Mrs. Cardwell’s
Class Flip Book
2015-2016
Hi and welcome to third grade! My name is Dawn Cardwell and I have the privilege of being your
child’s teacher this year. I live here in Troutman with my husband and four children. We have three
boys and girl. I have been here at TES for five years and I am a graduate of Gardner-Webb
University.
I love reading, baking, swimming, being with family, doing outdoor activities, and watching football. Go
Panthers! My goal as your child’s teacher is to help your child grow and learn in a fun, safe, and
interactive environment.
All About Me…Your Teacher!
Contact Info
I can be reached here at the school at 704-528-4526 or by email at dawn_cardwell@iss.k12.nc.us. Please feel free to
contact me via phone, email, or a note in your child’s agenda. Our class’s web page can be accessed through
http://iss.schoolwires.com//Domain/4671
School Information
Principal: Kim Cressman
7:00 Building opens to students
Assistant Principal: Heather Dollevoet
7:25 First Bell
Phone: 704-528-4526
7:30 Tardy Bell
Address: 220 South Main Street Troutman, NC 28166
2:15 Dismissal Bell
Website: http://iss.schoolwires.com/troutmanelem
Please note that no student may be signed out between 1:30-2:15 unless accompanied by a doctor’s note.
Early Release Day Schedule: Release at 11:00am on Sept. 16th, Oct. 21st, Dec. 9th, Feb. 17th, March 16th, and April 20th.
Please send in a note if your child is going home a different way. (SEE “TRANSPORTATION” tab.
Contact and School Info
Birthdays
We love to celebrate Birthday’s! If you would like to send in a birthday treat to celebrate your child’s birthday,
please send in or bring enough cupcakes or cookies for every student to have one. Please only send in one food item
and no “goody bags” or party hats/novelties. If you send in these items they will be returned per district policy.
These items can be a distraction to learning and a safety issue on the bus.
We will eat the special treat in the cafeteria during the last 10 minutes of lunch time. If your child has a summer
birthday, please contact me and we can make arrangements to send in a treat on staggered days in June. We only get
2 classroom celebrations and our End of the Year Party.
Field Trips
We will have a few field trips this year. I will send home permission slips and detailed info as this information
becomes available. Some field trips we have parent chaperones and others we do not. This is due to either availability
or the field trip location policies. If you would like to chaperone, we must have a current 2015/2016 parent
volunteer form on file AND have attended a FERPA training meeting. If you need a volunteer form, they can be
picked up in the office or contact me and I will send one home with your child. Permission slips and money must be
signed and returned in order for your child to go on the field trip. If you elect to pack a lunch then it must be
completely disposable (no lunch box or ice packs) and have your child’s name and your child’s teacher’s name.
Birthdays & Field Trips
Attendance/Sickness
Your child’s attendance is important for success in the classroom. Please make sure that your child attends school regularly.
Students that miss more than 10 days may be at risk of being retained. In the event of sickness, please make sure your child is fever
and symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school. A note should be sent in with the dates your child missed in order for it
to be an excused absence. There is also a link on TES’s website under Quick Links to do it electronically.
If your child has an appointment during the school day, they must attend school until 11:45am to be counted present. Any missed work
due to absence is the student’s responsibility for making up. I will put a DUE DATE on the “Absent Work Folder”. Please contact me
if you have any questions.
Transportation Notes
If your child is to go home in a different manner than normal you must send in a transportation note. Students are not allowed to ride
the bus home with another student. If a student is going home with another student in the car rider line, both students must have a
note. All transportation notes must be hand written and received to in the office by 11:00 am. TES will not accept phone calls or
emails. It is your child’s responsibility to turn in transportation notes to me by the tardy bell. I will make an effort to remind
students, but I cannot take instructional time to go through all students backpacks to check for notes. Please encourage
responsibility!
Things to include on your change of transportation note:

Date

Students first and last name

Teacher’s name (Mrs. Cardwell)

Method of getting home

Signed by parent
Example:
Mrs. Cardwell,
John Smith will be a car rider on August 25, 2015.
Thanks,
Jane Smith
Attendance & Transportation
Daily Schedule
Lunch
Literacy
7:30-9:30
Restroom
9:30-9:35
Enhancements
9:35-10:30
Math
10:30-12:05
Restroom
12:00-12:05
Lunch Table 2A
12:05-12:30
RR/6 min. Solutions
12:30-12:40
Recess
12:40-1:05
Tornado Time
1:05-1:25
Sci. Lab/S.S.
1:25-2:10
Pack Up/Dismiss
2:10-2:15
Our lunch time is from 12:05-12:30. A
school-wide policy is silence the first ten
minutes of lunch. Please feel free to join
us for lunch. Sign in at the office and
meet us in the cafeteria. Both visitors and
students sit at the tables near the rear of
the cafeteria. No student is to have
another student eat lunch with them
unless they are siblings.
You must show your license to be
scanned into our system the first time
that you come to visit/eat with your
child.
Enhancements
Day
Day
Day
Day
Day
Day
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
Music
PE
Media
Computers
PE
Art
We will rotate through five different enhancements during a six day rotation.
Please note that we will not have outdoor recess on our PE days. All other daysweather permitting, we will go outside for recess. Please send your child with a
jacket on cooler days and make sure your child is in appropriate footwear. Your
child may be asked to not participate in an activity for their safety, if they are not in
proper footwear.
Daily Schedule / Lunch / Enhancements
Classroom Rules
We are going to discuss school wide rules together during the first week of school. Together as a class we
will come up with our class rules. Here at TES, we encourage positive behavior through our Positive
Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Our schools expectations are simple:
Be Respectful
Be Responsible
Be Safe
Our classroom rules will reflect our schools policy. Please attach the class rules below when they come
home with your child.
Discipline Policy
First Offense: Verbal Warning (unless physical or extreme)
Second Offense: Student will be marked with negative Class Dojo points
Third Offense: Student completes a “Think Sheet” and I make contact with parent or guardian (phone call,
email, conference, or home visit)
Fourth Offense: Office referral/Discipline Write Up
Please understand that just as all of our learning needs are different, sometimes our discipline needs are as
well. There could possibly be students who need an alternate discipline policy to fit their individual needs.
I will have a box sitting on my desk for students to write down if there is something (personal or class
work) or if there is someone that is bothering them. I have a ZERO tolerance for bullying! Sometimes
just picking and joking around with each other can be hurtful. I do not always hear or witness a situation.
Please come to me first if there are any concerns with bullying or the discipline policies in place
Classroom Rules and Discipline Policy
Agenda and Homework
One of my goals as your child’s teacher is to help them to become organized and to be responsible. Your
child will have an agenda this year. Each student is responsible for writing down their homework and
important information in their agenda. I check and initial agendas each morning. Students will be given
time to copy their assignments from the board. Homework will consist of reading for 20 minutes and/or
completing a small amount of text comprehension questions/reflections as well as a math practice. As the
parent, your job is to initial your child’s agenda each night AFTER your child has completed their
homework. If for some reason your child is unable to complete the assigned homework, please send a
note in their agenda. Here at TES, our students have access to a variety of websites including
www.sumdog.com, www.mobymax.com, www.ixl.com and www.tickettoread.com, just to name a few.
Inside of your child’s agenda I will tape all usernames and passwords as they are assigned. If your child
losses their agenda please contact me for their login information.
Newsletter/Communication
I will send a newsletter home each week via email. I will also have newsletters on our class webpage. If
you do not have internet access please let me know and I will send a copy home with your child in their
agenda.
As you can see, communication is very important to your child’s success in third grade. We have to work
together as a team to succeed. Please do not hesitate to call, email, stop by, or send a note in if you ever
have any questions. Just like I tell my students in the classroom………
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
We have to be a team!
Agenda / Homework / Newsletter
Volunteers…Please!!!!!!
There are many different ways that we can use your help…in the classroom and at home! If you are
interested in volunteering, please contact me. Some examples are, listening to students read, helping
out with math centers, sending in snacks for special occasions, cutting, coloring, and putting together
craft projects. All volunteers must have a volunteer form on file and attend a mandatory FERPA
meeting.. The first time you volunteer or visit for lunch you will need to have your license available
to be scanned into our system.
Grading Policy
Homework: I believe homework is a time for students to practice and refine their skills. I do not give
a grade for right or wrong. I grade homework on participation and effort.
Class Work: I believe that my student’s grades should reflect their effort and attainment of skills. All
assignments are graded and will go towards each subject’s grade.
PDSA Quizzes: These are summative quizzes that show what your child has learned. These skills are
assessed at the completion of teaching a skill or standard. PDSA quizzes will also go toward your
child’s grade.
A 90-100
B 80- 89
C 70-79
D 60-69
I will send Friday Folder home each week that will contain the previous weeks graded work. Please
remove and look over your child’s work and sign the sheet. As always-feel free to contact me with
any questions!
End of Grade Tests (EOG’s)
This year your child will take a Reading BOG at the beginning of the year and the state mandated
EOG’s tests at the end of the year. These are tests that cover all skills that have been taught
throughout the school year. They will take both a Reading and Math EOG. The BOG helps me as the
teacher to have a baseline for your child and for us to compare to see their individual yearly growth.
Volunteers /Grading Policy / EOG’s