Hello and Welcome to 3rd Grade. My name is Mrs. Ozimok and I will be your child's teacher this year. I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead. I am a lifelong resident of Hopewell Township. I am proud to be teaching in the district where I received my educational start. I am currently entering my 16th year as an educator and look forward to each year and all that I have to offer and gain throughout the school year. I hope that the following information is helpful. If at any time you need to reach me, please do not hesitate to contact me. I can be reached by phone at 724-375-6691 X 1204 or by email at [email protected]. Together we will have an amazing 3rd grade experience.
Planner/Homework:
Your child will receive a daily planner to record his/her homework. Planners are for your child, and you, to know exactly what homework is assigned. I will list the assignments on the board each day, but it is your child’s responsibility to write it in their planner. It will go home every night to be signed. By signing it, you are letting me know that you are aware of the work, and that it is completed. Tests are posted on the board at the beginning of each week. If your child comes home Monday without anything written in for the week, then you know that they did not take the time given to copy it down off of the board. The use of these planners proves to be a great way to teach children to be organized and responsible for daily tasks. I will stop at the end of each subject and guide the children through this process over the next few weeks. Thereafter it becomes their sole responsibility.
Homework is a vital part of your child’s education. It is a reinforcement of what I teach in class that particular day. Their assignments (with the exception of studying for tests) should not take up a great deal of time once they get into the routine of school. If you see your child is devoting an exceptional amount of time to their work, please alert me as soon as possible, so that we can work together to pinpoint where the problem lies. If your child forgets their work at school one night, don’t worry! Please do not bring your child back up to school to get it. The more we do to save them from failure, the less we do to ensure the growth that they need to succeed in life. They can work on it the next morning before we start our day, as there is plenty of time to complete it. If this becomes a routine for your child, we will work out a plan to get them more organized and responsible for themselves.
Reading/Spelling/Language Arts:
We run a six day process/story with 5 days being focused on stories and skills and 1 day of writing.
Testing day consists of main reading story, Cold Read that correlates with the skills taught during the 5 day period, spelling test and possible grammar.
Accelerated Reader:
My goal for each child is to earn 1 point each week in Accelerated Reader; however each child should strive to raise their own personal goal as the year progresses. I feel that this will give them a good foundation for 4thgrade, as it will be a part of their grade next year. Please keep in mind that any “down time” given in class is devoted to AR so this goal should be attainable for everyone.
However, if a student is done with their work prior to the end of class, it is my philosophy to enrich them in the subject area that I am teaching. If I am teaching math and your child is done early, they will not be permitted to AR read, but will then be given additional math that will enhance their math skills.
Science and Social Studies:
In the past, these two subjects were taught simultaneously. This year we will be teaching Social Studies for 4 ½ weeks and then switching to Science for 4 1/2 weeks.
Social Studieswill primarily be assessed with Chapter Tests. Study Guides will be worked on in class, as well as assigned for homework to prepare each child.
In Science, I will be utilizing a Science Notebook that will become the main grading source in place of the traditional practice of study guide and test assessment, Not only will this take off some of the testing pressure that your child will be under, but it will also give them a more hands on approach to learning.
Specials:(9:50 – 10:30)
Day #1~ Computers
Day #2 ~ Music
Day #3 ~ Art
Day #4 ~ Enrichment
Day #5 ~ Library
Day #6 ~ PE
Snack Break:
Our lunchtime is from 12:25 – 12:55. We will be taking a healthy snack break in the morning. If your child wishes to eat a snack, they must bring one in. I will only permit healthy food items such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, pretzels, etc. Please, no junk food!