Week 2

Weekly Greetings!

Wow, we had a great first week in 3rd grade! This is a delightful group of students, and I am truly privileged to help mold their future through the coming school year. I see abundant potential in them all.

I have a distinct structure on how I manage my classroom, and we started off on the first day in small groups with the students working to establish what the three main rules looked like, and sounded like in the classroom. We focused on "Being Safe", "Being Kind", and "Being a Good Listener". It was wonderful to see how well each group cooperated together and the ideas they generated were perfect!

 

We were pretty busy on projects this week, and one of them was a crayon explaining a few things about each student to go on our main board in class.  There will be an Open House at the Tok School on Tuesday from 4pm to 6pm and I hope you can come in and see the project for yourselves.

We covered four of the "Six Keys" for success this year, and will address the last two this week. They tie in nicely to the CHAMPS program that the district is implementing in all schools. We will start to cover that program by the end of the week. The students are working on a compare and contrast book for all six keys, and I am listing them again here. Ask you child about them!

The keys are:

• Safety from fear of embarrassment or physical harm.
• Love and Belonging through inclusion, respect, and sincere caring.
• Freedom and Independence through the option to make meaningful decisions and choices.
• Fun and Enjoyment through meaningful engagement that provides gratification while learning.
• Valued Purpose through knowing that what is being learned is purposeful to the learner. 
• Success through the recognition of accomplishments and growth in creativity, competence, skills, and knowledge. 

Also, ask your child about the S.T.A.R.S. pod class they are in during the afternoons. Most of the students I have talked with say they like the one they are in.

This week we will continue to establish routines through a smart start review. I am sending home Scholastic book order forms if you are interested in ordering any books. I will need the orders returned by Friday, September 7.  The easiest and fastest way for me to get the books is have you give me cash or a check, them I call the order in and put it on my credit card.

In closing, please remember that there will be an early release on Friday at 2:15. I hope you all can make it to the Tok School Open House on Tuesday from 4pm to 6pm. See you then!

Kind Regards,

Julie Brown

Week 1

Weekly Greetings!

Everything is ready to go! The start of a new school year has finally arrived! I am probably more excited than the students, as there are so many fun ideas rolling around in my head to make this a great year of learning for the group. I have added a few pictures of the class that the students will come in to see the first day. My hope it that it will be a comfortable place for them to grow and learn this year.

We will have a couple of class pets. A little hamster that last years class named Echo, and a tadpole that we will watch become a frog.

Please note that you can see the pictures in color every week I send letters home on the class blogspot on the Tok School web site or at: thirdgradetok.blogspot.com

 

Our first week will be all about instructional and classroom routines. Though we will be doing regular content in reading, math, writing, and science we will also be covering "Six Keys" for fostering and maintaining high motivation and achievement. Everyone has a need to see these keys met, and we will address one a day. The keys are:

• Safety from fear of embarrassment or physical harm.
• Love and Belonging through inclusion, respect, and sincere caring.
• Freedom and Independence through the option to make meaningful decisions and choices.
• Fun and Enjoyment through meaningful engagement that provides gratification while learning.
• Valued Purpose through knowing that what is being learned is purposeful to the learner.
• Success through the recognition of accomplishments and growth in creativity, competence, skills, and knowledge. 

Each day we will discuss what that key looks like in our classroom community, and the students will make a book page for a Six Keys book to keep in class.  We will finish the unit next week.

I hope you all received my letter of introduction that was sent out by mail at the beginning of August. If you did not get one please let me know. A few reminders from that letter are:

Weekly Communication- At the beginning of each week, I will be sending home a letter informing you of our weekly goals. As a result of this information, I am hoping we will become a team in your child’s education. The letter will also be posted on the class blogspot at: thirdgradetok.blogspot.com

Homework- To give the class some time to settle back into a school routine, I will start sending weekly homework beginning the first week in September, Monday through Thursday nights. It will be math facts practice and spelling to reinforce concepts presented in class. Also, home reading will be encouraged nightly and a reading log will be sent home on Monday to be returned the following Friday. Also remember that any classwork that was not finished will be done at the end of the day in class, and not sent home. If a child is sick, or a parent has made arrangements before traveling, then I will send some work home.

Other important things to know are- We will be using a number of digital computer programs, and all the students need to have their technology agreement done electronically before I can allow them on a class computer. The office at school has computers set up for parents to do that if it is difficult for you to complete at home. Also, the Student Handbook is on line and not being sent home as a packet this year. If you need a copy, please let me know. The buses will depart school at 3:25pm unless it is an early release day. If you need a bus pass issued, please contact the office between 1-3pm. 

 I hope you have an enjoyable week! 

 Kind Regards,

 Julie Brown

Starting School

Dear Parents,

As a new school year begins for your child as one of my third grade students, I felt it was important to introduce myself. My journey with the Alaska Gateway School District began in the fall of 2012. For the first two years, I was teaching the kindergarten through 2nd grade groups in Tetlin. For the next two years, I taught the same ages at another village school in Northway. In the fall of 2016, I transferred to Tok School to teach 4^th grade for two years. This year I requested the third grade after hearing that Mrs. Canner was retiring. I always enjoy taking on a new group of students and I have been working through the summer to get ready for the 2018-2019 school year.

Before moving to Tok, my background consisted of four years living in Botswana, Africa, with my husband where I taught mostly English as second language learners in grades kindergarten through fourth. Previously, we were long time Alaska residents. Most of our years in Alaska were spent living in the interior bush community of Galena, where I taught an alternative program for teens, 7^th and 8^th grades, Title 1 reading, and kindergarten. For a number of years before obtaining my teacher certificate, I was part of the classified support staff working with intensive students in addition to serving on the local school board. My husband and I also ran a small air taxi service from our home. For over 30 years, we were very happy living in a rural community among the Athabascan people of the Yukon River region. It has been great to be back in Alaska, and Tok has been a good fit for us.

In the classroom, I have a genuine passion to teach children of any age, and I honestly do, "whatever it takes" to see my students succeed. It is my belief that every child is precious and deserving of a quality education in a culturally relevant and a secure surrounding in which knowledge can increase. I feel that all children are capable of learning, but do not always learn in the same way or at the same rate. Individuals learn in a variety of ways, and children deserve equal opportunities to learn through educational approaches that blend and stimulate all multiple intelligences found in the classroom population. It is my goal to provide an atmosphere where students feel comfortable to take risks by testing new ideas in a safe classroom environment, and develop to their fullest potential.

I am confident that with your support, we can make this an exciting and successful year for your child! Please take a few minutes to look at the following information.

                                               

Sincerely

Julie Brown

 Weekly Communication: At the beginning of each week, I will be sending home a letter informing you of our weekly goals. As a result of this information, I am hoping we will become a team in your child’s education. The letter will also be posted in an online blog listed on the Tok School web page. I will also be sending home an explanation of my discipline and reward system when we start back to school.

Homework:  To give the class some time to settle back into a school routine, I will start sending weekly homework beginning the first week in September, Monday through Thursday nights. It will be practice and enrichment assignments to reinforce concepts presented in class. Also home reading will be encouraged nightly, and a reading log will be sent home each Monday that will be returned on Friday.

Class Supply List:

           

·      Water Bottle

·      Box of colored pencils

·      Scissors

·      Six glue sticks

·      #2 Pencils  (about 36 will last through the school year) 

·      Ear buds (that can be left at school)  

·      Gym shoes (that remain at school)