Third Grade Class Information/Mrs Vigil
Star of the Week: Each week there is a "Star of the Week." When it is your child's turn, they will need to bring photographs of themselves, their family, or pets to put on the border of the poster. They will complete the poster here at school and add the pictures the Monday of their designated week. The poster is put up in the hall outside our door for all to see during the week and the “Star of the Week” has many privileges that week.
Spelling: Third graders study 18 words. Your child will bring the list home each week and they are posted at http://mrsvigil.weebly.com/spelling.html . We work with the spelling words during the week, but students may need to study at home, especially as the words get more difficult later in the year. We have a spelling pretest on Thursdays and if the student gets 100% on that test he/she does not have to take it on Friday, which is the final test. If they miss one word they only have to take the one word they missed on Friday.
Math Timed Tests: The students will be taking 1 1/2 minute math computation tests. There are 30 problems on each test. When they pass a test it is checked off on a chart, and they move on to the next level. I tell the students many times that this is not a competitive race and that computation is only one area of skill in math. Students may request to take a test orally/privately with a teacher if they are having trouble passing the written test. In the past I’ve discovered that some kids know the facts, but can’t write them fast enough. When students finish all the series of timed tests they earn a week of "choice time." That means that while the others are taking the timed tests they can choose something else to do. They then start Mad Minutes for multiplication and division. Students should continue to review all the facts even after they pass a particular test, for it is so easy to forget them.
World Correspondent: Students who are interested can be a world correspondent by sharing an article in a newspaper, magazine, or from the Internet of news happening in another part of the world (third graders). The child points to the place on our world map, reads part of the article or tells about it and also tells on which continent this news happened. In this way, we begin to become "global third graders."
Global Third Grader: Many third graders will want to take on the challenge of becoming a "global third grader" this year. The student memorizes the seven continents and five oceans, learns to find them on a blank map, which I provide, and writes them on the map at school with correct spelling. The student also needs to tell the class three ways to care for our planet. When this is accomplished, the child receives a nice certificate, candy treat, sticker, two tickets, and his/her name on the world poster in our classroom. Most students wait to work on this the second trimester when we have learned more about maps and we begin to learn about other cultures in the world.
Snacks: At mid-morning the students will have about ten minutes to eat a healthy snack while we have class sharing. We ask the students to eat something other than desserts at this time, and to save desserts for after they eat their lunch. Please do not send soda pop to school.
Sharing: I do not assign a certain day for each child to share. Sometimes things happen that just have to be shared today. I’ve learned in the past that sharing helps us to get to know one another a little better and helps create a sense of community in our classroom. However, because of the time element, no more than twice a week per child is my policy. Some kids share art, a magic trick, a joke, or a favorite item from home. Many just tell about something exciting or interesting in their lives. If they have special toys to share, please only one at a time. I have had students bring a bag full of creatures or beanie babies to school and we simply do not have enough time! No trading cards or very valuable items, please.
Water bottles: I would like each child to bring a container for water to keep at her/his desk. These need to have a top that won’t spill when knocked over. Please be sure the child’s name is clearly marked on the bottle. The drinking fountains are in the basement. I will remind the children to rinse their bottles when they refill them from the water fountains, but they should be bringing the bottles home frequently to be washed out with soap and water.
Uniforms: Please be sure your child is in full uniform each day. If the student is out of uniform, he/she must be sent to the office for an out-of-uniform slip. The dress code is in the school handbook. On warm days we often take sweaters off. It is most important that your child’s name is written on the tag of each sweater (vests also). This eliminates time spent finding lost sweaters. Please remember that on Mass days shorts aren’t allowed. Third graders wear their uniforms for PE, but need athletic shoes on PE days.
Homework: There will be daily homework practice Monday through Thursday of each week and projects may be assigned. Information for projects will come home the day the project is assigned and explained to the students. Please SAVE this information in a handy spot until it is completed. Students should study spelling words, math facts, and read each evening. Speaking of homework, being nearby during homework time to answer questions is helpful, but assisting only when help is needed, is ideal. Homework is practice for what we are working on in the classroom. When homework is completed, students put it in their "Take Home” folder to be brought to school the next morning. Students who forget their homework without a "missing homework" coupon or note must stay in their seats for recess. Homework can be found on our website at http://mrsvigil.weebly.com/homework.html . Students should be able to freely communicate with me when they struggle with homework, knowing they can admit that they don't understand a task—and can do so without penalty. Assignments may be tailored to individual readiness or needs, incorporating options or choice as appropriate.
Assignments: Class time is always given to complete assignments. Some assignments are done entirely in class and are not sent home. However, some assignments may be sent home at times and students will need to finish these at home if it is not completed during the work time given during class. This is in addition to the normal assigned homework.
Take Home Folder: We have mail call at the end of every day, and your child will bring home a “Take Home Folder” for you to look through. Please take the time to empty and look at your child’s folder contents every evening. Have your child read some of the work to you. This is a prime time to spend together and it shows your child that you are very interested in his/her life at school. The next morning the “Take Home” folder must be brought back to school with last night’s completed homework and any notes for school or for me, book club orders, field trip forms, etc.
Mass is on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. Students need to be in full uniform. I encourage you to attend Mass with us whenever possible. We love seeing you at church and worshiping with you.
_
Spelling: Third graders study 18 words. Your child will bring the list home each week and they are posted at http://mrsvigil.weebly.com/spelling.html . We work with the spelling words during the week, but students may need to study at home, especially as the words get more difficult later in the year. We have a spelling pretest on Thursdays and if the student gets 100% on that test he/she does not have to take it on Friday, which is the final test. If they miss one word they only have to take the one word they missed on Friday.
Math Timed Tests: The students will be taking 1 1/2 minute math computation tests. There are 30 problems on each test. When they pass a test it is checked off on a chart, and they move on to the next level. I tell the students many times that this is not a competitive race and that computation is only one area of skill in math. Students may request to take a test orally/privately with a teacher if they are having trouble passing the written test. In the past I’ve discovered that some kids know the facts, but can’t write them fast enough. When students finish all the series of timed tests they earn a week of "choice time." That means that while the others are taking the timed tests they can choose something else to do. They then start Mad Minutes for multiplication and division. Students should continue to review all the facts even after they pass a particular test, for it is so easy to forget them.
World Correspondent: Students who are interested can be a world correspondent by sharing an article in a newspaper, magazine, or from the Internet of news happening in another part of the world (third graders). The child points to the place on our world map, reads part of the article or tells about it and also tells on which continent this news happened. In this way, we begin to become "global third graders."
Global Third Grader: Many third graders will want to take on the challenge of becoming a "global third grader" this year. The student memorizes the seven continents and five oceans, learns to find them on a blank map, which I provide, and writes them on the map at school with correct spelling. The student also needs to tell the class three ways to care for our planet. When this is accomplished, the child receives a nice certificate, candy treat, sticker, two tickets, and his/her name on the world poster in our classroom. Most students wait to work on this the second trimester when we have learned more about maps and we begin to learn about other cultures in the world.
Snacks: At mid-morning the students will have about ten minutes to eat a healthy snack while we have class sharing. We ask the students to eat something other than desserts at this time, and to save desserts for after they eat their lunch. Please do not send soda pop to school.
Sharing: I do not assign a certain day for each child to share. Sometimes things happen that just have to be shared today. I’ve learned in the past that sharing helps us to get to know one another a little better and helps create a sense of community in our classroom. However, because of the time element, no more than twice a week per child is my policy. Some kids share art, a magic trick, a joke, or a favorite item from home. Many just tell about something exciting or interesting in their lives. If they have special toys to share, please only one at a time. I have had students bring a bag full of creatures or beanie babies to school and we simply do not have enough time! No trading cards or very valuable items, please.
Water bottles: I would like each child to bring a container for water to keep at her/his desk. These need to have a top that won’t spill when knocked over. Please be sure the child’s name is clearly marked on the bottle. The drinking fountains are in the basement. I will remind the children to rinse their bottles when they refill them from the water fountains, but they should be bringing the bottles home frequently to be washed out with soap and water.
Uniforms: Please be sure your child is in full uniform each day. If the student is out of uniform, he/she must be sent to the office for an out-of-uniform slip. The dress code is in the school handbook. On warm days we often take sweaters off. It is most important that your child’s name is written on the tag of each sweater (vests also). This eliminates time spent finding lost sweaters. Please remember that on Mass days shorts aren’t allowed. Third graders wear their uniforms for PE, but need athletic shoes on PE days.
Homework: There will be daily homework practice Monday through Thursday of each week and projects may be assigned. Information for projects will come home the day the project is assigned and explained to the students. Please SAVE this information in a handy spot until it is completed. Students should study spelling words, math facts, and read each evening. Speaking of homework, being nearby during homework time to answer questions is helpful, but assisting only when help is needed, is ideal. Homework is practice for what we are working on in the classroom. When homework is completed, students put it in their "Take Home” folder to be brought to school the next morning. Students who forget their homework without a "missing homework" coupon or note must stay in their seats for recess. Homework can be found on our website at http://mrsvigil.weebly.com/homework.html . Students should be able to freely communicate with me when they struggle with homework, knowing they can admit that they don't understand a task—and can do so without penalty. Assignments may be tailored to individual readiness or needs, incorporating options or choice as appropriate.
Assignments: Class time is always given to complete assignments. Some assignments are done entirely in class and are not sent home. However, some assignments may be sent home at times and students will need to finish these at home if it is not completed during the work time given during class. This is in addition to the normal assigned homework.
Take Home Folder: We have mail call at the end of every day, and your child will bring home a “Take Home Folder” for you to look through. Please take the time to empty and look at your child’s folder contents every evening. Have your child read some of the work to you. This is a prime time to spend together and it shows your child that you are very interested in his/her life at school. The next morning the “Take Home” folder must be brought back to school with last night’s completed homework and any notes for school or for me, book club orders, field trip forms, etc.
Mass is on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. Students need to be in full uniform. I encourage you to attend Mass with us whenever possible. We love seeing you at church and worshiping with you.
_