WELCOME TO GRADE 3!2014-2015 School Year

The Grade 3 Team• Mrs. Oster- Room 5

• Ms. Woo, Mr. Segovia- Room 8

• Ms. McIntosh- Room 13

• Mrs. Singer, Ms. Neral- Trailer

• Ms. Getsinger, Ms. Neral- Trailer

A Typical Day• Arrival

• Math

• Specials

• Reading

• Lunch/Recess

• Reading

• Health/Social Studies/Science

• Dismissal

Common Core State Curriculum We are in the 2nd year of full of implementation of The Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

What do the Standards mean for parents?Parents will know exactly what their children should learn by the end

of each grade level.

They establish clear expectations for students that will better enable parents, teachers, and students to work together towards shared goals.

Parents will see that each grade covers fewer topics, but teaches content in much greater depth.

Parents can be assured that their students are learning to the same high-quality standards as other students in Maryland and across the country.

What is the difference in Mathematics?1. Focus: 2-3 topics intensely focused on in each grade

2. Coherence: Concepts logically connected from one grade to the next and linked to other major topics within the grade

3. Rigor: Fluency with arithmetic, application of knowledge to real world situations, and a deep understanding of mathematical concepts

MULTIPLICATION

Critical Areas of Math FluencyGrade 1: Developing understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for addition and subtraction within 20

Grade 2: Building fluency with addition and subtraction

Grade 3: Developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100, Fluently multiply and divide within 100

Grade 4: Developing understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication, and developing understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends

Grade 5: Developing fluency with addition and subtraction of fractions, and developing understanding of the multiplication of fractions and of division of fractions in limited cases (unit fractions divided by whole numbers and whole numbers divided by unit fractions) 

Grade 3 Math Units1. Multiplication Concepts and Facts

2. Place Value, Number Patterns, and Money

3. Algebra, Addition, and Subtraction Number Sense

4. Adding and Subtracting

5. Time, Data, and Graphs

6. Multiplication Facts, Repeating Patterns, and Growing Patterns

7. Division Concepts and Facts

8. Measurement, Perimeter, and Area

9. Understanding Fractions as Numbers

10. Geometry

11. Multiplication and Division

12. Reasoning About Fractions as Numbers

13. Measurement and Data

What is the difference in Reading/Language Arts?1. The countywide focus continues to be on Student-Centered

Learning.

2. Small groups are flexible and can change throughout the year based upon student performance and needs.

3. Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts in addition to literature

4. Reading and writing grounded in evidence from the text

5. Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

Learn more about the Common CoreVisit MSDE’s Common Core page:

www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/ccss/

Read the Common Core State Standards in ELA and mathematics: www.corestandards.org/the-standards

Read FAQs about the Standards:

www.corestandards.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions

Visit the PARCC website: http://www.parcconline.org/

View the PARCC Model Content Frameworks:

www.parcconline.org/parcc-model-content-frameworks

Formal AssessmentStudents will no longer take the Maryland School Assessment

(MSA) for reading and mathematics.

The new assessment, Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for reading and mathematics aligns with CCSS.

PARCC reading and mathematics replaces the MSA reading and mathematics.

Grade 5 students will continue to take the MSA for science.

Formal AssessmentsPARCC will track student progress over time and will

report status on a trajectory toward college- and career-readiness.

PARCC will utilize a mix of constructed response items, performance-based tasks, and computer-enhanced, computer-scored items to measure higher-order skills such as critical thinking, communications, and problem solving.

An Example of a PARCC ProblemGrade 3 Math Fluency question

Click on ALL the equations that are true.

• 8 x 9 = 81

• 54 ÷ 9 = 24 ÷ 6

• 7 x 5 = 25

• 8 x 3 = 4 x 6

• 49 ÷ 7 = 56 ÷ 8

(Type I: Tasks assessing concepts, skills and procedures)

An Example of a PARCC ProblemPart A

A farmer plants 3/4 of the field with soybeans.

Drag the soybean to the field as many times as needed to show the fraction of the field that is planted with soybeans.

Part B

• Type a fraction different than 3/4 in the boxes that also represents the fractional part of the farmer's field that is planted with soybeans.

¾ =

• Explain why the two fractions above are equal.

(Type II: Tasks assessing expressing mathematical reasoning)

PARCC English/Language Arts Example- Grade 3

Part A

  What is one main idea of “How Animals Live?”

a. There are many types of animals on the planet.

b. Animals need water to live.

c. There are many ways to sort different animals.

d. Animals begin their life cycles in different forms.

Part B

 Which detail from the article best supports the answer to Part A?

a. “Animals get oxygen from air or water."

b. "Animals can be grouped by their traits."

c. "Worms are invertebrates."

d. "All animals grow and change over time."

e. "Almost all animals need water, food, oxygen, and shelter to live."

Grab-and-Go BreakfastWestowne Elementary School is proud to offer our students

a “Grab and Go Breakfast.”

Students purchase breakfast items and eat in their classrooms.

The cost is $1.40.

Meal PricesMEAL COST

BREAKFAST $1.40

BREAKFAST (reduced) $0.30

LUNCH $2.90

LUNCH (reduced) $0.40

Free and reduced meal applications must be submitted each year.

Online Meal Payment OptionBaltimore County Public Schools is partnered with MyLunchMoney (www.mylunchmoney.com), a service of School-Link Technologies, Inc., to allow parents to conveniently prepay for their students’ school meals online using their credit or debit cards.

Lunch Menu

Your child will receive a copy of the Student Behavior Handbook the second week of school. The administrators will do a presentation on the handbook for each grade.

Please read it with your child, and sign and return the last tear out page after you are finished.

Please return this signed page by Friday, September 5, 2014. (The remainder of the book should be maintained at home for your records)

Student Behavior Handbook

• The BCPS One-card identification system is for all students and staff.

• During the first week of school, all students will be issued their One-card.

• Elementary students will keep their One-cards in school during the initial phase.

• Students will wear them once they arrive at school and remove them before leaving.

BCPS One-Card System

BCPS RULE 5120 – Attendance

A. Students are expected to maintain satisfactory attendance at the state standard of 94%.

B. In order to foster continuity of the instructional program, students should not exceed an attendance rate of 10% (approximately 4-4 ½ days) in a given quarter.

Standards for Regular Attendance

A student absent from school shall present a note immediately upon return to school.

1. The note, signed by the parent/guardian, shall include the name of the student, the date of, and reason for the absence no later than 5 days of the student’s return.

2. Upon receipt of the absence note, the school will certify the absence as excused or unexcused.

3. Absences NOT supported by a note will be considered unexcused and unlawful.

4. If a student is absent for an extended period of time due to illness, a written statement of explanation may be required from the physician on the day of the student’s return to class.

Verifying Absences or Tardiness

1. A student may be subject to a failing grade in a class when the student is absent from that class 20% or more of the class days during the grading period; or

2. A student may be subject to a failing grade for the marking period when the student is absent from class due to an unexcused absence 10% (approximately 4-4 ½ days) or more of the class days during the grading period.

Consequences for Excessive Absences

Lawful Absencesa.Death in the immediate family

b.Illness of the studentThe principal may require a doctor’s note for students

with excessive absences for illness

c.Court Summons

d.Hazardous Weather ConditionsWeather conditions which would endanger the health or

safety of the student when in transit to and from school.

e.Work approved or sponsored by the school, BCPS, or the Maryland State of Education, accepted by the Superintendent or the school principal, or their designees, as reason for excusing the student.

f. Observance of a religious holiday

g. State Emergency

h.Other emergency or set of circumstances which, in the judgment of the Superintendent or designee, constitutes a good & sufficient cause for absence from school.

i. Suspension

j. Lack of authorized transportation Does not include students suspended from the bus)

k. Lack of authorized transportation. Lack of transportation does not include students denied

authorized transportation for disciplinary reasons.

Unlawful Absences, Tardiness, & Early DismissalUnlawful Absence

An absence, including absence for any portion of the day, for any reason other than those cited as lawful are presumed as unlawful and may constitute truancy

Tardiness/Early Dismissal

Students reporting late to school/class when the day/period begins are considered tardy. Leaving school before the day/period ends is considered early dismissal. School personnel will designate tardiness and early dismissal as lawful or unlawful.

Make-Up WorkA. It is the responsibility of the student or his/her

parent/guardian to request missed assignments for each lawful absence.

B. Teachers will assist students in making up missed work for excused absences.

C. Students absent for unlawful reasons are not entitled to make-up work.

D. This section does not apply to students who are suspended in accordance with Board policy and Superintendent's rule 5560.

Attendance MonitoringA. Record Keeping

1. The homeroom teacher shall take attendance & accurately code absences in the online reporting system daily.

2. Teachers shall maintain records in accordance with the BCPS Attendance Manual.

B. Schools should utilize the interventions outlined in the attendance manual for students who are not meeting the attendance standard, without a documented and approved excuse.

C. Students who have not shown improvement should be referred to the student support team or pupil personnel worker as outlined in the attendance manual.

D. Report cards will record the number of excused and unexcused student absences and tardies.

Attendance Monitoring

Grade Percentages:

Grading Policies

Grades 1-3 Time: An average of 30 minutes per day for all subjects combined.

Frequency: Three to four times a week would be anticipated. No specific assignments will be given which must be completed over weekends or holidays.

Homework:

Grading Policies

Reading packets

will be assigned

at the beginning

of each week.

Grading Policies• Interims

• Interim reports are used between reporting periods to communicate student progress.

• Interims are generally sent home in the middle of the term, but they may be sent at anytime and as often as necessary to communicate effectively.

Grading PoliciesAchievement grades and expectation codes communicate student progress in each subject for the intermediate grades. Achievement grades are letter grades while expectation codes are numerical, as illustrated in the figure below.

Achievement Grades: Curriculum Expectation Codes:A (90-100%) Outstanding 1 Very GoodB (80-89%) Very Good 2 SatisfactoryC (70-79%) Satisfactory 3 Needs Development D (60-69%) Poor NA Not Applicable E (59% or Unsatisfactory below)NA Not Applicable* Modified Program

Field Trips• Two trips will be scheduled for the

year.• Chaperones must be approved as

BCPS volunteers.

Communication• Student work to be taken home in

yellow folders

• Agendas and folders to be checked nightly

CommunicationPlease feel free to email us with your questions and

concerns:egetsinger@bcps.orgemcintosh@bcps.org

elenhoff@bcps.org rsinger@bcps.orgmwoo@bcps.org

Let’s Make It a Great Year!!!!!

The Grade 3 Team