2. Welcome to Waldron Mercy Academy Back to School Night September 15, 2015 Mrs. Molly Gangemi Grade 3, Room 4

3. Agenda for Evening Being prepared for Third Grade Policies in Third Grade Schedule Activities General questions

4. Third Grade Teachers O Mrs. Michelle Orapallo- Room 6 O morapallo@waldronmercy.org O Mrs. Kitty Ferry- Room 5 O kferry@waldronmercy.org O Mrs. Molly Gangemi Room 4 O mgangemi@waldronmercy.org

5. Parent/Teacher Partnership O Communication is Key! O Notes, incomplete assignment comments in the Assignment Book, e-mail, phone calls, progress reports (October), formal report cards (Trimester 1 in December; Trimester 2 in March; Trimester 3 is optional), and parent conferences (November and February); O Teacher Web page O WMA Weekly online for school news and general information/events O Mrs. Molly Gangemi– Grade 3, Room 4 Phone: 610-664-9847 Email: mgangemi@waldronmercy.org

6. Being prepared for Third Grade O Teach student responsibility for care of their things, for completing jobs, and for handing in their work on time. O Give children tasks at home O Hold children responsible for words/actions O Think Sheets/infractions O Find out and complete daily work, homework, and missed tests when absent.

7. Being prepared continued O Organizational Skills O Establish routine site for homework O No distractions--TV, radio or other siblings O Unpack and pack books in workspace O Pack books night before** O Be prepared for class with required supplies O Have uniform ready to go the night before.

8. Policies for Third Grade O Homework O Written homework, and study homework-60 minutes per night O Projects/Activities, 20 minutes reading daily and over weekends O Return library books on time O Uniform O Wear each day, see School Handbook O Gym uniforms on gym day (Day 5)

9. Policies continued O Parent Signature O Tests, quizzes, notification of projects O Field trip permission slips O The Assignment Notebook every night O Various forms/information letters O Birthday Celebrations O New Policy: NO Birthday sweet treats at WMA O Small gift bags are optional: pencils, stickers… O Singing Happy Birthday at Snack O N.U.T Cards

10. Policies continued O Care of Books O All hardback books covered with brown paper or book socks O Following books covered in Contact Paper or any paper. Make sure names are on the cover. O all workbooks O copybooks

11. Daily Schedule O 8:00—8:25 Homeroom O 8:30:-9:00 Religion O 9:00-9:55 Math O 9:55-10:15 Snack/Break O 10:15-10:45 Math O 10:45- 11:30 Specials O 11:30-11:45 Handwriting O 11:45-12:10 Recess O 12:10-12:35 Lunch O 12:40-2:00 Language Arts O 2:00 – 2:40 Science/ Social Studies O 2:40-2:50 Prayers/Dismissal Prep Specials O Day 1- Music and Choir O Day2- Spanish O Day 3- Computer and Library O Day4- Art O Day 5- Gym.

12. Mathematics O Everyday Mathematics based on NCTM skills. (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) O Third Edition includes better explanations and examples with more practice of skills, Student Reference Book.** O Thinking about Mathematics O Strategizing, seeing patterns and connections to our daily life. O Problem solving and logic reasoning O Shared learning with partners or in small groups O Strong emphasis on mastery of basic facts, with a focus on multiplication and division.

13. Religion O School Theme: “We Are A Family In Mercy” O Retreat-early December: Advent Theme (teach about leading up to Christmas; not all about gifts; preparing for Jesus) All parents welcome to join – crafts and fun. O Outreach: DePaul Catholic Academy, H.O.P.E lunches each month, Walkathon for Outreach Agencies. O Community Gathering : every Wednesday, all are welcome

14. Language Arts O Reading Program: Houghton Mifflin Journeys O Strong emphasis on Reading strategies/target skills O Small Literacy Circles/Independent Activities (Centers!) O Comprehension, decoding, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, writing skills, listening/ speaking skills, and information and study skills. O Rich in excellent literature: fiction and non-fiction. O Weekly Blog Entries* O Spelling City* O Scholastic Book Club – online : class activation code : HHMJP. Order books online, help support our class library

15. Social Studies O Textbook: “Share Our World”- Understanding communities, history and geography of communities, environment, earning a living, celebrations and festivals, government. O Weekly Current Event: fun articles – baby lions being born @ the zoo; sports; www.dogonews.com O Pennsylvania: William Penn, geography, history-colonial times in Philadelphia

16. Science O Topics: Habitats, Animal Adaptations, Electricity, Sound, Soil Science, STEM. O Lab activities: hands on learning the scientific method, recording lab results. Mrs. Meyer takes us periodically in the Science lab.

17. Technology O Integrated Throughout the Curriculum O Computer Special with Sister Barbara. O 5 iPads for small group/center use and 2 laptops O Integrated use of the SMARTboard. O Language Arts O Writing Process O Inserting clip art, personally drawn pictures from Paint O Monthly ‘Poetry’ O Social Studies/Science O Research in Library/Internet O Kidspiration (outlining, topic, main idea) O Kid Pics, Wiki

18. Activities Yearly Retreat Math Explorations Baking for Thanksgiving Christmas Craft Day Special snacks for holidays throughout the year. Classroom Blogs DePaul Pen-Pals (we write to them for every holiday, send them treats, they’ll come here for the Play and they’ll meet and play together…pizza party and fun!)

19. Activities continued O Colonial Day (May, dates aren’t confirmed yet, all parents welcome) O Some suggested field trips: O Pennsbury Manor (Social Studies) O Lower Merion Conservancy (Science) O Live theater experience (Language Arts) O Christmas Program (Religion and Language Arts) O Swedish History Museum(Social Studies) O End of the year picnic

20. Assessment O Weekly Spelling tests, and end-of-unit tests in Religion, Math, Social Studies, Science O Reading Benchmarks, Weekly, and Unit Assessments: Continual assessments of student progress O Writing Assignments/Projects/Reports O Teacher Assessment of group and individual activities within the classroom O Classroom Participation O Homework Assignments