Weekly Wrap Up

We’ve been working hard on identifying main idea and supporting details! It’s an important third grade skill. We’ll keep working on it in the classroom, and here are a few ways you can help your child practice at home:

• After your child has completed their daily reading, ask them to tell you the main idea of what they read, and at least three details that tell more about the main idea.  
• Let your child read an age/content appropriate news article of interest to them. Three good online sites are dogonews.com, timeforkids.com, and htekidsnews.com (still monitor the content though since third grade is on the young end for some material). Ask them to write down the main idea and three supporting details. Count their reading time towards their reading log.
• After your child has listened to a story or news article (or watched one on TV), ask them to tell you the main idea of what they heard. Ask them to tell you some details they heard that tell more about the main idea.

As a reminder, we have snack around 9:45 each day. Please send 1 or 2 healthy snacks with your child - enough to keep them going until lunch at 12:30. While we do have a school share box for snacks, there’s not always something in it.

Also, music is on Tuesdays. Your child should bring their recorder back to school that day, along with their music. Other days it can stay at home for practice.

New pictures will be added to our online class photo album before the end of the long weekend! You can find them on the Class Photo Albums page on our class website.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Summarizing biographies
• Writer’s Workshop: Writing information books
• Math: Fractions
• Social Studies: Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

Weekly Wrap Up

Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays and vacation were fun and restful for all families!  We are totally back in the swing of things, and your kids have been focused, hard workers this week! You should be a fly on the wall to see their amazing effort and focus!

Early next week we have our January timed addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tests. After I correct them I’ll send a score report home to you so you know how they did. Remember, goal is 80% or higher. Next week is our last week with division, then we move to fractions! Wow! So far this year the children have learned place value to the hundred thousands, adding and subtracting 3 digit numbers w/regrouping, multiplication, and division! 

Your child has PE every Wednesday. Please make sure they are wearing sneakers on that day, or have them in their bag to change into. Speaking of changing into shoes, at some point we’re going to have snow, and that means big winter boots. Once that happens you’ll want to make sure your child has their sneakers or other shoes in their bag if they’re not going to wear their boots all day.

Just a reminder that students are expected to read at home 5 nights a week for at least 20 minutes a night. They need to fill out their reading logs for each night. Also, students are expected to practice their basic math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) at least 10 minutes a night, 5 nights a week. They need to fill out their math logs for each night. Thanks for helping monitor your child’s home reading and home math.

Here's what we're learning about next week:

• Reader’s Workshop: Reading biographies

• Writer’s Workshop: Note taking on information writing topic, maybe start writing

• Math: Finish division, topic 8 test and start Fractions

• Social Studies: Connecticut

Please remember that my door is always open if you have any questions or concerns. I also check email frequently. Together we are partners in your child’s education!

New Schedule with Wellness Breaks

As you know from Dr. Kitching’s letter earlier in the week, we start our new pilot program with Wellness breaks when we return on Tuesday. This means that our daily schedule will look different. Here’s what it’ll look like for now, although it’s subject to change:

• 8:45 - 8:55 - Morning work
• 8:55-9:25 - Spelling/Word Work/Handwriting or Science/Social Studies
• 9:25 - 9:45 - Interactive read aloud
• 9:45 - 11:00 - Math (snack during the math lesson and video at 9:45, 10:20-11:00 math tutor)
• 11:00-12:00 - Specials
• 12:05-12:25 - Writing mini lesson
• 12:30-1:00 - Lunch/Recess
• 1:00-1:40 - Writing
• 1:40-2:00- Reading mini lesson
• 2:00 - 2:20 - Wellness Break
• 2:20 - 3:15 - Reading (2:40-3:10 - STARS)
• 3:15-3:29 - Clean room and pack up
• 3:30 - Dismissal