New Year, Higher Expectations...

Hi Parents--

       Happy New Year to all of you! I am very excited to be back for a great second half of our year. As I begin to prepare the students for the increased rigor that 3rd grade requires, we will be "stepping it up" in our classroom in order to acclimate them better to what will be expected in their future. Please note the following changes in policies/expectations as follows:

Home Learning:

Reading
Students are still required to read for 20 minutes each night, but I am going to hold them more accountable for this component as they are openly admitting they don't read each night that it is assigned. I have sent home a reading log that is to be filled out Mon-Thurs and returned Friday with the rest of their home learning. Two nights per week, they will be required to not only fill out the log and get a parent signature, but also write a 3-sentence summary or reflection of what they read. Our main skill we are trying to reinforce is writing in complete sentences and understanding how to write a summary. I told the students that ONE of their entries per week may be a reflection of what they thought about their reading if they choose to do so.

Spelling
Beginning next week, students will be given a "spelling menu" which will be housed in their binders and will have a wide variety of assignments for them to choose from for practice. I believe student choice is very important in continuing to motivate the students and I don't want them to fall into monotany of doing the same 3 assignments each week. I will review the assignments with the students next Monday, but please let me know if you have any questions. I hope this change will provide a nice change of pace!

Home Learning Grades/Participation
Beginning this week, I will be giving 5 pts of credit per subject area/per night (20 pts total per week/subject) for completed work. Reading log, spelling notebook and math workbooks will be checked and grades will be recorded in Progressbook for completion. I have always used home learning as a participation component when it came to behavioral marks or a borderline grade, but the students deserve credit for their hard work and effort at home. This is a great opportunity to improve grades that may not be as good on tests or class assignments.

Late Work
Late home learning assignments will be accepted for half credit within a reasonable amount of time. Students who are absent have one day for each school day missed to make up their work.

Behavior Managment Program/Incentives
Next Monday, we will officially begin our class money system and store. I have been talking to the students for quite some time about this exciting change. This will be a great way to incent positive behavior, while also teaching the students how to count money and value a dollar (even if it's fake). Every Friday, they will have an opportunity to visit my "store" and purchase prizes with their earned cash. I have bought quite a few things, but feel free to send in donations if you have them.

All of the changes I have put in place are to benefit the students! I know the reading log adds a little bit of extra work to their evening, but it should take no longer than 10 minutes max to write 3 sentences...they are all VERY capable!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Best,
Ms. Walker