Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Welcome to 3rd Grade with
Miss Harris!

Antelope Canyon 2022-2023

WELCOME BACK!

A new year and a new opportunity to build relationships and experience learning together! Third grade will be the best year yet.

The following pages are goals and expectations for my class this year. I'm looking forward to a great year! Thank you for supporting your child in their growth and learning this year!

Meet your teacher

This is my 14th year or teaching, teaching and learning has always been my passion. It truly makes me a better person and I feel so grateful I get the chance to learn and grow with you this year. I have taught grades 1st-4th, but third grade is the best! I love the curriculum and I love the students. We learn a lot and have a fun time along the way.

I grew up in Austin Texas and over the years I have lived in many different states. I moved to Utah about 14 years ago and I don't think I'll ever leave, I love it here. The mountains are my absolute favorite!

Things I love to do: traveling, reading, spending time with friends & family, trying new recipes, attending museums & factories, and riding roller coasters.

A Few of my Favorite Things:

Color: All shades of green
Drink: Diet Coke
Holiday: Thanksgiving
Subject: Math
Candy: Take 5
Season: Fall
Sport: Volleyball
Flower: greenery
Activity: Travel, read, movies, board games

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My nieces in Texas: Bailey, Zaita, Sawyer, and Lexi.

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My niece & nephew in Washington: Sara & Logan

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More about me!

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I'll always be a Texan.

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Aside from teaching, traveling is my absolute favorite thing to do!

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Sloths are 1 of my top 3 favorite animals!

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I am always looking to explore and make memories. Found this cute little Icelandic horse during one of my adventures.

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I love trying new things. Last summer I learned how to bake in France!

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Classroom Expectations

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Expectations for Students

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-Come to school prepared to work hard and learn!
-BE KIND to yourself, to others, and supplies
-Participate in class and share your thinking
-Be respectful to all students and teachers
-Be responsible for your learning and your materials

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Expectations for Parents

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-Be positive about your child's learning.
-Encourage your child to have a positive attitude about their learning
-Contact me immediately if you have any questions or concerns
-Help when and where you are able, we are in this together!

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Positive & Negative Consequences

Positive

Negative

Each student will be earning letters to spell KINDNESS. They will move their clip along the K.I.N.D.E.S.S. board. Each time a student goes above and beyond they move their clip one letter on the chart. Students can only move forward, never backwards on the chart. When a student "spells" KINDNESS by getting their clip to the final letter, they will be celebrated by the class, receive a certificate, and a small reward.

Students can also earn one or more of the following:
-Positive prasie
-A happy phone call home
-Earn Dojo points to use towards class reward coupons
-Leader of the week (a positive trip to the principal's office)
-School wide award (Kindness dollar, kindness club, or class coin)

Students learn through their mistakes. This is a year to grow and learn together. I am a big believer in natural consequences and working through our problems. All students will be given a verbal warning and will discuss appropriate actions. I will work with parents and students when issues arise.

There will be times when students will need an opportunity to take a moment by themself and reflect their actions. During these times, they will will go to Think Time.

THINK TIME is a time and place for students to reflect on their choices. A student who has received a THINK TIME will go to another third grade classroom to fill out a form and take a quick break to cool down. The filled out form will be sent home for a parent signature and must be returned the following day.

Second Step Program

As a school wide character education program, we will be implementing the Second Step Program. It is a fantastic program that allows students to work on several social skills throughout the year.

To help support the program students can earn Kindness dollars individually or coins for their class. More information to come.

Homework

Throughout the past few years there has been a lot of research done on the effectiveness of homework in elementary schools. Through the research by John Hattie, a researcher from the University of Melbourne, he found that homework's effectiveness at the elementary school level has a limited effect on student's growth. For this reason, I have decided to only view homework as a practice and opportunity for students to complete what was not finished in class. I am glad to share the research if you have any questions. There will be a "homework" note that comes home each week. Students are encourage to read every night and fill out the homework note and return it to school every Friday.

Nightly Practice

Every Monday students will bring home a recording page (see photo). Please help students fill out the form each night and return it every Friday. Students may choose any five days to read. Students may read anything of their choice to receive their reading minutes (e.g. magazine, novel, short stories, etc.). Reading may include a MIXTURE of listening to reading, reading out loud, reading independently, and Lexia minutes.

Students will have a spelling test each week. We are focusing more on spelling patterns and not route memorization. A list of 20-30 words will come home each week. Students will be practicing the spelling pattern in school. They may choose to practice more at home. They are not to memorize each word, just become familiarly with the pattern. Students will be tested on 10 words from the list by being given 5 sentences. Students will earn points spelling the pattern correctly, writing the dictation sentence, capital letters, and punctuation.

When we start learning our multiplication facts, students will be required to learn 0-12 multiplication and division facts fluently. More information will be sent home. We will encourage students to practice facts at home as well as in school.

Birthday Celebrations and Snacks

Treats are welcome, but not required. If you choose to bring a treat for each of the students, please make sure it is store-bought and individually wrapped. Napkins are also very thoughtful and helpful to provide.
Does your child have a summer birthday? We could celebrate on their half birthday, in May before the last day of school, or right after school starts in August. Please speak with you child and email or send a Remind message with the date you would prefer.
In class, on students' birthdays, we will sing to them, give a small gift, and let them sit in a special seat for the day.

Snack Time! Students are welcome to bring a small HEALTHY snack to school on Monday-Thursday. Students who forget or choose not to bring a snack will be provided with a snack from the teacher. If you would like to donate snacks we would greatly appreciate it. Some snacks we would love included, but not limited to:
Goldfish crackers, cereal, pretzels, paper muffin liners