ABC's of our Classroom

A

Absences

If your child is absent from school, please send in a written excuse upon his/her return to school. Follow this link to the excuse form from McKee's filing cabinet.

Agendas are used in third grade to record assignments. Please check agendas daily. There should be something recorded in the agenda each day. I find great success in utilizing these books each year. They’re more than just records of homework assignments; the notebooks truly link parents and teachers together in the child’s growth.

B

Birthdays

Feel free to bring a treat for your child's birthday. Please give advanced notice if you will be joining us for your child's birthday song to take pictures so I can make sure there is not a conflict with scheduled activities at McKee. Please be sure to adhere to West Allegheny's birthday treat guidelines.

Bus Change Notice

Please send a note/e-mail for each bus change for your child. The note is sent to the office, and your child is issued a "Bus Change Note" for the bus driver. Click here for McKee's Bus Change form.

C

Conferences

Conferences are scheduled after the first and third grading periods. To schedule an appointment for the first conference, please sign up at Open House. Letters will be sent home to schedule an appointment for the second conference.

Correspondence

We encourage parents/guardians to call if you have any questions. You can reach Mrs. Castelluci at (724) 693-8451 x4015. You can also send an e-mail to rcastelluci@westasd.org. You can reach Mrs. Davis at(724) 693-8451 x4061. You can also send an e-mail to kdavis@westasd.org. Please don't hesitate to call or send an e-mail. Communication is key!

D

Delays

You will receive a phone call from West Allegheny's Parent/Staff Notification System to inform you of a delay or cancellation.

E

Enrichment

Enrichment is offered for students who demonstrate an understanding of the third grade curriculum outcome being presented. Pretests are given throughout the year. Students will have the opportunity to complete Happy Hundred Word Problems and special projects to challenge them!

F

Field Trips

Throughout the school year, many opportunities for educational field trips will be available. These are for the students' learning experience and offer them a chance to learn outside of the school setting. Please return all permission forms completed with health insurance information, including group and policy number. Parents/guardians MUST provide insurance information in order for a student to participate in field trips. If a student is not insured, please contact me, and we can provide information related to insurance coverage for field trips.

Food

Read the healthy snack letter from our Everything You Want to Know About Third Grade! Healthy snacks are encouraged and plenty of water to drink! Please send water bottle with a spill-proof lid! Thank you!

G

Grading Policy

West Allegheny's grading policy is as follows:

100-90 A

89 - 80 B

79 - 70 C

69 - 60 D

Below 50 F

Guidance Counselor

McKee's guidance counselor is available to support all students. She addresses attendance issues, social and/or emotional issues. Some examples of support groups are: stress management, changing families, study skills. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions regarding your child's growth.

H

Homework

"The West Allegheny School District strongly believes that homework is an integral part of the educational program and should reflect student needs, capabilities and/or interests. Homework reinforces the school curriculum, complements program objectives, and relates the to Pennsylvania Standards." Follow this link to read about the our homework policy. Homework is not graded; however, homework does effect your grade. When homework is assigned, it is checked for completion. If homework is completed, you will receive 5 points for completion. Homework points will count toward each nine weeks grades. Homework is great practice and helps to prepare you for class!

Homework Folder

Please remind students to empty papers from the "Leave at Home" side of their Homework Folder. Please encourage your child to place homework assignments in the "Return to School" side of their folder. Let's work together to teach our students RESPONSIBLITY! Let your child check off assignments in agenda, pack their backpack, and put homework in their folder! Let's get organized now! Children feel good about themselves when they are prepared for their day! I would appreciate your cooperation and support.

I

Identification Tags

Students will be provided with a student id to be worn throughout the day. They are to remain in our classroom. Students need the id tags for lunch and library. New student i.d. tags can be purchased through the McKee Office. Please send $5.00 in an envelope. It takes 2-3 weeks to receive a new id.

Illness

Prolonged absences should be reported to the teacher. We worry about our children who are not with us for a long period of time.

J

Junior Achievement

Our Junior Achievement program helps prepare our students for the real world of business. In third grade, we learn about Our City. Our JA volunteers will help construct a city! Students will construct a building for the city, map out a city by zones, compose newspaper articles, and examine why banks are important. All materials will be provided for you...a complete lesson plan and all supplies for the unit. Please consider volunteering for this great program. We will need volunteers to come into Mrs. Castelluci's classroom. Please sign up at Open House for this special opportunity!

K

Kids First!

Let's put kids first! Please hug, compliment, and praise your child! Ask about your child's day.

L

License

Your child's goal this year is to become fluent with one-by-one digit multiplication facts and they will receive their Multiplication License.

Lunch

Follow this link to visit the Cafeteria web page to learn about schoolcafe.com to deposit and track funds, apply for free or reduced-priced meals, and nutrition tips. Since we are Going Green, you will find updated lunch menus here!

M

Medication

Please make certain that all medication and paperwork is on file with the school nurse. No medication will be administered without physician's orders.

N

O

Online Series

Visit the U.S. Department of Education's online service, Helping Your Child Series. IF you're feeling Overwhelmed, this series offers advice about helping your child with homework, helping your child become a better reader, helping your child succeed in school, among others.

P

Photographer

Help Wanted! Important Position! Please consider being our classroom photographer and yearbook classroom page designer! It's a fun and rewarding job to create a great memory for the kids!

P.T.A.

Please follow the P.T.A. link to become a member and support our school. Without your dedication, all of the special events, activities, etc. would not be possible. Thank you!

Q

Questions?

Questions about Parenting? Child development? Visit The Parenting Network for articles about education, child development, etc.

R

Reading

Reading is essential. Please have your child read each and every night!

Report Cards

Parents will be able to review report cards on Skyward every nine weeks. Reading, English, Spelling, Science and Math will be graded every nine weeks. Social Studies grades will be reported during the second and fourth nine weeks.

S

Student Handbook

Follow this link to read McKee Elementary's Student Handbook. If you did not receive a copy in your "Everything You Want to Know About Third Grade" folder. Please contact me. The signature page must be returned each year.

Supplies

Please follow the link to third grade's supply list.

T

Testing

Various mandatory tests are given throughout the year. This allows us to look at your child's growth throughout the year. P.S.S.A. (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) are administered in April and are given throughout the state. PSSA is a standards based assessment and measures individual growth in reading and math. Visit pde's website to learn more about the PSSA.

U

Unique

Each child has unique learning abilities and will be assigned projects based upon these abilities.

U.S. Department of Education

Keep informed about education at the U.S. Department of Education. There are various articles about reading, testing, and the latest developments in education.

V

Volunteering

Please complete the following clearance if you want to become a volunteer at McKee Elementary School. A volunteer at our school must have all school clearances. Thank you in advance.

W

Web Page

Our classroom web page will be updated throughout the year. You will find our lunch menu, school calendar, student showcase, resources for extra reinforcement. Check it out!

X

X-citing Times Ahead!

We look forward to an x-citing year with your child! Please do not hesitate to call at any time! Please join us for McKee's Open House and look for volunteering opportunities posted on our HELP WANTED board! We look forward to working with you this year!

Y

Z

Math Mania Video

Check out our Math Mania video!