A big thank you to Mrs. Spinelli and Mrs. Gaeckle for organizing a baby shower on Friday with the class. They had a wonderful time and I have to say, this has been a special group of kids. I appreciate the Ergo Baby Carrier you all pitched in for. Once our little boy is ready to venture out, I'll stop by the school to show him off.
Here are a few reminders for the upcoming week:
Monday, we'll begin talking about Famous American Biographies. Students should start THINKING about who they would like to research. They have to choose a famous American (whom is no longer alive) that has contributed to our country as a whole. All 3rd grade classes will complete this project. The final project will include: a research report (typed), a poster, and an oral presentation. Most of the work will be done in class using an outline generated by the 3rd grade teachers. The speech, however, will need to be practiced at home. Many students last year memorized their speech and/or used note cards. A letter will be sent home outlining the requirements of this project within the next few weeks.
Tuesday, all 1st-3rd grade classes are going to see a play at the Mello Center in Watsonville. If you haven't sent in $7.75 for this trip, please do so ASAP so I can give the money to Parent Alliance.
Thursday our class is going to the MAH in Downtown Santa Cruz. We will leave Rio by 8:30 sharp and arrive back at school by 11:30.
Spelling packets this week will consist of 12 frequently misspelled words due by Friday. Also due on Friday is the December/January reading log. If you've misplaced it, please have your child ask me for a new one or just use a piece of binder paper to log the books they have read.
Weekly reports were sent home on Friday. I don't include the Excel math pages because most of this is done and corrected in class. If it isn't, then your child should bring it home for your review. Also, if you would like to see your child's math or spelling tests, ask your child to bring them home. I pass them out each week to every student.
That's all for now! Have a great week!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Welcome Back and Happy New Year!
First of all, I'd like to thank you for the generous gifts you gave me for Christmas. I truly appreciate it.
As much as I enjoyed my time off to relax, it was nice to see the smiling faces of your children on Tuesday morning. The week went well and students seemed excited to get back into the groove of learning. We were off to slow start, but now that we're back, we have a lot to do.
Spelling packets were sent home but aren't due until Friday, January 23. I have made a few changes to the Houghton Mifflin math homework. On Tuesday/Thursday when I send this home, the students are to choose 3 problems on the back for them to do. These problems begin easy and get very hard as you have noticed. A few parents commented on the difficulty and frustration, so I have made adjustments based on your child's math level. Everyone needs to continue memorizing their times tables. This is a 3rd grade standard and if kids don't learn them this year, it makes 4th grade even harder. Most of the students are on their way, but now that we have begun division, it's apparent that most of the kids don't have these facts memorized yet. I'll continue giving timed tests once a week.
As you are well aware, we have 2 field trips in the same week coming up. The first is to the Mello Center on Tuesday, January 27. All classes 1st-3rd will be attending and taking the school bus to Watsonville. Parent chaperones are encouraged to carpool since the parking is limited. This field trip costs $7.75. We are allowing 3 parents per class to chaperone and their admission is free.
The next trip is to the MAH (Museum of Art History) in Downtown Santa Cruz on Thursday, January 29. When we collected $11.00 earlier this year, that covered the cost of this trip(not the Mello Center). So there is no need to send in money. Ms. Landman will accompany our class as well. This will be a nice opportunity for her to meet the kids and parents who attend.
I hope you are enjoying this lovely 3 day weekend. I can't believe it's the middle of winter. What a way to begin the school year!
As much as I enjoyed my time off to relax, it was nice to see the smiling faces of your children on Tuesday morning. The week went well and students seemed excited to get back into the groove of learning. We were off to slow start, but now that we're back, we have a lot to do.
Spelling packets were sent home but aren't due until Friday, January 23. I have made a few changes to the Houghton Mifflin math homework. On Tuesday/Thursday when I send this home, the students are to choose 3 problems on the back for them to do. These problems begin easy and get very hard as you have noticed. A few parents commented on the difficulty and frustration, so I have made adjustments based on your child's math level. Everyone needs to continue memorizing their times tables. This is a 3rd grade standard and if kids don't learn them this year, it makes 4th grade even harder. Most of the students are on their way, but now that we have begun division, it's apparent that most of the kids don't have these facts memorized yet. I'll continue giving timed tests once a week.
As you are well aware, we have 2 field trips in the same week coming up. The first is to the Mello Center on Tuesday, January 27. All classes 1st-3rd will be attending and taking the school bus to Watsonville. Parent chaperones are encouraged to carpool since the parking is limited. This field trip costs $7.75. We are allowing 3 parents per class to chaperone and their admission is free.
The next trip is to the MAH (Museum of Art History) in Downtown Santa Cruz on Thursday, January 29. When we collected $11.00 earlier this year, that covered the cost of this trip(not the Mello Center). So there is no need to send in money. Ms. Landman will accompany our class as well. This will be a nice opportunity for her to meet the kids and parents who attend.
I hope you are enjoying this lovely 3 day weekend. I can't believe it's the middle of winter. What a way to begin the school year!
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