Welcome to my 3rd grade class. This is a booklet to give you information about procedures that are used on this campus and in this classroom. I am so excited about this school year, and look forward to getting to know your child! I believe we can work together as a team to make sure your child has a successful year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

Office number: 903-295-5151 e-mail: sfisk@ptisd.org

Please send a note to school anytime your child is absent. If you would like to pick up missed work for your child to work on at home, please notify the office before lunch. I will have the work ready for you to pick up at dismissal time.

All medications can only be administered by our school nurse. Please contact her if your child needs to take any medication during the school hours. If your child has a health problem, please plan to visit with the school nurse so that she can better meet the needs of your child.

Your child will bring home a “Pirate Binder” each day of the week. It will include a conduct sheet, which needs to be initialed daily by a parent/guardian. It will also contain a monthly calendar, a lunch menu, and other helpful papers. Please do not remove these items from the folder, for they may be referred to for homework or in class. Please check this binder daily, for all homework/assignments and important notes that will be sent home in this folder.

This folder will be also used to send home AR reports and graded papers every Monday. This stack of papers will need to sign and returned the following day.

Birthdays are special and birthday treats are lots of fun! If you would like to furnish birthday treats (cookies, cupcakes, cookie cake, ice cream bars, etc.) please do! According to the state nutrition policy, we are allowed to serve them anytime after lunch. If you choose to send a cookie cake please asks the bakery for one that serves 20-22 students. Many times, parents send the small cookie cake, and it is impossible to cut into 20-22 equal slices.

Please refer to your child’s monthly calendar for P.E. and E.R. days, so that he/she can come to school prepared with comfortable shoes. If your child is injured, and should not participate, please send a note for the P.E. teacher.

The goal of the A.R. program is to motivate students to enjoy reading, increase comprehension/fluency, and increase ability to become independent, self-directed readers and learners. Accelerated Reader is used in connection with quality reading lessons. It is a part of our reading curriculum, but NOT represented in the grade book in anyway. It is in our campus plan that students are given a point goal each six weeks. Students who meet this goal will be rewarded. Students who earn at least 100 points by the end of the year, with an average percent correct of 80% or higher, will get to go on a fun field trip with the librarian. Please help your child accomplish this goal. Parents are encouraged to read to and with their children. Reading aloud with your child offers a perfect model for what a fluent reader shout sound like.

I will be collecting pictures and various certificates throughout the year school year for each child. At the end of the year, I will bind them together as a Memory Book for your child to keep. If you attend any of our classroom parties/events, and happen to take a cute picture, I would love to have a copy of it for the classroom Memory Book.

I look forward to a wonderful school year! Thank you so much for trusting me with your most prized possession!

School begins at 8:05. Please make sure your child is on time each day, Tardiness not only interrupts the class, but also waste valuable instruction time. Thank you!

If your child needs to be picked up early, please send note ahead of time. All students must be signed out through the office. This is for your child’s protection. Your child will be notified by the office staff, and will meet you in the office, not at the classroom door.

Please make sure that your child knows how he/she is getting home each day. If your child’s afternoon transportation changes, please send a note so that I can help your child remember what to do at the end of the day. If they do not have a note they will have to follow their normal transportation routine. Notify the office of any last minute changes, and they will forward the message to me at the end of the day.

Each child starts off each six weeks with a “100” conduct grade. Each time your child breaks a classroom rule (many warnings are always given) he/she will receive a “sign in.” This “sign in” will be recorded in the “Conduct” section of the Pirate Binder. One point will be deducted from 100 each time they receive a ‘sign in.” This will help you stay updated on your child’s daily behavior.

If your child does not bring a lunch from home, please make sure that he/she has money or credit in the lunchroom. You may pay for lunch credits in the morning or during our lunch time. There is also a link on the schools web page, Lunch Money Now, where you can add money to your child’s account. www.ptisd.org

Parents are welcomed to eat lunch with their children. Our campus policy states that parents may not ask other students from the class to join them. Parents are asked to wait at the cafeteria door for their children, not at the classroom door. Thank you so much!

Each Monday, your child will be given a list of spelling words. These words will be reviewed in class throughout the week. Your child will need to study these words at home, as well. A test will be given each Friday.

Our class will be scheduled to go to the library every other week. Please refer to your child’s calendar for the exact day. Students are allowed to check out two library books at a time. If your child completes both these books before the scheduled library time, he/she may return to the library with a pass.

Students who have received three or fewer “sign ins” for the week will enjoy a special treat on Friday. Parents will be assigned a week or two through out the year. I will send home a note a week or two before with a choice of snack for you to choose. It will also be on the calendar in your child’s take home folder. Encourage great behavior at school, so that your child can enjoy this special treat each week. Please send only heathly snacks.