GRADE 3 NEWS Mrs. Moroney’s Class St. Veronica School Room 212 September 2013 WELCOME BACK!! I would like to extend a warm welcome to my students and parents in grade 3 this year at St. Veronica. I look forward to getting to know all of you and hope to meet parents at our Open House and barbeque. This is going to be an exciting and memorable year for us all. Your child’s new grade level brings an increased sense of responsibility, leadership, and expectations. Since more will be expected of students individually, they will be held accountable for their work habits, work completion, ability to meet deadlines, and observance of school and classroom rules. As we work together to continue to instill in each child a sense of confidence, self-esteem, and responsibility, it is our hope that each child will strive for her/his highest potential. If you should have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. As your child’s teacher, I look forward to working together with you to assist your child in all aspects of their education. Mrs. Moroney CLASSROOM NEWS SMART Board - our classroom has an interactive whiteboard and students will enjoy the benefits of this engaging teaching device Teachers • Mrs. Strachan – Social Studies and the Arts • Mr. LeClair – Physical Education and Health Monthly Newsletters Every month a newsletter will keep you informed on the subject areas, events, tests, projects etc. Important Information Indoor Shoes - Please bring a pair of running shoes to keep at school as your indoor shoes, so you can fully participate in the Physical Education program, and keep our classroom as clean as possible. Lunches: Make sure you have a nutritious morning and afternoon snack, as well as lunch. You are encouraged to bring a “litterless” lunch to be good stewards of the environment. Also, due to food allergies within the St. Veronica community, please do not bring any food or candy treats to share with others at anytime. Please ensure your food is nut free. Box of Tissue: please bring in a box of tissue to be used in the classroom for all to share. AGENDA & HOMEWORK One of the best ways to maintain communication is through the use of our student agendas. We will be using these agendas daily to record homework and events. Please discuss the agendas nightly with your child and sign it to ensure daily homework completion. Any forms for school/classroom activities that are sent home will be placed in the front pocket of your child’s agenda. I will be checking agendas every day so the agenda is a great way to communicate with me as well. There is no cost for agendas this year. Students will be expected to complete any unfinished work at home. However, it is to be understood that the duration of this work completion is dependent upon the working pace and style of each child. Mrs. Moroney’s Classroom Newsletter Nightly Reading is Key! How does one become a better student? It’s easy! Nightly reading is a wonderful lifelong habit and has been shown by many different educational studies to be a major factor in a student’s academic success. Reading provides opportunities for vocabulary growth and continued learning. Ideally, reading should be enjoyable and hassle free but even if your child’s not a willing participant, it is important to set aside at least 20 minutes a night for reading time. Additionally, I encourage parents/guardians to read aloud to their children. This is a wonderful chance to spend some quality time together and it also provides a positive, reading role model. The time you invest now will pay off ten-fold in your child’s future. Upcoming Events Page 2 Scholastic Books Scholastic Book orders will be sent home monthly. If you wish to order books during any given month, simply return the order form with a cheque made payable to “Scholastic Canada” (NO CASH PLEASE). Please ensure that the book order and the cheque are both placed in an envelope or zip lock bag and returned to the school. EQAO This year your child will write their first provincial wide assessment. The dates for the EQAO test are yet to be determined but the test is generally administered late in May or early June. EQAO testing focuses on language skills such as: comprehension (recalling events, identifying the main ideas or message, drawing conclusions from the story and making connections between the story and themselves or other stories they have read); grammar (the use of punctuation marks and sentence structure and sentence mechanics); writing genres (e.g. letters, journals, narratives, procedures, advertisements, poetry, etc.); mathematical skills covering all five strands in the mathematics curriculum. Professional Development Day • Friday, September 13, 2013 Open House & 10th Year Anniversary • Tuesday, September 24, 2013 Opening school year mass • Tuesday, September 24, 2013 Picture Day • Thursday, September 26, 2013 School Forms A package of forms has come home with your child today. Please take the time to go through each form and fill out all the information required. Your signature is necessary on each form. Thank you for your time. Please return by: Thursday, September 12th