Grade 3 Orientation

September 20, 2007

Dear Parents,

Welcome to third grade! I am looking forward to working with you as a partner in educating your child. My goal is to facilitate learning in an exciting and fun way. As an educator, it is my job to see that your child becomes a lifelong learner. To achieve this, it is essential that we work together to ensure that your child is working to his or her potential in a successful and meaningful way.

If there are any questions which arise during the year, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome the opportunity to speak with you. Please email me at lydiaflynn@sbcglobal.net, write a note, or call Assumption School at 860-649-0889 to let me know of a convenient time to call or meet with you. I look forward to spending this year with you and your child!

Sincerely,

Lydia Flynn

Basic Expectations

Student Accountability: Students are expected to become responsible for themselves. They will be held accountable for their behavior as well as their education. Consequences will be fair, yet firm and consistent.

Homework: Students must return homework on time. Grades are based on  homework assignments, class work, observations, tests and quizzes. Unfinished homework must be completed during recess. Work handed in late will result in a lower grade. Students are responsible for recording homework in their assignment books. I will check assignment pads every afternoon for the first month only. Looking at your student’s assignment pad will help keep you informed regarding assignments. Homework will be assigned Monday through Thursday.

Book Reports: Students will be required to write a book report every one to two months. Various genre of books will be assigned (fiction, nonfiction, mystery, biography, etc.). Reports will vary in content as well as complexity. All book reports will be done in class. Students are responsible for having the book read and brought into class on the due date, but all written work will be completed in class.

Homework Folders: Please be sure to check the homework folders on Friday. Any corrected tests, quizzes, and assignments will be sent home in the folder on Friday. Some papers may have a “Please Sign and Return” stamp on them. Please be sure to send these back to school with your child so that I may have work for an ongoing folder.

   Some Major Concepts Covered in the Third Grade

Religion: The third grade program presents the main truths Catholics believe and express in the Creed. Students are helped to develop a clear deeper faith in their study of God as revealed in creation and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Reading: Students will be introduced to various genres of literature, as well as reading fiction and nonfiction literature. Students will be taught reading strategies such as sequencing, comparing and contrasting, determining cause and effect, drawing conclusions, using context clues, making predictions and visualizing.

Writing: Students will write on a variety of topics and across all the subject areas. They will learn the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Other forms of writing will include poetry, letters, book reports, and subject area reports.

Spelling: Students will be assigned a unit weekly which will include independent homework assignments. There will be a unit test at the end of every week.

Social Studies: Students will learn early United States and local history. They will gain insight into their communities while making connections to the larger world. Students will also learn about the geographic, social, and economic aspects of their world.

Math: Students will learn addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Topics studied will include place value, time and money, data graphs, fractions, decimals, and measurement. They will learn the mathematical operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division for one, two, and three digit numbers.

Science: Topics of study this year will include the solar system, living things, rocks and minerals, and physics (energy and force). In January the students will participate in their first science fair, learning the scientific method and demonstrating their understanding through their own experiment.

As I get to know the children during this school year, it would be very helpful for me to get your input as to any information about your child that I may not be aware of as yet.

For instance, does your child like or dislike any subject more than another; is your child talented in music, sports, etc.; is your child particularly comfortable or uncomfortable in a given situation (oral presentations, for example)?

If you would kindly take the time to write to me about your child (just a few words is all that I am looking for), I am sure that any additional information you can share would be helpful. Thank you for your input.

Child’s Name:_______________________________________

Something(s) about my child that you might not know:

Parent Name:__________________________________________