Things to Know About Room 14
Absences
Allergies: Please note students in our room this year have allergies to wheat, oats, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Please make sure any treats you send in do not include nuts. Other items can be sent in at your discretion.
Backpacks: Every student needs to have a backpack in school everyday. Names should be clearly labeled and easy to find. Please make sure your child’s backpack is emptied everyday. Notes and forms are often sent home which need to be read in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to pack their own backpack in the evening before bedtime and place them by the door, ready-to-go.
Birthdays: All third graders love sharing their birthdays with classmates. We celebrate birthdays at the end of the day, usually around 3:40pm. Birthdays falling on weekends can be celebrated the Friday before or the Monday after, or whatever day is most convenient for you. Summer birthdays can be celebrated as half-birthdays if the parents wish. School district policy is now NO FOOD TREATS to be shared. Non-food items are welcome. The best time to bring in all birthday treats is before school or during lunch. If you need to bring in a treat during class times, please leave it in the office.
Book Orders: Approximately once a month, 2-3 book orders will be sent home. They are usually due within a week. These books make nice additions to at-home libraries and are great for the independent reading we do in class. Students are also encouraged to read at least 20 minutes at home each day. Some things to look for should you decide to order from the book club:
NOTE: If you would like to purchase a book as a gift for your son/daughter, let me know and I will get it to you “secretly”.
Change in Routine: If your son/daughter will be deviating from their normal routine, such as being picked up early or riding the bus home with a friend, please let me know with a written note or email sent before lunch. For safety reasons it is very important that we know where the children are headed after school. It is school policy that children must follow their normal after school procedure if they do not have a note.
Do not call voicemail to leave messages, as I often do not check it until the end of the day after students have left.
Clothing: The climate in the room is automatically controlled by the outside temperature (in theory!). It can be chilly in the early fall and spring when the air-conditioning is running strong, so children may want light sweaters/pullovers.
Because we do go outside all year long it is important that your child be dressed for the weather. Hats and mittens/gloves are a must when the temperature dips. Please label all outerwear with names, especially boots and snowpants, which are required to play in the snow. It is not uncommon to have three or four pairs of boots/snowpants the exact same style and color.
Communications:
Notes: If you are sending a note to me via your child, please remind him/her before leaving home. Many a note has grown outdated, forgotten in the bottom of a backpack.
Voicemail: Our classroom phones are turned off to outside calls during the schoolday. Any calls made during this time or when no one is available to answer the phone will go to voicemail. I will normally check my voicemail before and after school. Please do not leave any “urgent” messages that I must receive before the end of the school day. Those calls should go to the Leonard Office.
Newsletters: To keep you informed of what is going on in Room 14, I’ll be sending home periodic newsletters with information concerning the past and the upcoming weeks. If your child has done something noteworthy, and you would like to share it with the class, let me know and I will publish it in our newsletter.
Field Trips: You will receive a schedule of planned field trips soon. This year we plan to visit the Morley Factory, experience Maple Syruping at the Nature Center and spend a day visiting Greenfield Village Outdoor Museum. Many of the field trips have a small fee. If you would like to pay by check, please make your check payable to “Troy School District.” Please do not make checks payable to Leonard Elementary or the PTO. Field trips are not a required part of the curriculum and your child will not be evaluated based on attendance.
Homework: The first day of each week, students will be given a homework assignment sheet to fill in and follow. Spelling words for the week are printed on the back of this sheet. Students can expect to have 30 minutes of homework approximately 4 nights per week. Additional homework may result from work not being finished in class. We will have approximately three to four projects this year that may also require minimal independent home time to complete. Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will be finished in class during recess periods.
Library: Our class has library once every 8 days. Favorite or unfinished books can be renewed but "forgetters" are not allowed to check out another book. Children are responsible for remembering books. Do remind them it is library day but please do not bring forgotten books in for your son or daughter. They can bring them in the next day and check their book out then.
Medicine: If your child needs prescription or over the counter medicine while they are in school, short or long term, please bring it to the office. They will make sure it is administered at the proper time.
Red Folder: Students need to have their red homework folder in class everyday along with their weekly homework planner.
Student of the Week: We will soon institute our "Star of the Week." Our star student will be spotlighted so we can get to know him/her even better. On the first day of your child's week please send in the completed student poster, and a few photographs your son/daughter has helped select. Students may also bring in awards, certificates, favorite objects, anything that is significant to their lives. Very good care will be taken of all items and everything will be returned safely.
- Illness: If your child stays home, please call the school office to inform them. An answering machine will normally pick up the message between 5pm and 9:15am. Make-up work will not be sent home unless the absence exceeds two days. Work will be made up in school, with assistance, during class times.
- Vacations during school: Please notify me at least two weeks in advance. Books will not be sent if the student is on an extended vacation, although copies of pages may be given. Another assignment (i.e., keep a travel log) may also be given.
Allergies: Please note students in our room this year have allergies to wheat, oats, dairy, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts. Please make sure any treats you send in do not include nuts. Other items can be sent in at your discretion.
Backpacks: Every student needs to have a backpack in school everyday. Names should be clearly labeled and easy to find. Please make sure your child’s backpack is emptied everyday. Notes and forms are often sent home which need to be read in a timely manner. Students are encouraged to pack their own backpack in the evening before bedtime and place them by the door, ready-to-go.
Birthdays: All third graders love sharing their birthdays with classmates. We celebrate birthdays at the end of the day, usually around 3:40pm. Birthdays falling on weekends can be celebrated the Friday before or the Monday after, or whatever day is most convenient for you. Summer birthdays can be celebrated as half-birthdays if the parents wish. School district policy is now NO FOOD TREATS to be shared. Non-food items are welcome. The best time to bring in all birthday treats is before school or during lunch. If you need to bring in a treat during class times, please leave it in the office.
Book Orders: Approximately once a month, 2-3 book orders will be sent home. They are usually due within a week. These books make nice additions to at-home libraries and are great for the independent reading we do in class. Students are also encouraged to read at least 20 minutes at home each day. Some things to look for should you decide to order from the book club:
- The Newbery Award is given to the best children’s book published the previous year. Newbery Honor books are runners-up.
- The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the children’s book with the best illustrations published the previous year. Honor books are runners-up.
NOTE: If you would like to purchase a book as a gift for your son/daughter, let me know and I will get it to you “secretly”.
Change in Routine: If your son/daughter will be deviating from their normal routine, such as being picked up early or riding the bus home with a friend, please let me know with a written note or email sent before lunch. For safety reasons it is very important that we know where the children are headed after school. It is school policy that children must follow their normal after school procedure if they do not have a note.
Do not call voicemail to leave messages, as I often do not check it until the end of the day after students have left.
Clothing: The climate in the room is automatically controlled by the outside temperature (in theory!). It can be chilly in the early fall and spring when the air-conditioning is running strong, so children may want light sweaters/pullovers.
Because we do go outside all year long it is important that your child be dressed for the weather. Hats and mittens/gloves are a must when the temperature dips. Please label all outerwear with names, especially boots and snowpants, which are required to play in the snow. It is not uncommon to have three or four pairs of boots/snowpants the exact same style and color.
Communications:
Notes: If you are sending a note to me via your child, please remind him/her before leaving home. Many a note has grown outdated, forgotten in the bottom of a backpack.
Voicemail: Our classroom phones are turned off to outside calls during the schoolday. Any calls made during this time or when no one is available to answer the phone will go to voicemail. I will normally check my voicemail before and after school. Please do not leave any “urgent” messages that I must receive before the end of the school day. Those calls should go to the Leonard Office.
Newsletters: To keep you informed of what is going on in Room 14, I’ll be sending home periodic newsletters with information concerning the past and the upcoming weeks. If your child has done something noteworthy, and you would like to share it with the class, let me know and I will publish it in our newsletter.
Field Trips: You will receive a schedule of planned field trips soon. This year we plan to visit the Morley Factory, experience Maple Syruping at the Nature Center and spend a day visiting Greenfield Village Outdoor Museum. Many of the field trips have a small fee. If you would like to pay by check, please make your check payable to “Troy School District.” Please do not make checks payable to Leonard Elementary or the PTO. Field trips are not a required part of the curriculum and your child will not be evaluated based on attendance.
Homework: The first day of each week, students will be given a homework assignment sheet to fill in and follow. Spelling words for the week are printed on the back of this sheet. Students can expect to have 30 minutes of homework approximately 4 nights per week. Additional homework may result from work not being finished in class. We will have approximately three to four projects this year that may also require minimal independent home time to complete. Homework is due at the beginning of class. Late homework will be finished in class during recess periods.
Library: Our class has library once every 8 days. Favorite or unfinished books can be renewed but "forgetters" are not allowed to check out another book. Children are responsible for remembering books. Do remind them it is library day but please do not bring forgotten books in for your son or daughter. They can bring them in the next day and check their book out then.
Medicine: If your child needs prescription or over the counter medicine while they are in school, short or long term, please bring it to the office. They will make sure it is administered at the proper time.
Red Folder: Students need to have their red homework folder in class everyday along with their weekly homework planner.
Student of the Week: We will soon institute our "Star of the Week." Our star student will be spotlighted so we can get to know him/her even better. On the first day of your child's week please send in the completed student poster, and a few photographs your son/daughter has helped select. Students may also bring in awards, certificates, favorite objects, anything that is significant to their lives. Very good care will be taken of all items and everything will be returned safely.