August 25,
2008
Dear Parents,
Welcome to
Room 109! I am confident that this will be a positive year for
your child as we build on past successes and learn new things in
third grade. With home and school working together, your
child's academic and social skills will become even stronger
throughout the year. At school, your student will also be
receiving support from Mrs. Diane Sellinger, Language
Arts CORE; Mrs. Cheryl Haney, Math CORE; and Mrs.
Debbie Randa, grade level classroom aide.
This week I
will spend a lot of time getting acquainted with your children,
discussing with them classroom and school agreements/procedures,
helping them make a smooth transition into third grade. Below
is some important information for the first weeks of school and
beyond.
1.
Our recess/lunch time is from 11:44 to 12:26. It is important
that all lunches be labeled with first and last names and
room numbers (coats, scarves, hats, boots, and other
clothes, too, when the time comes.) If your child forgets
their lunch, you may drop it off at school. If you are unable
to bring one to school, don't worry as everyone usually has
enough to share! We will also have an afternoon snack each day,
and for snack time children should bring something nutritious
and easy to eat. Birthday treats are always welcomed! (When
planning classroom treats – as well as individual daily snacks –
please note that we have a classmate who is severely allergic
to nuts, and it would be most desirable to keep our
classroom “nut-free”. Thank you.)
2.
Fine Arts classes will begin on Wednesday, August 27th.
Our class schedule is as follows:
|
Mondays (AM) and Tuesdays (PM) |
Music first half of year |
| |
Art second half of year |
|
Tuesdays (PM) |
LRC and Computer |
|
Thursdays (PM) and Fridays (PM) |
PE |
Please note
that while the warm weather uniform code is in effect, the
children will not be required to change for PE. (Please be
familiar with the school uniform code as stated in the SJC
Parent/Student Handbook. In particular; if a student's pants or
shorts have belt loops, a belt is required.) However, just in
case, may I suggest that you send PE shoes and uniforms to
school next week. Students keep these in their gym bags in
their lockers.
3.
Homework will usually consist of Math, Reading, Spelling or
English. Your child should spend thirty to forty minutes a
night on this homework. The third graders will be writing down
their assignments in their (new to them this year) Assignment
Notebooks. (Parents, please show your interest in and
support of your child's homework efforts by asking to look at
then sign their assignment notebook whenever it comes home.)
Homework papers will come home in a multi-pocket "Homework"
folder and should be returned to school the following day
(or on the due date indicated in the assignment notebook) in
this same folder. All work that is completed, graded, and meant
to be kept at home will be sent home in a
blue "Friday Folder."
4.
Your child will need to bring a backpack to and from school
daily. Books and supplies will be passed out as we use them.
There are three textbooks that will require covering (book socks
or inexpensive wrapping, such as a brown grocery bag, will do.)
I will send these books home with your child one at a time.
Kindly return them to school the next day if possible. Because
of limited/shared table space, third graders should bring to
school only the SJC pencil case. (We will use pencils,
NO pens, with the exception of a red pen for self-correcting.)
5.
Through a weekly newsletter, I will keep you informed
about what we are doing in class, special projects coming up,
items of interest, etc. Look for a hard copy of the newsletter
to come home in the Friday Folder and feel free to check
the SJC Parish School website at
www.sjcpsinfo.org for classroom newsletters and other
important school news/information. If you need to contact me
for any reason, please send a note with your child, leave a
message through the school office, or e-mail me at
ostrowski@sjc.pvt.k12.il.us.
I welcome your questions, comments, and concerns and will be
happy to discuss them with you.
6.
Attendance is important if your child is going to grasp all of
the sequential concepts being taught in third grade and develop
to the best of his/her ability. Students may begin entering the
school building at
8:40 a.m.
and should be settled in their seats, ready to start the day, by
8:55 a.m. Any student arriving at 8:55 a.m. or later will be
considered tardy and will be required to sign in at the main
office before proceeding to the classroom.
7.
In order to encourage our third graders to READ TO
SUCCEED, please watch for a reading log which will be
attached to the back cover of your child’s assignment notebook.
Students will be responsible for recording “outside” (i.e.
Reading Club assignments, book report selections, pleasure
reading, etc.) reading times on their log, confirming these with
a parent signature.
I feel very
privileged and excited to be spending my days with your
children. Eight and nine year olds are precious little people
with great potential and enthusiasm. It is my goal to challenge
their abilities, praise them for their accomplishments, help
them to develop a positive self-concept, and guide them on their
continuing faith journey.
With home and
school working together, I anticipate a successful third grade
school year for all!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Kim Ostrows
ki
Room 109
P.S. I look
forward to seeing you at Meet The Teacher Night on
Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30
p.m.
