HELLO! Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year. I am so excited to work with both you and your child. I feel communication among parents and teachers is vital in our students’ lives and in their educational experiences. I believe that it is a necessity that we work together to insure your child receives the best education possible. I think that every individual has the ability to succeed and it is our goal as educators to see that this proves true. In this packet, I have included information that you may find beneficial.

Homework: Each evening your child will bring home an assignment calendar with his/her assignments and the homework that must be completed. These assignment calendars must be signed and returned daily. Please assist your child in establishing a routine for doing any homework. Your child will be required to read 400 minutes each month. A reading log will be provided to assist in keeping track of times and pages read. Reading logs will be due at the end of each month. Homework should be turned in the following day. It is the students' responsibility to complete and turn in their work each day with encouragement from parents and teachers.  I help remind them of their missing work, but I will not chase them down for it. Assignments which are late may receive 10% deduction daily from the total grade, not to exceed 50%. If the student does not hand in the assignment at all then a zero will be issued.

Graded Papers: Each Friday your child will bring home a folder with work that has been completed during the week, book orders, newsletters, (unless they need to be out the day received), etc. Please take time to review your child’s work and sign the form attached to the folder, return on Monday. This form is an excellent chance weekly for teacher/parent communication. Your child will write something on it, I will provide my thoughts, then as a parent, you can conclude with any thoughts of your own. Please look for this every Friday, sign it, and return back to school. The students will get a “penny” for this!

Positive Incentives: Once a week I let the kids shop at the “Positive Penny Store” in my room as a positive incentive. Each student has a “bank” in which they put money in they get from me at random times during the day. Students are given the opportunity to earn money for any positive thing they do. For example, if they walk appropriately in the hall, hand in all work on time, sit quietly in class, etc.... It is each student's responsibility to keep their banks and money safe. I am not responsible for lost or stolen money. I find that the kids really look forward to shopping at the store and work hard to earn those pennies!

Rules and Procedures: I have established the following expectations:

Turn papers in on time

Exhibit appropriate hallway behavior

Use appropriate bathroom behavior

Be prepared

Be respectful

I have developed several procedures that the students have been practicing since last week. I feel that if there are procedures in place, each student will understand what is expected of them, which reduces confusion and behavior problems. I like to deal will positive reinforcement mainly but when disruptive behavior becomes an issue, my experience has taught me to get the parents involved immediately. Please understand that if a child is given more than 3 verbal warnings to correct their disruptive behavior, I will have them call home immediately. I would appreciate your support if your child has to call home due to disruptive behavior. If after talking with you and the behavior continues, I will talk with the principal for further advise.

Reading: Each month students will be required to read 400 minutes outside of school. These minutes can be spent reading for pleasure, reading a story that has been assigned, reading the newspaper, or social studies book etc. Please document these minutes followed by your signature on the reading calendar I provide you with each month. This nightly reading is recorded on their report cards. Also, third graders will take the state reading assessment this year.

Math: Be sure to have your child practice their multiplication facts nightly. We will begin this in October and it is very important your child learns these facts for future success. Again, third graders will take the state math assessment this year.

If you or your child ever have any concerns, please feel free to contact me through phone or email. In the event that I are unavailable at the time of your call, I will return your call as quickly as possible. Emailing will give a more prompt response: roxcee.weber@edmondschools.net

I know this will be an exciting and wonderful year! Third grade is a grade of many “firsts”. For example, there is more homework and more independent work in the classroom, however it will be fun and exciting. Your child is extremely important to me and I am thrilled to have him/her in 3rd grade. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be part of your child’s life and together we can make anything possible.

Sincerely,

 Roxcee Weber