Weeks of 1/30/12 & 2/6/12

This week is going to be so exciting!  It is Catholic Schools Week, a time for us to celebrate that we are a part of a Catholic school community.  The week schedule is below:

Monday: Pajama Day - Students wear their pajamas to school. We will have an extended D.E.A.R. time in which students will be allowed to get comfortable around the classroom and read silently.
Tuesday: Buddy Day - We will get together with out buddy classes and create a special present for our parents.  Students can wear sport apparel this day.
Wednesday: Staff Appreciation Day - Students should wear regular uniforms.  They will get to eat with their buddy classes during lunchtime while the teachers get to relax and eat together.
Thursday: Family Appreciation Day - Students will wear matching shirt with their buddy class.  The third grade will wear green shirts.  We will have an all school mass at 8:30. Then parents and other family members may accompany us back to the school for the awards ceremony.  Parents are welcome to continue their visit in the classroom and during lunch until 11:40.  From 6-8pm we will have Family Game Night in Schwinn Hall.
Friday: Student Appreciation Day - Students will wear their gym uniforms.  We will have an all-school olympics in Schwinn Hall from 9-11am.  We will then eat lunch in our classrooms.

As for the curriculum, below is a list of what is happening in each subject.

English - We just finished up the chapter on verbs and are moving on to adjectives and adverbs.  This is perfect timing since students have started working on a personal narrative in writer's workshop.  Students should focus on adding more descriptive words to their writing.
Math - Students have started division with single digits.  We will begin with numbers 0-5, then move on to larger numbers.  It is imperative that students continue to work on their multiplication since it is so closely related to division.  We will continue to take timed tests in class in order for students to assess themselves on their multiplication skills.
Reading - We will be reading the next few chapters in Because of Winn Dixie.  During this book, students will focus on character and setting descriptions, vocabulary, predictions, and summaries.  We will also be making connections to history events such as the Civil War.
Science - Students will test over chapter 4 on Tuesday, January 31st. We will then be skipping to chapter 7.  This chapter covers topics such as weather, the water cycle, climate, and seasons.
Social Studies - We have just begun a new chapter on government.  This chapter is complex and has a lot of information.  It would be beneficial to review what was learned on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.  Students are currently learning about the national government as well as the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) and their roles in creating and enforcing laws. We will later move on to state and local governments as well.

Weeks of 11/28/11 and 12/5/11

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and welcome back!

Announcements:
The season of Advent has begun.  We will be holding weekly prayer services as a whole school to celebrate the coming of the Lord.  Students will also be discussing the importance of this season during religion class.

This Sunday, December 4th is the annual Christmas concert followed by the potluck dinner.  The concert begins at 4:00, but students should be at the church by 3:30-3:45.

Second quarter progress reports will be sent home this Friday, December 2nd.  These will take the place of the weekly responsibility reports and will be sent home in the Friday folders.

The first through third grade classes have an exciting opportunity to watch the Nutcracker Ballet.  The field trip will be on Friday, December 9th.  A permission slip will be sent home today with greater detail.

Curriculum:
In English, students just finished the chapter on Nouns.  We will be moving on to chapter 3, Verbs.

In Math, students just finished the chapter on addition and subtraction with greater numbers.  We will begin the next chapter on multiplication. It may be beneficial to purchase or make some flashcards to use at home to help your child with the multiplication facts.

In Reading, we will continue to work through Charlotte's Web.  We are just about finished with the book!

In Science, we will finish up chapter 3 this week by looking at animal adaptations and how they help them survive.  Students will work on the chapter review on Thursday.  A review sheet will be sent home next Tuesday, December 6th.

In Social Studies, we will complete the last lesson for chapter 2 today.  Students will complete the chapter 2 book review on Tuesday, November 29th, and they will receive a review sheet for the chapter on Friday, December 2nd.

Weeks of 10/3/11 and 10/10/11

Quick Reminders and Announcements:

• Our field trip to the Mexican Fine Arts museum is this Friday, October 7th.  Be sure your child returns his or her permission slip by this Wednesday, October 5th.
• This week in class we will be learning about Day of the Dead and creating skull masks to prepare for the trip.
• It is currently Hispanic Heritage Month.  Students will be creating a class project together on the country of Peru.  
• Next Monday, October 10th is Columbus Day and there is no school.

A Look Ahead:

• Science - We have just finished Chapter A1.  Students will be completing the chapter review from the book on Tuesday (10/4). They will receive an additional review sheet on Wednesday (10/5). The test over this chapter will be on Tuesday, October 11th. Then we will begin chapter A2 on plant and animal life cycles.
• English - We are also finishing up chapter 1 in English.  Students should complete the review from the book this week.  We will go over the review on Friday.  This test will also be on Tuesday, October 11th.  Next we will begin chapter 2 on Nouns.
• Math - We will continue with addition and subtraction of single digits and fact families.  Next week students will participate in centers to reinforce the curriculum
• Reading - Students will read chapters 5 and 6 in Charlotte's Web this week.  They will complete a worksheet on spiders that connects science and social studies concepts to the reading.  They will complete an activity in class in which they must describe characteristics of Charlotte. Next week students will review and quiz over chapters 4-6.  They will also read chapter 7.
• Social Studies - We have just begun chapter 2 on early communities.  This chapter will be put on hold this week and next in order to complete activities for Day of the Dead as well as our class project on Peru for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Weeks of 9/19/11-9/26/11

Review of Previous Weeks and Important Reminders:

• The school year has been very successful thus far.  Students should be catching on and feeling comfortable with daily classroom and homework routines.  
• Parents, remember to check your child's assignment notebook and homework every night.  If you notice that your child is forgetting to write down or bring home assignments, please let me know immediately.  I am happy to check student assignment notebooks and backpacks at the end of the day.  
• Also, remember that this year after-school detentions are strictly enforced for students with 5 tardies. 
• If your child is planning on receiving his or her First Communion this year, be sure to attend 3 masses each month.  This is a new requirement for each sacrament.  Saint cards will be handed out at each mass and should be given to me the following week.  After 5 saint cards have been handed in, your child will receive a free dress down pass.  They cannot dress down unless they have this pass on their person. If your family does not attend St. Sylvester parish on weekends, please have your priest sign the program each week and your child should turn it in to me the following week.

Weeks to Come:

• This Sunday, September 18th is a welcome mass at 11:30. If your family attends, your child gets a free dress down day on Monday, September 19th only.  They will not be allowed to dress down any other days that week.  The saint card they receive will take the place of a dress down pass.
• Wednesday, September 21st is the Cubs game field trip.  We will leave the school at 11:30am and return by 4:30pm. Those interested in chaperoning must complete the CANTS forms and background check first.  Once these have been completed, I will personally contact any parents/guardians who complete the required paperwork first.  There is only room for 6 chaperones, so completing the CANTS forms does not necessarily reserve a spot for this trip.  However, it does ensure eligibility for future field trips throughout the school year.
• What to look forward to in the curriculum: Reading - We have been covering skills that will be used throughout the reading curriculum this school year.  Within the next two weeks we will begin out unit on Charlotte's Web.  Math - Students have been working on place-value up to the hundred thousands place and rounding.  We will continue to work on these concepts through the beginning of next week.  Students will have a test over Chapter 1 on next Wednesday, September 21st.  We will then move on to addition strategies and properties. Science - We have just finished centers in class focusing on skills that students will use throughout the school year.  We will begin to focus on chapter 1, which focuses on living things such as plants and animals and their needs. Social Studies - Next week, we will review chapter 1.  Students will have a test over this chapter on Friday, September 23rd.  We will begin chapter 2 during the week of September 26th.  This chapter will focus on communities from the past.  English - We will review and test over chapter 1 next week.  We will begin chapter 2 on the week of September 26th.  This chapter focuses on Nouns.

Week of 8/22/11-Back to School

Welcome to third grade parents and students! It is going to be an amazing year! Just a few reminders...Remember to send in the required supplies with your child by the end of the first week. Students will need pencils and folders on the first day. Remember that students will begin receiving weekly responsibility reports this year. These reports will be sent home every Friday in a red "Friday Folder." They are to be signed and returned by the following Monday. If they are not signed by Monday, students get a free pass. However, if they are not signed by Tuesday, students receive a lunch detention and by Wednesday, an after school detention. The purpose of these reports it to maintain consistent communication between school and home and its important that students are held responsible for keeping track of this. Also starting this year is after-school detention for students who have 5 or more tardies each quarter.

I will be sending home a welcome letter along with the weekly schedule, the curriculum, and two forms that need to be returned to school. One form is turquoise and is a questionnaire about your child(ren). Please fill this out and return to me so I can have a better understanding of your child's strengths, interests, and areas of improvement. The other form is a purple half-sheet. This form asks for a list of people who can or cannot pick up your child from school. In the welcome letter is a list of my contact information. I know that each school year brings many questions to light. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Weeks of 1/24/11 and 1/31/11

Thank you so much those of you who attended conferences this past weekend! This will help kick off a successful third quarter.

This week in science, we are focusing on clouds, the water cycle, types of storms, and other topics of weather and climate. In math, students are wrapping up multiplication with single digits. They will have a test over this chapter on Monday, January 31st. In Reading, students have just started reading Because of Winn Dixie. We will focus on primary and secondary characters, setting, predictions and vocabulary terms throughout the unit. In social studies, students have just begun a unit on government. They will learn about national, state, and local government. They will also learn about the 3 branches of government and the importance of each as well as the Constitution. In English, we just wrapped up the chapter on Verbs. Next, students will begin a unit on adjectives and adverbs.

Next week is Catholic Schools week. There are a great deal of exciting activities that have been planned for this week. Monday is Faith and Teamwork day. Students will get to dress down in colors of their favorite sports team. We will also have an all school mass that day. Tuesday is Pajama Day. Students get to wear their pajamas to school. They can also bring pillows and blankets for extended D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) Time. Wednesday is staff appreciation day. Thursday is Family Day. We will hold an awards ceremony in which the Peacemaker and Effort awards will be distributed for each class and the winners of the poster contest will be announced. Buddy classes will wear matching colored shirts this day. The third grade and their Pre-K buddies will wear white. Family members are welcome to visit the classrooms from 8:30-11:30. Finally, Family Game Night will be held from 6:00-8:00 that evening. Friday will be School Spirit Day. We will have a prayer service at 8:30 and the school olympics immediately following the prayer service.

Weeks of 10/18/10 and 10/25/10

The third grade is working diligently on their projects for All Saints Day. Each student has chosen a saint to research. They will write a short report on their saints, and the students will create a symbol to represent them. They will present their projects at St. Sylvester Church on the morning of Monday, November 2^nd. Please join us that day if you are able to.

Every Thursday, third grade participates in a program called Art Resources in Teaching. The students have been learning about the early art masterpieces of Ancient Mexico. Students had the privilege of visiting the Art Institute of Chicago and observing some of these masterpieces firsthand. Students then created their own Mayan Codices using Mesoamerican symbols to narrate a story about their lives. Next week, they will begin a new project in which they develop personal symbols and incorporate them into masks.

In Reading, students are excited about starting Charlotte's Web. Students have been reading through each chapter either as a whole class, in small groups, or in partners. After nearly each chapter, students will complete a journal entry in which they recall all of the important details from the chapter. Students will also complete other fun activities throughout the novel. Students will be quizzed after every 3 chapters. They will complete a review sheet in class. We will go over the answers to each review sheet at the end of that class, and students will be quizzed the following day.

In Science, students have just begun a new chapter on the life cycles of insects, spiders, amphibians, and mammals. Students will also explore how babies are like their parents and how babies learn. On Friday, students kicked off this chapter by exploring the different parts of a hard-boiled egg.

In Social Studies, students have been learning about different communities in our nation's history. These communities span back to the times before European settlers even arrived in North America and end in the early 1900s. Some important topics covered in this chapter include: Pocahontas, Jamestown, Christopher Columbus, slavery, The Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, the Constitution, Daniel Boone, pioneers, Lewis and Clark, the Louisiana Territory and Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Trail, Industrial Revolution, migration of African Americans from the south to the north, discrimination, the Transcontinental Railroad, assembly lines, the Model T car, skyscrapers, and more. As you can see, there is a lot of time and information covered in this chapter. It may be helpful to your child to go over this material each day.

In Math, students are finishing up the chapter on single digit addition and subtraction. Students are currently working on centers to help review for the chapter test. Students will start the review from the book on either Wednesday or Friday. We will go over the review the following day and play a review game. Their test will be either Monday, October 25th or Tuesday, October 26th. Students will then start the chapter on addition and subtraction with greater numbers and regrouping.

Reminders:

• Friday, October 29th is the Halloween Fun Fair during school hours as well as that evening.
• Students have a field trip coming up on Wednesday, November 3rd to see an opera. Permission slips will be sent home this Wednesday, October 20th.