Hello Families!
We have another busy week here in Metropolis 112! (Is there really any other kind?) I was really inspired this week by one family's approach to helping their struggling student succeed. As a result, I wrote you all a letter which I sent to Mrs. Fawcett for approval. She asked to include it in her newsletter, so I didn't want to fill up your inbox with it twice :). Please just make sure that you take a look at the Headmaster Update. The bottom line was that I believe in your students, and I am committing to expecting their very best!
As a class, we are struggling with transitioning quietly. You may have noticed the extra homework assignment that came home as a result. I would appreciate your help in encouraging your students to take personal responsibility for their behavior during transitions. They can show you the hand-signal reminder, the silent fox. :)
Important Dates
9/29 Canada Unit Test
9/29 Family Dinner- California Pizza Kitchen
9/30 1/2 day
9/30 Totem Pole Projects due
Reminders
Friday is a half day! The dismissal times are 12:25 and 12:40. This is different from last Friday! We are hoping this will work better for afternoon pick-up! Remember, we have NO LUNCH on half-days, so pack a hearty snack.
Thank you for bringing in classroom supplies! If you have any questions about when you are due to purchase such items as paper towels, tissues, hand sanitizer, or clorox wipes, please direct them to our Classroom Liasons, Mrs. Vilaboy or Mrs. Stevenson.
This Week at a GlanceLanguage Arts:
Riggs- this weeks words can be found at www.archwaychandler.org/third. This reference is for you! Your children have been taught these words and they should do their best to explain the markings to you!
Writing- We are going to focus on being good editors. The students should be able to edit for capitalization, end punctuation, and complete sentences. We will be editing our previous writing samples, and writing final drafts.
Grammar- We are doing a focused review of parts of speech.
Reading- We are reading chapters 11&12 Monday and Tuesday and chapters 13&14 Wednesday and Thursday. The students will be asked to do their Reading Logs and summaries on each Shiloh Chapter this week. Please ensure that they are reading ALOUD for 20 minutes!
History & Geography:
We are reading and discussing Ch. 3 on Monday and Tuesday. We will review and take home a study guide on Wednesday. The Canada Unit Test is on Thursday. Students will be expected to label the 13 provinces and territories, major bodies of water, and the United States. They will also be asked questions about Canada's history and culture, and what life is like in Canada today. The totem pole projects will be due on Friday. Their totem poles will be displayed for everyone to see. The most impressive projects may even get to present to the class if time permits!
Science:
We are now beginning our unit on Ecology, or the study of the relationship between living things and their environment. We will look at the features of environment and habitat, distinguish between herbivores, carnivores and omnivores, explore the predator/prey relationship, and see the delicate balance of producers, consumers, and decomposers in forming food chains/food webs. On Friday, we will assign a Habitat diorama project!
Virtue:
This week we are learning about Citizenship. The pledge to Citizenship is quite lengthy, so students aspiring to memorize it may want to practice early. If you have a great discussion in your family about citizenship this week, I would love to hear about it!
Thank you for all your support and encouragement. It is such a pleasure to share in your child's life!
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Weekly Update: September 19-23, 2011
Hello families!
I apologize for the miscommunication! I mistakenly thought I had sent out the invitation to our class website several weeks ago, and recently discovered there was a delivery error with that message! I hope that you find this website helpful and informative, if a bit belated. :)
Important Dates:
Tuesday 9/20 6:00 pm Understanding Riggs Workshop
Friday 9/23 1:00 pm Science Unit Test on Animal Classification
Friday 9/23 6:30 pm Family Fun Night
Friday 9/29 10:50 am History & Geography Unit Test on Canada
Reminders:
Class begins promptly at 8:05. Thus, students should arrive by 8:00, to ensure that they have time to unpack and get settled prior to start of instruction. We also really enjoy having a few minutes to visit and check in with each child. Often, those 20 minutes before class offer valuable opportunities for one-on-one interactions that are difficult to achieve throughout the busy day.
Archway is being even more mindful of the uniform policies this year. Please ensure that your student is wearing shoes that are appropriate for PE every day. The issues that present themselves for PE are just as problematic at Recess. Boys need a working belt every day, and they need to know how to properly tuck in their shirts. Take a moment to ensure that no additional teaching is necessary. :) Girls may not wear any jewelry except earrings unless it is religious. In addition, please make sure that hair accessories also match their uniforms, i.e. no hot pink flowers.
Requests:
We really appreciate the help we have been receiving in Thursday reading groups! We would love additional support on Tuesdays as well! If you can schedule yourself for a few Tuesday afternoons via the Reading Group Sign-Up Genius, it would be a great help.
Our wonderful homeroom parents, Mrs. Vilaboy and Mrs. Stevenson are developing a schedule for classroom supplies. Please be looking for information about when your turn to furnish tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, or clorox wipes might be coming up!
This week at a glance:
Language Arts:
Reading- We continue to explore Shiloh together. I have been very impressed by the students' participation in some exceedingly thoughtful discussions. Through this text the students are discussing questions like "How does lying separate you from others, particularly the people you love?" and "Why do we name things? How do names create relationship?" Talks like these let me see that there is still quite a lot for me to learn in the third grade! As always, reading logs should be completed every night. The student should be reading ALOUD for twenty minutes and then writing a summary of what has been read- whether that is an entire book, a chapter, or just a handful of pages. Most students find it beneficial to discuss what they've read prior to writing the summary.
Writing- We will focus on writing letters this week. We will learn about the proper formatting and parts of a friendly letter. We will also be writing letters back to Nathaniel, the character from the first chapter of our History & Geography book.
Riggs- We will now be on the regular Riggs spelling schedule, which involves learning and testing 20 words per week. The students learn 5 words a day, Monday through Thursday. They are tested on 20 words each day, Tuesday - Friday, but only the oldest 5 words are counted for points. The rest are corrected together so that the students have a chance to learn from any mistakes and clarify any misunderstandings. In addition, we have introduced "Words for the Week." This will now be on the reverse of the Reading Log. The students are assigned one word in class to research each night, Monday-Thursday. This is designed to help them build their dictionary skills, comprehension skills, and writing skills.
History & Geography: We have concluded our Map & Map Skills unit and have now moved into our study of Canada. The students will be responsible for mastering the provinces and territories of Canada as well as the information contained in their textbooks (which they will be receiving this week). The Canada Unit Test will be on Thursday, 9/29. On Friday 9/23, we will assign a take-home project for the following week, building a Totem Pole. Specific guidelines will be sent home so that the students can discuss this project with you.
Science: This week, we are wrapping up our unit on the Classification of Animals. We will discuss and compare Reptiles and Amphibians, and then review all the classes of animals. The students will be responsible for making distinctions between the classes. A final study guide will go home on Wednesday. The test is on Friday, 9/23.
Virtue: This week the students are discussing and memorizing the virtue, Courage. If this is something you discuss as a family, please encourage your student to share their thoughts with me as well. Those one-on-one discussions can be an excellent opportunity for me to see their sense of wonder and depth of inquiry! :)
The very welcome change in seasons is fast approaching, and with it, the unwelcome viruses and bugs! I am already feeling the strain on my immune system, and I would guess the students are as well. Let's all try to get plenty of rest, exercise and nutrition to keep ourselves healthy!
Warmest Regards,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
I apologize for the miscommunication! I mistakenly thought I had sent out the invitation to our class website several weeks ago, and recently discovered there was a delivery error with that message! I hope that you find this website helpful and informative, if a bit belated. :)
Important Dates:
Tuesday 9/20 6:00 pm Understanding Riggs Workshop
Friday 9/23 1:00 pm Science Unit Test on Animal Classification
Friday 9/23 6:30 pm Family Fun Night
Friday 9/29 10:50 am History & Geography Unit Test on Canada
Reminders:
Class begins promptly at 8:05. Thus, students should arrive by 8:00, to ensure that they have time to unpack and get settled prior to start of instruction. We also really enjoy having a few minutes to visit and check in with each child. Often, those 20 minutes before class offer valuable opportunities for one-on-one interactions that are difficult to achieve throughout the busy day.
Archway is being even more mindful of the uniform policies this year. Please ensure that your student is wearing shoes that are appropriate for PE every day. The issues that present themselves for PE are just as problematic at Recess. Boys need a working belt every day, and they need to know how to properly tuck in their shirts. Take a moment to ensure that no additional teaching is necessary. :) Girls may not wear any jewelry except earrings unless it is religious. In addition, please make sure that hair accessories also match their uniforms, i.e. no hot pink flowers.
Requests:
We really appreciate the help we have been receiving in Thursday reading groups! We would love additional support on Tuesdays as well! If you can schedule yourself for a few Tuesday afternoons via the Reading Group Sign-Up Genius, it would be a great help.
Our wonderful homeroom parents, Mrs. Vilaboy and Mrs. Stevenson are developing a schedule for classroom supplies. Please be looking for information about when your turn to furnish tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, or clorox wipes might be coming up!
This week at a glance:
Language Arts:
Reading- We continue to explore Shiloh together. I have been very impressed by the students' participation in some exceedingly thoughtful discussions. Through this text the students are discussing questions like "How does lying separate you from others, particularly the people you love?" and "Why do we name things? How do names create relationship?" Talks like these let me see that there is still quite a lot for me to learn in the third grade! As always, reading logs should be completed every night. The student should be reading ALOUD for twenty minutes and then writing a summary of what has been read- whether that is an entire book, a chapter, or just a handful of pages. Most students find it beneficial to discuss what they've read prior to writing the summary.
Writing- We will focus on writing letters this week. We will learn about the proper formatting and parts of a friendly letter. We will also be writing letters back to Nathaniel, the character from the first chapter of our History & Geography book.
Riggs- We will now be on the regular Riggs spelling schedule, which involves learning and testing 20 words per week. The students learn 5 words a day, Monday through Thursday. They are tested on 20 words each day, Tuesday - Friday, but only the oldest 5 words are counted for points. The rest are corrected together so that the students have a chance to learn from any mistakes and clarify any misunderstandings. In addition, we have introduced "Words for the Week." This will now be on the reverse of the Reading Log. The students are assigned one word in class to research each night, Monday-Thursday. This is designed to help them build their dictionary skills, comprehension skills, and writing skills.
History & Geography: We have concluded our Map & Map Skills unit and have now moved into our study of Canada. The students will be responsible for mastering the provinces and territories of Canada as well as the information contained in their textbooks (which they will be receiving this week). The Canada Unit Test will be on Thursday, 9/29. On Friday 9/23, we will assign a take-home project for the following week, building a Totem Pole. Specific guidelines will be sent home so that the students can discuss this project with you.
Science: This week, we are wrapping up our unit on the Classification of Animals. We will discuss and compare Reptiles and Amphibians, and then review all the classes of animals. The students will be responsible for making distinctions between the classes. A final study guide will go home on Wednesday. The test is on Friday, 9/23.
Virtue: This week the students are discussing and memorizing the virtue, Courage. If this is something you discuss as a family, please encourage your student to share their thoughts with me as well. Those one-on-one discussions can be an excellent opportunity for me to see their sense of wonder and depth of inquiry! :)
The very welcome change in seasons is fast approaching, and with it, the unwelcome viruses and bugs! I am already feeling the strain on my immune system, and I would guess the students are as well. Let's all try to get plenty of rest, exercise and nutrition to keep ourselves healthy!
Warmest Regards,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Weekly Update: September 12-16, 2011
Dear families,
These days are just flying by! I am proud of all the hard work students have been putting in.
A few reminders:
-Sign those planners every night! I want to know that parents are seeing the students' homework each night.
-Complete those reading logs! It's 20 min a night M-Th and 40 min to be doled out over the weekend. If you lose the form, use a scratch paper until you can transfer to a reading log.
-Most students have math every night. If they say they have no homework, work on math facts for 10 minutes. Math should be a daily part of the homework routine! :)
Classroom Needs:-Tissues
-Hand Sanitizer
- Empty paper towel rolls! We are collecting paper towel tubes for a project in a few weeks. We'd appreciate your donations!
Week at a Glance:
Language Arts- Riggs: We have started spelling words! The words and their markings are recorded daily in the agendas. If a student ignores directions and doesn't copy down the words, the natural consequence is that they will still have spelling practice to finish at school the next day, or they will end up with a try again on their homework. I remind the kids several times throughout the day to get those words in and stress the need for perfection. They can do it! We will also begin doing a weekly word study sheet. 4 words a week will be examined. The students are expected to build dictionary skills by finding the word in a physical dictionary themselves. This is a standardized test skill, so please do not allow them to use online dictionaries. Let me know if you have any questions about the homework or the expectations with Riggs.
Writing- We will begin focusing on parts of speech this week. The students will be drawing distinctions between nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We have also begun the second story in Aesop's Classical Writing. That workbook should be coming home a few nights this week as well.
Reading- We will continue to work through Shiloh. We may pick up the speed now that the students are getting adjusted to discussion groups. (I really appreciate all the parent help we've had!)
Science- This week we will cover reptiles and amphibians. Next week we will cover birds. There will be a test covering the common characteristics of each vertebrate class on Friday of NEXT week (9/23). The students have an 8.5 x 11 table of notes on the characteristics of each of the classes. They can begin reviewing those facts now to help them prepare for next week's test. Ask your students for interesting facts about each of the classes to help them share their excitement at home. After we finish the classification of animals, we will begin our unit on ecology.
History & Geography- We are taking a few days to discuss geographical terms and features, such as island, peninsula, isthmus, etc. We are making review sheets in class that can be used to prepare them for the quiz. The students should be able to draw each feature, and to describe it in words. We'll have a short quiz on these terms on Thursday, 9/15. Our next stop is Canada! We will begin with the geographical features of Canada, looking at a physical map on Thursday, and then begin learning the names of the provinces and territories on Friday. Students will be expected to memorize and label the provinces and territories on a map of Canada for the final Canada assessment.
Developing Core Virtues: This week, the students have been challenged to memorize "honesty". If you are looking for them, the core virtues can be found in the first few pages of the agenda.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!
Another heartfelt thank-you goes out to our many volunteers. We are loving all our classroom support!
Warmly,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
These days are just flying by! I am proud of all the hard work students have been putting in.
A few reminders:
-Sign those planners every night! I want to know that parents are seeing the students' homework each night.
-Complete those reading logs! It's 20 min a night M-Th and 40 min to be doled out over the weekend. If you lose the form, use a scratch paper until you can transfer to a reading log.
-Most students have math every night. If they say they have no homework, work on math facts for 10 minutes. Math should be a daily part of the homework routine! :)
Classroom Needs:-Tissues
-Hand Sanitizer
- Empty paper towel rolls! We are collecting paper towel tubes for a project in a few weeks. We'd appreciate your donations!
Week at a Glance:
Language Arts- Riggs: We have started spelling words! The words and their markings are recorded daily in the agendas. If a student ignores directions and doesn't copy down the words, the natural consequence is that they will still have spelling practice to finish at school the next day, or they will end up with a try again on their homework. I remind the kids several times throughout the day to get those words in and stress the need for perfection. They can do it! We will also begin doing a weekly word study sheet. 4 words a week will be examined. The students are expected to build dictionary skills by finding the word in a physical dictionary themselves. This is a standardized test skill, so please do not allow them to use online dictionaries. Let me know if you have any questions about the homework or the expectations with Riggs.
Writing- We will begin focusing on parts of speech this week. The students will be drawing distinctions between nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We have also begun the second story in Aesop's Classical Writing. That workbook should be coming home a few nights this week as well.
Reading- We will continue to work through Shiloh. We may pick up the speed now that the students are getting adjusted to discussion groups. (I really appreciate all the parent help we've had!)
Science- This week we will cover reptiles and amphibians. Next week we will cover birds. There will be a test covering the common characteristics of each vertebrate class on Friday of NEXT week (9/23). The students have an 8.5 x 11 table of notes on the characteristics of each of the classes. They can begin reviewing those facts now to help them prepare for next week's test. Ask your students for interesting facts about each of the classes to help them share their excitement at home. After we finish the classification of animals, we will begin our unit on ecology.
History & Geography- We are taking a few days to discuss geographical terms and features, such as island, peninsula, isthmus, etc. We are making review sheets in class that can be used to prepare them for the quiz. The students should be able to draw each feature, and to describe it in words. We'll have a short quiz on these terms on Thursday, 9/15. Our next stop is Canada! We will begin with the geographical features of Canada, looking at a physical map on Thursday, and then begin learning the names of the provinces and territories on Friday. Students will be expected to memorize and label the provinces and territories on a map of Canada for the final Canada assessment.
Developing Core Virtues: This week, the students have been challenged to memorize "honesty". If you are looking for them, the core virtues can be found in the first few pages of the agenda.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!
Another heartfelt thank-you goes out to our many volunteers. We are loving all our classroom support!
Warmly,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
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