Welcome to Third Grade!
Back-to-School Night 2018
Field Trips & Special Events
October 3rd & 4th (upon confirmation) - Red Bud Center
October 25th, 6:00-7:00 p.m. - HP Math Night
November 2 1:30 p.m. - Story Wranglers Performance, HP Cafeteria
December Date TBA - Nutcracker
December 19, 8:00 a.m. - Medieval Faire
December 20 - Birds of Prey demonstration, Soccer Field
February 25, 12 noon - Me...Jane; The Dreams and Adventures of Young Jane Goodall; Paramount Theatre
March 29, 1:30 p.m. - Story Wranglers Performance, HP Cafeteria
May Date TBA - Texas State Cemetery
Enrichment Fees
Third grade enrichment fees are $65. This includes the processing fee to pay with a credit card online. Please visit https://austinisd.schoolcashonline.com/ to pay your 3rd grade enrichment fees!
Enrichment fees cover:
Agendas
Field Trips and events (listed above)
Academic enrichment (Story Wranglers, Medieval supplies, etc.)
Scholastic News magazine subscription
Grade-level supplies
Please pay enrichment fees online by September 30.
ABCs of Third Grade - Highlights
A few highlights:
*Absences - Please make every effort to be at school, on time, every day. If you know ahead of time that your child will be out of school for a few days, please let the teachers know at least a week in advance so that a work packet may be prepared. Students are responsible for work/tests missed due to illness, appointments, travel, etc. If your child is ill, please make an effort to come and pick up missed work. If you are unable to pick up an absence packet, please contact the homeroom teacher if another student or sibling can take the work to you.
*Agendas - Please sign/initial each night.
*Dress Code - Please adhere to AISD's dress code. For example, spaghetti straps are not allowed, shorts should be an appropriate length, and tennis shoes (not sandals) should be worn.
*Flexible Seating - All third grade classes are implementing flexible seating options this school year. After piloting stand-up desks last school year, we are confident that these options help increase focus, decrease behavior issues, and optimize student work output.
*Living Tree - Third grade teachers, in addition to the campus community, use Living Tree to share important information. Please check your account settings to ensure you are receiving communication. Need help? Email: support@livingtree.com
*Morning drop-off - Please encourage your child to unpack and enter the classroom independently.
*Snack - Third grade has the LAST lunches of the day. Please pack a healthy and filling snack for your child to ensure their stomachs are happy throughout our long morning of learning.
*Tardies - We run the track immediately after the tardy bell, so it is imperative that your child is on time. If you are a couple minutes late, please come find us outside.
*Transportation - If your child's typical after-school transportation changes, please send a note/email or write one in the agenda. Please also communicate the change to the after-school program, if applicable. If there is a last-minute change, please call the office to ensure that your child and his/her teacher are notified in time.
*Weebly website - You and your students will both find many helpful links on this site.
Homework & Projects
Average nightly homework time as follows:
15 minutes math practice/facts
20 minutes of reading every night
Third grade has a daily 30-minute Study Hall when students have the opportunity to complete homework, meet with teachers, and finish any missed/make-up work.
We don't want homework to be a nightly struggle! If homework is taking longer than 20 minutes or you or your child are reaching a frustration point, please write a note on the homework or agenda to let the subject area teacher know. If this becomes routine, please contact the teacher ASAP to schedule a meeting.
Incomplete or missing homework (without parent note) will result in a 'warning.'
Projects:
Enrichment/extension projects will come home in various subject areas throughout the school year. These will be assigned in advance of the due date (2-3 weeks, typically) and will be accompanied by detailed explanation and/or rubric from the teacher. Reminders will be sent via email, LivingTree, and/or in your child's agenda. At-home projects need to be turned in on the due date. 5 points off per day late and a warning in agenda per day not turned in.
Students are not permitted to call home for forgotten assignments or materials. Please help your child establish an evening or morning routine where he/she ensures all items needed for the school day are ready to go!
Behavior Communication & Rewards
Honors Lunch is another fun reward in third grade. At the end of each two-week period, students' agendas will be checked for any warnings and/or strikes. Students with 0 or 1 warning earn Honors Lunch in the classroom with the teacher.
Warnings:
*Warnings are written in the student's agenda for parent to see
*Not following classroom or school rules (after a verbal reminder)
*Incomplete/forgotten homework
*Project not turned in on time
Grading & Report Cards
Report card grading is different in 3rd grade. It is the first year for 'traditional' letter grades. Please remember: just because your child earned a '4' last year, does not guarantee they will get A’s in third grade. There’s not really such a thing as being a ‘straight-A student’ in kinder-2nd. :)
Behavior grades are treated similarly: we view a 3 as average, and a 4 as going above and beyond
Also, please understand that the character limit for individualized comments amount is extremely restricted. In third grade, we use that space for a generic reminder/report. Look for notes, emails, phone calls, conferences, and face-to-face time for individualized feedback regarding your child.
Third Grade Curriculum Highlights
*Major focus on analyzing and deciphering multi-step word problems
*Continue to develop numerical fluency, especially multiplication and division facts
*Enhance awareness of financial literacy, especially debit, credit, savings, and interest
Reading:
*Major focus on reading comprehension across all genres
*Developing higher-level thinking skills, like making inferences and predictions, summarizing, and drawing conclusions
*Vocabulary study throughout the year in multiple contexts
Writing:
*Conventions and spelling practice daily
*Writing process practiced across many types of texts
*Paramount Story Wranglers - 7-week internship in Language Arts classrooms
Science:
Fall Semester - "Matter and Energy," "Force and Motion," "Sun, Earth, and Moon"
Spring Semester - "Dynamic Earth," "Organisms and Environments"
Social Studies:
*Communities Past and Present
*Medieval Studies
STAAR Testing:
*Math - Monday, May 13, 2019
*Reading - Tuesday, May 14, 2019
*We will administer benchmark tests in both subject areas throughout the year, and your child's scores will be sent home.
Middle Ages - A Third Grade Enrichment Study
Dates:
Medieval Faire performance - Friday, December 19th, 8 a.m. in the HP CafeteriaBirds of Prey - December 20 (Time TBA) on the soccer field
Reminders:
Get a costume!
Sign up to help prepare for the Faire!
Cross-curricular academic enrichment:
Social Studies: Comparing Feudalism to present-day communities
Science: Using the Design Process to create a catapult
Lang. Arts: Writing a research report on Medieval castles; Reading a fictional novel centered around an element of the Middle Ages