Welcome to
Third Grade!
2015 – 2016
Mrs. Anya Phillips
Lost Lake Elementary
Room 604
Hello Parents and Students!
You are about to begin a very exciting year. I am honored to continue teaching at Lost Lake Elementaryand have the opportunity to teach and learn from your child. We will be doing many thrilling things this year!
To give you some information about myself, I am a graduate of Florida State University with a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Psychology and Assessment. I have previously taught First Grade in Leon County, and First and Second Grade in Orange County. This is my seventh year at Lost Lake. I grew up here in Lake County, graduating from South Lake High School (back when it was the only high school!). Now I live in the Minneola with my husband, Rex, our 4 year-old daughter, Grace, 1 year-old son, Rex, and two black kitties, Simon and Lucy.
I would love for parents to become involved in our class and our school. I know time is precious, so any volunteering is greatly appreciated! Whether it is in or out of the classroom, for a little bit or a long time, anything that you are willing to contribute is golden.
Should you have any questions about ANYTHING feel free to give me a call or email me. I’ll be honest - email gets returned faster than phone calls. I can be reached almost any time of day!
Again, I look forward to a wonderful year with your family!
Sincerely,
Anya Marie Phillips
352-243-2433
SCHOOL HOURS
8:25 – 3:15Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
8:25 – 2:15Wednesday
8:15First Bell Rings (Students Enter Classrooms)
8:25Tardy Bell Rings (Class Begins)
ABSENCES AND TARDIES
When your child is absent from school, a written notice of explanation is required for the absence to be considered excused. Please do not write an absentee note in your child’s agenda. A sheet of paper must be turned in to the teacher so she can mark it in her attendance book and submit it to the office for approval. Teachers do not determine whether absences are considered excused or unexcused. Phone calls are also not accepted.
Absentee work will come home within the first two days of returning to school. The amount of days allowed for make-up absentee work will be dependent on the time in the week the child was absent, how many days were missed, and the difficulty of the assignments. All tests will be administered in class on the due date noted on the make-up work.
If your child arrives to school after 8:25, he or she must go to the office to receive a tardy slip to give to the teacher. I appreciate having you child at school on time each day. The first few minutes of school set the pace for the day and are extremely difficult with continued interruptions. Beginning at 8:15, your child is required to get and manage their supplies for the day, copy into their agenda, turn in any correspondence/assignments from home, and begin journal writing. You would be surprised how much we accomplish in those 20 – 30 minutes!
LUNCH
Lunch can be purchased from the lunchroom. Any student purchasing lunch should turn their lunch money in to their teacher at the beginning of the day in order for the amount to be posted during your child’s lunch time. Student’s bringing their lunch from home should do so in a lunchbox with his or her first and last name written clearly on it. Lunch Money can also be electronically added to your child’s account at .
DISCIPLINE
Classroom discipline is the cornerstone of any learning environment. I employ natural consequences – if you make a mess, clean it up! Also, I firmly believe on developing individual ownership of student behavior, where each student is responsible for the positive and negative reactions to their behavior. I always say “you are the boss of you!”
Some may interpret this as a lack of management, but this is surely not the case. At the beginning of the year the students and I create rules together and conference about consequences to breaking said rules. Therefore, my classroom rules and consequences are slightly different (yet ironically similar) from year to year. After we conference, the students create and sign a class vision and code of cooperation, where they vow to abide by the rules and consequences they helped to create. A copy of this contract will be sent home, and goes great on the fridge. Please refer to this if your child receives a behavior note in their agenda.
AGENDAS
Your student will receive an agenda at the beginning of the year for correspondence and tracking throughout the year. The agenda is to be initialed each night with the appropriate information recorded in it. Such information is denoted throughout this packet.
VISITING THE SCHOOL
You are encouraged to visit your child’s classroom and get to know your child’s teacher. Whenever visiting the school, you must sign in at the office and receive a visitors’ badge. If you are planning to stay and volunteer, a volunteer form must be filled out, and can be found on the Lake County Public Schools’ website or from the front office. Parents are encouraged to begin the paperwork long before they plan to volunteer, as clearance can take weeks to verify.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Keeping your contact information up-to-date is vital to maintaining communication between you, your child’s teacher and the school. If your phone numbers or address changes during the year, please notify us immediately.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND MEDICATION
Please advise the school and your child’s teacher of any medical information regarding your child. If something changes throughout the year, please update us. Any medication that your child needs during school hours must be signed in by a parent to the clinic for administering. Teachers can not administer any medication.
ALLERGIES
Allergies are common, yet very important. Please advise your child’s teacher of any allergies you child has, even if it seems insignificant.
TRANSPORTATION
Students need to know how they are going home every day. If there is a change in their routine, please let the teacher know IN WRITING. The teacher will then notify the office. A verbal message from your child is not sufficient. If there is a change throughout the day, please call the office immediately so that the teacher and your student can be updated. An email is not guaranteed to be received by the teacher before dismissal. This is for you and your child’s safety and convenience.
READING LOGS
Please be sure that you’re reading with your child each night and logging it onto their yellow reading form. These minutes will be calculated at the end of the year, and prizes are often awarded. Once the form is completed, send it into your child’s teacher and she will supply you with a new one.
BOOK REPORTS AND PROJECTS
Book reports or projects are assigned approximately once a month. Please review the directions and procedures for each report with your child, but let them complete it independently. Before it is submitted, please check to make sure all components have been completed and the directions were followed.
ACCELERATED READER
Accelerated Reader helps children become independent readers. They may choose any AR book on their reading level that they want to read. Through the AR process, children become more familiar with computer skills, typing, and following directions. AR also motivates children to improve their reading comprehension by awarding more points for correct answers. The program also provides immediate feedback when incorrect responses are given.
Participation in AR is mandatory, and may be used as part of their reading grade. Students will receive prizes many times per 9 weeks based on the number of books read and total points earned. Please encourage your child to read at least two AR books a week.
SUPPLIES
School supplies are extremely important to the classroom. I want to thank you so much in advance for your generosity this upcoming year. A supply list was provided and most of those supplies will not need to be replenished after winter break. However, throughout the year needs arise, and another list may be sent home for simplicity. Also, some teachers require specific supplies.
SNACK
Snack is brought each day by a child from home. The school does not provide snack, nor is required to give time for snack consumption. However, because of the length of our day, most teachers find it necessary. Please send a non-perishable snack with your child each day if your child requires a mid-morning or afternoon snack. It has been my experience that most if not all children do.
Some snacks actually do a child more harm than good. Sticking with a healthy snack ensures that each child is in their best capacity to learn. Therefore, please only send your child with a healthy snack.
Encouraged snacks for a healthy lifestyle include fruits and veggies, yogurt, granola, cheese or peanut butter crackers, goldfish or baked crackers, 100% fruit juice chews, nuts or string cheese. Also, please only send small or travel size drinks with your student, or use a small water bottle for beverages. Soda or other carbonated beverages are not allowed.Sports drinks are fine if in a bottle smaller than 10oz.
WATER BOTTLES
We strongly encourage students to bring a refillable water bottle to school daily. There is a water fountain available in the classroom, but multiple trips to and from the back of the room are not only a distraction but also not a great use of instructional time. 18 kids multiplied by a minimum of 10 trips to the fountain equates to a LOT of commotion. Individual disposable water bottles work, but the caps often turn into toys, spills are frequent and the condensation makes a mess of things. For this reason a strongly recommend a reusableinsulated (thermal) water bottle that can be refilled after lunch.
CLASSWORK
Students will be required to complete at least one assignment in each subject area daily and are given sufficient time to complete these assignments. Assignments that are not completed within the school day will be stapled to the agenda and are due to following school day. These assignments are not docked for being one day late. However, the student’s work study skills grade could fall if non-completion becomes a habitual issue.
Completed and graded class work will be sent home in the Take Home Folder and is thereafter part of your at-home records. Some assignments will be required to be signed and returned. Please make sure that these assignments are signed and returned as quickly as possible.
HOMEWORK
Homework consists of material to assist your student in becoming proficient in grade-level skills. All homework is consistent with the material being taught during the week, so completing the entire week’s homework in one night is not advised. Also, please stick closely to the progression of the assignments. The order of the homework mirrors what we are doing in class and supports our testing schedule.
Homework is sent home daily, and is due back the following day. I understand that in a world of soccer practices, Scout meetings, dance lessons, etc., daily homework may be less desirable than weekly homework. Please contact Mrs. Phillips if your child is having significant difficulty completing their nightly homework.
Weekly information sheets will be sent home on Monday. This is a very important part of parent/teacher communication and often has very important information about class happenings. Such information can include upcoming events, special assignment due dates, school events, specials rotation and days off!
GRADES
Your students’ grades are based on a myriad of assignments completed every 9 weeks. Grades can checked online at the instructions on the website to set up your parent account. It is safe to believe that your child’s grades will show up online within 48 hours of the assignment being turned in. In the average semester, about 10 grades are collected in each graded subject. Grades are awarded as follows. (A) 90-100% (B) 80-89% (C) 70-79% (D) 60-69% (F) <60%
I do my best to have all assignments graded and sent home within 48 hours, but some assignments require additional time to grade. It is my hope that you go through this work with your child and talk about your continued expectations for success. Should you have any questions or concerns whatsoever about grading, grading procedures, student grades received, school grading practices or grade-level expectations, please feel free to contact Mrs. Phillips at your earliest convenience.
EXPECTATIONS
Students will receive grades in Reading, Language Arts, Math and Science. Social Studies, Human Growth and Development, and Character Education is also taught but not graded. Specific Academic Criteria and grading policies will be sent home within the first few weeks of school.
PROGRESS REPORTS AND REPORT CARDS
Progress reports go home approximately 4 weeks after the beginning of the semester. These grades are not officially reported to the county and can easily change before becoming official. If you are concerned about anything on the progress report, please contact Mrs. Phillipsimmediately to set up a conference.
Report cards go home every 9 weeks, and are the official grades for the previous semester. If you are concerned about anything on the report card, please contact Mrs. Phillipsimmediately to set up a conference.
CONFERENCES
A mandatory conference is scheduled after the firstreport cardis issued in order for the parents and teacher to discuss progress during the first 9 weeks. We will also have another conference after the second report card, but those conferences may be conducted over the phone if applicable. In addition to these conferences, I encourage and welcome any correspondence throughout the year.
OTHER INFORMATION
Please also look for our class schedule, special rotation, and other paperwork for the school coming soon!
SIGN AND RETURN
Please keep this packet in a safe place so you may refer to it during the year. Please sign and return the bottom portion of this page to let me know you have read the information in this packet. I welcome any questions whenever you have them, so please do not hesitate to call or write me at any time.
Anya Marie Phillips
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I have read all the information in the packet and have reviewed the information with my child.
Parent Signature ______
Student Signature ______
Questions: ______
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