The fourth and final quarter of third grade is upon us! Please understand that I truly am not trying to be mean or scare the children. I just feel that many of them are capable of so much more than they are putting forth. I have been working with them on being responsible since Day One, and some are still missing assignments, coming without books and materials, and not writing down assignments. I'm aftaid that they may have to forego recess to complete an assignment if necessary. In other cases, the quality of work is not what they know I expect of them. We work in cursive now, so anything done in manuscript will be returned to "Do Over". The same goes for papers that do not follow directions or are what I consider to be sloppy. I'm at my "wit's end" by now, therefore papers without names will not be graded. They will be treated as missing assignments and given a score of 60%. I have hesitated to show failing grades as an F on the children's papers until now. Realistically, they need to know when they are not meeting a passing mark. I hope you won't be noticing any, but the letter F will now be appearing on papers and tests when warranted. Multiplication/division facts must be mastered. It's really now or never...In fourth grade where long division and fractions are taught more fully, it is essential to know the facts quickly or face a huge struggle. I am concerned that some boys and girls just aren't practicing flash cards enough. They need your help, parents. Make a game of it! They need to be coached. I do believe that with your assistance, we can turn this downhill spiral around and finish the year on a very positive note. Let's not quit now...there's a whole quarter left! As always thank you for supporting your child.