August 5^th, 2019

Aloha 3^rd Grade Parent(s)/Guardian(s)

My name is Mr. Jerry and I am so excited to be back at school.  More importantly, I am so LUCKY to be your child’s teacher for this school year.  I would like to welcome you all back to another new school year (SY19-20)!  I cannot wait to share the rest of the year with your lovely children and to see what this fun-filled year has in store for us.

Students will be coming home with tons of paperwork to be filled out and returned.  Please read, sign, and return the forms as soon as possible.  Throughout the school year, other forms, memos, and letters will be sent home by way of your child’s AVID binder.  Please check the binder regularly and accordingly for any important news about school and community.

Here’s a little bit about myself.  I was born and raised on Long Island, New York, I have been living on Big Island for the past seven years.  I earned an undergraduate degree in Music and a master’s degree in Kindergarten – 6^th grade Education at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

This is my 2^nd year teaching and I am privileged to have your children this year.  I have a fun-filled educational year planned ahead for the students filled with many different activities with ways to build strong reading, writing, mathematics and more!  Over the summer I have been collecting activities, creating plans, and gathering information with what I learned about the students during transition day so that I can be the educator the class needs.  In my classroom, I am building life-long learner skills, self-directed learning, and ways to handle ourselves and others with lessons stemming from social-emotional learning.

Attached you will find useful information on classroom and school expectations.  Please sign the forms and have your child return it to school promptly.  If you have any further questions feel free to call or email me, and thanks for being an important and crucial part of your child’s education and future!  

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (808) 313-7333                  

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Jerry

Attendance

Arriving to school on time is so very important.  First bell is at 8:00am and ends at 2:15pm for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 1:15 on Wednesdays

Behavior Management

I am proactive and use preventative strategies to ensure a positive classroom environment.  I believe a place of learning needs to be safe for all who are within the room.  I believe this eliminates most of the classrooms issues.  Students are made to feel welcomed as I will greet them daily at the door.  While greeting students at the door students choose one of the four (hug, handshake, first bump, or high-five) as a way to say good-morning and goodbye at the end of the day.  Students are also taught to use nonverbal strategies to gain my attention.  This allows for as little interruption to teaching and learning as possible.  Students are expected to follow the classroom rules.  I believe in the restorative practices approach to behavior discipline in my classroom.  There is a Peace corner and Think Time Table in the room where students misbehaving or disrupting the class will have the opportunity to sit and think about what they have done.  If a student is disrupting the class; 1^st offense: They will be sent back to the Think Time Table for 3 minutes of think time.  2^nd offense: Sent back to Think Time Table for 5 minutes of think time period and 2 minutes from recess. 3^rd offense: Fill out a Think Time response form.  This form will require a parent signature and will need to be returned the next day.  Any violent behavior will be grounds for an office referral and will negate the classroom Think Time Table rules.  The Peace table is a space for students to solve conflicts between other students in the classroom.  At the table, there are forms for students to fill out what happened and an idea to solve the problem.

Blog

Please subscribe to our class blog!  Go on the school website Paauiloschool.org hover over Academics then click on elementary and locate Michael Jerry.  Click “subscribe” to receive email alerts for new postings.  We are also using the ParentSquare website this year to pass along school-wide information, I will also send out messages on this website as well.  Please sign up for this blog and our ParentSquare site. It is a really fun way to see what’s going on in class.  It’s also great to share with family members who are off-island =].

General Learner Outcomes (GLO)s

• Be a Self-directed learner
• Be a community contributor
• Be a complex thinker
• Be a quality producer
• Be an effective communicator
• Be an effective and ethical user of technology

Homework

Each Monday students will receive a homework packet for that current weeks reading homework.  Math homework will be taken home daily and brought back the next day.  The reading homework packet will be kept in their binder.  Reading Homework is due the following Monday unless it is a holiday then the following school day.  The packet will contain grammar and spelling activities and a reading log which requires a parent signature. If you are able, students are encouraged to use Math prodigy at home for further practice with math skills.

Snacks/Water Bottles

Students are allowed to bring in their own healthy snacks to be eaten during first recess.  Students may not share snacks.  Students are allowed and encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle to drink water throughout the day.  The classroom can get very hot.

AVID Binder

Students will have a binder that includes their planner, reading long, homework, and returned assignments.  Students are expected to bring it to school every day. 

Student Planner

Planners are a great way to communicate between school and home.  Please check and sign the planner daily, even if nothing has been written.  The signature section can be found on the bottom of the page.  Our goal is to prepare students for being responsible learners.

Subjects

Language Arts

We will continue to use the Common Core aligned Success For All (SFA) curriculum.  SFA utilizes stories from another state-approved curriculum Reading Wonders utilizing the two together, this provides for relevant and rigorous learning for the students.  There will be a strong focus on writing skills and students will be reading across text weekly.  Many stories cover science and social studies topics as well.

Math

We also continue to use the state adopted math program, Eureka Math, this year.  This is a new curriculum Pa’auilo school is implementing this year.  This curriculum is aligned with the Common Core State Standards.  It even has a homework component called Step It Up! In class, we will also be utilizing an online game called math prodigy.  Your child will bring home information regarding the game later on within the year.

Science

I will be using a newer science program called Mystery Science.  We will study the units within the guidelines of the Next Generation Science Standards for third grade.

Social Studies

I will be using different resources for social studies this year.  Along with the textbook Communities.  All of my activities and plans are based on the state standards for third-grade social studies.

Testing Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC)

Students this year will be taking their first state standardized test called the Smarter Balanced Assessment.  This assessment is used to measure whether students are meeting the grade levels Common Core Standards for Mathematics and Language Arts.  More information of this test can be found online via way of the Hawaii DOE website (http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/TeachingAndLearning/Testing/StateAssessment/Pages/home.aspx). 

3 Personal Standards

1. Show Respect: ● We speak kindly. • We play appropriately. ● We cooperate. • We are courteous. ● We keep our hands feet and objects to ourselves. • We listen attentively. ● We request what we want or need and return it afterwards. • We care how others feel.

1. Solve Problems:  ● We use “I messages” to communicate our feelings to peers. ● We use the “Peace Path” when needed to help us. ● We discuss our problems with peers and adults.

1. Make Good Decisions: ● We hand or pass things over in a safe and appropriate way. ● We use school equipment the way it is supposed to be used. ● We maintain our beautiful campus, the furniture, equipment, books and other instructional materials. ● We come to class on time, ready to work with completed homework and necessary materials.

On the next page is a summary checklist.  Please fill out the checklist before handing in the form.  Hand in the last sheet of this packet ASAP.  I look forward to having an amazing year with all of the students!

Sincerely yours,

Mr. Jerry