Syllabus

First off, I sincerely look forward to teaching your child in 3rd grade! As part of my educational philosophy, I believe it is vital to have a strong working relationship between teacher and parent/guardian. I hope I can count on your for support, as you can always ask me for anything. I plan to hold your child to the highest academic and social expectations as they prepare for TCAP and a successful future. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you this year. Mr. Way Nicholas.way@mnps.org 615-353-2066 ext. 674124
 * Mr. Way ****’ **** s 3rd Grade Class Syllabus **** *revised- 07/30/13 **

**__ Arrival and Dismissal: __** Westmeade’s doors open at 7:45 a.m. Children must be in the room by 8:00 a.m.! Late arrivals need to be signed in the office and get a tardy slip. Dismissal begins at 3:00 p.m. If your child is dismissing early, you must check him/her out in the office and s/he will be called to meet you in the office. It always helps to send a note to school that morning to let us know. Also, please send a note in your child’s folder or call the office if there is a change in how your child is getting home.

**__ Absences: __** Any time your child is absent, please send a note for the absence to be excused. Children should be fever, vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours before they return to school.

**__ Money: __** Any money you send to school should be sent in your child’s Dragon Folder. Please be sure that it is in a clearly marked envelope labeled with: your child’s name, the amount and for what it should be used. **__ Grading __** My philosophy is to work hard with the students in class and keep homework to a minimum, manageable amount. The **homework** is designed to be a reinforcement of what is being taught in class, as well as being an instrument for teaching responsibility and accountability. A weekly homework packet will come home in your child’s Dragon Folder at the beginning of each week and is due on Friday of the same week. I will review all homework and record each child’s effort weekly. Please take a moment to review all of your child’s work. A star, check, sticker or stamp on the paper indicates that I have reviewed it. If I make any correction marks on the paper, please encourage your child to review those skills. Student Binders will be used to help keep students organized by subject area. Binders should brought home regularly, but not necessarily every day. They should consist of the following items: 3 spiral notebooks (labeled as- reading/writing, science/social studies, and math). Also, the front pocket should be labeled as “work to be completed,” for those assignments that become a work in progress. Binders are also a great place for students to keep their agendas, as long as they remember to take agendas home on days when there binders stay at school. Dragon folders will be used as our main form of daily communication. In the left inside pocket there will be a behavior calendar that we can use to track your child’s behavior at school. The calendar will be marked with a number and color from the behavior clip chart. Dragon folders are also the best place to send notes, money, permission slips, etc. to school. Please look at your child’s folder nightly and initial the behavior calendar. Agendas will be used for students to write down important dates such as: tests, projects, field trips, due dates or special events. I hope it will be a tool for them to practice their organizational skills.
 * Quizzes/Tests**: 40%
 * Participation/Class Work/Homework**: 25%
 * Projects**: 35%
 * __ Student Binders __**
 * __ Dragon Folders and Agendas: __**

I will do my best to send graded papers home at the end of each week in your child’s dragon folder. Please review graded papers with your child and discuss any notes I may have made regarding performance on skills and quality of work. Student work is yours to keep, however I do ask that you return a signature page indicating you have received the packet. **__ AR/Library __** Students are encouraged to read and take AR tests at their own pace in Third Grade. As a supplemental program that is designed to promote independent reading, students can earn points for every AR book they complete. Ms. McIntyre will throw AR parties as incentives for those students that choose to participate. Mr. Way will monitor students as they visit the library. It is a general rule that students should have two books checked out at all times; one can be just for fun, while the other should be an AR book on their reading level. Students will have many opportunities to visit the library independently and with their class throughout the week. Ultimately it is their job to be responsible for the books they borrow. A **reading log** will be sent home in the homework packet each week. Please take the time to document what your child has read at home, and remind them to take an AR Test on it when they return to school! **__ Wiki __** Mr. Way has a Wiki with links to this syllabus, the daily schedule, 3rd grade skills, newsletter, calendar, what are we learning? and other class’ Wikis at Westmeade. To access our Wiki go to [|www.westmeade.net] Then click on Wikis, and follow the 3rd grade link to find my name!
 * __ Sending Work Home/Graphing Grades __**

**__ Behavior Clip Chart: __** Westmeade has implemented a school-wide positive behavior support program. The behavior clip chart is used to monitor your child’s daily choices. Students will be asked to move their clip up at various times when they are demonstrating respectful, responsible and safe choices. In turn, students will be asked to move their clip down when their choices do not reflect the values and expectations of our school’s culture. The corresponding colors and numbers are listed below: 1 Red: Outstanding 2 Orange: Great Job 3 Yellow: Good Day 4 Green: Ready to Learn 5 Light Blue: Think About It 6 Dark Blue: Teacher’s Choice 7 Purple: Parent Contact

*It is important to note that as long as students are on 4, 3, 2 or 1 then they are having good days at Westmeade.