My name is Heather D. Mihalek, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you and your child to my 3rd Grade class for the 2019-2020 school-year. I am a passionate, enthusiastic person who will give a 100% to the education of your child. I hold an Elementary/Early Childhood Bachelor’s degree and a Reading Specialist’s Master’s. I am a wife and a mother of a twenty-one-year-old daughter and a teenage son. I have extensive experience with children and have only your child’s best interests at heart at all times. Third grade is a year of big changes for students. As part of your child’s “Learning Team”, you share the responsibility and the rewards of helping your child meet the challenges of the school-year. By working together, we can make this a very productive year.
This is my 21st year with the Trinity Area School District. Prior to being assigned to a third grade classroom at Trinity North, I was a Title I Reading Specialist at Trinity West and also did a lot of subbing in various school districts.
This year your child will have a Home and School Folder and a Premier Planner for school communications and homework assignments. Please be sure your child shares this information with you daily. Planners will be checked daily. The weekly Spelling lists will be sent home at the beginning of every week. However, the students will no longer take a test by simply listing the words through dictation. They will be responsible for learning all of the words, but they will be applying them by using proofreading skills which will contain spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar mistakes. The reason for this change is that many students score well on the spelling test but can’t apply the skills to their daily writing.
This type of test will help to reinforce that skill. Your child will have spelling homework every night except Fridays and over holidays. There will be weeks when your child will not have a spelling list or test. I’ll have the students write it in their planners, so you will know to not expect spelling homework for those weeks. Also, if there’s a short week due to a holiday, cancellation, staff development, etc., the test may be given on Thursday instead of Friday.
Please return take home folders and the planner to school each day. Be sure to notify me if you are not getting the folder and/or the planner, so we can work together to see that they are brought home. Please help your child develop this responsibility at home.
We will be having a snack daily. It is your child’s responsibility to provide his/her snacks. Please be sure that they are healthy choices. A water bottle is also permitted, but it will have to be stored on the counter by the sink in order to avoid spillage. Please be sure to label your child’s bottles.
I have also attached a letter explaining the reward/behavior system called “Brag Tags” that all of the 3rd grade teachers will be implementing this year.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to write a note, e-mail, or call me at school, (724) 222-5064, and I will contact you as soon as possible. You can schedule a conference during your child’s special class times:
Monday = Phys. Ed. (10:10-10:50)
Tuesday = Art (1:20 – 2:00)
Wednesday = Music (10:10-10:50)
Thursday = Technology (1:20 – 2:00)
Friday = Library (10:10-10:50)
I have really enjoyed my experience with third grade and am looking forward to another exciting year! Let’s work together to assure a successful year for your third grader!
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. You may call me at school or e-mail me at hmihalek@trinityhillers.net. I will try to respond as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Heather D. Mihalek