Greetings Parents,
Welcome back 3rd and 4th graders!
I look forward to a wonderful 2017-2018 school year with your child. This is a Gifted and Talented cluster classroom, therefore it is much more rigorous and fast-paced than the regular classroom.
We will continue the Reading and Writing Workshops as part of the Balanced Literacy approach to learning.
It is very important that your child read for 30 or more minutes at home each night(including weekends). We go to the library every Monday, students have 2 library books to read at home. Students may read other books,but we recommend a just right book (one that is at their reading level). Please sign your child's Reading Log nightly after each reading.
Please check your child's daily folder for important information and graded work. There will also be a folder going home every Tuesday with weekly information/graded assignments from the classroom.
You may not see very much homework sent home each night for Reading, other than the required 30 minutes. We do most of the work in the classroom by way of interactive notebooks, guided, independent, and shared activities for Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies. Students that do not complete work during class time will be required to complete it at home and return the following day. There is much curriculum to cover.
The grading system is as followed:
55% average for daily class work ( projects, interactive notebooks, participation, other classroom assignments)
45% average for assessments (common assessments and 9 weeks tests)
Upcoming Events/Dates:
September ???/TBA – STAR testing window opens (reading only –including Kinder)
September 5-29 – PK Test Wave 1
September 13– DRA testing begins (Grades 1-4)
September 19 – Parent Orientation
PreK-Kinder – 6:00-6:45
1st grade – 6:45-7:30
September 21 – Parent Orientation
2nd grade – 6:00-6:45
3rd grade – 6:45-7:30
September 25 – Parent Orientation
4th grade – 6:00-6:45
October 2-6 - Book Fair
October 3 - Family math and literacy night 6:00-7:00
Nutritious snacks are allowed to be brought from home. We usually have snack at/around 10:45 A.M.
Here is what we are learning:
Reader's Workshop -
Setting up interactive journals
How to choose and abandon books
Writing Workshop -
Setting up interactive journals
Social Studies -
Setting up interactive journals
Texas symbols-4th
Daily schedule:
8:00-8:25 Arrival- Bell ringers/AR testing/announcements
Block 1 8:30 -9:30 Writing Workshop/Grammar
9:30 - 10:45 Reading Workshop
10:45-11:10 Social Studies/ Wordstudy/Share time
11:15 - 12:05 Specials (M-P.E/T-Art/W-Comp./Th- P.E./F-Music)
12:10 Switch to Block 2 (4th grade to Mrs. Porter; 3rd grade from specials)
12:15 – 12:45 Lunch (3rd graders)
12:45- 1:00 Recess/water/RR break
1:00 -2:00 Writing Workshop/Grammar
2:00 – 3:00 Reading Workshop
3:00 - 3:22 Social Studies/Cursive Handwriting practice/Word Study
3:25 Switch back to homerooms
3:30 dismissal to pods
3:27 dismissal to pod
4th grade Monday Library-9:40-10; Monday Computer lab – 9-9:30
3rd grade Monday Library 1;20-1:40; Computer lab Thursday 2:30-3:00
Students are required to read at home for 30 minutes each day (including weekends).
This increases their stamina in reading as well as word and sentence structures. Please remind your child to write all reading times on his/her Reading Log. It is also recommended that your student know multiplication facts to the 12s. Thank you for working with your child at home.
It is my pleasure to have your child this year. I strive to create and maintain a positive and interactive learning environment promoting success in all subjects. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 281-229-6800 x6883 or email at sjenkins@dickinsonisd.org. My conference period is from 11:15-12. Any calls received later than 12 will be returned after school between 4:00 and 4:45 p.m.