math notebook. This is a
place for students to take notes and keep track
of the various skills we are working on. Students
will take these back and forth between school
and home. The notebook becomes a great
reference if students get stuck during
independent work. It is up to the student to keep
up with their notebook.
http://mswilkerson.weebly.com/
If you have questions about homework or what
we are going over at school, please refer to the
website. I am working on adding video
lessons/tutorials that students will be able to
access at home. If you do not have internet
access, please let me know!
Science & Social
Studies
We will be using Stem Scopes to enrich the
minds of our young learners. The curriculum
offers active, engaging, and explorative ways
for students to learn. We will be conducting
labs and taking a hands on approach to
Science.
FALL SEMESTER UNITS
• Safety & Tools
• Investigation Skills & Interest
• Classifying Matter
• Changes from Heat
• Mixtures
• Forms of Energy
• Force & Motion
• Magnetism and Gravity
• Earth’s Forces
• Earth’s Landforms
• Formation of Soil
• Resources
SPRING SEMESTER UNITS
• Careers in Science
• Weather
• The Sun & Water Cycle
• Space
• Life Cycles
• Adaptions
• Inherited Traits
• Environments
• Food Chains
In Social Studies, we will be using Studies
Weekly
FALL SEMESTER UNITS
• Where in the World Are You?
• Changes
• Celebrate Freedom
• The Founding of a Nation
• Money
• Explorers
• Good Citizens
• Communities and Education
• Communities and Communication
• Communities and Transportation
• Communities and Health
• Heroes/Inventors
• Communities and Safety
SPRING SEMESTER UNITS
• Communities and Recreation
• Communities and Change
• Communities and Resources
• Communities and Money-Markets
• Communities and Money- Business
• Black History
• Communities and Money - Scarcity
• Communities and Money – Interdependence
• Community Heroes – History’s Heroes
• Community and Culture – Writers
• Community and Culture – The Arts
• Communities and Culture – Texas Celebration
Please sign below to certify that you have read and understand the contents of this document,
including all the policies it spells out.
I hereby certify that I have read and understood all the policies and procedures spelled out in the Third
Grade Information Packet. I understand that if any of these policies are to change, I will be notified by
the teacher(s).
Student’s name:
Student’s signature:
Parent/Guardian name:
Parent/Guardian signature:
Date:
Please let us know if you have any questions or need clarification over anything presented in the Third
Grade Information Packet!
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