Mrs Darlingtons Third Grade Class Please feel free

Mrs. Darlington’s Third Grade Class

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. The easiest way to reach me is through e-mail. The school phone number and my school e-mail is listed below. Phone: 571 -252 -2910 E-mail: Rachael. Darlington@lcps. org

Classroom Newsletters will be sent weekly or monthly. If you prefer, I can send them home in paper form with your child. The newsletter will also be posted the school website (see Websites below). You can also get weekly reminders by using the Homeroom App on your cell phone (more information under Websites).

PE: Mon. Wed. Thurs. *children should wear appropriate shoes/clothes Music: Tues. , Wed. Art: Friday Computer Lab: Tuesdays Guidance: Alternating Fridays Search: Alternating Fridays *A more detailed schedule is available on my profile on the school website.

School begins at 7: 50. If you are dropping your child off, he or she needs to be in the classroom by 7: 50. If your child is tardy he or she will need to go to the front office to get a tardy slip before coming to the classroom. Tardies will be counted each semester and will appear on your child’s report card. It is very important that your child is in school daily. If something should come up please call the office and e-mail me to let me know that your child will not be in school. Absences will be counted as excused (you have provided a reason for their absence) or unexcused (you have not provided a reason). Ensuring that your child is present and on time will help to start each day on a positive note!

• Homework is assigned to practice the skills that have been introduced and developed in class. • When assigned, it will come home in your child’s daily folder each afternoon. • Homework is not graded, but it will be checked for completion and effort. • It should not take longer than 30 minutes to complete. • I would much rather you spend your evenings eating dinner as a family, reading together, playing outside and getting your child to bed early.

• • • In the first few days, students will establish our classroom rules which will allow everyone to learn in a cooperative, supportive environment. These will reflect the school rules: showing respect for self, others, and property. Students may earn Sammy Stars from others in the building by showing respect in Sammy Spots (bathroom, hallway, recess, cafeteria, special classes, and bus). We will recognize when students earn 100 Stars with a special reward! To help students transfer the PBIS anchors to the classroom, the following sequence will be used to inform students of inappropriate conduct or actions. 1) Reminder/Warning 2) Time out/“Take a Break” 3) Time out with reflection (note home) 4) Phone call home and/or conference 5) Office intervention* *Students may be sent directly to the office for severe infractions against the rules. Children will be expected to show respect for self, others, and property.

There are many websites and apps that we will be using this year. Below is a list that will be useful for you to have access to throughout the year. School Website: http: //www. loudoun. k 12. va. us/Page/60713 Mrs. Darlington’s School Webpage: http: //www. loudoun. k 12. va. us/site/Default. aspx? Page. ID=112066 (for more websites click on the “At Home Tools” tab on the left) Homeroom App: https: //gethomeroom. com/i/QNUPTH (Download the app to your phone to see confidential pictures and videos of what is happening in our class!) (Class name: Third Grade 16 -17) Raz-Kids: https: //www. kidsa-z. com/main/Login (Teacher Username: rdarlington 1| Password: Student’s 4 -digit birthdate) (This will not be available until it is setup-you will receive notification) Dreambox: http: //www. go. lcps. org (Username: Students Lunch Number| Student Password: 4 -Digit Birthdate) (This will not be available until it is setup-you will receive notification) Reflex: http: //www. reflexmath. com/ (Click on “Launch” | Username: rdarlington 1 | Password: Student ID Number) (This will not be available until it is setup-you will receive notification)

Other Important Information • Assessments: Assessments in third grade are in the form of teacher observations, projects, written, and oral assessments. • Belongings: Please make sure all items that your child brings to school are clearly labeled. Please also leave all toys, etc. at home because they may get lost, broken and can be distracting. • Birthdays: In order to make your child’s day special, we will celebrate in the classroom by singing “Happy Birthday” during our Morning Meeting. Loudoun County’s food policy states that no food is allowed to be brought in and shared. That means that there is no food allowed for birthdays. If your child wants to share something with the class, you have 2 choices to send in: a book of your choosing for the classroom library or a piece of indoor/outdoor recess equipment (I can send you a suggested list of books and equipment. ) We will celebrate summer birthdays in May/June. If you are inviting the entire class to your child’s birthday, you are welcome to have your child bring the invitations to me so I may pass them out (this is only if every child in the class is invited). • Book Orders: If you are interested in purchasing books for your child, I will send home flyers about once a month offering books at reduced prices from the Scholastic Book Club. If you choose to participate, you can do so by logging onto www. scholastic. com/bookclubs. Our class code is: MF 7 RY. By ordering with the code you earn points for our classroom so we can receive new books as well! • Curriculum: The third grade team created an exciting integrated curriculum. Our Curriculum Map for the year are on the third grade website.

Other Important Information Lunch: v 12: 05 -12: 35 v You are more than welcome to join your child for lunch anytime v Please send packed lunches in a sturdy lunch box with your child’s name clearly printed on it. v If your child brings money to school for lunches, please put it in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch number on it. Your child is responsible for giving this envelope to me in the morning. v You can arrange a lunch account for your child by visiting www. payforlunch. com or send in a check to County of Loudoun worth several lunches worth. v Monthly lunch menus are available on the school website. There are two combinations available each day: peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bagel and yogurt. Snacks (chips, ice cream, cookies) are also available for purchase. Transportation Changes: v I will follow your “Daily Dismissal Plan”, unless you send me an email or a note stating a change. v DO NOT rely on e-mail. If I have not responded back to you about the change please call the office. v If there is ever a permanent change to part or all of your child’s dismissal plan, you must fill out a new “Daily Dismissal Plan” sheet. v Thanks for your help in getting your child to the right place! Traveling: We do not assign homework or gather makeup work if you travel. I will instead send a travel journal for you and your child to record their experiences. Water Bottles: v Must be labeled v Make sure it has a sports bottle like top so that we can tell when it’s open and can therefore keep spills to a minimum. v Please also make sure to wash it frequently at home.

Other Important Information • Lunch: Lunch is from 10: 45 -11: 15 and you are more than welcome to join your child for lunch anytime. If your child packs a lunch, please send it in a sturdy lunch box with your child’s name clearly printed on it. If your child brings money to school for lunches, please put it in an envelope with your child’s name and lunch number on it (their five digit number code). Your child is responsible for giving this envelope to me in the morning. (Please consider the lunch account option as it saves you • • • from having to find change and an envelope in the morning. It also seems to reduce the children’s stress when they know they have plenty of money on their account. You can arrange for it by visiting www. payforlunch. com or send in a check to County of Loudoun worth several lunches worth. ) Monthly lunch menus are available on the school website. There are two combinations available each day: peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bagel and yogurt. Snacks (chips, ice cream, cookies) are also available for purchase, but these are limited for purchase on Thursdays. Paper Books: I will send home 1 -2 paper books a week for your child to read and leave at home (store them in the large Ziploc bag labeled “Stay at Home Paper Books Reading Bag” that will come home with the first book). You can read and reread these as part of your 20 minutes of nightly reading. Beginning readers need to reread books to develop fluency and expression. Some books may occasionally be too hard because they support our science or social studies units. If they are too difficult, please read them to your child. Show and Tell: We do not have a formal “Show and Tell” in first grade. We instead spend our sharing time sharing their writing and projects. We will also have a sharing time during our Morning Meeting. This is not a time to bring in “show and tell items” either, but it is a time to share things that are important to them about their life (my grandma’s coming, my pet did something funny, etc. ). If your child has something that relates to a project at school or unit of study, then the item may be brought in (we may need to keep it a day or two). Transportation Changes: The office and I will keep a copy of your “Daily Dismissal Plan”, which I will follow each day unless you send me an email or a note stating the change. If there is ever a permanent change to part or all of your child’s dismissal plan, you must fill out a new “Daily Dismissal Plan” sheet. Thanks for your help in getting your child to the right place! Traveling: We do not assign homework or gather makeup work if you travel. I will instead send a travel journal for you and your child to record their experiences. I also suggest that you read and play math games (from your “FROG Folder”). Volunteers: We LOVE volunteers in our classroom! If you are able and willing to volunteer a few hours each week in the classroom, I would greatly appreciate your help with paperwork and assembling activities. If you can’t come in, but could help from home, that would be wonderful too! I know that lots of moms and dads do not have time during the day because of work schedules, but I would encourage you to come to some of our field trips, special activities and parties. We can never have too many volunteers and the children love to have their parents come to our events! Water Bottles: Please send in a labeled water bottle for your child to keep at his/her desk. Make sure it has a sports bottle like top so that we can tell when it’s open and can therefore keep spills to a minimum. Please also make sure to wash it frequently at home.