August 2016

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to WELCOME you and your child to 3rd grade! My name is Melissa
Landau and I am delighted to be a part of the Fruchthendler community. I am looking
forward to a positive school year filled with fun and productive school days! I am also
looking forward to getting to know your child and helping him or her to learn and
grow throughout the year. It is my goal to have a classroom community in which your
child will feel comfortable and look forward to returning to learn and be challenged
each day. The following packet is designed to help you familiarize yourself with our
classroom policies and procedures. Please carefully read through the packet and
sign the portion that requires a signature. I am looking forward to a wonderful year.
Your support is greatly appreciated! Thank you and WELCOME!

Contact Information:

Sincerely,
Mrs. Landau

School Phone: 520- 731-4400

School E-mail: Melissa.landau@tusd1.org (I will respond to e-mails very often so I
encourage you to send me an e-mail first if possible.) I will also get started on
sending out a weekly newsletter through e-mail. I will provide a hard copy to send
home ONLY to those who do not have/use e-mail. If you would like a hard copy sent
home each week, please send a note to let me know. My newsletters will also be
posted on the website.
Website: http://mrslandau.weebly.com/
**If you would like to come in and speak with me in person, I request that you please
do so by scheduling an appointment or stopping by after school (the morning time
before school is precious in order to prepare for a successful day). Please know that
I am always willing to talk with you about any concerns or questions you may have.
Do not hesitate to contact me!

Weekly Newsletter
Each week the classroom newsletter will be sent out by e-mail and posted on the
class website. The newsletter will discuss what will be happening the classroom that
week. You will also find important dates, class wish lists and any notes or updates
that I may send out. Reading the weekly newsletter is a way for me to communicate
with families, but more importantly it gives you an idea of what you may want to
discuss with your child after school or at the dinner table!
S.T.A.R Binder
The Students That Are Responsible Binder will contain;
o Homework folder and resources
o Parent/Teacher Communication
o Parent/Child Journal
This folder will go home each day and return to school each day.
School Communication
Any flyers from school will come home in the STAR binder. Look for forms,
information from the PTA, etc. I will also email you information. This folder will
contain completed work and is an opportunity for you to communicate any concerns
or woot-woots (praise for your child) you have. Just date a line on the Parent
Communication Form, fill it out, and make sure your child shows it to me so I can
reply. I will fill out the Parent Communication Form as concerns and celebrations
arise (not each day). Students LOVE when I sent positive notes home. I do my best
to grade and return work ASAP so your child will typically bring something home in
their folder each day (not just one day a week).
Parent/Child Journal
Each week your child will write a note to you about his/her progress in school. In
return, I ask that you write a positive note back to your child over the weekend.

Children really look forward to reading what you write! This journal will be kept in the
S.T.A.R homework binder.
Unfinished Work
Unfinished work must be returned the next day, and will only be included in the
S.T.A.R. Binder if your child was not using time appropriately. I will write
HOMEWORK across the top.
When your child is absent, all missed work will be collected. Please make sure that
your child completes the work at home and returns it ASAP. I am always available to
help your child with missed work as well.
Behavior Plan
In order to establish a comfortable learning environment, I have high expectations for
all of my students concerning behavior. We will work together to establish and
understand classroom rules. I am a believer in Whole Brain Teaching. This is a
method where students are actively engaged in the learning process, and also their
classroom behavior system. Im sure you will be hearing about my cueing system
soon from your child!
Classroom Behavior System
Your child will monitor his or her behavior through a warning system. If you see a
Think Time form come home, it means that even after warnings, a behavior
continued that is not allowed in our classroom or at school. Please read the teacher
comments, sign, and send the form back to school. No form means no problems
however, keep in mind that the Think Time was designed as a tool to help your child
reflect on their behavior to support positive social and academic choices. Your
signature is simply required as a form of communication, and the Think Time DOES
NOT mean that your child is in trouble. This is a school wide restorative practice.
Students who bring their homework in all week and have positive behavior will be
able to participate in our Mindfully Engaged (ME) Time each Friday afternoon and go
to the prize box. ME Time is earned by the class through positive behavior and
S.T.A.R homework (read below). The prize box is an added bonus for those who
bring in their nightly homework on time all week. ME time is a chance for your child
to make educational choices within the classroom. Students who do not use class
time appropriately will work on making up missed assignments at this time.

*Our classroom prize box will consist of fun pencils, bookmarks, erasers, pencil
sharpeners and miscellaneous prizes. Donations will be accepted throughout the
school year!
Scoreboard
The Scoreboard is a whole class part of the Whole Brain Teaching method that I
use. Students can begin earning a mighty oh yeah each morning as they walk
through the door. The smile faces will represent a positive start of the day!
Throughout the day I may also say, Heres a chance to earn a mighty oh yeah...
and by following directions or being on task students will earn them! On the other
side of our scoreboard we have a place to keep track of our mighty groans. These
frown faces represent when the class is not following directions or not making good
choices. The best part of the scoreboard is that each time we earn a mighty oh yeah
the class goes oh yeah! If we receive a mighty groan the class goes awwww. It
sounds silly but the kids love it and it helps keep them accountable and noticing what
is happening in our classroom! Each day we check to see if we have earned more
smile faces than frowning faces. The class must earn at least 3 smile face days to
earn their ME time. The Scoreboard also helps us to set goals day to day including
behavior goals and quick transition times.
Class Compliments
Earning compliments is a way for students to work as a whole group in the areas of
staying on task, working quietly when required to, lining up and strolling from place
to place quietly; receiving a compliment from another member of the school staff,
etc. We will have a jar that must be filled with our compliments. When we reach our
goal the class will vote on a treat to receive such as extra computer time or a small
celebration! We also add compliments to the jar at the end of the day based on the
number of mighty oh yeahs we have earned.
S.T.A.R. Homework
S.T.A.R. Homework allows your child to choose how much homework he/she
completes nightly. Your child can choose to complete one or up to four stars per
night. Our class will be attempting to earn as many stars as possible, so it is
important your child completes nightly homework to help our class achieve our goals.
Every 20 homework stars= 1 compliment in the jar.

Monday through Thursday your child will receive math homework that covers the
topic we learned in class. This homework is a MUST star. The homework will
directly align with the Daily Problem Set completed in class. The Problem Set should
be used as a guide to help your child complete the work. Homework is a chance for
you to keep up with the concepts your child is learning. Please write notes on
homework to communicate with me if your child comes home frustrated and not
knowing what to do or if you feel your child is mastering the concept. Please visit the
Engage New York Math help link on my website.
In addition to the nightly ENY Math homework, your child can choose to practice
spelling from the provided word list in the S.T.A.R. Binder, read 20 minutes a night
and/or complete challenges on www.sumdog.com. (On occasion, pages from our
Core Knowledge English Language Arts Program will be sent home, but they do not
need to be returned. These reading pages can count towards the 20 minutes of
reading/night.
Quarterly Writing Projects
Instead of a traditional book report, students will be required to write a paragraph in
response to a prompt about a book or informational text. In alignment with the
Common Core Standards, students will actively participate in analyzing work, publish
a response, and present the information to the class. Details and guidelines will
come home in advance.
Names
It is suggested that you write your childs name on all personal items. This includes
water bottles, jackets and backpacks. This helps to avoid confusion and also gets
the item back in the hands of your child if lost!
Water Bottles and Snacks
I want your child to be comfortable while at school. If possible, please provide your
child with a water bottle to bring to and from the classroom each day. PLEASE make
sure that this bottle has a secure lid and does not leak. Water is the only drink that
should be brought into the room.
I feel as though a small snack midmorning is important to our learning environment
and classroom comfort level. Students will be allowed to bring their snack outside
during our health/nutrition break. I suggest a small healthy snack!

Parent Volunteers
Parents are very welcome in the classroom; WE are a team! I do request that you let
me spend a few weeks alone with the class in order to establish procedures and
rules. I also ask that you contact me in advance if you are planning to come in. This
will simply allow me to prepare and plan for extra help! I appreciate you working with
me on these requests! Keep in mind some volunteer positions may begin sooner
than others.
Attendance
Attendance and promptness is very important and often reflects success. If your
child does need to miss school for any reason, make-up work will be sent home
when your child returns to school. This work will need to be completed and returned
ASAP.
Lunch Money
Please send lunch money in an envelope or baggie. It is very helpful if you provide
your childs name, grade and teacher.
Dismissal Plan
You will fill out a dismissal plan for your child. Please remember to send a note or email each time your childs dismissal plans change. I cannot send a child to a
different location without written or verbal consent. I greatly appreciate your
help in this safety precaution. (If your dismissal plans change in the middle of the
day, please call the school and the message will be passed on to me. I am not
checking my e-mail while I am teaching your child! )
If you have any questions, always feel free to ask. Keep this packet as an easy
reference. I look forward to a fantastic year!
Sincerely,

Melissa Landau

S.T.A.R. Agreement Form

AFTER REVIEWING THIS PACKET WITH YOUR CHILD, PELASE SIGN AND
RETURN ONLY THIS FORM. PLEASE KEEP THE REST OF THE PACKET AS A
REFERENCE.
1. Math Homework goes home each night and is due the next day.
2. S.T.A.R. Binder goes to and from school daily in order to maintain

communication.
3. Remember that unfinished work will be sent as homework for those that do
not finish their class work. This will be only in instances where I feel the
student had sufficient time to complete work in class. Please make sure that
this work is completed and returned the next day!
Parent/Guardian
I ________________ have read, understood, and discussed the homework policy
and S.T.A.R. binder with my child.
_______________________
Parent/Guardian Signature
Student
I ________________ have read, discussed, and now understand the homework
policy and S.T.A.R. binder. I will do my best to practice positive school habits by
turning in my homework on time and taking care of my S.T.A.R. binder.
________________________
Student Signature