Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn.

~Benjamin Franklin

Flying into 2/3 High Ability!
Mrs. Isles Class
2014-2015

Dear families,
I am thrilled to be working with your child this year! It is going to be a year of learning and LOTS
of adventures. I have previously taught 5
th
grade and 3
rd
grade at other schools and 3
rd
and 1
st
here at
Brown. I am returning to Brown this year after getting married last summer and welcoming our first
child, Lucy, this spring. This will be my 7
th
year teaching and I truly love what I do. There are many
things we will learn together, but the most important thing I want you to know is that I will love and care
for your children each and every day. This packet will serve as a guideline for our successful school year.
In order for your child to have the best educational experience possible, we need your help in
understanding and following the procedures below.
Contact Information:
Brown Elementary 852-1498
Mrs. Isles 852-1498 Ext. 1462
Email misles@brownsburg.k12.in.us
Website www.islesairways.weebly.com

Parent Volunteers
Parent volunteers are always appreciated and needed in the classroom. However, we understand that due
to work schedules, childcare, etc. it may not be possible to spend time in the classroom working with
children. There are many ways you can volunteer your time and become involved in your childs education.
Please let me know if you are looking for a way to help by filling out the parent helper sheet. You must
fill out the criminal history check prior to coming into the classroom to help or to go on
field trips.
Visiting our Classroom
You are always welcome to visit our classroom during the day. Please send a note, email, or leave a
message on my voicemail to allow us to set up a convenient time for your visit. It is important for you to
let me know when you plan to come into the class just in case we are not in the classroom or testing. Our
lunch time is from 11:50 12:20 and recess is from 12:20 12:45.
During the school day our classroom phone will be on DO NOT DISTURB. If you call, you will be
immediately connected to my voicemail. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as
possible. If there is an emergency, please contact the main office. If you are calling in regards to a
change in your childs transportation you must contact the office by 3:00pm.
Friday Folders
Your child will bring home a Friday Folder which will include completed and graded work, any
important notices from me or the school, and our classroom newsletter. The folder will come home with
your child on Fridays and must be returned the following Monday. (Thursdays if there is a short week) If
there are other papers or reminders that need to come home, they will be found in their
daily T.R.A.V.E.L. (Teaching Responsibility and Values for Every day Learning) folder. This
will come home every day and should be looked at by you each night. We are working towards making
our students independent and they can learn these skills with your help.
Please fill out parent information cards and
return by the end of the week!
Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn. ~Benjamin Franklin

Assignment Notebook and Weekly Behavior Charts
Each afternoon, I will review the days assignments with the students as I record them onto our classroom
blog which can be found at www.islesairways.weebly.com. You child should have all assignments written
as well as a date next to the assignment name to let you both know when it is due. The weekly behavior
charts are where the students will keep track of their behavior. They will be glued into the assignment
notebook each week and need to be signed by you over the weekend. I will check for a parent
signature every Monday morning.

Classroom Discipline Plan
It is my teaching philosophy that children learn better in an environment that is filled with authentic
praise. I will make sure to notice great things your child does on a daily basis because they deserve to be
valued. In 2/3 we stress the importance of making wise choices (life skills), taking responsibility for our
own actions, being on task, and working together as good citizens. We will be using the same school-wide
discipline program from last year. This plan allows for all students to make a mistake and still feel pride
in their hard work in being a good citizen.
*Darts are given for poor behavior choices in the classroom, hallway, specials, and lunch/recess. If
a child earns 3 darts in a day they receive a demerit and will be seen by Mrs. Patterson. Tallies are
given for breaking responsibility rules. *5 tallies and/or 5 darts in a week will result in detention
that must be served the following week. On the flip side minimal darts and tallies give the students
opportunities to participate in a quarterly dart celebration!
Classroom Reward System
The students will work each day to earn Isles Insurance that they can then spend every other Friday
during our auction. Students are working towards earning $1 worth of Isles Insurance throughout the day
when Mrs. Isles catches them doing the right thing. There are also $5 and $10 for extra specials things
that students do throughout the day.

Homework:
I have high academic expectations for your child and it is important that they take their work both in and
out of class seriously. Homework will consistently include a math sheet each night (Monday Thursday),
and a reading assignment. It may also include reading and answering questions from the Reading Street
book, completing test study guides, and working on at home projects. Spelling tests will be given on
Thursdays, Reading tests will be given on Fridays, and tests for all other subjects will be given
intermittently with at least 1 week in advance and a study guide given.

PowerSchool
This system allows students and parents to check their grades and receive report cards online throughout
the school year. You can see the individual assignments and the average grade for every subject. Your
childs graders will be upgraded every two weeks. If you do not have a computer at home, there is a
computer available in the main office and office staff will help you access student grades, if needed. It is
SOOOOO important that you check your childs report card every quarter to help teach your children that
value of doing well in school. This resource is a great way to avoid any surprises on report cards.


Tell me and I will forget, teach me and I will remember, involve me and I will learn. ~Benjamin Franklin

Curriculum

Spelling:
Each Friday the spelling list for the next week will be included in the newsletter (which will be posted on
our website). During Reading Street weeks our lists will consist of 20 words (including words that
follow a certain phonics rule and challenge words). During our Novel Study weeks we will have a
spelling list that goes along with vocabulary from the story. There will be a weekly spelling activity for the
students to complete and there will also be a link to the computer program spelling city to help them
practice. Spelling tests will be given on Thursday morning.
Reading:
Our Readers Workshop structure will include mini-lesson time for me to give all the students direct
instruction as well as group and independent time for them to practice that skill with books at their level.
With all of the stories we are reading there will be new vocabulary words that your students will need to
study. They will be given a reading challenge (25 books for 2
nd
graders and 30 books for 3
rd
graders)
where the students will read books from all different genres and working towards their goal. This goal can
be met more than once throughout the year.
Math:
We will be using the Everyday Math program. This method uses a balanced approach where we will be
working on algebra, data and chance, geometry, measurement, decimals, fractions, and many more!
Family Unit letters will be given at the beginning of each unit. These letters are very informational on
how you can help your child at home. There are also links on our website to help your students excel and
push themselves. Each student will have a log-in and a password for the math series. This is a great
resource for your family which includes games, reference material, and family resources to use at home.
These games are proven to help children learn their math facts very quickly. Daily Homework!
*It is extremely important that your child knows their addition, subtraction, and basic multiplication
facts because we will be doing in depth multiplication and long division and the students must have quick recall to
excel at these skills.
Writing / Grammar:
Students will be learning grammar and punctuation throughout the year in coordination with their
writing lessons. They will be learning how to utilize the 6+1 Traits of writing to create narrative, mystery,
creative, and many more types of pieces. We will be doing lots of typing! So have your kids practice at
home, but Im guessing they already do.
Science and Health:
Our topics include: Scientific Method, sound and motion, magnetism, and inventions. Be ready to help
the students create some inventions of their own. We will be keeping a Science notebook where the
students will practice observations and recording results as scientists do.
Social Studies:
Our topics include: Geography, Cultural Awareness, Native Americans, and Presidents. The students will
participate in a cross-curricular biography project that studies the lives of influential people.