Friday, May 26

Things to Note...
Can you believe that our final full week of third grade is in the books and this is our last official weekly update?!  Next week, there is no school on Monday due to Memorial Day, and Thursday is the last day of school for students.  Grades are already submitted, so we will spend our time doing some enrichment learning activities.  This is not just random mess-around time...we are still learning, even if we are no longer taking official grades.  Please encourage your child to come to school ready to learn, follow PAWS expectations, and participate.

Conference forms went home yesterday.  There were two copies sent home.  Please sign and return ONE of them.  The other is yours to keep!

Field Day was a blast!  THANK YOU to everyone who helped out!

Our end of the year class party will be on Thursday from 1:30-2:30.  Mrs. Curp sent an email last week with a link to a sign-up for donations.  If you did not receive that email, but want to help out, please let me know.  All parents are invited to come party with us and celebrate our successful year.

Here is a message from our librarian, Mrs. Kupersztoch:

Hi Elsa England Parents! 

I'm so excited to share this Summer Reading Presentation with you; I taught this information to all students K through 4th grade this week (our 5th graders had a special visit from their new librarian at PRMS or CeVMS). It's FULL of information to help you make a plan for your family to do LOTS of summer reading!

You'll want to pay special attention to the slides covering:

  * RRISD Library Department's Beach Blanket Bingo Challenge

  * RRISD Summer Pop-Up Library (See Schedule & Sign Up for Text Notifications)

  * FREE BOOKS - Giveaways posted each week on our England Library Website!

Also included is information about Round Rock, Austin, and Cedar Park Public Libraries' Summer Reading Programs and FREE events, as well as reading incentive programs available through local bookstores.

During their lesson this week, students each received a copy of the Beach Blanket Bingo on colored paper and a password page for you to use this summer! Should you lose the bingo sheet, feel free to download a new one from the RRISD website linked above.

I hope everyone has a happy, relaxing, and safe summer, and I look forward to seeing you back in August!

Take care,

Emily Kupersztoch, Librarian

Mark Your Calendars...

5/29- NO SCHOOL
5/31- Talent Show encore (5th grade performers only) at 8am

6/1- Last day of school; End of the Year Party (1:30pm); Report cards go home

Tip of the Week: Summer Reading
Mrs. Kupersztoch spoke with our class this week about summer reading opportunities.  There are SO many cool programs from many different sources.  If you do nothing else this summer, encouraging your child to participate in a summer reading program is something easy, fun, and beneficial that I highly recommend!  In addition to library reading programs, the third grade teachers are having a virtual summer book club!  We will use this website to post discussion questions on a couple of next year's Bluebonnet Books, and encourage ALL students (and parents!!) to participate by reading the book and posting comments.  I hope to "chat" with all of your about these awesome books this summer! :)

Summer Book Club!

Keep up with your teachers and classmates over the summer by joining in our virtual summer book club!  Visit THIS website on a weekly basis, read the book we're reading, and add your comments to our discussion posts!

Friday, May 19

Things to Note...
Thank you for coming to Spotlight Night last night!  It was good to see the students showing off and being so proud of the work they do in school.  If you weren't able to make it, your child is bringing home some things that were shared for you to see.  Feel free to keep them!

All England library books were due today!  If you have any at home still, please send them to school on Monday.

Conference forms will go home next week in Thursday folders.  You will need to sign and return one copy of the form to school.  Please look for these next week, and as always, please contact me if you have any other questions.

Field Day is on Friday!  Your child may bring a game (no electronics!) to school to share for the morning before our field day time.  Please also send them with a change of clothes because they will get wet!  It will be very uncomfortable for them to sit in soaking clothes for the rest of the day, so they will want to bring everything new to change into after field day (our time is 10-12).  Here are the links to volunteer, and for more information from the coaches:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c44adaa22a4fa7-field2

Volunteers must also submit and pass a RRISD volunteer background check for the current school year.

https://sites.google.com/site/dicarlope22/field-day

Please visit the England P.E. website for more Field Day details!

Ah, fidget spinners.  I really don't want to ban them because I want the STUDENTS to learn to take responsibility for doing the right thing.  Like I said last week, if they can keep it out of sight and use it as a true "fidget" tool, that's fine.  If it's something that draws attention away from lessons, class discussions, and assignments, it is not okay.  It is really starting to be more of the latter.  I took four of them away from students today for the day because they were being misused.  Please have a conversation with your child, should they choose tho bring one to class, about how and when it should be used.  If you decide that your child understands, then they may bring it to class.  If you're not sure or don't think your child gets it, please keep them at home for after school fun.  Thank you!

Curriculum Preview...
Math: Geometrocity project; Addition and Subtraction review
Language Arts: Persuasive
Social Studies: Communities over time ("School Rocks" PBL)
Science: Space


Mark Your Calendars...

5/26- Field Day (10-12 for third grade)

5/29- NO SCHOOL

6/1- Last day of school!

Tip of the Week: Summer Lessons
I am often asked, "What can I do for my child to help them not to slide over the summer?"  I found this brief article from Scholastic about avoiding this summer slide.  I liked it because the suggestions are very real and organic.  It does not include packets and drilling.  Reading at bedtime, or reading a cookbook together, for example, are easy and effective ways to keep your child thinking.  The same goes for math skills.  Have your child figure out what time you'll arrive at the beach, or how many packages of burger buns you need for your 4th of July cookout.  These things will keep them sharp, and give them a much-needed break from the rigor of schoolwork.  

I would also highly suggest giving them a chore or responsibility at home to be in charge of every day, all summer long.  For example, they are always the one to get the family beverages at dinner time, or set the table with silverware.  Or, maybe they will go around and refill soap containers, or wash their plate every meal.  These things are also very real, organic things that will keep up their skills with responsibility and organization that are oh-so-important for school...and LIFE! :)

Friday, May 12

Things to Note...
Your child is bringing home their tie dyed t-shirt in a plastic baggie today.  They had a great time experiencing a new art project!  Here is what you need to do to finish up the process:

1. Let the shirt sit in the bag overnight.
2. In the morning, rinse it out in the sink (be careful to not get the dye on your clothes!) in cold water.
3. Wash alone in the washing machine on cold or warm cold.  Let it air dry or dry in the dryer.
4. Students can wear them any time, but we will all wear them on field day, May 26!

*If your child got dye on their skin, it will fade over the next couple of days.  You can also try rubbing alcohol, baking soda, or a salt/sugar scrub to try and get it out faster. 

Thursday, May 18 is our school's Spotlight Night from 5:30pm-7:30pm. The book fair will be open at 5:30 and classrooms will be open from 6:30pm-7:30pm. This evening serves as a student-led conference and is a chance for them to show off all of their hard work and growth this year! Conference forms will come home the week after spotlight night.  If you have any specific concerns, please contact me individually.

A yellow form went home in Thursday folders this week.  Please fill that out and return it to school ASAP.  It will tell us if your child plans to return to England next year or not.

Fidget spinners have started to show up quite a bit in our classroom.  This is what I told the students about them: Their intended purpose is to occupy your hands so that your brain can focus better (kind of like gum on the STAAR test).  Toys are not allowed in class, and as soon as it becomes a distraction/toy-- i.e., students are looking at it instead of what they're supposed to be concentrating on, or I can see and hear it (it should be discrete and out of sight)-- I will take it until the end of the day.  Here is an article discussing the purpose of the spinners and the evidence (or lack thereof...) on how they benefit learning.  Please reinforce these ideas with your child if they are choosing to bring one to school.


A note from our P.E. Coaches:

Kids and Parents:  Field Day is on it's way!  Our theme this year is "The World of Dr. Seuss!"

Field Day will take place on Friday, May 26.

Participation Times:

• Kinder and 1st Grade : 8:00-10:00 a.m.
• Second and Third Grades: 10:00-12:00 p.m.
• Fourth and Fifth Grades: 12:30-2:30 p.m.  

Volunteers, we need you!!!  Click on the following link to volunteer!

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c44adaa22a4fa7-field2

Volunteers must also submit and pass a RRISD volunteer background check for the current school year.

https://sites.google.com/site/dicarlope22/field-day

Please visit the England P.E. website for more Field Day details!

We're looking forward to a fun day!

The Elsa England Physical Education teachers

Curriculum Preview...
Math: Geometrocity project
Language Arts: Persuasive
Social Studies: Communities over time ("School Rocks" PBL)
Science: Space


Mark Your Calendars...

5/15-5/19- Book Fair

5/18- Spotlight Night (5:30; classrooms open 6:30-7:30)

5/26- Field Day (10-12 for third grade)

5/29- NO SCHOOL

6/1- Last day of school!

Friday, May 5

Things to Note...
THANK YOU all so very much for the Teacher Appreciation Week notes, gifts, treats, and kind words!  I am so very thankful to work in a building with a PTA that spoils its teachers, and with parents like you who make me feel so special and loved!

On Friday, May 12, we will be making tie dye t-shirts as a class!  We will wear these shirts for field day so that our class stands out and are easy to identify as we travel around the field.  It will also be a fun, team-building project!  So, please send in a white t-shirt for your child (it can be any style of shirt they want), preferably prewashed, by May 11.  It can even be a reused t-shirt that they already have, even if there are some words on it.  It just needs to be mostly white so that the tie dye color stands out.  These can be found for low prices in packs at Target and Walmart (maybe share with a couple of friends from class), or individually at Hobby Lobby or Michaels.

Thursday, May 18 is our school's Spotlight Night from 5:30pm-7:30pm. The book fair will be open at 5:30 and classrooms will be open from 6:30pm-7:30pm. This evening serves as a student-led conference and is a chance for them to show off all of their hard work and growth this year! Conference forms will come home the week after spotlight night.  If you have any specific concerns, please contact me individually.

A yellow form went home in Thursday folders this week.  Please fill that out and return it to school ASAP.  It will tell us if your child plans to return to England next year or not.

STAAR testing starts on Monday!  The cafeteria provides free breakfast on testing days, so it's a great opportunity to make sure that your child gets a good breakfast in them.  We will take STAAR math on Monday and reading on Tuesday.  Please make sure that your child is at school, on time, ready to go with two number 2, non-mechanical pencils, a couple of healthy, non-messy snacks, gum if they feel that it will help them focus (optional, of course!), and a water bottle, as I will not be able to let them go to the water fountain during testing. 

Have a wonderful weekend!


Curriculum Preview...
Math: STAAR test on Tuesday
Language Arts: STAAR test on Monday
Social Studies: Communities over time ("School Rocks" PBL)
Science: Life Cycles


Mark Your Calendars...

5/8- STAAR Math test

5/9- STAAR Reading test

5/15-5/19- Book Fair
5/18- Spotlight Night

5/26- Field Day

5/29- NO SCHOOL

6/1- Last day of school!

STAAR prep Tip of the Week: Pump Them Up!
This is it!  The STAAR starts on Monday, and we've made it through many weeks of preparation (a whole school year, actually).  Students have worked hard and learned a lot.  The true fact of the matter is that, at this point if they don't know it, extra cramming won't make it stick.  They ALL have the skills, strategies, and knowledge to pass the math and reading tests.  What they need from us now, their parents and teacher, are CONFIDENCE BOOSTS every chance we get!

So, this weekend, please celebrate their hard work, do NOT make them do worksheet after worksheet as final preparation.  Do something fun as a family to de-stress and relieve anxiety...do NOT focus only on the upcoming test all weekend!  If it comes up, PUMP THEM UP!  Tell them how smart and ready they are (because they are!).  Focus on their strengths and the fact that they can do it!  They should walk into the test on Monday and Tuesday morning with an "I GOT THIS!" attitude...even if there are a few nerves for this new experience.  :)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again-- be sure to maintain perspective on the STAAR, as well.  This is an important test, which is why we prepare and practice so much.  However, a good STAAR score does not equal a smart child.  It does not define your child, or have anything to do with their identity.  If they do well, celebrate it.  If they don't, celebrate their hard work and tell them that there's always next year.  It's a great learning experience, but in the end it is only one test, one day.  Thank you so much for all of your support of your child as we approach the STAAR!

Optional Homework Challenge: STAAR Prep BINGO!

Here is the link to our STAAR Prep BINGO game board.  This is an optional homework challenge.  Feel free to complete it to help you do some last-minute STAAR skill practice!  You must complete at least four in a row to win, but you can also go for a blackout as an added challenge!

In order to earn the prize, this must be completed, signed and dated by the student, and turned in this Friday, May 5.  No exceptions (other than emergencies, of course) will be accepted!

Have fun!