Welcome to Third Grade! It is my pleasure to be your children's teacher this 2012-2013 school year. I am really looking forward to a positive and productive year. Please use the homework page to check what assignments have been given on a nightly basis and for any long term projects and due dates for assignments. I know that together, we can achieve great things this year. To contact me you should email vicki.payton@pgcps.org. I look forward to meeting each of you and getting to know your children. Mrs. V. Payton
10/3/12 Good Day Parents; Please remember to check agenda books, as well as Schoolmax for grades. Many children are simply not turning in work and this is having a negative impact on thier grades. Also, see the parent handbook for policies about absences. A note must come in when the child returns to school. We also need to review dress "code". If girls are wearing leaggings, their shirts must cover their bottoms. Thank you for your continued support. Any questions or concerns, please contact me through email between 7:30 & 3:00 Monday through Friday.
9/26/12 Parents; Please remember to check your child's agenda book each night. We continue to have problems getting homework turned in and this is having a negative impact on grades. Speaking of grades, you should have access to grades on the parent portal in schoolmax, so you can check on your child's progress. Thanks for your support, Mrs. Payton P.S. We will have a test in Math on Friday 10/5/1210
Parents; It is hard to believe that we are in our sixth week of school already. I am asking that everyone please remember to check agenda books on a daily basis. There are many students coming in without homework and this is having a negative impact on their grades. I thank you for your continued support
10/8/12 Parents; Today we launched a new theme in Reading on Traditions. This is also a topic in Social Studies right now. I discussed and described a long term project with the class called a Cultural Traditions Project. I have copied this information and am sending it home today. Please read over it with your child and help him/her decide which project to complete. Also note the due date, which is November 19, 2012. If your child is absent, they need to turn in the project the day they return to school. If the project is not turned in on the 19th, a letter grade will be deducted for every day it is late after that. If you have any questions, please contact me as soon as possible for clarification. I really am looking forward to these projects and hope you have fun creating them at ho
10/11/12 Yesterday Spelling was assigned for the first time. Students received a Tic Tac Toe board/sheet. I went over the expectations for spelling homework and each box of the sheet was also reviewed. Students have a week to work on these assignments. The Tic Tac Toe sheet does not get turned in because they will need it each week in order to complete spelling homework. None of this work is expected to be done in one night. Again today, about 7 students did not have their homework. Read/Respond journals are due every Thursday and Monday mornings, but students should be reading every night.
10/18/12 Monday a new spelling list will be assigned. As I explained before, the TicTacToe sheet itself does not get turned in, just the actual work. Please keep the sheet for your children to use for each new list of words. Also remember to contiune to work on the Cutural Tradition Project that is due on 11/19/12.
10/25/12 All of the 3rd grade classes will be constructing a "compost" column to observe how worms help break down organic material. In order to do this, we need clean, dry 2 liter plasctic bottles. Please send any in as soon as possible. Also, I could use any old magazines you were planning to throw away. I use them for various art projects thorughout the year.
10/31/12 We will take a unit assessment in math on 11/2/12. All the concepts are listed in the homework section of this site. Spelling Tic Tac Toe activities were due today, since we were out yesterday, however, 15 students did not turn in the work. We still need the 2 liter bottles for our Science project, so please send in any you have as soon as possible. Thanks.
11/8/12 Thank you to everyone that sent in soda bottles and newspaper for our compost columns. We are putting them together today and tomorrow. The worms will be here Friday and the composting will begin. Please ask your child about what they are observing. This coming Monday, November 12th is parent/teacher conference day. Many of you have appointments already. I sent home notes to others asking you to contact me to schedule an appointment, but I have only heard back from two of you. Keep in mind that since I have appointments set,if you just show up, I may not be available to speak with you. So, if you received a note from me last Friday and have not responded, please do so today or tomorrow. Thanks.
11/8/12 Many students did not complete all of their assigned homework from 11/8/12. Parents, please check your child's agenda on a regular basis for assignments as well as communication from the teacher. I assign BCRs the night before a test in order to allow the children a chance to use their text books to write responses and then use these responses on the test. Don't forget the Cultural Traditions project that is due on 11/19/12.
11/14/12 Parents plese help your child remember that they are using the same tic tac toe "board" with a different word list. The Cultural Tradtions project is due November 19, 2012. Since the children have had this assignment for a few weeks now, everyone should have it turned in on time. Our class is participating in the Theme basket for the Winter Bazaar. Our class's theme is "Spa/BathTime". A flier is being copied and sent home today. These baskets will be sold at the Bazaar in order to help raise money to enhance our playgrounds, so please dontate items for this worthy cause. Anyone interested in helping to coordinate the basket please see the flier for Kim Lockett's information.
11/26/12 I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Before we know it, the winter break will be upon us. As I wrote about on 11/14/12, our class is putting together a Spa/Bath time Theme basket to sell at the Winter Bazaar. I have purchased the basket and have a few items to put into it. However, in order for our basket to be a big hit, we need items donated to match our theme. A flier was sent home with ideas of the types of things we could include in our basket. Please send in items to donate to our class basket as soon as possible. On another note, please check you child's school supplies and replenish anything over the winter break. Many students are in need of paper, red pens, highlighters and sticky note pads. As always, thanks for your continued support.
11/27/12 Parents; Here is a reminder about absences: If your child is out of school, they must have a note explaining their absence the day they return to school. Please see the Parent handbook for "excused absences". Some children are missing school and they are unexcused, which means they get no make up work and therefore receive zeros on missed work. I have a request for empty Pringles cans (the tall one). I plan to do an art project in a few weeks that will use these empty cans, so please send any in when you get a chance. As always, remember to check your child's agenda book on a daily basis for homework assignments or notes from me. Anyone who has read this please send me an email so I can give your child a punch on their paw punch card. This will let me know that parents are actually using this site.
12/6/12 We are still in need of Pringles cans for an upcoming art project. Anyone willing to donate copy paper or the time to copy upcoming assignments would be greatly appreciated by me. We have a limit to the number of copies we can make as well as the amount of paper we are given. With all of the work that needs to be copied in order to prepare the children for "testing", we go through quite a bit of paper. On another note, we are planning a "Winter Break" celebration on 12/21/12. I need a parent to help coordinate that celebration. We will need napkins, paper plates, individual drinks and a variety of snacks. Sorry, but due to allergies, no nuts and no homemade goodies.
12/14/12 Wow, where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that winter break is almost here. On the county website, you can download and print a winter break packet for your child to complete. While this is not mandatory, it would be good practice. I really appreciate all of you who have volunteered to send something in for our winter break celebration. As it stands right now, we are all set with drinks, snacks and paper products. I just would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday. See you next year!
12/17/12 Please note that a very important communication from the school is being sent home today. This communication is in regards to some changes to how people come into our building. If your child does not give it to you, make sure you ask for it and read it over carefully. I know all of you can agree that the safety of our children is of utmost importance. Again, I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and SAFE holiday season.
1/2/13 Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Winter break. This is just a reminder to check your child's school supplies, as many students may need more paper or pencils or whatever at this point of the year. Please note that the permission slip( front and back) along with the money is due this Friday 1/4/13. We are all set with chaperones, and have already submitted a list of parents joining us for this trip. Remember that since we get back to school after the normal school day, everyone must pick up their child or indicate how they will get home according to the permission slip. This is very important. Thanks for your copperation.
January 15, 2013. I have passed out and discussed the STEM booklets in class. Parents, please make sure you have also looked at this booklet and will assist your child with their project. It is very important to make sure you know the due dates for each part of this long term project. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me through email. There will be an informative meeting about STEM in the future and a notice will be sent home with the date.
January 24, 2013. A letter was sent home on 1/23/13. The purpose of this letter was to share some concerns about homeowrk and other work habits. I asked the students to take this letter home on the 23rd, so it was my expectation that they would give the letter to a parent. In the last paragraph, I asked parents to let me know that they had received and read the letter either by email or note. I only got six responses, which was so upsetting. Many students said they did not give the letter to a parent, while others stated that they did, but I am doubtful since I did not hear from those parents. To the six of you that did respond, Thank you. For eveyone else, please let me know that you received the letter because communication is so important.
Monday Jaunaury 28, 2013 This Thursday, January 31, 2013 is our field trip to the Blatimore Aquarium. All students should be dressed comfortably and bring a bag lunch. We will not be visiting the caferteria at the aquarium, so every student must bring a lunch.
Monday February 11,2013 It is very hard to believe that it is February already. This Thursday the students will be able to pass out Valentine"s Day cards with one another and I will provide a small treat. This is not a "party", just something quick at the end of the day. A list of names is being sent home today. If you choose not to participate, that is fine, but if you do, make sure that no child is left out. As I was checking the STEM bboks over the weekend, I became concerned about the errors being made and the due dates not being met. I am teaching each part as we come up to each part that is due and the directions, as well as examples are given in the books. Please be sure to read and discuss each part with your child. I remind them to ask questions for clarification, and you should do the same. Email me if you need assistance. If I don't have the answer, I will find it and get back to you. Again, please check agenda books daily. Many students are not turning in homework and some classwork,which has a negative impact on their grades.
Tuesday, Feb 12,2013. A Black History project is being assigned today and is due on 2/21/13. Please look for this and help your child get started. Any questions, please email me. Thanks as always for your continued support.
Monday Mar. 4, 2013 MSA is tomorrow. The students will take the reading portion of this state assessment on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. No homework will be assigned the nights before the tests. Please make sure your child gets a good nights sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each morning. I know the children will do their very best on this test.
Thursday March 14, 2013 This is just a reminder that whether we are involved in State testing or anything else, students are expected to read every night and Read/Response journals are due each Monday and Thursday. More than 2 weeks ago, I listed on the board when the next part of the STEM book was due & the parts due were also listed. This was discussed in class many times, so I hope everyone has been keeping up with the due dates and the parts due. We are in the home stretch of this major assignment. The boards or power point presentations are due on Monday April 8, 2013. Please help make sure your child is prepared and has everything ready to turn in on time. Thank you for your support.
Tuesday March 26, 2013. As you may have noticed, your child has brought home a packet on an animal research project. I have provided some resources from the internet and have encouraged students to borrow books from the school library. We are working on the research aspect in class, but they will need more than the printouts I have provided. Please allow your child to use the internet or pick up a book at the public library to help with their research. As of right now, the final product will be due on April 12, 2013. This due date may change depending on how much we are able to get done. Thanks for your support with this assignment. On another note, I wanted to address a concern that was voiced to me about tests. I try to give 2 or more days notice of upcoming tests and I also give the BCR questions to students a day ahead of the test, so they may use the text book to find support for thier answers. This allows the students the practice of going back into the text to find details. There is a pattern for when spelling tests are given. Usually within 6-7 days of getting the list, there will be a test. Students may take books home at any time to study, not just when they have a test. The only book not really taken home is the Health text. Journals should also be used to study for tests since we take notes and write defintions for subject specific vocabulary. If you have any questions, please email or send in a note. Thanks and have a great spring break.
Wed. March 27,2013 We need to focus on multiplication once again because we will be working on division after the break. So practice those facts. Remember to read each night. There is a homework packet on the county website. This is not a mandatory assignment, but if anyone does complete it, I will give extra credit in any subject the student chooses. Have a great Spring break!
Wed. April 224, 2013 There are a few "housekeeping" items that need to be addressed. First, homework is still not consistently being turned in by all students. And often, homework that is turned in has been done incorrectly or incompletely. this means to me that parents are not aware of the work that was assigned or parents are not checking the work. I am not suggesting that parents give the correct answers, but at least point out errors and have students fix them. A writing assignment was sent home to be editted by a parent, then the final draft should have been written or printed and returned the next day. This was the only assignment for the night, yet it did not get back from many and some of what came back was not corrected. Parents, once again I am asking that you check your child's agenda book and make sure they have done the assigned work and that it gets back into their backpacks. On another note, I am going out of town from Friday May 3rd through Tuesday May 7th. There will be no homework posted on this site during that time. Students will have to copy assignments from the homework chart. Thank you to all of you for your continued support. It is hard to believe that the year is almost over.
Tuesday April 30, 2013. I wanted to let all of you know that I will not be at school from May 3rd through May 7th. Homework will not be posted on this site, but rather the students will have to copy it from the homework chart. If you notice they are not doing so, please speak with them about thier responsibilty for copying the assignments.
Friday May 10, 2013 I hope everyone has had a positive and productive week. Next week the students will be taking the FAST (Formative Assessment System Tests) in Reading and Math. May 14 & 15 is Reading and May 16 & 17 is Math. They are being tested on concepts and skills that have already been taught this year. Please be sure they the students are well rested and have had a good breakfast. Thanks for your cooperation.
Tuesday May 28, 2013. After today there are only 7.5 days of the school year left. It is so hard to believe, but we have made it. Next Monday is field day. The third graders will participate from 11:00-1:00. Please be sure to send a lunch and plenty of water that day. Any parent wishing to volunteer must contact Mr. Monjes or Mrs. Donn and be fingerprinted. We will be having our lunch outside, weather permitting, so please allow your child to bring a beach towel or something to sit on. Friday June 7th is a half day of school, so please know that if your child is a car rider, they will need to be picked up according to our half day schedule.
June 4, 2013 Two & one half days left. It is hard to believe that this year is nearly over. I guess it's true that the older you get the quicker time passes. I want to thank you for being supportive and instrumental in the success of your children. There will be no homework for the rest of the week. Hope you all have a happy and safe summer.