Week 17: Welcome 2017

We end 2016 with the completion of our Culture unit. The shelters project is just one of the activities the kids enjoyed as they learned a little about the way people around the world live. We invite you to come see these model on January 13, which is our Family Friday.

Here's what to expect when we return:

• Third graders will begin the next Social Studies unit on China. We will learn about the geography and culture of this large country. 
• In math, we will continue our work with Division concepts and facts. It has been extremely helpful to students to have mastered their multiplication facts. Many children are still in the process of learning the 4, 6, 7 and 8 facts. They can continue the practice with any of the math games on our blog over the break. 
• We will wrap up our unit on Nonfiction reading by the end of the week. Students will begin book clubs centered around Mysteries and Biographies in the upcoming months.

On a final note, I want to thank all of you for the excellent class gift. The lovely cards from the children and your kind words are deeply appreciated. Have a restful and beautiful Winter Recess!

Week 16: Happy Holidays!

Wow! The Cultural Luncheon was a hit and we are so lucky to take part in this special event! The children had a great time sampling your excellent cooking and having a fun communal dining experience. We want to thank you all for your contributions and especially the many of you who stayed to help set up, serve and clean up! These event cannot happen without the support of our wonderful families.

Here's what's happening next week:

• We have a Math test on Monday. This ends Chapter 5 and we will begin Division work in our next chapter. 
• There will not be a reading response assignment for next week. We will resume this practice when we return from the holiday break!
• We will visit the Armory on Tuesday. Please make sure your child is dressed for running. 
• Friday will be the last day of school for 2016! We will return on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. 

Week 15: Cultural Luncheon

The Cultural Luncheon is coming up next week. Please keep an eye out for reminders and notices n your child's homework folder. Many children brought in their Cultural Luncheon Menu Planning page but we need for everyone to bring theirs in so we can create an ingredients list. This is to help children make good choices about the food they eat.

We have also been working on our cultural shelters this week and they are coming along nicely. Children are thinking about the climate and resources in the areas where these shelters are homes to the citizens. When we finish, we will invite you to our museum display :)

Here's what to expect next week:

• We are headed to the Armory on Tuesday. Please remind your child to wear sneakers.
• Our Cultural Luncheon will take place at 12:00 noon on Friday. Please bring your dish to the Multimedia room at drop off in the morning.There will be tables marked for each third grade class. If you are joining us, please bring your dish when you come in. Some parents have volunteered to set up at 11:30 and to clean up afterwards. Ms. Luo and Mrs. Wattenbarger will be there to organize out helpers. We thank you all for your contributions!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 14

Thank you to the many parents and grandparents who showed up to Family Friday. It was so important to our children to share their math games skills with you and it was clear that they had a lot of fun being the teacher!

Here's what to expect for next week: 

• I will be at a workshop on Wednesday during the school day. There will be a substitute with the class. 
• We will begin our final multiplication unit where we will look at the application of Multiplication to patterns and real life problems. Many of you have been instrumental in helping your children learn the facts of the times table. Thank you for that. You will also receive the Math test for the last unit on Tuesday.

Please also keep in mind that the Third Grade Cultural Luncheon will take place from 12 noon to 12:50 on Friday, December 16. Many of you have responded and we are all excited about the excellent dishes you are sharing with us. Please keep in mind that while the whole third grade is participating, we will not need portions for every child. It is recommended that families bring enough portions for about twenty kids. Don't worry! There will be plenty of food!

Have a great weekend!

Week 13: Happy Thanksgiving

In class today, you child was given a chance to complete their yellow reading responses so that it does not need to be done over the holiday. Many children took advantage of the opportunity and that's why some of your children will show you a completed response without working on it at home. 

We are continuing our study of culture next week with an exciting project! To help, we are asking families to send in clean corrugated card board. This is the card board used in heavy duty shipping boxes. Children will build a small model of a shelter from a different culture and will need this cardboard as a base. 

Each piece of card board should be a 10 inches by 7 inches rectangle. If you can send in more than one piece we would greatly appreciated. Your child received a letter regarding this and the letter has a border that can be used as a guide to the size of the cardboard piece.

Here's what is happening next week:

• The Ancestor Research sheet is due on Wednesday, Nov 30. Please take advantage of the holiday to have your child chat with grandparents and other relatives about how your family came to be as it is now. 
• We will have a math test on Multiplication on Friday.
• Family Friday will take place on first period on Friday. We invite families to come in and join us as we play math games. These math games can be used to help children review multiplication facts even after we have finished working on them in school. This Family Friday is specials since grandparents are invited to join us!

Have a restful and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Week 12: Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to thank Saachi's, Najah's, Sadie's and Toby's mothers, along with Sullivan's dad for coming on our first field trip this week. We learned so much about shelters through the museum's art work and artifacts.  We were given complimentary passes for families to bring their children back to the museum at a time of your choosing. Please look out for them in your child's homework folder after Monday.

Please keep in mind that the Cultural Luncheon is coming soon. We will send out more information regarding the celebration as we approach the December 16th date. We are all super excited for this and the children have already shared what they might be bringing for that day!

Here's what to expect for next week:

• We are headed to the Armory on Tuesday. Please dress your child for activity and especially, remind your child to wear sneakers.
• Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week 11: Our first trip!

We are headed to the Brooklyn Museum on Wednesday for our very first trip in Third Grade. Your child should have returned a permission slip indicating that they are allowed to accompany us. Some parents have volunteered to chaperone and help the class as we move throughout the museum exhibits. We will use this visit to help us learn more about shelters around the world as part of our current Socials Studies unit on Culture.

Here's what else to expect for next week:

• We are moving on from fiction reading to nonfiction reading. Our Reading and Writing work will center on information books. Children will focus on using text features and texts to make meaning of the topics being taught through the books they choose. Determining a main idea  with appropriate supporting details will be the challenging work of this unit. 
• The new math unit will focus on the Multiplication facts up to ten. 

Have a great weekend!

Week 10: Second Semester

It's post-Parent Teacher Conferences and a great time to set goals for our next months work. One goal we can all set is to keep improving our work habits. As our children get older, we want to put into place structures to help them make good choices independently. One thing we will work on is to have students become better at checking their own work. Please refer to the charts below to see what we are working on.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• The Chapter 3 Math Test will be given on Monday. We focused on multiplication as repeated addition and equal groups in this unit.
• Schools will be closed on Tuesday for Election Day.
• On Wednesday, we will begin Unit 4 in Math. This unit on Multiplication Facts will provide practice on basic Multiplication facts as well as explore patterns such as how the 2 times table could be used to help us learn the 4 times table. Many students have been playing the Math Facts game that is linked to our blog and have told me how much fun they are having with it! 
• Schools will be closed on Thursday for Veterans Day.

Meeting with all of you has been productive and I am appreciative of your support throughout this process. Thank you for your patience as you waited to meet!Have a great weekend!

Week 9: Halloween

Wacky Wardrobe Monday!!!!

On Monday, October 31, we are observing Halloween with some odd fashion choices. This can be:

·    clothes worn inside out

·    mismatched shoes or socks

·    interesting color or pattern combinations

·    pajamas

Please be aware that it will still be a full instructional day, so the clothing has to be comfortable for physical activity during recess. Also, students might be asked to remove any pieces that become distracting (ex. a hat, loud jangly jewelry, etc.) to others.

                                    Thank you for your cooperation!

                                             Third Grade Teachers

Here's what to expect for next week:

• Wacky Wardrobe Day is on Monday. If you choose to participate please read the above notice to get further details.
• Report Cards will be sent home on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Please keep an eye out for it in your child's Homework Folder.
• Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Thursday, November 3. If you have turned in an appointment request form, you have received an appointment. There is a reminder of the time you are scheduled for in the weekly comment in your child's homework folder. 

Finally, we have added a new link to the Math Games section. The Math Facts Games Link will provide additional support for children who need to practice their addition, subtraction and multiplication facts. Have fun!

Have a great weekend!

Week 8: Homework Folders

Your child should be giving you the homework folder for your signature at the end of each week. In the last three weeks, your child has had a weekly update attached to the bottom of the sheet. The update is intend to give a brief glimpse of your child's week in school. Please take a moment to read the comment and sign the sheet before Mondays.

Here's what to expect for next week:

• The Chapter 2 Math test on Data will be returned to your child on Monday. Please look over the test and sign the tear off portion. Keep the test at home and send the tear off back to school in your child's homework folder. 
• We will begin Chapter 3 in Math. This will be your child's introduction to Multiplication concepts. This is exciting to many children and we will spend a lot of time on learning the times table in the upcoming months. 
• We are headed to the Armory on Tuesday. Please make sure your child is wearing clothes and shoes for physical activity.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the BooBash for those of you who are attending!

Week 7: Reading Response Homework

Next week, students will have an additional task attached to the back of their reading log. We have been practicing doing Reading Responses around a prompt in class. The response is anywhere from 4-7 sentences long and focuses on an idea your child has about the main character in an independent book he/ she is reading. Students are expected to back up their thinking with evidence from the text. The sheet will be given out on Monday and due the following Monday.

Here's what to look out for next week:

• Picture Day is on Wednesday. Please look for a notice regarding how to order pictures in your child's folder. 
• The Chapter 2 Math test will take place on Friday. This test will focus on graphs and charts, and using the data to solve problems.

Have a great weekend!

Week 6: Math Unit 2, Weekly Comments and Water Bottles

We began Unit 2 in Math. The above picture shows the key vocabulary that will be used throughout the unit. Your child has these cut into cards, and they are kept in an envelop in their homework folder as a reference tool.

Starting today, October 7, I will include a weekly comment at the bottom of your child’s homework folders. Please expect to see a comment every Friday except for the week before a major holiday (Winter, Mid-Winter and Spring breaks). Please review it and sign the bottom of the homework sheet so that I know you have seen it. These comments as intended to give just a brief idea of how your child is doing during the preceding week. The check mark on the check list indicates that your child has demonstrated this behavior consistently and productively. 

Many students bring water bottles to school, which is a great idea as it minimizes the need to exit the room to use the water fountain. Please fill the bottle with only water. Juice and other sugary beverages often get spilled and it is not often cleaned properly, which leads to a messy floor. Thank you for your cooperation.

Here are some events of note for next week:

• Schools will be closed on Monday in observance of Columbus Day.
• We will visit the Armory on Tuesday. Please have your child dressed for running and playing. 
• Schools will be closed on Wednesday in observance of Yom Kippur. 

Week 5: Curriculum Night

Thanks to everyone who came to Curiculum Night and listened patiently as we talked through some of procedures and units of study common to the Third Grade. If you were unable to make it to the meeting, a copy of the Power Point presentation can be sent home if you request it. just send a note in your child's homework folder.

Here's what will happen next week:

• Schools are closed on Monday and Tuesday for Rosh Hashannah.
• We will have our first Family Friday on October 7. The children will present their All About Me objects in our All About Me Museum. Please join us at 8:30 am.

Have beautiful weekend!

Week 4: October Family Friday and Cluster Schedule

For our first Family Friday of the year, third graders will put on an All About Me exhibit. The following notice went home with your child on Friday, explaining how each child will prepare for this event:

All About Me 

Bag Due Monday, September 26

For our Family Friday on October 7, you will display some “All About Me”artifacts so that we can get to know you better. Please collect 5-6 special objects that represent you.  Place these objects inside the attached bag.  For instance, you could include your favorite book, something that shows your hobby, a souvenir from a fun trip, etc.  Anything you bring in needs to fit inside the bag.  No electronics, expensive items, or anything that might break easily. Please collect your artifacts and bring your bag to school on or before Monday, September 26.  We will prepare some writing to go along with our displays in the days before Family Friday.  Have fun collecting!

Cluster Schedule: 
In addition to daily reading, writing, math, and social studies, the children will also receive instruction from teachers outside the class. We are participating in Art, Computers, Physical Education, Science, Music and Theater Arts classes. Third Grade will  also participated in a Dance enrichment and I will let you know when we have a schedule.

Our weekly schedule looks like this:

·      Monday: Science at 10:10 am with Mrs. Gamboi

·      Tuesday: Art at 9:25 am with Ms. Kelly

·      Wednesday: Physical Education at 9:25 am with Ms. Moore

·      Thursday: Computers at 10:10 am with Mr. DoTran

·      Friday: Theater at 10:10 am with Mr. Gioia followed by Music with Ms. Gabel at 11:00 am

Here's what to expect in the following week:

• We will have our first math test on Thursday. This will wrap up Unit 1 and we will move onto a unit on Representing and Interpreting Data, which includes reading graphs and charts.  
• This Friday, we took a Mid-Chapter Checkpoint Assessment so that students could get a refresher on test conditions. This assessment will be sent home to you on Monday with feed back on areas we could work on to help our children do better on the upcoming Unit 1 test. 
• On Thursday, we will have our Curriculum conference night. This is an opportunity for parents to come and meet teachers in the cluster classes as well as the your child's main teacher. Third Grade teachers will make a presentation in the cafeteria from 6-6:30 pm. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity for you to come to our classroom to tour the room. 

Finally, it was great to see so many parents come to our first classroom event. You were an excellent resource as we worked on decorating the children's Writer's Notebooks. The kids are very excited to have their beautiful and personalized notebooks. Thank you for taking the time to come in!

Have an excellent weekend!