Mr. Price's Homeroom

Where do I drop off my child in the mornings?

AIS cafe entrance and AIS gym doors will be opened at 7:00 a.m. each morning. Breakfast is free for students. If you would like for your child to eat breakfast in the mornings, you must drop them off at the front entrance. If your child is not eating breakfast in the mornings, you can drop them off at the gym doors, if it's more convenient. They will NOT be able to leave the gym to go to the cafeteria, so make sure they have eaten already if you drop them off at the gym. All students should be in the gym by 7:45 a.m. for community time. After 8:00 a.m., you will have to enter through the main entrance and stop by the office. You might have to press the buzzer to be let in through the main doors.

What is Community Time?

Every morning after breakfast, we meet in the gym and sit in our communities. This time is used to start the day with the pledge, moment of silence, make any announcements, recognize students, celebrate birthdays, show off student talents, dance, and listen to guest speakers. Each day has a different focus.

Do you provide Breakfast?

Breakfast in free for students and provided every morning. The cafeteria prepares a warm and cold option each day. Adults can purchase breakfast for $2.00.

When is lunch and can I eat lunch with my child?

This year, our class goes to lunch at 11:15 a.m. Full price student lunches are $2.85 and reduced lunches are .40¢. Please remember to turn in any free and reduced lunch paperwork to the office, as it must be filled out each year. This information is confidential and I am not legally allowed to know who receives this service or who received it in previous years, so I try to give a general reminder to every parent. More information on our lunch program can be found here.

How many students are in our class?

We currently have 21 students in our class this year. A class roster for the purpose of parties can be found on Dojo.

What parties are allowed?

We will have a party before winter break and one for Valentine's Day. If your family does not prefer to participate in these celebrations, just let me know. While we do not have birthday parties, feel free to contact me if you have something small in mind.

What kind of homework is expected?

Our third grade team has the belief that kids should be allowed to be kids at this age. They are at school for over 7 hours each day and many have extracurricular obligations in the afternoons. While homework will increase as your child gets older, we will only require homework that research has shown to be beneficial. One expectation that has shown tremendous success for students is reading at least 20 minutes every night. If you are interested in learning more about how this can help your child, follow this link to a quick overview of the benefits. Another beneficial area for homework is fact fluency in mathematics (basic addition/subtraction and multiplication/division facts). Students should practice their math fluency facts 10 minutes each night. We will have quick fact fluency assessments each week throughout the year. Fluently knowing these facts allows students to pursue more complex strategies, much like sight words do for reading. Occasionally, there might be an extended project that requires work outside of the classroom, but we try to keep this to a minimum if at all. Often, students will take it upon themselves to work on class projects at home that have not been assigned as homework, so it is possible you might see this as well.

Can I volunteer?

Of course! Please contact our PTO to get more information about volunteering in our school. We have an amazing PTO that is very active in making AIS awesome. You can also earn community points for your child's community when you volunteer.

Does my child need a snack?

We do have a snack time. I provide saltine crackers, but students are welcome to bring their own snacks.

What if my child needs to be picked up?

Car riders and walkers are dismissed at 2:45pm. Will be using the new front entrance to dismiss car riders. If you have a student that is also at the elementary school and want to park and wait at the pond or pool, students will be escorted across the parking lot and Mr. Hess will be at the road to stop traffic. If you are having someone else pick up your child, just let me know. If they are riding the bus home with someone else, please send a note giving them permission that I can hand to the bus driver.

What if my child goes to Boys and Girls Club?

Boys and Girls Club will pick up students in their bus. Students will wait in the cafeteria with a staff member until the bus arrives.

Speaking of inclement weather, what happens if it snows?

While Alcoa attempts to limit cancelations, in the event of a school closing, the quickest method to be informed is by following the district's Twitter feed as it is usually the first to post. You will also receive an automated phone call from Skyward to the number you have previously indicated. However, announcements will also be made on news outlets and other social media, such as Facebook. In the event that your child is already at school and we must close early, while all the methods above will be used to inform the public, I will post it to ClassDojo and personally contact you unless you have already responded or messaged me about how your child will get home. District policy does not allow us to send a child home on the bus unless their guardian has been contacted first. Please make sure to keep your contact information up to date for this reason.