SCHOOL RULES:
1. Be respectful
2. Be responsible
3. Be safe
1. Be respectful
2. Be responsible
3. Be safe
GRADING SCALE:
A+ 100
A 99-93
A- 92-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-83
B- 82-80
C+ 79-77
C 78-73
C- 72-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-63
D- 62-60
F 59-0
Grades & Teacherease
To check your students grades, please click on this link: TeacherEase. Please check your Teacher Ease account often. Since we are no longer sending home paper copies of grades/report cards, it is important that you check your child's grades online. If you ever have questions or concerns about your child's grades, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone or by email.
Conduct & Effort Grades
A weekly grade is taken for conduct and effort. Each week, a student can earn up to 20 points (4 points per day) for conduct and 10 points (2 points per day) for effort. For the conduct grade, I deduct 1 point for each classroom cash dollar that is taken away for that week and 3 points for pink slips. For the effort grade, I deduct 1 point for each late assignment that week. Also, outside reading and effort/participation during class is a part of this grade. Students are expected to read at least 20 minutes per day. The students keep track of this in their planner.
Test Corrections
If a student receives a D or an F on a test, they will be required to correct the test for a better grade. Sometimes this is done at school, and other times it will need to be done at home. I will take the two grades and average them together to form a new grade.
Planners & Take Home Folders
Daily assignments will be recorded on the SMARTBoard at the end of the day so that each student knows that is expected of them the following day. Students will be required to copy down the homework into their planner. I will check and initial these daily. Each student will also have a take home folder that they are responsible for. One side of the folder will be for items that need to come back to school such as homework assignments and permission slips while the other side of the folder is for items to stay at home such as graded work and lunch menus. Their planner and take home folder should come home with them each night and back to school with them each morning. If your child is not coming home with these two things, please let me know.
Homework & Late Work Policy
Homework is due the day after it is assigned unless stated otherwise. It should be handed in first thing in the morning so that it is not considered late. Assignments can also be viewed on this website under the Assignments tab. Students will have points deducted from their grade if they turn in a homework assignment late. A total of 10% will be deducted from the assignment. I will write "LATE" at the top of the paper as well as mark it as late in Teacher Ease to let you know why 10% was deducted from that assignment. If your child has three late assignments for the same teacher in the same quarter, they will receive a pink slip.
Classroom Cash
Our behavior system in 3rd grade is classroom cash. Your child earns classroom cash for things like staying on task, participating, and working hard. The students can also lose money. I take away money for things like shouting out answers without raising your hand or talking at inappropriate times. At the end of each month, we will have a classroom auction where the students bid on certain items/passes they would like. If the student does not want to wait until the auction to receive a prize/treat, I allow them to cash in $5 for a trip to the Super Student Box.
Tiger Cards & Golden Paws
Students are expected to follow the school rules throughout their school day whether they are in the gym, classroom, cafeteria, or playground. Students can earn orange Tiger cards for doing what is expected of them. If they show behavior that is above and beyond what is expected they can earn Golden Paw awards. These cards go into a weekly drawing for special recognition and prizes.
Pink Slips & Office Referrals
Your child can be given a pink slip for a variety of things. Pink slips are given for things like excessive late work or not following our classroom expectations. Pink slips are notes that are sent home explaining what inappropriate behavior occurred. If your child receives a pink slip, please sign it and have your child return the pink slip to school the following day. If three pink slips are given for the same offense, an office referral will be issued. Office referrals can also be given for major offenses such as fighting. If an office referral is given, you will be contacted by the school.
Recess Study Hall
If your child does not have their homework done, they may be sent to Recess Study Hall to finish their work. This is a supervised program where you student will have the time and help (if needed) to complete their work.
Absences/Make-Up Work
If your child is sick, a sheet outlining the work they missed will be available for them when they get back. Handouts and assignments will be attached to the sheet. The make-up work will be in the office at the end of the day. The make-up work can be ready earlier if needed.If you would like to pick up the work, please let the office know when calling to report the absence. Having your child complete make-up work in a timely manner is very important. This will ensure that your child does not get behind on necessary skills or have to go to Recess Study Hall to get caught up on work. If you have questions about make-up work, please let me know. If you are planning a trip where your child will be absent for several days, please fill out a pre-planned absence form prior to leaving on the trip. The pre-planned absence forms are located on the district website. Please download the form, complete it, and turn it in to your child's homeroom teacher. The teacher will then fill out the remainder of the pre-planned absence form and submit it to the office.
Remind 101
This year, I am adding another way to keep the lines of communication open. To receive text messages on updates about tests or events pertaining to our classroom, just text @pollock3 to 81010. This will automatically sign you up to receive text messages from me containing important information. I plan to use this instead of sending mass emails to parents.
Volunteers
If you are interested in coming in to work with some students on a one-on-one basis, that is welcomed. Just contact me and let me know a time or date that would work for you. A background check is required by the state which requires a one-time fee of $55.
Book Orders
Scholastic book order forms will be sent home with your child throughout the school year. If you decide to place an order, please send the completed order form and a check to school with your child. Checks should be made out to Scholastic Book Clubs. Please do not make checks out to the school or send cash with your child. You can also place an order by visiting the Scholastic website. Our class activation code is MGHJZ. If you place an order online, the books will be shipped to the school. It usually takes about 2 weeks for an order to arrive, and I will send the books home with your child as soon as they come in. If you would like to order books for your child as a gift, please let me know and we can make arrangements for you to pick them up.
Snacks & Lunch/Milk Money
Students may pay for lunch online by using Teacherease or by sending money to school with your child. If your child brings a sack lunch, milk can be purchased during lunch time in the cafeteria. We will have a snack and milk break every morning after PE. Students are allowed to bring snacks from home to eat during this time. They can bring a snack for just themselves. If your child would like to bring a snack for the whole class, that is fine too!
Birthdays/Classroom Parties
Students are allowed to bring in treats for the birthday. We normally celebrate birthdays during our milk break which is in the morning. Please feel free to drop off treats before school. Summer birthdays are welcome to celebrate anytime throughout the year. There are 23 students in our class. Please do not send in any treats containing peanuts or strawberries due to allergies. Prepackaged treats are encouraged, but not required. We will also have classroom parties this year. At Parent Info Night as well as Parent/Teacher Conferences I will have a sheet for parents to sign up to help out. It would be a greatly appreciated if you are able to sign up to bring in treats/drinks for the party. If you do sign up to help, I will send you an email a week before the party making sure you can still help out and reminding you what you signed up to bring. Thank you in advance!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please call or email me!
[email protected]