Welcome to 3rd Grade
SMCS Website: https://stmarys-temple.org (then click on Classrooms/Third Grade)
I am so excited to begin our new school year! It is my goal to make learning fun and provide various ways for our 3rd grade students to learn, develop, and apply material covered. Important school and class policies will be covered in this letter. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email [email protected] or call the school phone 254-778-8141. I am available for conferences before school (7:00am - 7:45am), after school (3:30pm - 4:00pm), and can arrange meetings during the day with advance notice. Thank you for your support and for sending your child to St. Mary’s Catholic School. We are going to have a GREAT year!
Your child will be part of a Christian community that will work together to grow in knowing, loving, and serving God. We are blessed to have the opportunity to share our faith with others. Students will be encouraged to share what they learn with their families. “Verbalization = Memorization!” One of Mr. Mottram’s many sayings in class! If your student talks with you about their development and learning, they are studying. Everything taught at school should be discussed at home.
Rules:
We will recite the following rules daily and students will be asked to identify and exhibit behaviors that exemplify each rule.
Behavior:
Students will be given opportunities to practice following the rules and reflect on their behavior. I am NOT an advocate for punishing the masses for the negative behavior of the few; rather, I prefer to deal with behavioral issues on an individual basis whenever possible.
In the event that a student doesn’t follow the rules, they will receive a warning and opportunity to redirect their behavior. If the behavior continues the student will lose privileges (Silent lunch).
This year (beginning 2024-25) 3rd grade will be utilizing the “Merit/Demerit” system via RenWeb. Behavior that emulates the virtues we instill in our students can receive “Merits.” This is for conduct, behavior, and actions that go above and beyond normal expectations.
“Demerits” will be issued to students that fail to follow class directives (Student Handbook), rules, or conduct expected of them. One-Four (1-4) demerits can be issued for infractions that fail to meet expectations. Depending on the severity of the infraction one to four demerits can be issued.
If 4 demerits are accumulated, a detention will be issued. Each time a Merit/Demerit is issued, an automatic notification will be sent to the parent/guardian registered in RenWeb. After attempts have been made to allow for correction of the negative conduct (i.e. verbal warnings, demerits, detention) a teacher requested-conference with the parent/guardian may occur.
Students can have the opportunity to remove a demerit if/when they have earned 4 merits. In other words, one demerit can be erased when 4 merits have been earned through positive behavior that goes above and beyond normal expectations.
Monday - Website:
Every week on Monday morning the Third grade website will be ready with information regarding learning objectives (TEKS) that will be taught during the week and information about upcoming events. Daily homework will be included in the Take Home Folder and posted daily on the website and/or email via RenWeb. All homework is due the following day unless otherwise specified. Homework will be a part of their final grade.
The following is the weighted grading criteria for 3rd grade:
40% - Tests/Quizzes
20% - Classwork
20% - Homework
20% - Participation
Take Home Folder:
Students have a take home folder that should be returned to school daily. Inside the folder will be two parts: “KEEP” and “HOME.”
Keep means any/all paperwork in this side of the folder should remain there for lessons conducted throughout that school week.
Home means any/all paperwork should be taken OUT and kept at HOME. When the “Home” side is consistently full, this tells me that the student is not sharing their corrected work with their parent/guardian.
Recess:
Students will have outdoor recess twice daily, with the exception of extreme weather conditions or days where the class is scheduled to have PE class. It is important that students stay well hydrated. Please send a filled water bottle to school with your child daily. Water is the only acceptable content for them to have in the classroom. The water bottles can be filled via the water fountains. As the weather cools, please send students to school with appropriate outerwear.
Dress Code: All Uniforms must come from Risse Uniform Company
Field Trips (None this Fall):
Parents will be needed to provide transportation for field trips. Parents must be in compliance with the Diocesan requirements when volunteering at St. Mary’s. All volunteers within the Catholic Church are required to complete an application that will be kept on file with the Diocese and attend an Ethic and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) workshop every three years. More information can be found at www.austindiocese.org. The link directing you to the correct section of the website is eAppsDB.
Drop-off and Dismissal:
Students may be dropped off in the cafeteria beginning at 7:00 a.m. before school. They will be supervised until 7:40 a.m. when they will be released to their classrooms. You may choose to park and walk your student inside the building beginning at 7:45 a.m. All students should be prepared for the day by 8:00 a.m. to join the school in the Pledge of Allegiance and opening prayer. It is extremely important that your child is in the classroom by 8:00 a.m.
We will dismiss at 3:20 p.m. after closing prayer. Students will be escorted to the car-pick-up line by school safety patrol, faculty, and staff. Parents are welcome to pick-up their child at the classroom door as well.
Curriculum:
Students will receive instruction in the following classes: Math, Language Arts, Religion, Science, Social Studies, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Spanish. The TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) are the objectives that will be taught for the academic subjects of Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. The standards for Religion are provided by the Diocese.
Our religion curriculum comes from the Diocese of Austin. Our textbook is “Spirit of Truth: The Kingdom of God and the Church” by Sophia Institute.
Accelerated Reader Program:
We utilize Accelerated Reading to help students improve their reading skills. Students will take a computerized test to assess their reading level and identify areas for improvement. With this information, students will create goals for each grading period and will then take a test to show comprehension. Meeting these goals WILL count toward their quarterly grade in ELA. The program will track their progress, keep a record of the books they’ve read, and their success on the tests. Students are expected to read 30 minutes daily.
Although we have an active reading program at SMCS, it is important for families to understand a few factors about reading development:
Birthdays and other celebrations:
If we find out after school starts we have a student who is allergic to any food we will not celebrate birthdays with food. However, if this does not turn out to be the case, I am open to celebrating birthdays with treats. Please notify me via email at [email protected] before you bring treats into the classroom for celebration. Doing so without advance notice can and oftentimes will disrupt the learning and development of the lessons planned for the day. You may also send in a treat bag with no food. Thank you so much for understanding!
God bless us as we begin our new school year and help each and every one of us toward the development of our students.
Thank you again for your support. We make a partnership for your child’s learning and this partnership is even more important during this most challenging time. Together we will get through this. PLEASE contact me ([email protected]) with any questions or concerns.
Thank you and I’m looking forward to seeing all of you on August 8th!
3rd GRADE ROCKS!
Mr. Mottram (John)