August 29, 2016
Dear Families,
Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! I’m looking forward to meeting and working with all of you! It will be a time of tremendous growth for your third grader. This year will be a success as we work together to help each student develop his or her potential.
This will be my ninth year teaching at Holy Rosary. I love teaching here and am honored to be part of such a supportive community. You will learn more about me during the school year, but we’ll start by meeting each other at the Back to School Night this Thursday, September 1st at 6:00 pm. At Back to School Night I will share my plans and expectations for this upcoming school year.
Newsletter: You can expect a weekly newsletter each Monday, which will include a description of the curriculum activities planned for the week, spelling lists, special announcements and important reminders. Please take the time to read this letter each Monday. I will email the newsletter out and it will be posted on the 3B classroom website.
Student Profile: Please complete the attached student profile and return it to school by Friday, September 2nd. It provides me with important information and allows me to better meet the individual needs of your child.
Filer: Your child’s filer comes home today. Included in this packet is a list with the order of the subjects for you to help your child label the filer. Your child’s filer will help him or her build organizational skills and responsibilities while working towards independence in his or her academic career. Your daily responsibility is to check the “Important Papers”, “Homework” and “Assignment Notebook” section of the filer. The other sections are for in class subject area organization and papers in them remain in the filer throughout the year.
Assignment Notebook: Third graders will be given an assignment notebook in which they will write down their homework every day. They will keep the assignment notebook in their accordion filer. I ask that parents initial or sign the assignment notebook nightly as both a way to support your child’s organizational skills and in order to stay aware of what’s going on in the classroom.
Star of the Week: Each student will be the “Star of the Week” for one week during the school year. Your child will bring home an “All About Me” sheet to fill out the weekend prior to his or her turn. Students should also create and bring in a poster board with pictures of themselves, their family, any special travels or favorites. This poster board will be displayed in the classroom and your child will present it to classmates. You will be given a “Star of the Week” schedule in your parent night folder with the assigned week for your child. Please note that a class treat is not necessary for “Star of the Week”!
Birthdays: 3B students are welcome to celebrate their birthdays in the classroom. They may bring in a simple treat to share with the class on their special day. If you do choose to bring in a treat, please bring enough for the whole class (24 students). We will celebrate summer birthdays on the student’s “half” birthday. For example, Mrs. Helling’s birthday is on August 23rd, so we would celebrate her birthday on February 23rd. If your child is planning a birthday party outside of school please send invitations through the mail, as opposed to handing them out in class. This will help avoid hurt feelings.
Snacks: Snacks help us make it to our 12:25 lunchtime. Please send a small, healthy snack with your child each day (fruit, granola bar, cheese & crackers, vegetables, etc.) Students will not be allowed to eat sweets, chips, chocolate, etc. at morning snack time. They may save those for lunchtime. We encourage students to bring a water bottle to school but ask that it only contain water (no juice, soda, etc.).
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me through the school office or email me. You can email me at emeland@holyrosaryws.org. I value your support and believe that we work as a team when it comes to your child’s education.
This year will be filled with fun and learning and I look forward to meeting you!
Sincerely,
Erin Meland