Welcome Third Grade Families!

PAWS laws and 7 Habits of Happy Kids
(7 Habits of the Highly Effective Person)

• 8:15-8:35 Math meeting, review, Math facts, etc.
• 8:35-10:05 Language Arts
• 10:10-10:30 Recess
• 10:30-11:15 UA (Phonics, Spelling, Fluency)
• 11:15-12:00 Math
• 12:05-12:45 Lunch
• 12:45-1:15 (Wed: Music or Science Lab)
• Double Dose (12:45-1:25) or Small Group (Leveled
Readers/Centers- 12:45-1:15 )
• 1:15-2:15 PE/ Specials/ Extra Innings
• Mon: PE, Art
• Tue: Social Studies
• Th: PE, Library (1:45-2:15)
• Fri: Science
• All work completed by 2:10= Extra Innings

– Minilesson: Ms. Ralston teaches a concept/skill that “good writers” do or use. She shows a mentor/model text, either using professional author’s work or modeling writing herself.
– Students write: For the most part, they will have choice in the following areas:
• Topic: What do I want to write about?
• Purpose: Why am I writing this?
• Format: What kind of writing do I want to write?
(poem, nonfiction, letter, fiction, biography, etc.)
• Audience: Who am I writing this for? Who do I want to read this?

• We have “Writing” time in class every day, in addition to writing that we do in conjunction with our reading, Social
Studies, and Science time.
• Grades are determined at the end of each trimester based on your child’s daily writing, as well as “Prompts” given each trimester. Once these have been scored a copy of their writing, as well as the rubric used to determine their score will be sent home for you to see.
• Kinds of writing this year: narrative (story with beginning, middle, and end), informational/explanatory, argument piece
(give an opinion and support it with evidence).
• In our class we will already be working on Writing
Standards for Common Core, which will be fully implemented next year.
• Students will also be writing at home, to prepare for “Book
Club” on Wednesday; as well as to write a letter to our
Student of the Week.

• Students will be participating in “Book Club” each Wednesday in class. Each week prior to that meeting, they will have a reading assignment to read and a short writing assignment based on that reading to do. This is so that they will be prepared to share during “Book Club.” If students do not have their book for “Book Club” or their writing assignment, they will not participate that week, but instead will do their assignment while the rest of the class has “Book Club.”
• At the beginning of the year, the entire class will be reading the same book. Once we understand the procedures of “Book
Club” then there will be smaller book clubs, so that the entire class is not necessarily reading the same book, but the same as those within their book club.
• All books will be provided, and are to be returned each
Wednesday to class for “Book Club” and their next assignment.
• There will be some weeks when their Reading Homework is from our Science Interactive text or MyOn (online).

• Work on reading fluency at home, by ensuring that your child is choosing books that they can read easily by themselves.
• Read to your child, and ask questions about the story.
• When we take Reading tests in class, go through any missed questions with your child.
• Visit the Library often!
• Model reading for your child- let them catch you reading!

• New Math Standards: Common Core Math
• How it’s different: Much more critical thinking and explanation involved.
Eventually more writing to prove thinking will be involved.
• Our daily math components:
– Math Meeting (Short focus for each Standard
Strand)
– Fact Practice
– Lesson of the day (based on Common Core
Math Standards). Taught in “unit” and only reviewed through Math Meeting once it’s taught.

• Starting next week, each week there will be a student of the week (next week it will be Ms.
Ralston, so she can model how to fill out the poster).
This is one way that we will get to know our teammates a little bit better.
• The student of the week will receive their poster on the 1 st day of the week, and will return and share it on Friday.
• Every week, the rest of the class will write a letter to the student of the week. These are due on
Friday.

• Science, Social Studies- Tuesday and Friday
• Library- Thursdays, 1:45-2:15
• Computers- TBD, should be 1 day a week; in addition to special projects: Each Trimester we will do 2 technology “activities” (iPad class set within 3 rd grade to share)
• Music- Wednesdays
• Art- Mondays
• 3 rd grade: Universal Access time- every day
10:30-11:15 (Phonics, Spelling, Fluency)
• PE: Monday, Thursday

• Climb a pole * Bowling
• Jump rope (forwards and backwards)
• Run
• Basketball
* Soccer
* Paddleball

Students are given a reasonable amount of time each day to do their work. Students who do not finish their work during class are asked to complete it when their other class work is done. If it is not completed after this, it will be sent home to finish or done at recess time.
If students are working to the best of their abilities, they should be able to finish all class work in the time given.

Homework will be each night.
Math- 2 nights: Online computer program:
DreamBox (2 recommended/unique lessons each night), First in Math
2 nights: “Hard Copy” needs to be returned the next day: Fact practice pages- both sides,
Saxon Math page-Homework side only (easier
“review” pages)
Reading- Reading and writing assignment for
“Book Club” on Wednesday, Science
Interactive Text, or MyOn (online).
Students should be reading 20-30 minutes each night, so if they have finished their reading assignment from me, they should be reading something of their choice.

Writing- Assignment for Book Club, letter to the
Student of the Week (due on Friday). When your child is the “Student of the Week,” instead of writing the letter, they have a poster about themselves to fill in (due Friday).
Other-
There may be times when something else is sent home for homework. It is to be completed and turned in the next day.
Homework should take about 40 minutes to complete at home, including 20 minutes of reading. Please let me know if their homework is taking any longer than this.

• Homework Folders (M-Th): These will come home every night,
Monday-Thursday, with their homework. Please have students return the folder every day, along with their completed homework. Corrected homework will not be returned, unless there is a problem with the assignment. All other corrected assignments can stay at home. It has been corrected if there are crayon circles (Math- corrected together), marker or pen, or a stamp.
• Homework Folders (F): Will also come home on Fridays, along with any corrected work, which can stay at home. For those that wanted a ‘hardcopy’ Progress Report, that will also be in their folder and needs to be signed and returned on Monday.
• Email: I send monthly newsletters via email, as well as Weekly
Progress Reports, if you requested one. There will also be other announcements from time to time via email. Please make sure to check it at least twice a week. Thanks!

• Students can earn tickets for following PAWS laws. They also receive a ticket a day, to be used to go the bathroom during class. If they use the bathroom at recess and lunch, and not class time, they get to keep that ticket. On Fridays we have a raffle in class when tickets are drawn.
• Table points: Students are assigned to tables. Each time a table is prepared for instruction, they earn table points.
The table with the most points at the end of the day, earn 2
Panther Prides. These can be used every other Friday at lunch in the school prize box.
• Extra Innings: If there is time at the end of the day, students who showed PAWS laws throughout the day have earned “Extra Innings,” which usually consists of 3-4 choices.

• School starts everyday at 8:15 am. Once I pick up the class on the blacktop, we will return to class. If they are not with us at that point, they are late and will need a
“tardy slip” from the office.
• Wednesdays are always Early Release Days at
1:15 pm.
• Snack time/Recess 10:10-10:25; children are told to use the bathroom and wash their hands before they are to go play or eat.
• Lunch 12:05-12:45; children are walked to the bathroom and told to wash their hands before getting in the lunch line or eating their lunch.
• Dress Code: shoes must have straps across the back; girls shirts and dresses must have backs and straps at least 2 fingers wide

• Students should not be here before 7:45 am if they are eating breakfast, 8:00 if they are not
• Before 8 am, they all sit at the lunch tables, even if they are not eating. At 8 am, a teacher or playground supervisor will take them up to the blacktop to play.
• Students are to put their backpacks in our line on the blacktop (#16)
• Volunteers: sign in at the office, get volunteer sticker/badge and wait with students until school starts (must have TB test on file before volunteering)

• Students must hi-5 me
• I will walk them out the front of the building to the flag pole/car waiting area
• Mon/Tue/Thurs/Fri- 2:20 pm
• Wed- 1:15 pm
• Minimum Days- 12:30 pm

1 st choice: Note sent in with your child or email me at dralston@fuesd.k12.ca.us
Please keep in mind I may not be able to respond to these immediately, if they are not an emergency. However, I will respond within 24 hours to any non-emergency communication.
2 nd choice: Phone call to the classroom, (760) 731- 4382
** I expect your child to know if they are getting home a different way than usual. In other words, if they tell me they are going home a different way than so far this year, I will assume that they are responsible enough to tell the truth and know how they are getting home!

I appreciate any adult family member willing and able to become a more integral part of our classroom. Some immediate openings are:
1.
Fall Festival on October 4th: A notice will be sent home closer to the date asking for “donations” for our class basket, as well as help for our class/grade level booth
2.
Parent Volunteers for the classroom- please see the sign up sheet for available choices of how to volunteer.
** Please sign up at the table in the back of the classroom.
3.
4.
Join the PTA- this is the way we raise money in order to go on a field trip.
Send in box tops and soup labels to the classroom.

Thank you to all families for coming!