Miss Schumaker‘s
Class Handbook
All You Need to Know From A-Z
Welcome to third grade! I am very excited to have your child in my class.
Our theme for this year is to put your best foot forward everyday. We will be
building a community within our classroom and experiencing what it feels like to
try our best everyday. Your child will be building upon knowledge from previous
grades and learning many new skills that will encourage your child to take steps in
their learning they may never have taken before. I look forward to being a part of
your child’s educational journey and to our partnership.
Communication between parent, teacher, and student is very important
and this handbook will help answer many questions you may have throughout the
coming year.
Agenda
 Your child will write daily homework assignments and reminders in their
agenda, which is provided by the school.
 Any notices of dismissal changes need to be written on a separate piece of
paper since these notes need to be sent to the office.
Assessments
 DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) is given up to three times a year
(fall, winter, spring). This assessment gives valuable information regarding
the reading comprehension and fluency skill levels of your child. It also is
used as a factor in determining your child’s reading level.
 PALS (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening) can also be given up to
three times a year. This screening gives insight to your child’s knowledge of
important literacy fundamentals.
 SOL (Standard of Learning Test) is given in May. Students are tested in
reading, math, science and social science. This is an untimed test and
reviews concepts learned since Kindergarten in these areas.
 Student will be assessed throughout each unit, however, the final
assessment will be a unit test. Students can use their interactive notebooks
as a study tool. Students will graph their grades and store their unit tests in
the data notebook. Grades will be sent home in a timely manner, in their
data notebooks. Students who receive a 2 or below need to have their
tests signed by a parent. Notebooks need to return to school the following
day.
Birthdays
 Your child’s birthday is a very special time for them. You are invited to
donate a book to the classroom library or come into the classroom to read
a special story to the class. The Liberty handbook states that parents may
not bring in treats for the class. I appreciate you respecting this request.
Benchmarks

Benchmarks are core content assessments given twice a year throughout
Loudoun County. The tests will not be sent home, however scores may be
discussed at conferences.
Contact
The best way to contact me is through e-mail. My e-mail address is
leah.schumaker@lcps.org. I typically respond to any questions or concerns
within 24 hours. If it is an urgent matter please contact the office.
Data
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This year third graders will be keeping data notebooks as part of our math
curriculum. Students will keep track of important test grades as well as
charting growth throughout the year. Data notebooks and graded tests will
be kept in the binders in the classroom throughout the school year. You are
welcome to come in and view these binders at any time.
Field trips
 Field trip information will be sent home at a later date.
Fun Friday
 Every Friday from 2:00-2:20, students have the opportunity to participate in
Fun Friday. In order for a student to attend, all work for the week has to be
completed and turned in. Also, the student must have four dollars for the
week.
Grading
 Students will receive number grades on their classroom assessments.
4 Exceeds standard
3 Meets standard
2 Progressing towards Standard
1 Below standard
The grading system for the report card is as follows:
 A- Outstanding
B- Very Good
C-Satisfactory
D- Needs Improvement
F- Not Performing
Letter grades will be given in the core subject areas on the report card,
however they will receive number grades on all class assessments. A
student who is meeting the state standards will receive a 3 on their
assessments. In order to receive a 4 students must be able to go above and
beyond the state standards. They must be able to apply more complex
concepts of a level 3. Students will also be able to earn “pluses” on their
classroom assessments (ex. 3+), which means they are between levels.
Homework
 Homework will be given most nights and should take the child no longer
than thirty minutes to complete. If your child has been diligently working
on the assignments for over thirty minutes, feel free to use your judgment
and stop their work. Please make a note on the paper alerting the teacher
to this decision.
Interactive Notebooks
 In the content areas students will keep an interactive notebook. The
purpose of the Interactive Notebook is to help students learn and
remember important concepts. The Interactive Notebook uses the right
and left brain hemispheres to help students sort, categorize and be creative
with the content they are learning. Notebooks will often be sent home as a
study guide to review material or prepare for tests. Parents are more than
welcome to come in to class to view these notebooks at anytime.
Interims
 Interims will be sent if your child is in jeopardy of receiving below a 2 or a D
in one or more areas for the upcoming report card. If no interim is received
you can assume your child is performing at or above grade level
expectations.
Lunch
 Lunch is every day from 12:45-1:15.
Money
 Please send all money to school in an envelope.
 Mark the envelope with:
o Your child’s name
o The amount of money
o Purpose of money (lunch, field trip, book order)
o My name
o If writing a check, make sure your student’s id number is written on
the memo line
 This helps me and reduces the likelihood of errors.
Quarter sheet
 Each student will have a weekly quarter sheet glued into their agenda.
Students will lose or gain quarters based on behavior. Parents should
review the agenda and initial the quarter sheet each night.
Scholastic
 Scholastic book orders are a great way to add to both your child’s home
library and the classroom library. Book orders are sent home monthly and
will be marked with the due date for that month. Only checks made out to
Scholastic will be accepted.
Snack
 Students are responsible for bringing their own daily snack. Extras will not
be provided.
 Snacks may only be fruits or vegetables. Yogurt, fruit cups, carrots, or
celery sticks are all great items to bring. If a student brings a snack that is
not a fruit or a vegetable, they will not be able to eat it. If the snack
requires a spoon, please make sure it is included. Students should be able
to open and eat their snack independently.
 Please do not send any snacks that include nuts or have been processed
on machines that could have come in contact with nuts!
Specials Schedule
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Monday: art
Tuesday: computer lab and PE
Wednesday: PE and music
Thursday: library and PE
Friday: music, guidance, and SEARCH
*guidance and SEARCH alternate weeks
Thursday Folders
 Each Thursday your child will bring home two Thursday folders.
 The red folder will contain important school, PTA, along with any notes or
newsletters from myself or the third grade team , and community papers.
 The green folder will contain all of your child’s work.
 Please return both folders each Friday.
Website
 Please check the third grade Liberty website for monthly newsletters, nine
week plans, and educational resources. To reach the third grade section of
the Liberty website go to the homepage at
http://cmsweb2.loudoun.k12.va.us/liberty/site/default.asp , highlight the
tab labeled classrooms and select third grade. Additional learning links and
SOL resources can be found by highlighting the tab labeled for students and
selected either 3-5 learning links or SOL Preparation.
Weekly Updates
 Weekly Updates will be e-mailed in the beginning of each week. Please
inform me if you need a paper copy. The memo contains the units for the
week, along with other important information and dates.
Word Study
 Students will have ten words they are responsible to learn each week. They
are also responsible for learning the patterns. Students will work with their
words and patterns in class, as well as at home. In order to receive a 3 on
the word study quiz they must be able to spell and sort their words.
Students who wish to receive a 4 on their quiz must create three
meaningful sentences using three word study words of their choosing.
Students will receive their words on a Thursday and take their quiz on the
following Wednesday.