 |
| Image courtesy of Pixabay |
I am very excited to be teaching third
grade this year, and I am looking forward to working with all this year's
wonderful third graders and their families.
Some of you know me already, but for
those of you who don’t, this is my 8th year of teaching at Forest
Grove. I have taught 3rd
grade and 5th grade. I have a
wonderful husband and three fabulous children.
My kids all went to Forest Grove and loved it, but they don’t get to
come to my classroom much anymore. Nick
is a sophomore at Dartmouth College.
Ellie is a freshman at the University of Chicago. Katie is a sophomore
in high school. I also have two dogs, a miniature poodle named Shammy and a
standard poodle named Garmin.
Here are answers to the most frequently
asked questions during the first weeks of school
1. What is third grade like?
Third grade is a great year.
Students will work hard, but they will also have lots of fun. Some
of the biggies of third grade are learning cursive and multiplication.
It's also the year when we say students make the leap from "learning
to read" to "reading to learn." The focus is on reading
comprehension, instead of how to read.
We will participate in a lot of special
activities this year, including The Forty Book Reading Challenge, The Global
Read Aloud, International Dot Day, a Twitter Math Challenge, and more.
1. What is the best way to communicate
with Mrs. Newman?
I am most easily reached by email at my
school email address, mnewman@pgusd.org. You can also send a note to me
at school in your child's folder. You can call me at school, but I often
don't get messages during the school day. If you would like to meet, we
can arrange for a meeting either before or after school. Families are an
essential part of a school team, so please don't hesitate to contact me.
2. What's homework like?
Each Monday, students will get a weekly
homework packet that is generally due on Friday. Please take some time on
Monday to plan how you will get homework done. I know many students are
very busy with extra-curricular activities and will need to take the time to
make a homework plan.
Students are asked to read for 30
minutes every night. This can be the student reading silently or aloud.
It can also be a student and parent reading together (alternating by paragraph
or page). I really encourage parents to read with their children so they
can talk about what is happening in the books their children are reading.
3. What if there is a problem
with homework?
Homework will, in most cases, be a
review of what we are working on in class. If a student does not
understand something, he or she should talk to me at lunch. If there is
an unusual conflict with getting homework done, please let me know or send a
note in with the homework.
4. Are there longer-term projects
in third grade?
Yes, there will be some book talks and
other projects that will take more time than regular homework. You will get
advance notice of these projects and students generally don't have trouble
getting them completed on time.
5. Can I volunteer in the
classroom?
We need a classroom room parent and
helper parents to help with class parties. We also need parents who will
help us with the Art Docent program. (This program is really fun and no
artistic talent is required!) There will be sing up sheets for these jobs
at Back to School Night.
After the students and I get into the
swing of things, I will need additional volunteers for specific projects and to
chaperone on field trips. Also, if you have something you would like to
share with the class, please let me know.
Every year, we have parent experts who share their special interests
with the students.
If you would like to help during our
Library or Computer times, just let me know in advance. We would be glad to
have you join us.
6. Is it true that students will
be using iPads and Chromebooks?
Yes! I love teaching with technology,
but we won’t use technology every day.
There’s a lot of one-to-one interaction that needs to take place between
the students and me and among the students themselves.
7. Can my child have a water
bottle at school?
Yes. Students may have water
bottles that are not made of glass. The only thing they may drink in the
classroom is water. All water bottles must be put away while we are using
the iPads or Chromebooks.
8. How can I help my child this
year?
·
Read
with your child. If possible, talk to
your child about what they are reading.
What’s it about? Who are the
characters? What are they like? Would they recommend the book to a
friend?
·
Praise
effort. Challenge is good for the brain.
·
Embrace
mistakes. Research shows that mistakes,
correctly addressed, are the best way to make the brain grow.
·
Have
high expectations for your child.
Research also shows that every child is capable of performing to the
highest levels with effort, perseverance and practice.
·
Keep
in touch with me. I can’t help your
child with a problem if I don't know about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment