I am looking forward to a great year with your child.  I have wonderful plans and ideas that will be put into action this year.  First, let me take a moment to tell you a little about myself:

My name is Julie Roberson, and I have been teaching for 14 years.  I spent 8 years working for Pinellas County Schools teaching Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades.  Prior to working for the county, I taught at a Montessori school in Sarasota working with children ages 3-6.  I am very excited to be working at St. Patrick’s.  I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education.  I am also a National Board certified teacher and have taken 12 credit hours towards my Master’s Degree in Elementary Reading Instruction.  On a personal level, I am married – my husband Bart teaches at Clearwater Central Catholic High School as well as coaching varsity football.  Our son, Travis is in 4th grade here at St. Patrick’s.  Our daughter, Brooke, is in the Pre-K-4 class, and our daughter Kelley is in the Pre-K-3 class.

A few policies to be aware of:

1.  Discipline:  My behavior plan is based on the class rules:

  • Be Respectful – Say or do noting that will hurt or offend another person.  Use appropriate language at all times.  Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
  • Be Responsible – Have all books, materials, and assignments here at school, completed on time. Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there.
  • Listen and Follow Directions – the first time they are given.
  • Be curious – Ask questions when you don’t understand something!

PARTICIPATION IS NOT AN OPTION – IT IS AN EXPECTATION!

My expectation is for all students to work together following the rules in order for us all to achieve.  Any classroom issues will be addressed during the morning meeting.

3rd grade is the year where students may be given referrals.  Please note – referrals are a serious action and are not given lightly.  A referral is a final option in correcting inappropriate behavior.  Referrals can be given for continuous disregard for classroom or school rules.  Referrals may also be given for extreme behavior.  Referrals must be signed and returned the next school day (refer to school handbook for more information.)

2.  Homework:  Homework will be assigned 5 nights a week – Monday thru Friday.  My expectation is that homework be completed when assigned.  All homework will be an extension of lessons learned in class – homework will not be new material your child has not been exposed to.  Please help your child establish good homework habits by providing a quiet place for them to work.  Please also review their homework with them upon completion. Students will be recording their homework assignments daily in their planners.  Also – daily homework assignments and spelling words can be found on the class website: http://stpatrickcatholic.org/ .  Reading is a very important homework assignment.  Please make sure your child is reading EVERY night and completing their reading log.

3.  Book reports:  Your child will be expected to complete a book report/project monthly centered on a theme.  I will be sending out instructions on what is expected each month as well as the report/project list for the year.  Make sure to put it in a safe place so you can reference it each month.  Please help your child budget his/her time in order to complete the book report without waiting until the last minute.  Completion of a book report will not be accepted as an excuse for not completing assigned homework.

4.  Communication:  Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions regarding your child’s education.  Your child will be bringing home their planner daily with assignments written in it.  The green communication folder will have important papers from school as well as homework assignments.  Make sure to empty out the “Keep At Home” side daily.  It is important to establish a procedure for your child to remember to bring their folder and planner to school everyday.  All graded papers will be sent home in an envelope on Friday.  Please sign the cover sheet and keep the papers at home but return the folder on Monday.  The best way to contact me is by e-mail:  jroberson@stpatrick-largo.org.  I will respond promptly to your e-mail.  If you feel the need to meet with me personally, please let me know what works best for your schedule, and I will arrange a conference as quickly as possible.

5.  School hours:  School begins promptly at 8:15 a.m.  The classroom is open at 7:45 a.m.  It is very important for your child to arrive in enough time to get settled in and ready to work before announcements at 8:15.  Please notify the office if your child will be absent and you need work sent home.  When your child returns to school, their assignment will be in the absent basket.  It is their responsibility to pick up their assignments and return them in a timely manner.

6.  Grading:  The grading scale is as follows:

A+        98-100                         C+         77-79

A          93-97                             C          73-76

A-        90-92                             C-         70-72

B+         87-89                            D+        68-69

B          83-86                              D          66-67

B-         80-82                             D-         65

F          64 and below

I          Incomplete

7.  Uniforms:  3rd grade students are expected to wear their school uniforms every day.  P.E. uniforms should be brought to school on P.E. days to change into.  It is best to bring P.E. clothes in a bag so uniform items do not get misplaced.  Since the students will be changing into their P.E. clothes – it is important that all uniform items be labeled with your child’s name to help eliminate any confusion.  Please consult the schedule on the back of your child’s communication folder to see which days are our P.E. days.  Not dressing out for P.E. could result in a lower grade.

8.  Curriculum:

Religion:

Our religious studies cover four units:  1.  Jesus gives us the Church  2.  We are

members of the Church  3.  The Church leads us in worship  4.  We are called to discipleship again.  Students will be attending confession twice this year.  Participation in the weekly school mass will count towards their Religion grade.

Reading:

My reading curriculum utilizes a balanced approach in reading instruction. It provides various ways to teach reading to students by using differentiated learning and providing activities that support various learning styles.

  1. Basal Reading:  Working with one short story over a week.  Teacher models correct reading (fluency, pacing, inflection) while students follow along.  Different skills are introduced or reviewed and practiced.
  2. Literature Units:  Working with a longer “chapter” book over many weeks.  Teacher models correct reading (fluency, pacing, inflection) while students follow along.  Skills are explored in depth over the course of the unit.
  3. Reading Workshop:  The teacher works with small groups on reading instruction while the other students are silently reading “just right” books, working on follow-up activities, or completing center activities.

Language Arts:

1.  Writing:  Your child will be learning to write in different forms this year – expository, persuasive, and narrative paragraphs and essays. Writing assignments will be counted towards the Language Arts grade.

2.  Vocabulary:  We will be working in class to learn new vocabulary words.  Vocabulary units will span a 2-week period.  One week will be spent learning new words.  The second week will be spent using the words in context.  Class assignments that are graded count towards the Language Arts grade.

3.  Grammar:  We will be learning grammar rules and applying it to our writing samples.  Grammar grades count towards the Language Arts grade.

4.  Spelling:  We will have weekly spelling words that we will work on learning patterns, spelling rules, etc. during class.  Weekly spelling tests will be held on Friday.  Homework each night will include a spelling assignment.  Spelling grades are separate from the Language Arts grade.

Math:

Math topics of study this year include problem solving, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, place value, estimation, probability, geometry, and measurement,   In addition to working in our math workbooks, we will be reviewing essential concepts daily through the use of calendar math and problem of the day.  Students will be expected to memorize their multiplication tables 0-9.

Science:

Our science study will cover topics in Earth and Space Science, Life Science, Physical Science, and research and inquiry.

Social Studies:

Our Social Studies lessons will come from our text book and cover communities past and present.  We will also be learning out the states and their capitals.

As you can see, we have a busy year of learning planned.  I know it will be a successful year, and I look forward to helping your child grow as a learner.