Welcome Grade 3 Students and Families!

Welcome to my blog!

For you and your parents to stay on top of things that are happening in our class, I ask that you visit the site daily throughout the year. On this page you will find such things as notices and information from me, homework, due dates, upcoming events and much more. You may also want to visit http://www.clairlea.blogspot.com/ regularly to stay informed of things happening around the school.

In the mean time, start preparing yourself for the first week back by collecting the list of items below

Bring:

· Indoor running shoes – running shoes are required for the gym class

· 2 boxes of Kleenex

· Change of clothes (socks, t-shirt, pants, undies) to be kept at the bottom of your bag in case of accidents

· Lunch bag with your name and classroom # marked inside

· 1 2inch binder

· 1 family photo

· 2 healthy recess snacks (if you go home for lunch, it is important that you bring snacks for recess time to feed your brain throughout the day)

· 2 books you’d like to keep at school for your reading enjoyment

Do NOT bring:

· Electronics (mp3’s, iPods, hand-held games, cell phones)

· Toys (e.g., BeyBlades, Lego)

· Gum

· Anything valuable

School Supplies
Limited school supplies will be provided during the school year. You may choose to bring your own supplies, but I’m asking that you make sure they are not items that will cause distractions or disruptions to you or anyone else in the class. Keep it simple!

Timetable

On the first day back to school, Tuesday, September 6, come to school for 8:30am. All the teachers (except for kindergarten) will be collecting their new students at the back of the school. You will be able to find me under the blue fun hoop and we will head inside at 8:40am. Our school days will look like this:

Entry Bell: 8:40am

1st Recess: 9:55am

Lunch: 11:30pm-12:25pm

2nd Recess: 1:10pm

Dismissal: 3:15pm

Entry and Dismissal Routines: Important for Parents!
Everyone is expected to be at school on time, everyday. Parents, please assist us in instilling good time management skills in our kids by ensuring they are not late for entries. Our class will line up at entrance door D (just right of the blue fun bin), which is opposite from where Mrs. Hawkins line was last year. Either a covering teacher or myself will always pick up and drop the kids off from those doors. The front doors of the school building are intended for students who are coming in late after the entry bell. Please refrain from sending in your child through those doors if the bell has not rung. At the end of each day, I will drop off the children at exit D and if caregivers are late, the children will wait for them with the supervising teacher on duty after school. At 3:30pm, the teacher will take the children who are still remaining, to the office for pick-up.

One last reminder:

In the first week back to school, you and your family will be receiving more details about our class schedule and routines. There will also be a number of forms to be reviewed signed and returned. As mentioned above, checking the blogs frequently will ensure you stay well informed and have piece of mind throughout the 2011/2012 school year. And most importantly, parents please check your child’s bag nightly for notices and/or homework.

Parents, if you have any questions or concerns before the start of school or throughout the year, please don’t hesitate to email me at Jessica.lowen@tdsb.on.ca.  For me, it is the fastest and most convenient form of communication.

I am delighted to have you in my class. I hope you are ready for a great year ahead!