Mrs.
Altenburg
2014 – 2015
Dear Parents,
As your child gets ready
to enter into their 3rd grade year, I invite you to be an active
partner in your child’s education. I look forward to teaching your child in the
coming school year. My hope is that your
child will love 3rd grade and grow as a student throughout the
year.
Third grade is a big adjustment for
many students. Students are becoming
more independent in their learning and we expect them to become more
independent as the year goes on.
Children are moving from learning to read to reading to learn.
If you have questions or concerns,
please feel free to contact me. I’m at
school by 7:30 on a typical day and if I’m not available you can leave a phone
message which I will return as soon as possible. I check my email frequently during the day
and can typically respond a bit quicker.
You may reach me at Kristi.altenburg@jhcobras.net or mrsaltenburg@gmail.com
Be Active
Be an active participant in your
child’s education. Ask your child what
he or she is studying at school. Look in
their nightly homework folder to check for papers that are completed or for
papers that need to be completed and returned to school. In this gold homework folder you will find
newsletters and notes that are sent home, as well as any homework that needs to
be completed. The weekly newsletter will
help you keep up with important happenings in our classroom. I will also send home progress reports, send
emails, or make phone calls if I feel your child isn’t progressing as
expected.
Ask Questions:
If you have any concerns or are
wondering why something is happening please feel free to call me or email me at
any time. I welcome concerns, ideas, and
feedback that affect your child or the classroom. I look forward to working with you. If something isn’t working, please let me
know so we can work towards a solution.
Homework:
You should expect that your child will
have some type of homework throughout the week.
You will find the homework on the return to school side of the homework
folder. Students should be able to do
most assignments independently, but please help if necessary. If you are unable to assist, please send a
note or email as soon as possible so I can help first thing in the morning. Study guides will be sent home with the
information that will be tested in Science and Social Studies. It is important to review this information
with your child. ANY HOMEWORK THAT ISN’T RETURNED COMPLETED THE
FOLLOWING DAY WILL BE CONSIDERED “LATE” RESULTING IN LOSS OF RECESS TO COMPLETE
AND RECEIVING A DEDUCTION OF 30% FROM THE PERCENT EARNED. (For example, when a paper is graded and a student
earns 86% - 30% from late means the student will earn a 56% on this paper)
Curriculum:
The 3rd grade curriculum
aligns very closely to the state standards in each subject taught. This year your child will be talking State
Assessments in both reading and math in the spring. We will be working very hard to prepare for
these throughout the year. As they
progress through the elementary school, they will take assessments in Science,
Social Studies, and Writing as well.
Therefore, we will continue to build the foundation of information that
they’ll be tested over in the coming years.
Math:
We use the ENVISIONS math series that is different from last year
because we have a textbook. We are also
staring to incorporate the “Common Core” which is a mandate from the state of
Kansas. You may find that some skills
covered in 3rd grade now are much harder than before. It contains lots of integrated and hands-on activities. Many parts of this curriculum, including the
textbook, will be available online for your child to do at home.
Language: Students will work on mini-lessons in grammar
daily. Third grade continues to learn
and practice the steps of the writing process.
Proper grammar, spelling and the mechanics of writing are taught to
enable students to proofread and communicate more effectively. Spelling this year will not have weekly lists
that come home each Monday and test each Friday. Many words we will focus on will be “Core”
words that students should be able to spell correctly.
Reading: Students are moving from learning to read
into reading to learn. Students will
become better readers by learning to identify the elements in a story. They will read expository material for
specific information. Study skills such
as reading and interpreting graphs and diagrams, and test taking skills. Vocabulary development continues to include
the refinement of phonetic and decoding skills.
Reading comprehension skills taught include: understanding fiction and nonfiction reading
selections, identifying main ideas, sequencing events, recalling details,
making predictions, drawing inferences, and understanding cause and effect
relationships.
Science: The 3rd grade curriculum focuses
on the physical, earth and life sciences.
Social Studies: The social studies curriculum in third grade
reviews the concept of community. They
will also work through an economics unit as well as a government unit.
Tier
Time:
This is a new period of time set aside
to work with students in a smaller setting to provide more intense instruction
in an area of need or as an area of enrichment.
Students will be working with various teachers or aides during this 30
minute time period. Students will be
working on both math and reading skills to help them improve their third grade
experience.
Grade
Scale and Procedures:
Grades are posted weekly in power
grade. You can gain access to your
child’s grades from home if you have internet access. Contact Vern Andrews at vern.andrews@jhcobras.net to set this up. I will be using the district grading
scale.
Absence:
If your child misses school they will
have one extra day to makeup the work for every day missed. I’m willing to work with you if you feel that
this isn’t adequate time for the assigned work.
Please contact me if there is an issue.
Once again I thank you for sharing
your child with me for the next nine months.
I truly believe that by working together they will have a rewarding year
and gain knowledge and skills to help them be successful in life.
Blog
address:
http://altenburgpostcard.blogspot.com
