Room 11’s September 2018 Newsletter

Room Parents
I’d like to thank Maxxwel’s mom, who volunteered to be our room parent this year. You will
soon receive an introductory email from Mrs. Ramirez. I am very grateful to have such a
wonderful room parent, but I know Mrs. Ramirez would appreciate a second parent to help her
out, so if you are available, please let either of us know.

Back-to-School Night
Thanks to all of the parents who were able to come to Back-to-School Night. It was very nice to
see so many of you who have come by to introduce yourselves, and to meet parents I hadn’t met
before.

I was so focused on the brief time we had together, that I forgot to let you know that it’s not all
work, work, work. We play games and do movement activities. In addition, I try to make sure
students get water breaks and stretch breaks. I don’t want students in their seats all day, so
students pair with their table partners for discussion, as well as rotate to talk with different
students in pairs and small groups. Some assignments are individual, but many involve partners
or group work. I am trying to use the time the best I can to keep students motivated and engaged
in learning, and at the same time to keep moving forward with our various curriculums. I am
very aware that these are students who have just left the second grade and are becoming
comfortable with third grade expectations and curriculum, and I have been very impressed with
how they’ve come to school ready to learn. This is a great group of kids!

Donations
Thank you very much for your donations. Many thanks to the families of Comara who donated
tissues; Mason, who donated paper towels, wipes, and glue sticks; and Hector, who donated
paper, paper towels, tissues, wipes, glue sticks, white board markers, and pens. Thank you very
much for all of your donations to our class. They are greatly appreciated! We can always use
donations of tissues, pencils, and used tennis balls (for the chair legs).

Benchmark Advance
As you know, we have a new language arts program, Benchmark Advance, that we started
implementing last year. This material is very challenging, and it usually takes at least six- or
seven school days (or more) to finish each section. I send the homework packets home with a
due date at least ten days after your child receives the packet. I go over the material contained in
the packet, but students may not be able to finish the packet when it is first assigned because
some material will be covered after the packet is sent home. When the packet is due, a spelling
test will be given – the spelling words are on the last page of the packet. The lesson assessments
will be given when each section is completed. The reading books and worksheets will go home
after the unit is completed. Students should not take them home before then – they need to stay
in school.
Conferences
Thank you for signing up for a conference at Back-to-School Night. I will send confirmations
home next week, and ask that you choose a date and time for a conference if you have not
already done so; there are many dates and times available for all days. Please let me know if you
need to change our conference date/ time as soon as possible, so I can open that slot to someone
else. If a child shares time between two households, I will be happy to conference with each
parent individually; just sign up for a separate dates and times.

Sign and Returns (S&R)

There will be a lot of papers that will need your signature throughout this school year. Please
sign and return these papers promptly. Also, check your child’s planner because papers that need
to be signed and returned (S&R) are noted. Homework/Conduct reports are sent home weekly on
Thursdays and should be signed and returned the following day. I get them ready to send out on
Wednesday after school, so if I do not receive your child’s Homework/Conduct report until
Thursday, he/she will not get one until the following week. I also send back tests on which your
child did not meet the benchmark, for your signature. I want to be sure that you are aware of
your child’s results on these assessments. (I expect that students who have passed the tests will
share the results with their parents.)

Homework Check-Off
I check off and return math homework and weekly homework packets. I try to be timely and
accurate, but sometimes I make mistakes. It may be a good idea for you to hold onto returned
homework assignments. That way, if I mark on your child’s homework/conduct report that an
assignment was not returned and you have it, you can show me that it should have been checked
off in my assignment book, and I will be happy to correct my error. Once a few weeks have
passed and the assignment is not noted as missing on the homework/conduct report, you can
discard the papers (or keep them, if that’s what you do).

I have noticed that some students are throwing away returned papers and you do not have an
opportunity to see them. Some students are throwing papers away because I have marked on
them that they are not correcting their homework or that the assignment was incomplete and they
don’t want you to see my comments. If an assignment is incomplete, I write a date by which the
student can complete the assignment and turn it in for credit.

Student “Teachers”
Every day, I have a “teacher” who leads the class in reviewing the spelling words for the week.
Student “teachers” will introduce themselves and share one or two positive things about
themselves; it could be recent accomplishments, something they are looking forward to,
something about their families, hobbies, anything they would like to share with the class. They
could also bring up current events that have piqued their interests or something they have read or
heard about that is of interest to them. Students will have these opportunities to lead the class at
least three- or four times this school year.

Lunches
Some of you are taking the time to peel oranges or cut the crusts off of your child’s sandwich.
Then it sits in the lunch basket and I throw it away. Please check to make sure your child is
eating the food you send. Lunch boxes should be taken home every day. At the end of the week, I
use the water left in the water bottles to water the plants and then I recycle the bottles. Non-
disposable containers should be taken home. Some students look like they have a lunch from
home, but they still line up for a cafeteria lunch. Make sure your child knows whether they
should eat the lunch you packed or get a lunch from the cafeteria. If you did not qualify for free
or reduced lunch, you will be billed by the cafeteria.

Science
This school year we will cover three areas in science: life science, earth science, and physical
science. Our first science rotation will be life science because it aligns somewhat with our
Benchmark unit.

Multiplication
Most students came into third grade knowing their 2s, 5s, and 10s. We are working on the threes
now, before we move on to the fours. As a former fourth grade teacher, I know how much
students struggle with fourth grade math if they don’t know the multiplication facts to
automaticity. Please help your child practice learn the times tables. I will probably give a
multiplication test covering the 2s through the 5s within the next two- to three weeks.

Volunteer Forms
Parents will not be able to volunteer in the classroom, the parent center, or go on field trips
without a volunteer form and TB test on file in the main office. We expect to go on at least one-
or two field trips this school year, and I will need many parents to accompany our class. Please,
if you are even thinking of helping out, make sure you fill out the volunteer form and get the TB
test. You can pick up volunteer forms at the office. TB tests are available through your doctor or
at LAUSD clinics. New this year, volunteers also need to be fingerprinted.

After School Help

I am usually here after school preparing for the next day. If your child needs extra assistance,
this is a good time to ask for extra help in math or language arts. If your child stays after
school, make sure he/she clears it with the coach first.

E-mailed Newsletters, Etc. or Paper Copies

I’ve always made paper copies of newsletters, projects, etc. In an effort to save paper, I will
probably send out a form asking if you’d like a paper copy or an emailed copy of information
I send home.

E-Mail Address and Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me by leaving a message at the school
office (818-349-4381), dropping me a note, or stopping by before or after school. My e-mail
address is cti0506@lausd.net, but I don’t check my e-mail daily.

Website
My class website is ctizumi@weebly.com. I will try to keep it updated throughout the year.

Please feel free to stop by before or after school if you’d like to chat about your child.