Survival Guide

Hello! Welcome to third grade at North Columbus Elementary School. I am excited about the school year
ahead of us! This guide is to help you understand the expectations and procedures for this year. Please take this
opportunity to talk with your child about these expectations and his or her responsibilities.
We will review classroom rules and procedures until they become routine.

Behavior and Classroom Management

OUR CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:

Students are expected to try their best behaviorally and academically. Everyone will
begin each day on “green”. Each color symbolizes their achievements in behavior for the day.
If students are making good choices and having a great day, they can move their clip up.
After the first verbal warning, each time a student chooses to act inappropriately, they
will move their clip down. However, students have the opportunity to correct their behavior
and clip back up before the end of the day.
At the end of the day, students will color their behavior in their agenda. They will also
be rewarded with Dojo points based on the color they achieved: green = 1, blue = 2, purple =
3, pink = 4. Yellow, orange, and red will result in 0 (neutral points). Dojo points will be
deducted for each rule broken during the day. This allows parents, teachers, and
administrators to get specific feedback for students to improve their behavior.

Incentives
The class will be rewarded for outstanding group behavior by earning “Super Stars” towards various treats,
as voted by the class. Individual students will earn Dojo points each day for (but not limited to) arriving on time,
completing homework, getting their agenda signed, and behavior for the day.
Students will be able to “cash in” their Dojo points for various incentives including homework passes,
pencils, treasure box, coupons, candy and more! This will not occur during instructional time.
Additionally, students will earn time toward Fun Friday according to their behavior points and completion
of homework and classwork. Students will complete missing and incomplete work during their Fun Friday. In the
event your child has a discipline referral, he or she will miss Fun Friday for that week.

Agenda/Planner
Agenda folders will be sent home each afternoon. Our weekly newsletter, important information,
announcements, and homework will be in this folder. Please use this as a home/school connection to send notes
and to return important papers. Encourage your child to be accountable and keep up with his or her folder; it is
the student’s responsibility, not yours. Class Dojo points will be earned each night that students return their
agenda signed.
 Homework
Homework will be sent home in your child’s agenda folder. Make sure he/she completes all homework and
returns it to school the next day (unless otherwise noted). Use this time to have positive interaction with your
child; check his or her work and sign the planner each night. Class Dojo points will be earned each night that
students complete all of their homework. Students will be responsible for finishing incomplete homework during
their free time or recess.

Communication
Please feel free to comminicate with me at any time. Class Dojo messaging and e-mail are the quickest way
to contact me. Our class website (mrsailstock.weebly.com) is always available with updated information. You can
call the office (706-748-3183) and leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I can. I do allow students
to message their parents through Class Dojo if needed. 

Attendance Policy
In order for your child to be successful in third grade, attendance is vital. Class instruction begins at 7:45
am and ends at 2:15 pm. Students are considered tardy after 7:45 and must be signed in by a parent in the office.
As mandated by the MCSD, students may be absent from school only 15 days per school year. If a student is absent
from school, a note is to be brought from parent/guardian stating a reason for the absence within three school
days. A student is considered absent if they check out before 12 PM. A referral to the social worker is initiated
after five unexcused absences.

Grading Policies
Grades will be posted on Infinite Campus weekly (most likely, before the papers come home). You can
check the Parent Portal to stay up-to-date on your child’s grades. Graded papers will be sent home in a bi-weekly
Friday Folder. Please keep the papers and sign the sheet inside the folder to document that you have received and
reviewed the graded papers. Please return the folder the next school day.
Report Cards will be sent home every nine weeks. The MCSD grading scale is as follows:
A = 100-90 (excellent progress)
B = 89-80 (above average progress)
C = 79-70 (average progress)
F = 69-0 (unsatisfactory progress/failure)

Testing
In third grade, students will be required to take several assessments such as the Student Growth Measure
(SGM) and Georgia Milestone End of Grade Testing (GMAS). During the first two weeks of school students will take
placement tests in reading and math to assess their strengths and weaknesses. There will be on-going
assessments to track progress throughout the year.
Third grade will be a challenging but rewarding year. As you know, third grade students have to meet or
exceed the requirements of the reading portion of the Georgia Milestone End of Grade Testing (GMAS) to move on
to fourth grade. So that each student will be prepared, it is important that he/she is present every day,
participates fully, and takes responsibility for his/her learning.

Transportation
Please note that your child’s safety and well-being are very important to me. If your child will be going
home a different way than what was recorded on the registration form, I must have a WRITTEN note from you
informing me of how your child is going home. If I do not have written letter or a phone call from the office,
your child will be dismissed the regular way regardless of what your child says. I hope that you understand
that this is for your child’s safety and protection.
 Birthday Celebrations
According to NCES policy, families may bring a special treat for the class during lunch (11:00-11:30) in
celebration of a child’s birthday. Flowers, balloons, and gifts delivered to the school for students will remain in the
office until the end of the school day. If you are sending invitations for a celebration be sure to include whole class
or invite by gender.

Awards Program
Our Awards Program is held at the end of the school year. Students are recognized with the presentation of
trophies, medals, and certificates. Students receiving awards will be given invitations, along with parents and
relatives. Students who meet the following criteria will be recognized in the following areas:
 Principal’s List – All A’s on the report card for every grading period, no B’s (this is not a yearly average but
the face value of each grade for all four grading periods).
 Honor Roll – All A’s and B’s on the report card for every grading period. No C’s can be earned to receive this
award.
 Citizenship Award – Each teacher selects a female and male overall good citizen for the year.
 Excellence in Academic Awards – Each teacher selects their top academic student in the areas of math,
language arts, reading, social studies, and science.
 Excellence in Music/Physical Education/Art Awards – One top male and female student from each grade level
will be selected and presented a medal for outstanding performance in each area.
 Perfect Attendance – Presented to students with no absences and no more than three excused tardies.

I am looking forward to working with you and your child. If you are concerned about anything, please do not
hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Bethany Ailstock
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.mrsailstock.weebly.com
School Office: (706) 748-3183

Keep the above letter for future reference. Please detach, sign and return the bottom portion.

I have read the Third Grade Survival Guide and discussed the necessary content with my
child. I have read and discussed the discipline procedures with my child.

Student Signature: ____________________________________________________________________ Date _______________

Parent Signature: _____________________________________________________________________ Date ________________