Attendance – Your child’s attendance in school is important. For illness or unexpected absences, the absence will be unexcused until a note is received. Our school hours are 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Students may enter the building at 8:00 AM. Please do not drop off your child earlier than 8:00 AM because this is the teacher’s meeting/preparation time and there will be no one to supervise your child. If your child arrives at school after 8:30 AM, he/she will be marked “tardy” and should be walked to the office by a parent/guardian and signed in. Your child will receive a tardy slip that should be given to the teacher upon his/her arrival in the classroom.
Allergies - Please be sure to let me know if your child has any food or insect allergies.
APTT-There will be several sessions throughout the year for our Academic Parent Teacher Teams. Information on dates and times will be coming home soon!
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Birthdays – If you would like your child to celebrate his/her birthday at school, you may send in a snack to share with the class. We will celebrate your child’s birthday during our recess time which is 2:30 - 3:00. We currently have 22 students in our class. If your child has a summer birthday, we will set a date in the spring when we can celebrate their birthday.
Book Orders - Your child will be bringing home a form to order books several times throughout the year. If you order through our class, we will be able to earn points for free books to add to our class library.
Box Tops for Education – Please send in your General Mill’s box tops. Our school will receive money for each box top that is collected. Our wonderful PTO holds a school-wide collection contest, and our class could win a special prize if we have the most collected in third grade!
Breakfast – Again, this year, there is no charge for breakfast, which will be served daily until 8:30. Two choices are available each morning: a Hot Breakfast (lunchroom) or Power Pack (stations around the school). Students may pick their breakfasts up on their way to our classroom.
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Clinic- We have a clinic to help your child if he/she is hurt or sick. This clinic is unable to dispense medication without a note from a parent and doctor. ALL MEDICATION should be accompanied with a note, including over the counter medications and cough drops. If you have any further questions about medicine please contact our school nurse, Ms. Melanie in the clinic. She is awesome and takes great care of our kiddos!
Clothing- (Copied from the Barrow County Student Dress Code Policy)
1. Any clothing, hairstyle, jewelry, chains, or attire that is distracting or causes a disruption or constitutes a safety issue will not be permitted at school. 2. Shorts, skirts, dresses, and spirit wear must be of reasonable length; e.g., mid-thigh if they are to be worn at school. (All shirts, dresses, and blouses must have moderate sleeves.) 3. Clothing such as skirts, pants, trousers, etc., must be worn at the waist. Clothing shall not be poorly fitted or oversized or extremely baggy. Clothing that exposes underclothing or impedes walking will not be permitted. (Jeans, etc., with holes not permitted.) 4. Clothing and/or jewelry, which advertises or displays any insignia of alcohol, illegal drugs, or tobacco is not permitted. 5. Clothing and/or jewelry with words or symbols which are offensive, insulting, embarrassing, sexually suggestive, obscene, gang-related, or promote violence, terrorism, or abusive behavior will not be permitted at school. 6. Clothing that distracts by exposing or accentuating the body, such as spandex pants, see-through garments, halter or tube tops, backless dresses, muscle shirts, bare midriff outfits, or shirts, blouses, etc., that are tied at or may rise above the waist will not be permitted at school. 7. Sunglasses, caps, hats, and other head-coverings such as bandannas and hoods will not be worn inside the school building. 8. Appropriate shoes must be worn at all times at school.
Conduct – In your child’s Monday Folder, there will be a Conduct Report. The Conduct Report will need to be signed and returned with the folder on Tuesday.
Conferences- Parent/Teacher conferences will be held twice a year (fall and spring). When it is time for conferences, I will send out a link that allows you to sign up for conferences online. I will also send a hard copy home for those who would rather sign up that way. Please feel free to contact me at any point in the school year to schedule an additional conference to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns you may have.
Contact Information – Make sure the office and I have emergency numbers where you can be reached. Please update any changes in home/work phone numbers and address throughout the year.
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Discipline – In order to maintain a classroom that allows for children to learn, our goal is to minimize problems so that we can maximize student learning and growth. Misbehavior wastes valuable time and is unfair and disruptive to the others in the class. Our classroom rules are:
1. Listen when the teacher is talking. 2. Follow directions quickly and quietly. 3. Respect others, Respect yourself, Respect your school. 4. Raise your hand to speak. 5. Be safe, Be kind, Be honest. Here at County Line we use a Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) system that focuses on five traits: honesty, respect, responsibility, thoughtfulness, and an A+ attitude. Each class has a behavior stick. This stick will travel with us wherever we go throughout the day. Each morning your child's clip will start on the green section of the stick. During the day, your child has the opportunity to move up the stick to blue or purple by demonstrating the personal best traits listed above. By the same token, your child can move down the stick to yellow or red by not demonstrating the personal best traits. I will also award Pride Paws to students who demonstrate exemplary personal best behavior. Students will be able to trade Pride Paws for prizes and privileges.
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Field Trip- We will take one educational field trip this year. Look for more information about this on my website in the future.
Fundraisers- Our school participates in several fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for various things for our school. We hope that everyone will choose to participate, but it is not required.
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Grading – 4 – The student is exceeding grade-level expectations of the standard. 3 – The student is consistent and has independent achievement of the standard. 2 – The student is progressing toward achievement of the standard. 1 – The student has limited or has minimal progress toward achievement of the standard. NA – Not introduced or assessed at this time. *Grades are averaged each 9-weeks for report cards.
Good Behavior- Our third grade classroom is a safe and happy place where lots of learning happens. We are a classroom family where teamwork and good relationships are expected. We will spend time learning class procedures. Each student is expected to act within our standards of behavior. Problems will be dealt with one on one. If misbehaviors continue, I will contact you for support.
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Hands-on Learning- I believe that the best way to help children learn is to make activities hands-on and meaningful. There are times when independent class work or assignments at desks is required and necessary, but for the most part, our classroom will be an active learning environment. Just because work is not being sent home does not mean that learning is not happening in the classroom. We are always learning and growing!
Homework - Our students are in school from 8:30 - 3:30. I try to maximize instructional time so that students can use after school hours to recuperate and reflect on the day’s learning through conversations with parents, and simply be a kid. The only homework I require is 20 minutes of reading each and every night. Keeping this in mind, if your child is struggling with vocabulary, spelling, or math facts, I do strongly suggest that you make time to practice these things at home when it is convenient for you. I will send study guides home for science and social studies content. This will not be homework, but for you to use with your child as you see fit. We also have other fun projects throughout the school year that students can complete at home. My students have always loved projects, but these will be optional and will not be taken as a grade.
House System--CLES follows a unified positive behavior reinforcement with our house system. Each student is sorted into one of the 8 houses. Our eight houses are, Cooperation, Compassion, Integrity, Positivity, Creativity, Wisdom, Leadership, and Perseverance. Their job is to earn house points by following one of the Exceptional 10 rules.
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Ice Cream- Ice cream is available for student purchase on a daily basis. Please keep in mind your child’s nutritional and behavioral needs before sending ice cream money. The cost of ice cream is $1.00. Ice cream can only be paid in exact change or cash.
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Joyful Learning- Children learn best when they feel loved and encouraged. Our classroom builds a feeling of mutual respect, being risk-takers and supporting each other even when we make mistakes. Happy faces are so important!
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Kindness- Students in our classroom are encouraged and expected to treat all students, teachers, and staff with kindness and respect.
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Label- Please label your child’s personal belongings…book bag (please make sure the book bag will hold a daily folder, art projects, lunch boxes etc.), jackets, sweaters, lunchboxes, and any other items you would like returned if lost.
Lunch - Student prices are listed below. Parent lunch is $3.25
Regular Price Lunch: $1.75 Reduced Price Lunch: $.40 Extra Milk $.50 Water Bottle $1.00
Our lunchtime is 12:03pm. Please meet us in the cafeteria if you would like to join us for lunch.
It is difficult for the children to keep up with lunch money on a daily basis. I strongly encourage you to pay your child’s lunch money either by the week or by the month. Elementary students will be allowed to charge up to 10 meals. A charge notice will be sent to parents through the student. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the parent. After 10 meals, a sun butter and jelly sandwich with milk will be given until all charges are cleared. No student will be denied a meal. If the student is allergic to peanuts or milk, a substitute will be given.
Report cards will be held until charges are paid.
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Medicine- All medication must be dropped off by a parent. It must be kept in the school clinic and cannot be taken in the classroom.
Money- On occasion it will be necessary for your child to bring money to school. Please place your money in a sealed envelope with the following information written on it: 1 Your child’s first and last name 2 Amount of money 3 Purpose for the money (lunch, ice cream, spirit wear, field trip, etc.) 4 Teacher name
With a whole classroom full of children to keep track of and several reasons to collect money throughout the year, this helps me out tremendously and reduces the likelihood of errors. Also, if the envelope is left on the bus or dropped in the hallway this information will help the money to be returned to my classroom.
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Newsletters- Please check the newsletters page on this site to stay informed of upcoming events, announcements, and what skills we are focusing on in the classroom. I will print a hardcopy for families who do not have internet access.
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Parent/Teacher Communication- I look forward to working with your child. It is always exciting to see growth and progress of students. If at any time you have questions, please feel free to contact me. My email address is [email protected]. The phone number at County Line is 770-867-2902. I will respond to your emails and messages as quickly as I can.
Playground- The children will be going outside for recess unless it is raining, the ground is too wet from previous rain, or it is extremely cold. Please keep this in mind when helping your child select clothing for the day. Send a jacket when it is chilly or a coat during the winter months. Tennis shoes also help prevent a lot of falls!
PTO – The PTO is a very important part of our school and your child’s education. We encourage you to join the PTO at the beginning of the year and get involved. (It only costs $10!!)
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Question Your Child About His/Her Day- We will be learning many exciting things each day. Please take the time to ask your child about what we learn every day.
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Report Cards - Report cards will be sent home four times during the year – at the end of each 9-weeks. You may keep the report card, but please sign and return the envelope the next day.
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Snacks- Please send in a nutritional snack each day for your child. Students will have a snack in the morning. Please do not send in items with high sugar content (candy and soda will not be allowed at school). Due to spills on our carpet, please do not send in juice or Gatorade. We do have a water fountain in our classroom, but students may also bring a water bottle to keep on their desk.
Specials- Students will have specials every day. Our special time is 11:10-11:55. This will include Art, Music, P.E, Character Education, and Computer Lab.
Supplies - A list of 3rd grade school supplies have been added to the County Line website. I appreciate all of the supplies you are able to send in with your child. Please label all of their supplies.
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Transportation- The way that your child gets home from school is determined by you during registration. If there is a change in the way that your child will get home, I must have a note signed by the parent. If I do not have a note, your child will take his/her usual transportation home.
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Visitors- All parents must sign in at the front office before coming to the classroom. You will be given a visitors tag to wear. This is for your child’s safety and the safety of the other students.
Volunteer- We welcome your help in our classroom and from home! There will be a variety of areas that you may choose from to best match your talents, interests, and schedule. Throughout the year I will let you know of other opportunities to help us. While I greatly appreciate all help, I ask that you send a note to let me know if you would like to work in the classroom. This way I can make your time most productive for the children.
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Wish List- Throughout the year there will be a wish list tab on this website. This list will include items and supplies that we will need for upcoming projects. If you would like to donate any of the items please send them with your child as soon as possible. All donations will be greatly appreciated!
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You are your child’s first and best teacher! - We look forward to working with you and cannot wait to see all that your child will accomplish this year!
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ZZZZ’s-Your child should get plenty of rest each night. Third grade students require 8-9 hours of sleep a day. It is so important for your child to be alert and ready to learn each day. Set a bedtime and be consistent.