Dear Parents,
Welcome to Hephatha’s third grade. My name is Mrs. Robyne Kajszo and I will be your child’s teacher this year. I have been in the teaching profession, at the elementary level, for over 25 years and at Hephatha since 2009. I absolutely love working with children and am thrilled to be at Hephatha. I want the third grade year to be a positive and nurturing experience.
Your child’s spiritual and academic progress is important. By choosing Hephatha as your family’s learning institution, you are making the statement that a Christian education is important to you. It is my goal to create a positive and caring learning atmosphere in a Christian setting where your child can come to enjoy and participate in the learning process. I will provide a positive environment in which your child can build an upright character. I look forward to a wonderful year with your child, and my prayer is that God will bless us throughout the year.
To contact me, you may call the school office during office hours, or e-mail me up to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at [email protected]. During the school day I am tied up with the class and not free to check emails. If it is vital that you get a message to me, go through the office. I welcome your questions and concerns and I will return your call or e-mail within 24 hours whenever possible.
Mrs. Robyne Kajszo
Routine Procedures
A morning routine is very important to the beginning of a productive day. You may drop off your child outside the class. They should place their lunch on the lunch cart and hang their backpack a hook outside our room. Classroom doors open at 8:10. Upon entering the classroom, your child should hand in assignments, sharpen pencils, and be in their seats working on their morning assignment by 8:20. Resist the temptation to come into the classroom with them.
Schedules
• The gates open at 8:05 and the classrooms doors open at 8:10. Class
begins at 8:20
• If you arrive after 8:20, get a tardy slip in the office before coming to class. In grades K-5th, children lose a recess upon receiving their 7th tardy.
• The school day ends at 3:00. Third graders are dismissed from class to a parent, sibling, your designee, or signed into daycare if not picked up from the classroom by 3:10. If your child is to be released to someone not on your emergency card, I must have written authorization. Note: an older sibling may pick up their brother or sister and walk them to them out to you.
• If a student needs an early dismissal or needs to leave in the middle of the day, please call the office to make arrangements and they will contact me. Any missed work will be expected the following day.
• Report any absences through the Hephatha app.
• If you have a planned absence and would like classwork for the time you’ll be gone, contact me 2 weeks in advance.
For more detailed information, refer to the K-8th Family Handbook located on Hephatha's website.
Illness
Please use Hephatha’s app if your child will not be in class. I ask that you do not send your child to school if they are sick; they are not at their optimum for learning when not feeling well. It is so easy to prevent the spread of germs and disease by limiting exposure to others. If your child has a fever, do not medicate for the fever, and then send them to school. Not only do they not feel well and have a difficult time getting their classwork done, but now the class has also been exposed. Often mid-morning the fever returns and they are sent home. Students should remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours and have not vomited within that time (Per Family Handbook).
Homework
1. Any class work not completed during the school day is considered homework. This work should be completed and returned the next school day.
2. Also, each week spelling words, vocabulary words, and memory work is assigned for homework. It is emailed home in my Weekly Message. Parents print out this homework for their child to use each week. This homework is designed to reinforce classroom instruction. Unless otherwise stated, there is a spelling, vocab, and memory test given every Friday and the homework is due Friday morning. Weekly spelling, memory, and vocab homework is not written in the planner.
It is not my intention for third graders to be overwhelmed with homework. This is the reason I send the weekly homework assignments out early in the week and do not have them due until Friday morning. If you know you have a busy week ahead, you can plan accordingly and still have your child show responsibility with their assignments.
The Memory work which is assigned each week includes Bible verses that
coincide with their Religion lessons. There are generally two verses each week. We will also learn the Apostles Creed, the Ten Commandments, and in the third
trimester we will learn the books of the Bible. Please take time each week to
practice the spelling, memory, and vocab with your child.
Homework Expectations
Parents:
o Establish homework as a top priority
o Provide a quiet setting and positive support
o Establish a routine
o Monitor their progress
o Do not let your child excuse themselves from their homework
o Sports is not an acceptable excuse for not completing homework
o Contact the teacher if your child experiences difficulty in completing homework
assignments
Students:
o Classroom homework assignments are written in the planner each day.
o In addition, there is spelling, memory, and vocabulary homework that is emailed
every week
o Homework is completed neatly
o Homework is completed on time
o Homework is completed by the student
o Students are responsible for making up any missed assignments
Folders/ Papers Sent Home
Each day your child is expected to bring home their
planner and any unfinished classwork/ homework they may have.
On Monday, the children empty out their mailboxes into their Homework Folder. They bring home corrected papers, work that needs to be redone, notices, and miscellaneous correspondence. In order to be aware of your child’s progress in class, it is important for you to look through the papers that are sent home. If any papers in the folder are marked “Correct”, please assist your child in making the corrections and send the papers back the next day. Parents should ask their child before removing work from the folder. Sometimes students place unfinished work or work in progress in the folder and parents have removed it or thrown it away…yikes!
Planner
Your child will be using a planner this year. They will be passed out after Back to School Night.
Students are responsible for recording their daily work in their planner and crossing out assignments as they are completed. The planner is designed to provide communication between the
school and home. Parents, PLEASE check your child’s planner each day and sign it after the assignments have been completed. A parent’s signature is required
each day to confirm completion of your child’s homework. Students will receive points daily for the signature.
I recommend using a binder
clip as a place holder. 
Grading
In grade three it is very important to focus on the potential a child has and the improvement the child can make during the school year. An emphasis is placed on responsibility; responsibility taken on by the child for their own education, for being sure they have the necessary supplies each day at school, and responsibility for completing their assignments. It is a year for growth, learning, and establishing conscientious study habits. It is a time to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment
Chapel Offerings
Chapel is every Wednesday. In third grade, envelopes are not sent home. Offerings are collected before we go to chapel and put in our class’s offering bag. Please remind your child to bring their offering as a thank you to Jesus for all His blessings. Offering collection boxes will be coming home so students can save their money and bring it in for their offering. Collection boxes are emptied into the class offering bag and then the boxes are returned home.
Chapel Uniforms
Both boys and girls must wear the chapel uniforms:
• White button-down shirts
• Ties are optional
• Plaid skirt or skort for girls
• Pants or shorts for boys
• White or black socks
• Chapel sweater
• 2nd-8th grades, belts are mandatory
• K-1, belts are optional
• No free dress passes may be used on chapel days
Chapel outer wear may include the zip up fleece jacket, with the Hephatha logo,
available for purchase at French Toast. Dressy, plain sweaters in red, black, or white may also be worn on chapel days.
Students who are not wearing approved chapel outerwear will be asked to remove it during chapel. Hoodies may not be worn in chapel. On inclement weather days, heavy jackets and rain jackets may be worn in any color,but may only be worn outside, not in the classrooms or in chapel.
Label clothing, especially jackets and sweaters.
See the Hephatha Family Handbook for the entire dress code.
School Policy for Dress Code Violations
1st violation-verbal
2nd violation-miss one recess
3rd violation-miss 2 recesses
4th violation- call home for clothes
Birthdays
Your child may bring a birthday treat for each student in the class. They will be passed out during recess. Keep in mind any student allergies. Please contact me prior to the birthday so I can plan accordingly. (Also, please send napkins along with the treat.) Bringing lunches for the entire class is no longer allowed.
***If your child is inviting the ENTIRE class, or all boys or all girls to their birthday party, invitations may be distributed at school. If not, make other arrangements.
VIP
• Each child will be assigned one week in which they will be the Very Important Person. This is a program designed to let your child shine. You will receive a 2- page reminder before your child’s V.I.P. date. The front page is a brief
overview and the back page is for you to complete. You get to write about why your child is special to you. This letter will be read to the class.
• On Monday the V.I.P. brings in photos of themselves and their family, friends, and pets to display on the V.I.P. board. On the last day of that week, they share their pictures. They may also bring in awards/trophies they are proud of and your letter. AND they bring in a Guesstimation.
• We practice our estimating skills with the Guesstimation. Fill a container with items such as marshmallows, M&Ms, paper clips, marbles (get the idea?) and seal the container. Your child should count the number of items and KEEP IT A SECRET. Convey the number to me.
• During the week each classmate fills out a Guesstimation slip. On the last day of the week, the V.I.P. determines the 1 or 2 closest guesses. They are the winner(s).
• You provide a small “prize(s)” for the winner(s). It can be the contents of the Guesstimation jar, a small toy, candy bar, $5 gift card, etc. If you choose to have 2 winners, send a prize for a boy and a prize for a girl, or for the 2 closest guesses.
Example: one year a child bought an inexpensive gumball machine. The students guessed the number of gumballs and the winner won the entire thing. (Or the gumballs, your choice). The winner shared the gumballs with the class and took the rest home.
Discipline
The Six Commandments of 3rd Grade
These were decided on and written by students.
*You shall not talk in class or talk over the teacher or blurt.* You shall listen to what the teacher says and obey
*Respect the teacher and respect your friends.
*You shall set good examples.
*Treat others the way you want to be treated. Put others before yourself.
*Be kind at recess. Play nicely.
Rewards
• Praise/Hephatha Hooray/HLS ticket
• Positive notes, calls or e-mails home
• Treasure Chest prizes
• Positive recognition in class
Consequences
Warning-name on my list
ü- written explanation of the rule that was broken
üü-10 minutes off recess
üüü-call or email home
Parent Volunteer Hours
There are opportunities to earn PVP hours by prepping projects or purchasing items for the class. You can contribute items we need for projects, contribute to the class TPT account, or purchase items from our class "Wishlist". The links are below under Classroom Donations and they are on my class website under Wish List.
Fifty parent volunteer hours are required each year. Families can donate $10/hour.
Classroom Donations
Donations for our class are always appreciated. You can make donations by purchasing items from the Amazon Wishlist for Mrs. Kajszo’s Class
or
Donate to our Class TPT Account account. Here is the link:
or
We appreciate donations of the following items:
· Snacks/water for emergencies, or when someone forgets their snack
· Ziplocks-all sizes
· Prizes for the Treasure Chest-check dollar stores, etc.
· Art supplies-tissue paper, yarn, ribbons, cotton balls, jiggly eyes, buttons, etc.
Disaster Contact
In the event of a major disaster, local cell service can be spotty or non-existent, and it is recommended that a common contact number be established. Our common contact to call or text for information in the event of a disaster is our sister school, Shepherd of the Desert in Arizona.
Their contact number is 480 860-1188 ext. 200.