Dear Third Grade Parents, 

 
It is an honor and a privilege to be your child’s third grade teacher. A third 
grader’s world is a wonderful and exciting place, and we look forward to being a part 
of his or her social, emotional, and scholastic growth. Parental involvement is 
encouraged, and we welcome any insights which will help us to better understand your 
child. 
A quiet, orderly classroom is necessary not only to assure your child’s highest 
academic achievement but also to assure that his or her time in the classroom is 
pleasant. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support. We look forward to 
an exciting year! 
 
Pioneer 3rd Grade Teachers 
 
The Pioneer Panther Principles: 
 
Respect yourself and others. 
Respect the right of others to learn and the teacher’s right to teach. 
Respect the property of others. 
Do your best. 
Be Proud, Aware, Wise and Safe (our PAWS program) 
 
In addition to the Panther Principles, Pioneer teaches and emphasizes  
the use of the ​Six Pillars of Character:​ Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, 
Caring, Fairness, and Citizenship. Teachers, administrators, and other school 
employees will be watching for examples of “good character” and will be issuing Pride 
Tickets. We are continuing to emphasize the “No-Bullying Program” adopted by 
Pioneer Elementary. 
 
Panther Pride: 
Every trimester, students can earn the privilege of being a member of Panther 
Pride. This will allow them to attend a special field trip or activity. In order to be 
eligible, students can have no more than two M’s on the learning behavior section of 
the report card (this includes turning in homework regularly) and cannot ​exceed​ four 
clip downs below blue in the classroom. They must also have no more than 2 tardies, 2 
absences, or 2 early check-outs. 
 
Rocket Math: 
Rocket Math is the Math Fact Program that we use in third grade. Your child 
will need to memorize and master the multiplication facts by the end of the third 
grade. As your child begins to study these facts, please take the time to track their 
progress.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Grading Policy: 
Your child will receive a report card at the end of each trimester. These 
report cards are designed to reflect student scores as they relate to the California 
Common Core Standards. We use a standards based report card. 
 
Pioneer Elementary School 
Grading Scale: 
 
4= Consistently Meets or Exceeds: 96% & above 
 
3= Meets the Standard: 80-95% 
 
2= Approaching the Standard: 65-79% 
 
1= Does Not Meet the Standard: 0-64%   

 
 
Homework Policy: 
Homework is important and is a preview-review of what is taught during the day. 
Homework needs to be done ​each night and turned in to school first​ ​thing in the 
morning​, to be checked and/or corrected​. Work turned in later that day will be 
considered as late homework. Homework should take 30 minutes a night. To help 
children do their best, find them a quiet place to work at home, decide on the best 
time of day to do homework assignments and make doing homework a priority at home. 
In addition, each child will be assigned independent reading each night. 
 
 
Your child’s teacher will keep track of their missing homework assignments. 
Each student will be allowed one “freebie” per trimester where they will not be 
penalized for incomplete or missing homework. If students miss more than 3 times 
after the freebie, they will lose the opportunity to go to Panther Pride. Your child’s 
teacher may have them serve morning recess detention if homework is missing or 
incomplete. (When serving morning detention students are still allowed to use the 
restroom and get a drink of water) 
 
We believe in the value of positive support to motivate children to develop good 
study habits. We will give students praise and other incentives when they do their 
homework properly. We believe parents’ words of support are the single most 
important way to motivate children to do well in school. Please help and encourage 
your child as much as possible!   
 
 
Recommendations: 
Please make every effort to ensure that your student receives all of the 
instructional minutes available. Try to schedule appointments after school or on 
weekends, if at all possible. Also, set times to meet with your student’s teacher 
outside of the instructional time. 
 
In order to minimize classroom interruptions and ease the burden of the office 
staff, please maintain a consistent routine for your student to follow after school. 
Please also send a note if there’s a change in their after school transportation. 
 
E-mail is the preferred method of communication if you have questions or 
concerns and need to get a hold of the teacher. In most cases, it’s faster and easier. 
 
Looking forward to an amazing school year! Go Panthers!!