Dear Parents of Dual Immersion Third Graders:
Where did summer go? I hope that you have all had a wonderful vacation! I sure have! We have had some wonderful training this summer and I am very excited to start this new year with your children! I thought I’d send out some information to let you know some basic information about the upcoming year.
Registration – Tuesday, August 11th
Registration for all students, K-6, will be held Tuesday, August 11, 12:00 to 7:00 p.m., in the east gymnasium. Registration will include 1) Updating the student registration card & 2) Completing the free / reduced lunch form.
Communication with Parents
I believe that one of the key parts to a successful education is communication between parents and teacher. I have a webpage where you will find helpful information regarding what is being taught and links to curriculum. I plan to use email about our goings-on to maintain communication with parents. If you didn’t do so at the end of last year, please send your email address to school with your student (or send me an email with your name and your child’s name to dmreyes@graniteschools.org). If you need to communicate via telephone, you can leave me a message at 385-646-9912. I check those messages at the end of the school day or the following morning and will do my best at responding promptly. In case of emergency, you may call the school office at 385-646-5073.
Instructional Day
50% of our day will include subjects taught in Spanish and 50% in English. Students will work on increasing fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, oral language and writing in both languages. We will continue to use our literacy programs “Calle de la Lectura” and “ImagineIt!” to support these skills. Words Their Way will be used for English spelling instruction. This year we will continue to use Go Math for our math curriculum. Our main math lesson will be taught in Spanish. During math time in English, students will spend time practicing creative problem solving skills as well as reviewing vocabulary and practicing key concepts through games, activities, and small group work with the teacher. Interconnections (Social Studies & Science) as well as computers/keyboarding, P.E. and library will also be included in your child’s schedule.
Homework
Each student will receive a homework folder which should go back and forth with him/her each school day. Inside you will find a pocket to empty (things to go home) and a pocket for homework to turn in. All homework is due on the following day (unless otherwise indicated). Late work will not be accepted after Friday of the week it was assigned.
Spelling – Each week your child will have English spelling words to practice through a sort. The spelling does not have to be turned it – it is meant for practice of the concepts as needed.
Reading – Students will bring home a story to read each week. These assignments will be sent home after their beginning of the year reading assessment so that I can send assignments on their reading level. Most students will take this home in Spanish. If your child needs to improve their English reading, this will be sent home in English until they can improve their fluency and/or comprehension. There is a short activity to do each night in order to help them in fluency and comprehension. The purpose of this homework is to increase fluency over time, therefore please make sure that this is done nightly instead of once a week. The time your child spends on this homework can be included as part of his/her 20 minute independent reading. Please sign the independent reading calendar weekly (inside the reading folder) and have your child turn it in on Fridays.
Math – Math homework will be sent home in Spanish based on our daily lessons in Spanish. If you need help in understanding a specific assignment, there is a link on my webpage to get to the math website that has all assignments in English as well. I will send further information on how to sign on along with a login and password for your child as soon as I have that set up.
P.E. – Physical Education will be held on Thursday mornings this year. Please make sure your child wears comfortable clothing and shoes so that they can enjoy this time of learning and be successful.
Supplies Needed
Most of the necessary school items will be supplied for your child. The following items would be very helpful to your child:
- Backpack or bag to carry homework folder back and forth.
- Box of facial tissues for general classroom use.
- Water bottle with a lid with their name written on it.
- Light sweater – given that the school is air-conditioned sometimes it is quite cool – especially if your child is seated beneath the air unit, I would encourage you to add a light sweater or long-sleeve shirt that your child may use if the room temperature is too cool for them.
EXTRA ITEMS BROUGHT FROM HOME (YES EVEN SPECIAL PENCILS, ERASERS, FOLDERS, ETC.) BECOME A DISTRACTION RATHER THAN A TOOL AND WILL BE RETURNED HOME. The classroom supply budget doesn’t always cover all of the supplies I need to run the classroom. If you are feeling extra generous, any of the following would be welcome anytime during the year!
Wish List
- ULTRA Fine Point Sharpie Markers for book publishing
- Black Fine-Point Dry-Erase Markers
- Clorox cleaning wipes
- Art supplies – colored cardstock 8.5 x 11, gluesticks, 8 x 10 canvases, colored pencils (if you would like to know what is most needed at the time of your donation, please email me.)
- Crayola 24-count crayons
- 1 subject 70 sheet notebooks
Classroom Volunteers
I can always use extra help in the classroom. Beyond helping read with the students or make copies, I am looking for someone who could be our Reading Parent – this would include coming in weekly on Fridays to tally up reading days and pass out prizes to the students for their hard work. Please let me know if you are interested in helping with this project.
Also, if you have other talents that you could share in our classroom setting, please let me know.
The First Day of School
On the first day, Wednesday, August 19th, please have your child line up on #27 on the south side of the school. I look forward to working together with you to make your child’s third-grade year a success.
Sincerely,
Sra. Reyes
Maestra Reyes 