Welcome to Veterans Elementary School Back to School Night 2008 - 2009

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Welcome! Thank you for coming to Back to School
Night! Please find your childs desk and
begin the worksheet. We will begin the
presentation shortly
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Welcome to Veterans Elementary SchoolBack to
School Night2010-2011

• The Third Grade Team
• Mrs. Grady-Johnson
• Ms. Borowiecki
• Ms. Jackson
• Mrs. Welch
• Ms. Marc
• Mrs. Lane
• Mr. Callaghan
• Mrs. Wagner

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Reading

• Reading follows the Howard County Essential
  Curriculum. The main focus in third grade is on
  comprehension strategies and written responses,
  especially Brief Constructed Responses (BCRs).

We will be using a combination of trade books,
the Treasures series, novels, and magazines to
provide instruction at your childs level.
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Reading

• Reading will be taught in your childs
  homeroom class. The homeroom classes are
  heterogeneously grouped, but within homerooms,
  students are placed in flexible reading groups to
  match their instructional level. Most homeroom
  classes have three flexible reading groups.

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Math

• Students were assessed and placed into math
  classes according to their math skills and needs.
  Within each classroom, there will be
  opportunities for flexible grouping, technology
  activities, and cooperative learning experiences
  to enhance the Howard County Mathematics
  Curriculum.

The Howard County Public School System has
created a collection of SMART pages that can be
accessed at http//www2.hcpss.org/math/smart/
More information will be shared by your childs
math teacher at the second session.
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Writing

• Your child will practice writing for many
  different purposes,
• including
• writing to inform
• writing to express personal ideas
• writing to persuade.

Your child will write in a variety of formats,
such as stories, letters, poems, and reports.
The goal is for students to go through the
writing process approximately once per week. We
will also work on cursive writing throughout the
year.
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Writing
The secrets to being a good writer will be
presented to your child through the 61 Traits of
Writing Model.

• Ideas
• Organization
• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Voice
• Conventions
• Presentation
• For more information about the Traits, including
  tips for parents, please visit http//www.mukwonag
  o.k12.wi.us/olejnma/index.htm.

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Social Studies
Your children will broaden their awareness of our
local and global communities through our four
Social Studies units Geography
Political Science History
Economics
Social Studies lessons will be presented through
interactive activities that include role-playing,
creating products, and in-depth discussions. The
lessons will allow your child to see connections
between classroom activities, past history, and
their lives today. Many lessons include
problem-solving group work to teach the skills
necessary to work together in small groups both
in the classroom and later in life.
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Science
We will study Earth and Space Science, Physical
Science, and Life and Environmental Science this
year in third grade. Our units
include Weather Experimentation Heat, Light,
and Sound Plants and Trees
Science is taught through inquiry-based lessons
that will engage your child through hands-on
learning experiences. Your child will use
observations and questioning skills to solve
problems. Science also provides another
opportunity for your child to productively work
in a small group.
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Health
This year our Health units will include Social
and Emotional Health, Safety, First Aid and
Injury Prevention, and Tobacco, Alcohol, and
other Drugs. All material will be presented in
an age-appropriate manner that promotes overall
safety and wellness.
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Homework
Nightly homework is assigned as a means for
students to practice skills and strategies they
have learned in school. It is also a way to
build a connection between home and school. In
third grade, students should be able to complete
most of their homework independently, but you can
work together in the sense of encouragement and
aid when needed.
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Spelling
We use the Words Their Way word study program for
spelling. Students will focus on learning
various spelling patterns that they can apply to
their everyday schoolwork, rather than memorizing
a set list of words each week. As in reading and
math, students were assessed and placed into
spelling groups at their instructional level.
The spelling inventory is given three times a
year, and students will move spelling groups as
needed. Weekly spelling tests are given as well.
Spelling homework is assigned Thursday to
Thursday. Tests are given on Thursdays.
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Math Homework
Your childs math teacher will send math
homework home Monday through Thursday evenings.
The math homework will directly reinforce
concepts that have been taught in class. Your
child should be comfortable with the concepts,
therefore, if you see that your child is
struggling with a particular concept or strategy,
please send a note to his or her math teacher.
Math homework should be sent back to school each
day.
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Reading and Writing Homework
Your child will be learning about various
reading comprehension strategies and grammar
skills this year. To practice these skills and
strategies, he or she will be assigned weekly
reading and writing homework. It will be sent
home on Mondays and will be due on Fridays.
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Nightly Reading Homework
All students are expected to read for at least
20 minutes each night. Students are encouraged
to read aloud to family members to practice
fluency, and discuss text as a way to reinforce
comprehension skills. Please initial your
childs reading calendar each night to indicate
that this reading expectation has taken place.
The reading calendar is located in the front of
your students agenda book.
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Grading
Our students are now moving away from the primary
grading scale, (I, W, N) and will be receiving
letter grades for the first time. Students will
receive grades in the following areas   Math
(Concepts and Problem Solving) Reading Writing
Language Mechanics Spelling Science Social
Studies Health Related Arts (P.E., Art, Music,
Media)
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Grading
All grades will be a combination of class work
and assessments. All third grade teachers will
use the following grading scale    90-100 A
(Outstanding)   80-89 B (High Level)
  70-79 C (Satisfactory Level)   60-69 D
(Low Level)   50-59 E (Failure)
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MSA
Students will be taking the Maryland School
Assessment in March. Students will be assessed
in reading and math.    
The MSA contains a combination of selected
response (multiple choice) and Brief Constructed
Responses (short, written answers). Students
will be working on activities throughout the year
to help them successfully meet the state
standards.    
The State Department of Education has created a
website containing standards, practice
activities, and sample test questions. Visit
http//www.mdk12.org for more information on MSA.
   
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Website
Please visit the VES 3rd Grade Website to find
more information about news events, spelling,
math, and more. The 3rd Grade Website can be
found by visiting http//ves.hcpss.org/ ?Team
Pages ? Third Grade The address for the page
is http//ves3.weebly.com You can bookmark the
team page, but be sure to check the VES Homepage
for important dates and information.