Thursday, December 15

Things to Note...
THANK YOU to Susan Curp for planning our Winter Party!  It was so much fun!!  Also, thank you to all parents who came to help and who donated items for the party.  It wouldn't have been possible without you! 

Also, thank you all for my gift!!  The stools for our classroom, adorable outfit and book for Isaac, soaps, and Torchy's gift card and hot sauce (my favorite!) are awesome.  You are so generous, and I am very appreciative.

After break, we will be studying soil formation.  For an activity in this unit, each child will need to bring a soil sample to school on January 3.  This is just maybe a cup or so of soil in a sealed, plastic baggie.  If you are traveling, please try to get a sample from wherever you go...that will add some diversity to our study!  

The winter break is a good time to ask your child if they need any supplies-- maybe glue sticks have been used up, or notebooks are getting close to being full.

Have a great weekend and break!  See you in 2017! :)


Curriculum Preview...
Math: Geometry (2D and 3D shapes)
Language Arts: PBL projects; Biographies
Social Studies: Geography
Science: Earth's surface; soil formation


Mark Your Calendars...
12/16-1/2: No school!
1/3: First day of third quarter
1/13: Spirit Assembly (7:45 am)
1/14: PDQ Spirit Night
1/16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No school!)
1/19: 2nd & 3rd Grade Math Night (6-7 pm)


Tip of the Week: Home Access
By now, some of you may be pros on checking your child's grades on Home Access.  If you're not, it's okay!  This may be your first year with it, but that's why I want to reiterate how important it is to log in and keep an eye on your child's grades on a regular basis...and involve your child in the discussion!  Report cards should never hold big surprises, thanks to Home Access.  
Here are a couple of tips:

• If you do not have a login, please contact Chrissta Hinze in the front office and she can help you out!
• If you see an M in place of a grade on an assignment it means that your child has a missing assignment that should be turned in.  This M averages as a zero until the assignment is completed and turned in.
• If you see a blank space instead of a grade for an assignment, I have not entered the grade yet.  Check back in a day or two to see if it's there.
• Any grades below 70% can be redone for a grade up to 70%.  This is a district policy.  If you see a grade below 70%, please encourage your child to ask to retake it!  I will either come to them and ask them to redo it, or at least write "Please redo" on the top of the assignment when it is passed back in Thursday folders.
• Graded papers will come home in Thursday folders.  We are not allowed to send district assessments home (per district policy), so look for scoring guides to help you determine what skills your child mastered, and what they may still need work on!

Friday, December 9

Things to Note...
This week, I have been most proud of the students' PBL project ideas.  Our guiding question is, "How can we encourage others to conserve resources at Elsa England Elementary?"  Their project is their answer this question, after doing some research on the subject of natural resources and conservation.  Ask your child what they are doing to help our school reduce, reuse, and recycle!

On Home Access, you'll notice your child's spelling test grades under Writing.  Mrs. Lilleboe and I have noticed that some scores are pretty low.  Please encourage your child to study their words on a regular basis.  Maybe set aside certain days of the week (Tuesday and Thursday, for example) as spelling nights, where they will work on their spelling words.  Spelling City is a website that is helpful for studying words-- you can enter your word list and it quizzes you on it!  Also, just writing each word several times,  or having your child make flashcards to study, are other good study strategies.  Remember that there is a spelling test every other Friday!  Our next list will go home when we come back from break.

After break, we will be studying soil formation.  For an activity in this unit, each child will need to bring a soil sample to school on January 3.  This is just maybe a cup or so of soil in a sealed, plastic baggie.  If you are traveling, please try to get a sample from wherever you go...that will add some diversity to our study!  
Have a great weekend!


Curriculum Overview...
Math: Geometry (2D and 3D shapes)
Language Arts: PBL projects
Social Studies: Geography
Science: Earth's surface


Mark Your Calendars...
12/15: Class parties (3rd grade is 1:30-2:30)
12/16-1/2: No school!
1/3: First day of third quarter

Tip of the Week: Raising Kids With Grit
I believe that whether or not a child will be successful in the future is not predicted by the grades they earn.  It is much more predictable based on their abilities to persevere through challenges.  This can be reflected in grades, but it is more often seen in the day to day struggles they face, and how they handle them.  Do they quit when something is hard?  Or do they dust themselves off and try again?  

I came across this article about raising children to have grit, and I wanted to share it with you.  In class, I rarely step in and solve problems for my students...my first question to them when they come to me with an issue (academic or social) is usually something like, "What do you think you should do?"  I want to teach them to work through challenges and develop some tools to build that strong character that we all want for our children.

Friday, December 2

Things to Note...
We had another great week in third grade!  We created parachutes from recycled materials, continued focusing in on what project we want to pursue with our PBL, and learned about the features of maps.  We also welcomed a new student!  

Please continue to remind your child to complete their homework and turn it in on time.  Here is the link to the homework website.  We do not grade them individually, but I do check them for completion every Friday.  There will be a homework grade on the report card that reflects the student's completion of homework on time.  Ask your child if they turned it in today!  (If they did not, they can bring it on Monday...but it is their responsibility to give it to me!)

If your child wants to participate in the Science Fair, please read this letter.  It is optional!  If they want to participate, have them let me know if they need a tri-fold poster board.  We have some at school that they can use.

Have a great weekend!


Curriculum Overview...
Math: Finishing division and fractions (test Wednesday)
Language Arts: Expository (summarizing); PBL
Social Studies: Geography
Science: Force and motion (test Tuesday); Soil formation


Mark Your Calendars...
12/6: School Picture Retakes
12/8: Cub Choir Performance 2-3rd grade (6:30-7:30 in cafeteria)
12/15: Class parties (3rd grade is 1:30-2:30)
12/16-1/2: No school!


Tip of the Week: Finding a Just Right Book
In class, we talk about reading a just right book-- it has to be a good fit in terms of interest AND difficulty.  Reading should be an enjoyable activity, and can take many forms.  It does not have to always be a chapter book for at-home reading!  Reading recipes with your child when you cook dinner for the family or showing them an interesting article in a magazine about something they enjoy are some ideas.  Also, don't forget that reading to/with your child is one of the BEST things that you can do to help instill a love of reading in them and help them practice their literacy skills!

Here are some third grade book lists, if your child is in need of a fresh, new book to read:
Scholastic
Recommended for Girls
Recommended for Boys
For Reluctant Readers