Last Day; Happy Summer!

This will be our last blog report. So we are wrapping up what we did in 3rd grade. Sniffle, Sniffle. We really liked crafts, field trips, events, and most of all Ms. Chiu!! We will really miss this classroom. We really liked our multiplication unit in math. In our reading unit we really liked was fiction/fantasy. Our favorite unit in writing non-fiction. Our favorite unit in social studies is cultures and countries. We have been learning cursive. We learned the lowercase letters and a few uppercase too. Bye-Bye. Hopefully see you next year in the 4th grade!!!

 By: Charlie, Lulu, and Gwen

It was great to see so many of you at dismissal and I wish you all a relaxing summer recess! Thank you all for the warm wishes and the generous treats!

Report cards were given out with letters on how to access your child's school account. It will be the way to find out your child's standardized test score this summer so please take the time to set up your account when you get the chance. There is also a letter from me with some friendly suggestions for engaging your child during those leisurely moments in the summer break. These suggestions are also posted on the preceding entry on this blog.

Finally, I want to direct your attention to the video link on the right of this post. We have had a busy week of filming but we managed to get everyone who wanted to make an instruction video on our channel! Please check out our instruction videos. You can click on Playlist at the upper left hand corner to find your child's video or view all 18 from this year :)

Have the happiest summer and see you around!

Summer Learning

            Summer is a time to relax and enjoy the leisure of not having the obligations of school. There are plenty of opportunities to continue the learning that curious minds need. Many families have asked what can be done during the two months gap to help prepare our children for the fourth grade. Here are some suggestions:

    Keep a scrapbook with pictures of your vacation/ adventures this summer. Have your child contribute to the scrapbook by adding a paragraph or two of writing describing these events. This will help your child prepare for writing personal narrative next year and provide many ideas for writing workshop.

   A stay-cation in New York can be a great opportunity to explore local historical sites. The fourth grade curriculum will focus on the early history of our state up to the time of the Revolutionary War. Fourth graders will take trips to the Wyckoff Farmhouse, the Hall of Eastern Woodland Indians at the American Museum of Natural History, the Old Stone House, and the Brooklyn Museum as part of the study. There are other sites such as the Lefferts Historic House, the New York Historical Society, Fraunces Tavern Museum, The South Street Seaport Museum, or the National Museum of the American Indian, etc. that can support the learning your child will do next school year.  

   Apply math learning to real world situations. Have your child help with back to school shopping or making a vacation budget using their calculation skills. Plan a day of activity using time skills. 

   In the Standards Practice Workbook for Go Math, which is the homework book, there is the Getting Ready for Fourth Grade section (page 259- 306). These pages are designed to help prepare your child for the fourth grade. Each lesson starts with a brief explanation of the skill followed by problems for independent practice.

   For those indoor days with the iPad, your child can play with the IXL Math Games link or the Sheppard Math Games link on our blog, which will still be active this summer. These games can provide review of many third grade topics. The multiplication games can help your child develop speed and accuracy with math facts, which will be very handy for working with fourth grade math topics. These websites will allow you to play the games for about ten minutes without a subscription, but that is about all the practice you child will need daily to keep their skills sharp. Practicing multiplication and the inverse, division facts, can be simple as you can quiz your child during waiting times.   In third grade, we’ve learned the facts up to the ten times table; in fourth grade, the facts will go up to the twelve times table.

   Help your child maintain their reading skills by taking trips to the library or bookstores.  Students should read daily to avoid summer lag.

            I hope these suggestions are helpful and easy to implement.  Above all, have a wonderful, relaxing vacation!

June 19

The last week of school is here! It barely seems possible that 40 weeks have passed and it's time to say goodbye. I will miss this group and all the things that made this a great class.  There are fond memories of their cleverness and kindness. Third grade was a transition year as our children became the "big kids" and they handled it well. Awesome job, everyone!

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We will head to Vanderbilt Park on Tuesday at around 10:15. Please have your child wear sunscreen and bring a snack to have at the park. This will be an opportunity to have a celebration of our year together. 
• Friday will be our last day. Report cards will be given out at noon. If your child is not attending that day, the report card will be brought down to the main office. You can pick it up after noon, or provide a stamped, self addressed envelop for the school to mail the report card to you. 

Happy Father's Day weekend to the special caretakers in our lives! Have an excellent weekend!

June 12

Time flies and we are now entering the last two weeks of school. Please help your child unpack their book bags as we begin to send materials and projects home.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• Monday is a half day and children will be dismissed at 12 noon. It is also the day of the Fifth grade vs. Staff kickball game. Please have your child come to school with a towel to sit on. Your child should wear sunscreen and/or have a hat as the playground can get very hot. Your child may bring a snack to the game. 

Have an excellent weekend!

June 5

After June 12th, there will not be anymore Friday comments since report  cards will be given out soon. As we enter the final weeks of class, please encourage your child to keep up their best school habits. We would like to end the year well and the class has discussed how we need to keep up our best group behavior so that we don't unintentionally upset anyone. The class has done a great job of respecting each other throughout the year.

Here's what is happening next week:

• We will have a half day on Tuesday. Students will be dismissed at noon. 
• The Third grade Music recital will be happening at  Bishop Ford on Wednesday. Please make sure your child is dressed in a white top and a black (or dark)  bottom.