School Supply List
Pencil box 5” x 8” (no larger)
Scissors
1Spiral Wide Rule Notebook
Ear bud headsets for use with the lap tops
Student’s desk supplies (please label with student’s name)
Crayons (no colored pencils please)
Watercolor markers
Pink pearl eraser
1 spiral graph notebook
Supplies for classroom (do not label)
2 packages of wide lined loose leaf paper
2 dozen #2 pencils
2 large glue sticks
2 boxes 3 oz. bathroom paper cups
Zip lock bags 1 sandwich size or one galloon size (optional)
Handi-wipes (for hands)
The first week of school please send with your student;
Home email address
Parent survey (distributed at “Move Up Day” or available online)
Visit our class web-site for additional information
Contact me: chaws@tahomasd.us
Information on Class 506
Dear Families,
Welcome to a new school year! It is always a thrill to see such bright and eager students on the first day of school. I am looking forward to this school year and the adventures that are ahead of us.
I would like to introduce myself. I am Cathy Haws. I have a wonderful husband, Michael, five children (most of them grown) and two cats. We have lived in Maple Valley for over 20 years and love Tahoma School District. I have completed my Masters Degree from City University and have had experience in first, second, third, and fifth grade. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with your child. I have a passion for teaching and enjoy being in the classroom. Each child is special and deserves respect and opportunities for growth and individual success. I accept the responsibility to create in each student a desire to learn and the motivation to do their best.
Information that will help our year go smoothly:
Schedule:
- 9:00 Doors open
- 9:10 School starts
- 10:55 AM recess
- 12:40 Lunch and recess
- 2:50 PM recess
- 3:40 Dismissal
Computer lab and library times; also Music and P.E.; will be determined in the next couple of weeks.
Newsletter: I will send a newsletter home monthly. Newsletters are available electronically, paper copy, they are posted on my web page and on our classroom blog. http://hawsclass.blogspot.com/ The newsletter will include: a summary of our current work, tips to help you support your child’s learning, upcoming events, and a list of our classroom needs.
Curriculum: Essential learning targets and grade level expectations guide our math, reading, and writing curriculum. These standards are set by the state. My personal goal is that each student will make significant progress in these core curriculum areas. I will be assessing their current level of understanding and throughout the year track achievement. These assessments will provide the necessary information I will need to guide there instruction. Additionally, our social studies, science and art curriculum is integrated within the core curriculum. This year we start with a unit called “Puget Sound Communities” this unit includes study of our Maple Valley community. We will participate in several projects to understand the importance of service in our community. We will also study Seattle, the Puget Sound, and Salmon. More information and an opportunity to preview materials will be made available during open house.
Homework:
Spelling looks a little different in the third grade. We use the Rebecca Stitton spelling program which targets high frequency words most often used by third graders in their writing. Your student will bring pre-tested on Monday and then highlight words that they do not know how to spell. This will be their spelling list; and will be sent home on Monday. The list of words that they need to practice will probably be 5 or less. We will do daily lessons and practice on spelling patterns and at the end of the week they will be tested on this week’s words. The testing is not a list of words but a story in which they fill in the word to complete the sentence. This spelling program improves spelling, but also enriches writing and grammar.
The most important part of this year’s homework is reading. My expectation is that students will read or be read to for twenty minutes a day for a total of twenty days a month. This is essentially the GRRR! reading program; and that is what I use to track this portion of the homework. The GRRR reading log is sent home at the beginning of each month and should be turned in no later than the 5th of the following month. Reading can be completed at night, in the morning before school, or broken into two chucks of 10 minutes in the morning and 10 in the evening; what ever fits in with your family schedule. RAZ 4 Kids is a web based reading site. Students will be assigned a level, each time they complete the level they will earn a reward. Anytime your student reads on the web-site the time can be recorded on their Grrrr Reading Sheet.
Math homework will be sent home on Mondays along with their spelling words. The packets will be sent home on Mondays and returned the following Monday. If your child forgets their homework they can bring it in on Tuesday. After Tuesday any missing homework will be completed during recess.
Wall of Fame: The Wall of Fame is the largest bulletin board in the classroom. At the beginning of each year I provide a space for each student to personalize, and their work helps build the foundation for our classroom community. I will send home more explanation next week. There's always one academic requirement, such as a poem or short paragraph, but the rest is up to them. As they bring in their materials, I allow time for each student share and then post their work on the wall. Once decorations begin going up, students cannot stay away from the board. The best thing I've noticed about the display is that it helps start conversations. Before you know it, students who may never talk to each other are exchanging compliments. By providing students with one small piece of personal property in the room, I create a group of "neighbors" who respect each other's space and realize their similarities are greater than their differences. September’s theme is “Getting to Know Me.” Each child should write a short story about themselves. It could be about what they did this summer, it could be a story about how they got a pet, it could be about a trip to the zoo with grandma. Then they may decorate the remaining area any way they want. (Pictures, artifacts, colored paper, etc.) I will send home a piece of paper the exact size of the space to help you plan your display. At the end of the year these small posters are laminated and bound into a book; the students love this memoir of the third grade.
Snacks: Having a happy stomach is important for learning. I encourage you to help your child have a good breakfast each morning. We will have opportunity for a snack at the morning recess time. You may send a box of graham crackers, pretzels, granola bars, fishy crackers, etc. for the class to share; or feel free to send a healthy snack with your child (i.e. fruit, vegetables, granola bar, crackers, etc.). Please do not send candy or sweets or food that needs silverware or spills easily.
Birthdays: The district has a no food policy for birthday celebrations. There are so many children with food allergies and some families can not provide a snack for the whole class. This causes hurt feelings. As a class we will make a card, sing “Happy Birthday”, and present the child with a small gift. If you do not celebrate birthdays for religious reasons, please contact me so that I can make accommodations for your child during this time.
Visiting: When visiting Glacier Park, please remember to park in the front in the main parking lot and check in at the office when you arrive. It is necessary to wear an appropriate identifying nametag as an adult while in school. This is for your child’s safety.
Volunteers: I love to have parent volunteers! I will have a sign-up sheet available during open house. there is a volunteer sign up sheet on my class web-site that can be printed and returned to school. Volunteers will not start until the first week in October. All volunteers (in class, field trips, etc.) must view the district video. If you have not already done so, please talk with the office staff to secure the information needed to become a parent volunteer. If you completed this process within the last few weeks you do not have to repeat this procedure.
Passes: If you make an alternative plan for your child’s after school arrangements for getting home, we must have a note with information that includes name of supervising adult, address, phone number and bus number if you know it.
We cannot alter a child’s usual procedure for getting home without permission from you. Without written permission we are required to follow prearranged transportation plans.
Communication with me: It is important that you and I keep our lines of communication open for the benefit of your child. You are your child’s first and most important teacher, and only by working together can we assure your child’s greatest learning success. I have found that e-mail is the best way to contact me. My e-mail address is chaws@tahomasd.us; I will usually reply within 24 hours. You can also call and leave a message with the office. The phone number at Glacier Park is 425-413-3700. I am also available after school from 3:40 – 4:40 Monday through Friday.
I hope that this very lengthy letter has given you helpful information. Parent/teacher communication is important as we work together to teach your child and help him/her feel successful.
A packet will be sent home on Friday with information about PTSA, school insurance, etc. One important item in the packet is your child’s emergency form. Please review the information on the card, make any changes or indicate the information is correct and return to school as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Cathy Haws
Third Grade Teacher
Glacier Park Elementary
