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Dear
Parents,
Hello! My name is Jennifer Gold and I will be your
child’s third grade teacher! I am looking forward to a
productive and prosperous year together!
A few things you might want to know about my classroom…
I welcome you all into my room this year. I feel that
parent involvement and communication are extremely vital
to the teaching of children. I welcome you during
numerous learning activities and will write home asking
for volunteers. At Back To School Night, I will provide
a sign up sheet for Publishing Helpers and Mystery
Readers. In addition, I would love your company during
field trips and class parties.
This
year, your child will be working on responsibility and
organization. I expect papers to be neatly organized
into a binder with labeled folders. I expect clean desks
and neat work. I expect children to go the extra mile,
and give me more than minimal work. (They're going to
love me!!!) Please help me by reinforcing these skills
at home.
Each
night, your child will bring home a nightly folder.
Inside of that folder will be two labeled
sides- “Take Home”, and “Bring Back.” Coming home each
night will be homework, flyers, and my behavioral plan
(on Fridays) for the students, which I will further
explain. Coming back will be finished homework, any
notes to be delivered to me, and the signed behavioral
plan (on Mondays). Make sure to check each night for
notes from me, and that your child is remembering to
write down his/her homework, as well coloring in his/her
behavior everyday. Remember that a mandatory change of
dismissal note is required each day your child will
deviate from his/her regular dismissal routine. Please
send the folder back to school each day. This should be
your child’s responsibility, but you might have to help
out a bit in the beginning to establish a routine.
The
behavioral plan in my classroom is based on the
Responsive Classroom approach. Instead of being
"punished", students will be more reflective on their
behavior and how to change it. The first consequence is
to "Take a Break". This is similar to "Time Out", only
it's not really looked upon as negative. It's a chair in
the back of the room, away from everyone, where the
child goes to get away from whatever is distracting
him/her and causing him/her to act inappropriately. The
second step is "Think Time", where the child will go to
a classroom across the hall, to take a break from the
classroom environment, as well as to write up a
reflection that will be sent home that evening for the
parents to sign. Finally, if the behavior doesn't
change, I will send the child down to the principal.
Each day, students will log their behavior on a chart,
which gets sent home to be signed on Fridays, and
returned to me Monday morning.
Of
course, positive reinforcement is even more important.
Your children will experience such things as the
Classroom Economy where they earn Classroom Cash for
their behavior and responsibility, Homework-opoly, Compliment Parties,
and Table Behavior Competitions. I also have a reading
program in tact which motivates children to read at
home, and when they reach their goal, they may join me
for a special “Book Club Luncheon” at the beginning of
each month. I've also created a
Mastery Club for students
who wish to excel in learning outside of the classroom.
The Mastery Club is on my website, as is the
Math Wizards Program,
which motivates students to practice their facts each
night! There are also hundreds of
Extra Credit Projects, in which students can take
part in at home, if they desire (they get paid in
Classroom Cash for them). This year, I've added a
Family Math Challenge to the
Family Activities page, since I understand how
important it is to have quality time with your children.
Each day,
please send with your children a healthy snack (water is
preferred instead of juice), as well as a book from home
if your child would like. If you have any books or items
which would add to the comfort of our room,
donations
are happily accepted.
Check out
my webpage weekly, as I update it quite frequently. My
website and email are my main source of communication. I
have everything on here from classroom procedures, to
homework assignments, to important dates to remember.
Please familiarize yourself with it, and use this as a
tool to bridge the communication between school and
home.
For more
information, surf around my website and make sure to
visit the Classroom Procedures
Page. To see what types of activities your child will be
participating in this year, you may want to look at the
archives page, where you'll
see writings and projects from past years. I'd also
really appreciate it if you could take the time to vote
in the
Parents Poll Question, which changes every few
weeks. If you wish to contact me before school begins,
you may email me at
Jgold@mtsd.k12.nj.us. I am really looking forward to
becoming your child’s third grade teacher! This is going
to be a wonderful year!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gold
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