Dear Grade Three Families, August 9, 2017

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the new school year and to introduce ourselves as the Grade 3 teachers.

Thomas Steele – (thomas_steele@istianjin.net) G'day! I am from Melbourne, Australia and most recently I was teaching a Year 3 and 4 composite class in Melbourne. I approach teaching and learning with a positive attitude and believe that mistakes are part of the learning journey. I am passionate about student wellbeing and believe that students learn best when they are happy. I am looking forward to promoting a collaborative learning environment where each student is supported to achieve their full potential. I am excited to meet you and look forward to celebrating many successes with you and your child along the way.

Jade Masefield (jade_masefield@istianjin.net) Kia ora! I am from New Zealand and his is my second year at IST. I feel I have the experience, expertise and enthusiasm to make this year enjoyable for your child. My philosophy to teaching is to make learning exciting by promoting a classroom where the children learn collaboratively, and individual interests and strengths are used to enrich student learning. I look forward to meeting you and your child and getting to know you throughout the year.

Ms. Aileena Song (Aileena_Song@istianjin.net) Hello to all parents and students and welcome to a new year at our wonderful school. My name is Aileena Song and I will be working closely with both Ms. Masefield and Mr. Steele to maximize your students learning potential at IST. I come from Tianjin and I have been working at the school for a total of eight years. I am excited and enthusiastic to help the students on their journey ahead for the 2017/18 school year.

Irish Farley (Irish_Farley@istianjin.net) This is my second year at IST and am so excited to be back! I will be teaching ESL with 3rd and 5th grade students. Prior to my time in China, I taught ESL in Seoul, South Korea for 4 years and individual needs in Colorado, USA before that. I am here with my husband who teaches secondary humanities and my twin 10-year-old daughters and 7-year-old son. I look forward to meeting all of you and working closely with you and your children to foster success!

WelcomeDuring the first week the children and teachers will be getting to know each other. We will be introducing the children to expectations and procedures, work behaviors, and doing activities to discover each student’s skill level and learning style.

Classroom Blogs The Grade 3 Team has an informative blog. On here you will be able to find schedules, overviews and information about upcoming events. We will also update this regularly with student work and a short blurb about what has been happening in the classroom. The website is http://www.istianjinelearning.org/grade3team/

Unit of Inquiry (UOI) Our first UOI this year is Where We Are in Place and Time. Students will be learning about innovative thinkers and how they change society. It would be great if you could start discussing with your children the innovative thinkers you know of and how they "thought outside the box".

Homework The children in Grade 3 are expected to complete 30-45 minutes of homework a night, starting from week 2. This will include literacy, mathematics, spelling and inquiry. Included in their book bag is a Homework Log. This book is essential for communication between the school and parents and to record completion of homework each night.

Snack and LunchPlease provide a healthy snack for morning recess. Students can bring their own lunch from home or they may buy it from the school cafeteria using a rechargeable card. Please also ensure that you send in a named water bottle every day. There are water coolers around the building and we encourage the children to refill and drink frequently throughout the day.

Clothing Please send your child to school in comfortable clothing so they can play and do art activities freely. Sports shoes and PE uniform are required on PE days:

3M: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 3S: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

Parent Participation The school has a very active and welcoming PFO (Parent Faculty Organization). We encourage you to be as active as possible in our school community. If you would like to come in and help in our classroom or share any special skills please let us know right away. We warmly welcome you! We believe that home and school need to work closely together for the benefit of your children. We look forward to meeting with you in the near future and toward establishing a positive partnership between home and school throughout this year.

Warmest regards,

Grade 3 Team