Hi. I was just thinking about our action-packed week and things that I would know that you might not. Ask your child about the following things for conversation starters.
* Who received the first ever Coronado Kind Kids mini-bell?
* What poems did we read aloud this week? What poems did your child create this week?
* Who did your child write a friendly letter to? What experience or activity was it about?
* Has your child taken an AR Test in the past two weeks? Has your child earned any points yet?
* What does your child’s scarecrow look like? How do other students’ scarecrows look (different colors, different features, different creative touches)?
* What are some skills we have worked on in the past weeks during our editing time?
* What is the spelling words’ slide show?
* How did our class decorate our door for Dive Into Reading Week?
* How do I like the students walking through the hallways/breezeways? Who can easily do it? Who needs reminders?
* Which class rule(s) is (are) our class best at following? Which ones are broken most often?
* What word problem did your child create on Friday?
We’re back! Three days down and thirty-something more to go in the 2nd quarter. It has been a great three days so far. Today, the students made scarecrows, using a legend to guide them as to how each one should look. The students all went to the nurse’s office for some health checks; ask him/her what was done. I waited outside of the nurse’s office. A new student, Destiney, joined our class today. Many of the students know her from 2nd grade.
The students have begun working in their new capital letters cursive handwriting booklets. The first letters were A and O. Has your child passed a Rocket Math test in the past three days? Today, seven students did some extra multiplication practice during lunch recess. All third graders are expected to master multiplication AND division facts. Once the multiplication facts are learned, the division ones are so easy to learn.
There is a LOT going on next week with Fall into Reading Week and the book fair (theme: Dive into Reading). Much information was sent home on Monday in your child’s Take Home Folder. Much more information will come home in your child’s Notes Home Envelope tomorrow, Thursday.
Several students have shared their October Book Report since returning to school this week. It is due on October 30th. Three students have earned their first Pizza Hut Book-It! Certificate, good for a personal pan pizza. The Book-It! paper (pumpkins on it) is due on October 30th as well. It is an optional activity.
Happy Fall!
Did you know that the 3rd grade students received a visit from fire fighters Friday afternoon? They got to explore a fire engine and a safety house. There was much learning and excitement.
Did you know that many of the students in our class have taken one or more AR tests? Ask your child if he/she has taken a test and if any points were earned. As soon as I finish reading The Trumpet of the Swan aloud (just before the start of Fall Break), everyone will have the chance to take the AR test for that book. It’s worth six points!
Did you know that many students have a birthday in October? Most of the birthdays occur in the 2nd half of the month. Did your child tell you that Brandon unexpectedly moved and that Friday was Chris’s last day? We now have 26 students. I would imagine that at least one new student would join our class this school year.
Did you know that I like keeping our classroom smelling good? I use cinnamon or berry scented air freshners. Did you know that our class keeps getting praised by our custodian for keeping such a clean classroom?
Did your child tell you that On Time Elvis visited our classroom on Friday? It took 40 days for us to spell ON TIME CLUB. Each student received a tiny eraser. Did you know that the Book-It! Reading Program has begun? Your child watched a video online about it on Thursday and brought papers home about it too.
Did you know that all 3rd grade students received a dictionary on Thursday? They will remain at school all year to be used. Your child will bring his/hers home in May.
Did you know (now this one – you wouldn’t!) that I (along with nine other teachers at Coronado) received a $100 gift card from Walmart for being an outstanding teacher. Yay for our class! I will buy supplies and materials during the Fall Intersession.
Did you know that I work in my classroom every weekend, often on both days and grade papers on most nights? Did you know that Ashton has a shelf of toys in my office because he spends so much time here? Did you know that I sure love teaching!!
This was a very long four-day week. I look forward to a full week of school next week (without interruptions). The students were busy today. Here’s what they did: write their own word problem for morning work, go to art class, go to math class, take a two-minute multiplication test, listen to some multiplication songs, do cursive work in their handwriting booklet, go to reading class, eat lunch and have recess, listen to students share book reports, listen to another chapter from Trumpet of the Swan, do some writing about that book, take many language-type tests, do an ABC order paper, and do a kindness (Kind Kids program) activity. Whew! That sound tiring!! I hope everyone gets a good night’s sleep.
A lot has happened in the first 18 days of school. We are almost half way through the first quarter of 3rd grade! Things run pretty smoothly in here. I am quite organized and structured. Slowly but surely, I am convincing the students that I do mean business and that they can count of me to give specific and clear directions.
Today, we celebrated Anthony’s birthday with cupcakes. Ask your child what is special about the way we sing Happy Birthday (what Mrs. Rowe does). Most of the students got to do editing and revising work with a partner. Just before the social studies lesson was over, I gave each student a newspaper. We’ll read from it on Wednesday. Ask your child what he/she noticed in it.
I received many signed Behavior Reports back today, and many students received a Paw Pride Paper. Did your child give you the Behavior Report last Friday?
Here’s to looking forward to all of September!
It’s another week gone by and another Saturday, and I find myself in my classroom again. So is my life…
This Tuesday is Open House. I hope you and your child will be able to visit the classroom. It’s a very informal time, with your child taking the lead.
Unfortunately, some students have been giving up their lunch recess. Please help your child to complete and return daily math homework and weekly reading (log) and spelling homework. Every student has an unfinished work envelope in his/her desk. Whenever a student is unable to finish a piece of classwork, he/she puts it in the unfinished work envelope and places that on top of his/her desk. There are miscellaneous minutes available for doing unfinished work throughout the school day. I check with students on Wednesdays regarding having unfinished work still needing to be completed. Anyone with more than one piece needs to do work during lunch recess.
Friday will be our first Spirit Day Assembly. The theme is college colors/shirt. I bet there will be a lot of U of A shirts and colors! Our school is going to be saying the following phrase a lot: Where are you going? I’m going to college!
Be in touch!
It was great being in school for a full week. Was your child really tired this weekend? I was on Friday night and still am (Sunday afternoon). I have been at school both days this weekend, just like I was last weekend and probably will be next weekend… There is SO much to do when a new school year begins.
Has your child told you about Acc Math and scanning? Have you seen math homework come home? Has your child told you about reading class? We will begin a regular reading lesson on Monday. We will also begin spelling, social studies, and science this week. Much of last week was spent assessing students, getting to know them and getting them to know class procedures, and doing basic work.
I have played the guitar a bit for the students. Does you child enjoy singing? I do. We’ve read and written poetry. The students seem to be enjoying The Trumpet of the Swan. They are following along in their own copy of the book. Ask your child about how the cob speaks. I continue to give out Paw Pride Papers and blue tickets too. Ask your child how students earn them and how many he/she has gotten.
Can your child tell you what our five rules are? He/she will be held accountable for them beginning this week. I need everyone doing his/her best and doing what is expected (as stated in our Class Motto). Thank you for signing and returning the many papers that have been sent home. One of my goals is to always keep you informed and help you to feel like you are “here” even when you are at home or at work.
Please be in touch with any questions or concerns thus far. Here’s to a fabulous second full week of school!
It’s been a very busy and fun first two days of school. Out of 31 students who are supposed to be in class, only 25 have showed up. The students have been getting organized with supplies, books, and other materials, taking initial reading and math assessments, doing getting-to-know-you projects, and learning class rules and routines. We have begun reading The Trumpet of the Swan aloud after lunch. Ask your child who Sam is and what he saw that he didn’t tell his dad about.
Because there were no special classes (art, p.e., library, computers) yesterday or today, the third grade students all had a special recess yesterday and today. Special classes will begin on Monday as will math class. Reading class will begin on Thursday. Reading and math homework will begin next week; spelling homework will begin the following week.
Some students have earned blue tickets and Paw Pride papers; ask them what those items are. I am extremely busy (always am at this time of year) and will be in my classroom both days this weekend as well as late here today. So it goes… I am looking forward to a full week of school where I can get to know the students even better and start doing regular school work.
Hello future students (and parents)! We will meet each other in a bit more than a week on the first day of school, Thursday, August 6th. Are you excited to meet me? Are you excited to be a third grade student? I am excited to meet you or if I know you already (because you are a friend of my son Ashton or a past classmate of his), I am excited to get to know you better. I hope you have had a fun summer. Mr. Rowe, Ashton, and I have. Check out my website and visit this blog often. See you soon!
Back in July, I was naive in thinking I would have time to post a message everyday. I hope you have enjoyed reading the posts when I got them done.
Multicultural Night is tomorrow from 5-7:30 p.m. The students have been practicing singing “That’s Amore” daily. They sound good and look cute. On display will be their mosiac picture and Roman numerals number sentence. Information about Italy will also be displayed. I hope you can join us!
The students are busy working on their research paper about Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, or Alexander Graham Bell. Has your child shared his/her reading MAP Test score yet? Field Day is on Friday. Although no parents from our class have volunteered to help, please join us just to watch if possible. The students will have much fun.
