Hello!

Just 2 days of school left in the 2nd quarter, and just 2 days of school left until Winter Break!!  I will try my hardest this week to keep normal routines as much as possible, so the kids are reminded of the safe feeling they have when they are here at school.  However, with it also being the week before the holidays there will be some fun that we partake in, too.  :) 

The school's new reading program began yesterday!  In your child's Monday folder you found enough reading log space to record your child's reading minutes for 3 weeks (this week and the two weeks of winter break).  Please have your child send all three reading logs back to school on Monday, Jan. 7, when school resumes.

The last to vote is Dec. 19th!!  Please continue to support our school for the next couple of days by texting 1044pbf to 95248 or by going to the website www.vote232.com.

Here is what we will be doing to complete our semester:

Reading-
Reading groups have been finishing up their chapter books and will have a mini-project they will complete in class on Wednesday.  We have also read many holiday books and discussed main idea and details along with cause and effect and making predictions. 

Spelling-
No spelling this week! :)

Math- 
We will complete Topic 7 this week with a review on Tuesday and the final test on Wednesday.

Writing-
We are completing our Christmas bulb writing this week.  We will be reading the Grinch later this week and practicing a variety of ways (persuasive, narrative and expository) to write in response to the story. 

Social Studies-
Our research for our international study is well underway.  The kiddos are doing a great job of notetaking from books and specific websites.

Have a wonderful week!!

December 10-14

We are nearing the end of the 2nd quarter in 3rd grade.  The last day of the semester is next Thursday, Dec. 20.  We will have a busy afternoon that day:
1:30-2:15-- The entire school will listen to The Polar Express read by Mr. Hertog.
2:15-3:00-- The Choir and Band will perform for the entire school.
3:00-3:45-- Classroom/Holiday Party--Thank you to Mrs. Emerson and crew for getting this party organized.  It looks like the kids are going to have a lot of fun.

Monday will be PJ day for the 3rd grade!  The 3rd grade will be watching "The Lorax" as a reward for having 75% (or more) participation in our Cool the Earth program.  The kids may bring an extra snack/treat to enjoy with the movie.  :) 

Please continue to vote daily.  There are only 9 days left.  Vote for Prairie Ridge at www.vote232.com or by texting 1044pbf to 95248.  Thanks again for all you help and support.

Here is a look at what's going on this week:

Reading-  This week in reading we will be learning about "Nature's Hazards" as we determine what's important in the text that we read.  We will also continue our study on text features and how they help us. 

Spelling-  The pattern this week is Homonyms-- words that sound the same but are spelled different and have a different meaning.  The final test will be on Friday.  We will not have spelling next week.

Writing-  The students are continuing to write holiday stories using their senses.  For a creative writing assignment, kids will be writing about what life would be like inside a snowglobe! 

Math- We completed our multiplication unit on Friday.  Today we started to learn about its inverse operation, division.  The students will learn that division is separating a total into groups.

Social Studies-  International Research-  The students will begin researching information about the country in which they will be studying. 

Have a great week!!

December 3 - 7

Tourism Day was a huge success!!  The students had a great time being presenters to all of the 1st, 2nd and 4th graders that came on a tour of the states.  Your child will be bringing home their folders with all of their research later this week.  I'm very proud of how hard they worked to be ready for their presentation.

We then walked to the high school to film our skit. The kids had an amazing time learning about the green screen and how the high school turns our acting into an amazing production.  Stay tuned.  I'll keep you posted when we can show our performance to you. 

In your child's Monday folder you will find a letter outlining our next big project, International Festival.  I will be walking the students through this entire project.  What I need from your child first is the name of the country he or she would like to research.   The country is decided upon by your family's heritage.  If your family has more than one, let your child choose which one he or she would most like to research. 

Don't forget to vote!!  There are still 15 more days left of the voting period.  Please help our school by texting 1044pbf to 95248 or by voting at www.vote232.org.   Thanks for all your support and effort!
Third Grade is responsible for helping before and after school this week.  Use this link to sign up and help. 
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/409084BAEAF229-3rdgrade1/1991412  Thanks again! 

Reading-  We are continuing to read about forces of nature as we practice fix-up reading strategies. 

Spelling- The spelling lists this week contain 'multiple-meaning words.'  The final test will be on Friday.

Math-  We will be completing our unit on multiplication facts with a test this Friday.  Please have your child continue to practice multiplication facts at home by using flash cards or fun websites. 

Writing-  The class will be starting a new writing assignment this week.  They will use their five senses to describe Christmas. 

Social Studies-  We will finish our mapping unit this week and begin to learn about our International Festival project.

Earlier today I sent a sign up for our classroom cocoa party on the 20th.  If you missed it, then you can find it here.    www.SignUpGenius.com/go/4090B4AA8A6283-margheims/1991412  Thanks for helping to make our party memorable for the kids. 

Have a great week!

November 26-30

Hello!

I hope you all enjoyed the long holiday weekend with your family.  It was nice to sit back and relax for a bit.  I'm refreshed and ready to take on the next few weeks.  Can you believe we are nearing December?  This year is going by incredibly FAST!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE EVERYDAY!! We are currently in 1st place for our category but have dropped to 2nd place overall. That is a difference of $25K towards PRE technology. You can vote everday at www.vote232.org or text 1044pbf to 95248. Please pass along the information to your friends and family so they can help us, too.  Thanks for your continued support!!

Hopper of the Week begins this week.  A separate email will be sent home regarding the different activities for the week and the schedule.  Mackenzie Alley is our first Hopper of the Week!

Here is a look at our week.
Reading-
We will be starting Theme 7, On Moving Ground. We will be using Fix-Up reading strategies to help the students better understand what they are reading. 

We will be walking to Mill Valley High School on Friday to film a short skit we have prepared.  The kids created the skit after reading the Wisest Wish of All.  The Film and Production Class at MVHS will film us and turn it into a movie.  A permission slip went home today so please remember to send it back before Thursday.  The kids will need a SACK LUNCH on Friday as we will miss part of our scheduled lunch time. 

Spelling-
Our spelling pattern this week is synonyms and antonyms. Synonyms are words with the same or similar meanings, and antonyms are words that have opposite meanings.

Math-
We will continue to learn basic multiplication math facts this week. The students will be learning how to multiply by 3's, 4's, 6's, 7's and 8's. After this week, they should know most of their facts and will need to just practice, practice, practice.

Writing and Social Studies-
We will be continuing to do research for our state project. This Friday from 9:30-10:30 we will be having our Tourism Day. Feel free to stop by and take a tour of all 50 states that morning if you are available.

The students will also be taking a geography quiz on Friday over the 7 contintents and 5 oceans.  A study guide was sent home a week ago and another was sent home today.

Have a great week!

November 12 - 20

Hello! 

Since Thanksgiving is next weeek and we only have two days of school, I am going to give you an update that contains information for both weeks.

VOTING BEGAN YESTERDAY for the Clorox grant!! Please help PRE by voting for us every day!  Simply log onto www.vote232.com to sign up and vote.  The site was having issues yesterday, but seems to be fine now as I just voted a few minutes ago.  You can also text 1044pbf to 95248.  You can text each day but will need to wait 24 hours and 1 minute between texts.  THANKS so much for all of your help! 

Reading & Writing-
We will be studying about transportation in reading as we continue to practice 'creating images.'  We will also spend some time reviewing main idea and supporting details. In small groups we are continuing to practice and develop reading comprehension strategies.

The students will also be learning about the history of Thanksgiving, as well as, completing a writing assignment describing each child's own family gathering.  They will use their senses in their description writing. 

Spelling-
All of the words on our spelling lists this week contain "silent letters". Each word will have one of these letters' in it that is silent: w, h, b, g, or gh. The final test will be on Friday.
There will be NO spelling next week.

Math-
Multiplication Facts- The boys and girls are THRILLED to finally be learning multiplication facts. Last week they learned the 2's, 5's and 9's (see if they can teach you the hand trick or the adding digits trick they learned to help them remember the facts for 9's). This week students will learn facts for 1's, 0's, and 10's. They will also learn about patterns that help them remember basic facts.

Social Studies AND Writing-
The students will be starting a state research project this week. During this project the students will be learning about mapping and geography skills. This assignment will help teach the students a little bit more about researching as well. Tourism Day will be the conclusion of this project and will be held on November 30. The students will get to present the information that they gathered and share what they learned about the state that they each studied.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your family!

Nov. 5 - 9

We are PRE!  We need Technology!!Today is the day voting begins for the Clorox Grant.  Please remember to vote DAILY with every electronic device you have.  Our school could really use the $50,000 to use towards new technology.
If you are on Facebook, check out the PRE PTA page. You can follow the process there and it will provide you with more voting information.  You will also be recieving more information about it in today's Monday Folder. 

Reading-
We are winding down our theme on government this week.  Students have learned how to create images of the text they read. 

Writing-
The students received a reply from their pen pals today.  We will be writing friendly letters this week in response to their new found pals. We will also be writing our buddy, Addisen. 

Spelling-
The pattern for this week is suffixes.  Students will practice and learn the meaning of these ones:  -ful, -able, and -less.  It is a great idea to discuss with your kids the meanings of the suffixes listed above and how they change the word.  We will also be doing that in class this week.  The test will be on Friday.
-ful means full of or having
-able means capable of
-less means without

Science-
The students will learn about the phases of the moon, stars, and constellations this week. 

Social Studies-
Election Day will finally be here tomorrow!  Our class president, Ashley Sagi, will be competing against the class presidents from the other 3 third grade classes tomorrow.  Each candidate will give a speech to the entire grade level.  We will then have the students "vote" for the candidate of their choice.  We are incredibly proud of Ashley and all of our candidates from last week.  They were fantastic!  :)

Have a wonderful week!

Hello!

The first quarter report card went home yesterday in your child's Monday folder.  Please review it, sign the cover sheet, and send it back to school with your child. You can keep the report card for your records. I only need the top sheet returned.

Wednesday is Halloween!! We will have a school parade and class party that afternoon. Students will bring their costumes to school and change into them just before the parade begins at 2:45. The Halloween party will begin at 3:00, immediately following the parade. You are all welcome to swing by the classroom to see your child and the other kiddos dressed up for the holiday!  Don't forget to send in your supplies if you signed up to help with the party.  Here is the link to signup genius if you forgot what you were supposed to bring!  :)  www.SignUpGenius.com/go/409084BAEAC2E5-halloween

Prairie Ridge is celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week! Here is the schedule for spirit days:
Monday- Wear sweats
Tuesday- Wear red, white and blue
Wednesday- Crazy Sock Day (and bring Halloween costume to change into later)
Thursday- Twin Day
Friday- Pajama Day

Here is what we will be doing in class the rest of the week:
Reading- As we move to our next reading theme, Every Vote Counts, the students will practice creating images as they read.

Writing- We will publish our last piece and will also write a fun Halloween story.

Spelling- The pattern for the spelling lists this week is 'adverbs'. Adverbs are words that describe a verb. They often end with -ly.

Social Studies- The class has nominated 4 of our very own students to become class president. Grace, Ashley S., Max and Rheagan were nominated as candidates in our class election.  I am very proud of all of my kids as they were responsible when nominating their classmates.  They had to write one or two sentences stating qualitites as to what makes that person a good candidate.  I read so many wonderful comments about several of our kids, not just the final four candidates.  The students are working on a campaign to represent one of these 4 nominees. The class election will take place on Wednesday. After our class president is elected, he or she will then represent our class in the 3rd grade election, which will be held on election day next Tuesday!

Math- We will begin a new topic on multiplication this week.  The kids are very excited! 

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!!

October 15-19

We are nearing the end of the first quarter!  Can you believe how fast it has gone?  This Thursday marks the last day of the quarter.

Students have this Friday(19th) and next Monday(22nd) off from school due to teacher in-service days.

Here is a look at this week's plans:
Reading- Students will begin learning about the "law" in our next theme.  They will be learning how to 'monitor understanding' of what they read.  A great way for them to practice this strategy is to have them complete the phrase, "I am not sure I understand..." about the text that they read.

Spelling- Our spelling pattern this week is contractions.  Students will practice which letters to remove from the two words that combine to make a contraction and where to place the apostrophe. The test will be on Thursday.

Writing- Students will continue working through the writing process with their personal narratives about their first loose tooth.

Math- We will take our Topic 3 test tomorrow.  If you would like to help your child prepare for the test, a review will be coming home tonight for homework.  The remainder of the week will be spent on telling time to the half-hour, quarter-hour, and minute.  Students will also take the official timed tests for addition and subtraction this week.

Social Studies- Our Rigby theme goes right along with our current social studies theme, just in time for elections.  Students will get a second helping of government during social studies this week.

SCIENCE REMINDER:  Solar Houses are due next Tuesday!!  Not only does your child need to have a solar house constructed from a shoe box, but they also need to have a write-up that goes with it. This can be either typed or handwritten.  See the rubric for all of the criteria for the write-up.

Have a great week!!

October 8 - 12

I sure am enjoying these cooler temperatures that have finally arrived.  As the air is getting cooler, remember to send your child with a light jacket to wear at recess. 

We had our Solar Cookout yesterday!  The baked apples were a big hit!  Although it didn't get warm enough outside for the cheese to melt on top of the nachos, the kiddos had a great time preparing them. They sure learned a lot about the process of creating and using a solar cooker as well.  Thank you so much to all of you who either donated items for this project, to those who were able to join us on Friday to help assemble the cookers and to those who joined us Monday to help the kids with the nachos.  I really could not have done that without all of your help!!!!!

Here is a look at this week:
Reading
We will be completing Theme 3 on Friday with a vocabulary quiz.  The students have been practicing how to infer the meaning of text when they are reading.

Spelling
The pattern this week is consonant digraphs.  The digraphs that will appear in the spelling words are: sh, ch, th, and wh.  The test will be on Friday.

Writing
The students will continue writing their personal narrative about losing a tooth.  Be sure to ask them about the story we read together, Trevor's Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth.

Math
The students will be using subtraction in a variety of ways.  They will learn how to use it in an expanded algorithm, model subtraction, subtract using 3 digit numbers, subtract across zeros, and how to draw a picture to help them solve problems.

Science
We will begin studying weather later this week.

Social Studies
We will complete our 3-dimensional communities.

October 1-5

Thank you all so much for attending parent teacher conferences. I really enjoyed having the chance to speak with each of you about your child last week.  I hope that you were able to share some positive feedback with him or her after we met.

This week is Bully Prevention Week at PRE.  Here is the schedule of events for the week:

Monday, October 1 – "Words Hurt, so…Choose them Kindly!"　 All classroom teachers will get a word bubble, your class is in charge of brainstorming a list of kind words – if you could get these to me by the end of that day that would be awesome!　 I want to get them on display, so they can be a reminder to kids all week.　 I will assign a few letters to each class to brainstorm – that way we don’t have a bunch of word bubbles with the same words on them!　

Tuesday, October 2 – "Team up against bullying!"

　 Today we want everyone to show they are teaming up against bullying by wearing their favorite team jersey or t-shirt!

Wednesday, October 3 – "Walk out on Bullying!"　

Today we are walking out on bullying, so wear your favorite fitness gear and sneakers!　 First thing, right after announcements, we will have our second annual bully walk.　 The students will walk around the perimeter of the school and playground to make a bully free barrier.　 Please make sure your students know the reason behind it!

Thursday, October 4 – "I’m too Bright to be a Bully!"　

To show that we are too bright to bully, wear bright clothing today!　 I will also be giving students a bookmark with this year’s bully theme on it.

Friday, October 5 –

"Our school is Bully Free!"　 To show pride in making our school bully-free, wear your favorite PRE spirit wear!

Reading-

We will begin Theme 3 today, What is Light?  Students will practice the reading strategy "inferrring" during this theme.  When you infer, you use your own ideas to help you understand what you read. 

Spelling-

The spelling pattern this week is when the long vowel sound is created by adding a silent 'e' at the end of a word.  This is also called the VCe pattern(Vowel, Consonant, silent e).

Writing-

Students will be practicing their friendly letter writing as they write letters to pen pals.  The pen pals that we will have this year are from the Derrick Thomas Academy in Kansas City, Kansas.  We will also be writing to another very special pen pal, Addisen, who moved to Texas last week! 

Math-

We will begin Topic 3 this week, Using Place Value to Add and Subtract.  The lessons this week will be adding with an expanded algorithm, adding 3-digit numbers by showing a model, adding 3-digit numbers, and adding 3 or more numbers.  We will also be reviewing skills from Topic 2 and restesting later this week.

Science-

We will be preparing Solar Cookers on Thursday.  This will require you to send in $0.50 to purchase the pizza box and a few other items as well.  Please check your child's Monday folder for a list of things that we are in need of to help us make solar cookers.  Our plan is to have a solar cookout on Friday, however, the weather looks a little chilly and we may need to postpone it until next week.  We still plan on preparing the cookers Thursday regardless of when the cookout will be.  Please let me know if you are able to supply us with one of the items on the list, and make sure to send it in by Wednesday this week.  Thanks!

Social Studies-

Students are working in groups to create 3-dimensional  models of rural, urban and suburban communities.

September 17-21

Hello!

We will be taking a Community Walk next Tuesday!  We will be walking through the neighborhood and to our local McDonald's restaurant for a treat.  Your child will be encouraged to bring no more than $5 so they can buy themselves a treat.  I will not be holding onto their money for them.  They will use this as a learning experience on how to order and pay for themselves. 

Picture Day is on Wednesday!  If you are ordering pictures you should send in the order form by Wednesday. 

Common Core Night is Wednesday evening from 6:00-7:00.  If you plan on attending and haven't sent in your RSVP, then please let me know so we have enough space.  Thanks!  :)

Parent Conferences are next week!  I can't wait to meet with each of you to set some goals for the year and to discuss your child's progress with you.

Reading
We are continuing to make connections and ask questions about the text we read.  Ask your child to create a few connections and "I wonder..." questions after he or she reads from a book, and check to see if they can answer their own questions.  Small reading groups began today!

Spelling
The spelling pattern this week contains word families.  Each of the words in the list will contain one of these endings:  -ay, -an, -ip, -old, -ack, and -own.  The spelling test will be on Friday.

Math
This week we will be practicing our mental math skills as well as rounding and estimating numbers.
If your child is struggling with homework and you are not sure how to help, please encourage them to bring their textbook home so that you can reveiw the lesson with them.  This might help some frustration that your child may be havingwith homework.   

Writing
We will be writing a special poem this week.  Biopoems are poems that describe ourselves and our characteristics.  They should be finished in time for you to read at conferences. 

Social Studies
We are still studying communities and will review the differences between urban, rural and suburban communities.

Science
We will continue learning about solar energy by experimenting with sun beads and the effectiveness of UV strengths in various sunscreens.

September 10-14

The students did an awesome job last week as they completed their MAP tests!! I am so proud of them and the hard work that they put into taking the tests.  This was the first time these kiddos ever tested on computers for a long period of time.  They did a great job concentrating, staying focused and trying their best on all three tests.  I will share and review individual results with you at parent confences in a couple weeks. 

Parent Conferences- Parent Conferences are a few weeks earlier this year, Sept. 26 and 27.  If you have not signed up for a conference yet, you will need to sign up for a conference time through our Prairie Ridge website.  Here is the link: http://www.usd232.org/education/components/form/default.php?sectiondetailid=33036&

Lap-A-Thon is this Friday.  Make sure your child wears tennis shoes.  The third grade will be walking/running from 10:50-11:30.  Please feel free to join us at this time.  :)

Book Orders-  I sent home book order forms in Monday folders last week.  I will be collecting orders until Wednesday.  You may also order online if you wish.  Let me know if you have any questions at all.  Thanks for supporting your child's reading with Scholastic! 

Reading- We began Theme 2 today, Life in Many Places.  The reading strategy that we will practice for the next two weeks is "Asking Questions."  We will continue to review making connections as we progress through the various reading strategies.  I will complete benchmarking this week and will begin meeting with small reading groups next week.

Spelling- The spelling pattern for this week is consonant blends.  All of the words will contain one of these blends: cr-,dr-, gr-, pr-, and -st. The spelling test will be on Friday.

Math- We will take our first math test tomorrow on Topic 1.  The students have a practice test for homework tonight.  On Wednesday, we will begin Topic 2.  This week the students will learn about the meaning of addition and subtraction, as well as have the opportunity to practice using mental math to add numbers.

Social Studies- We will continue learning about communities, specifically, the differences between the 3 types of communities- rural, suburuban and urban.

Science- This week we will be making sun prints.  We will also determine the temperature differences between several earth materials like dirt and sand when they are exposed to the sun.

Have a great week!!

September 4

Hello!

Welcome to another week of 3rd grade!  We are off to a great start and have a busy 4-day week ahead of us.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessments-  MAP testing begins in 3rd grade!  This is a district tool that is used to help us evaluate the progress of our students from year to year.  Students will take MAP assessments in the fall and in the spring every school year from 3rd grade through 12th grade. 

Our class will take their very first round of these tests this week- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The students will take 3 tests:  reading, math and language arts so there will be one each day.  I will review the results from this first round of testing with you at parent conferences at the end of September.

Reading-
We are continuing with Theme 1, Community Spirit.  We will keep practicing how to make connections with the text that we read.  Small reading groups will begin in a couple of weeks.

Spelling-
The spelling pattern for this week is "beginning consonant sounds".  The lists contain words that begin with the consonants b, d, f, m and v. Your child's list was sent home with them in their homework folder and should be written in their agenda this evening. The final test will be on Friday.

Math-
We are still learning about place value this week.  We will be comparing numbers, ordering numbers and using an organized list to represent given information in a problem. 

Writing-
Students will prewrite ideas for their story and write a first draft.
We will continue reveiwing nouns and verbs this week, as well.

Science and Social Studies-
We are learning about how the sun is the main source of the solar energy we recieve on earth.  We have several activities planned for this unit in which sunlight is required.  Therefore, we may go back and forth between science activities and social studies based on the sunlight's cooperation. 

We will begin learning about our community in social studies.  By the end of the week, students should know where they live-- on the planet earth, on the continent North America, in the country of the United States, in the state of Kansas, in the county of Johnson, and in the city of Shawnee.  They may even be able to tell you which neighborhood they live in.

Have a great week!

August 27 - August 31

August 27-31

Hello! 
Read below to see what we will be working on this first FULL week of 3rd grade.

Math

We began Topic 1 in math today. Students will be using place value to learn about numbers and different ways to represent them. Some of the key concepts that they will learn this week are:
* Representing numbers
* Ways to name numbers
* Greater numbers
* Counting and identifying numbers on a number line

Students will have homework every night in math. They are expected to complete the "Practice" side of the sheet while the "Enrichment" side is optional. The first assignment was given to them today so they should have their homework sheet in their take-home folder with them.

Reading
Theme 1 was introduced in class today. Students will study Communities while practicing a variety of reading and writing skills. The reading strategy that students will practice this week is 'making connections.'

Students will be expected to read 15-20 minutes 4-5 nights a week in my class. The school will have several reading programs throughout the year in which the boys and girls will need to track the time they read. That will be the only time I send home an official reading log for tracking. Students will write in their agendas daily the 15-20 minutes I expect them to read. When the parent or guardian signs the agenda nightly, that will be my confirmation that your child has completed his or her reading for the day.

Spelling
"Short Vowel sounds" is the pattern for the first spelling list of the year. Students will take a pretest on Fridays. It is a child's score on the pretest that determines which of TWO lists they will recieve.
The Rigby list will contain 15 words with the pattern of the week.
The second list will also follow that pattern of the week, contain 15 words, but will contain words that are a little more difficult.
Your child has the opportunity to fluctuate between the two lists on a weekly basis. We will take a weekly pretest to determine how well each child knows the new pattern.

I will not be assigning nightly spelling homework for the students to turn into me. They will be completing an activity during class time each day instead. However, they are expected to learn study skills at home that require them to practice their words at home which will help them prepare for Friday's test.
You can have your child practice spelling at home by asking them to do an activity each night. This will help them prepare for the test. Here are a few ideas for you to have them do at home: reading and/or writing the words, putting them in ABC order, using them in sentences, finding them in a dictionary, take a practice test, find them in a book they a reading or copy them 3 times.

Science
We began learning about the sun today. We have a fun Solar Energy unit planned for the 3rd graders in which they will actually be building their own solar house. Watch for more about that in the next few weeks.

Writing
The year will begin with students writing a story while making sure to emphasize a Beginning, Middle and End so that it is organized, has flow and makes sense.

In grammar this week students will review nouns and verbs.

That's all for Week 1!!

May 7 - 11

The year is quickly winding down, but we are going to keep working hard and stay as busy as we can to help us stay focused through the last couple of weeks of school.

Here are the plans for the week:
Reading-- We will complete our chapter books that we have been reading in groups. We will be working on monitoring understanding, as well, as reviewing previous strategies that we have learned.

Spelling--
This is the LAST week of spelling!!  The pattern for the Rigby list this week is pronouns.  The Rigby words are bone, how, cookies, goes, half, whoever, himself, danger, join, them, who, ache, anybody, aunt & itself.  The Extension list is the suffix pattern "-ance, ence" which means 'state or quality of'. The Extension words are tolerance, radiance, perseverance, patience, elegance, dominance, diligence, defiance, convenience & annoyance.The test will be on Friday.

Math--Our perimeter unit went very quick and we will spend the rest of the year learning about area. We will also do some graphing before the year is over.

Science-- SCIENCE FAIR-- this Friday from 2:00-3:30. Parents are welcome to come by and check out all the experiments our students have been working so hard on.

The students have done a great job working on "the parts" of their Science Fair Project. Every thing should be turned in by today. I will accept late work through tomorrow because we will be assembling our Science Fair boards today and tomorrow afternoon in class.

Reminder- The board your child is using cost $1.50.

April 16 - 20

As I look ahead through the week, I am noticing a fairly "uneventful" week!!
Here's what we have planned:

Reading
We will begin Theme 12, Explorers in Space, today. Our reading strategy focus for this theme is classifying and categorizing information. Small groups will meet this week as we continue to read books and novels at students' individual reading levels.

Continue having your child read at home and mark it on the reading log. The Reading Logs will go home in Monday folders every week, and are expected to be turned in by Tuesday of the following week.

Spelling
The Rigby pattern this week are the prefixes non-, in-, and dis-. All three of these prefixes mean "not".  The Rigby words are insane, distrust, nonprofit, discover, around, disappear, color, dislike, nonfat, indifferent, disorder, nonliving, invisible, independent & dishonor.
The Extension list this week is hyper-, which means "over, beyond, or high."  The extension words are hypersensitive, hyperventilate, hyperglycemia, hyperextend, hypertension, hyperactive, hypercritical, hyperbole, hyperthyroidism, hyperthermia

Writing
We have been writing persuasive paragraphs. The students are also writing poetry to coincide with April being Poetry Month.

Math
We are continuing to learn more about fractions in Topic 10. This week we will be learning how to compare different fractions.

Science
We will be finishing up matter this week and also learn about ecosystems.

Science Fair Project Due Dates for the week:
Friday, April 20-- your child's Topic and Problem Statement are due!!

Please let me know if you have any questions!
Have a super week!!

April 9 - 13

Hello!

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter with your families! It was such a beautiful weekend....kind of felt like a little tease of summer!

This week we are sending home all the information for the science fair including all of the due dates for it! I am asking that you review the packet with your child and then send the signed sheet by Friday, April 13th. Thank you!

Our last reading program of the year will begin on April 10. It will be our Pawsome Reader program For every 500 minutes read, we will earn a paw. The class with the most paws in each grade level will earn a reward at the end of the program on May 13.

Math -
This week we will finish Topic 9 and will have the test on Thursday. The students will learn how to estimate fractions and will be able to make a table to identify a pattern to solve the problem.

Reading -
We will continue Theme 11, which is our unit on the Solar System. We will be reading and taking notes on different planets. We will also be working on writing a poem to describe a planet.

Spelling -
This week the Rigby list uses the prefix un- which means not. The words are: place, under, unable, unbuckle, uneasy, unwilling, unkind, uncover, unfold, unhappy, untold, unwind, unusual, unequal, and universe.
The challenge list uses the prefix sym-, syn- which means together, same. These words are: symbiosis, symmetry, sympathy, symposium, symptoms, synagogue, syndicate, synonym, synthesis, and synthetic.

Science -
We will continue our study of the states of matter and do more experiments to help describe the different properties of each.I am working on a sign up for volunteers for our Science Week which is April 23rd - April 29th, I will email it out as soon as I have it finished! :)

Writing -
This week we will be drafting persuasive essays and beginning a unit on writing poetry.

March 19 - 23

The 2012 Prairie Ridge Parent Survey is open!　 The school’s Site Council worked to shorten the length of the survey, so it will only take approximately 5 minutes to complete.　 Please note, surveys are set up by grade level, so if you have more than one student at PRE, we ask you complete one per child.　 This will allow you to provide specific feedback for each of your children.　 The survey closes on March 26^th.　 The school uses the survey information as a part of our continuous improvement process, and your feedback is valuable to us!　 Thank you for taking a few minutes to complete the survey.

Third Grade Prairie Ridge Parent Survey 2012

www.surveymonkey.com/s/HFYNVCG


Welcome back to school!  I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather and spring break with your kids.  It was great to see them again today!  :)  This week will be a normal week.  We will be preparing for our math testing next week so be prepared to see a variety of math homework topics.  Please let me know if you have any questions at all. 


Friday's Dr. Suess Day is Wear Red or Blue Day.  It is also a spirit day, Crazy Hair Day!  It's bound to be one wild day!

Math: 

We will be reviewing and preparing for the state math test next week.  Kids will have a play book to review at night with you.  We are currently running our math boot camp where the kids will rotate through each class to cover a different topic.  Please look over their homework each night and go over any questions they may have.  There will be questions similar to those on the state test.  We will be testing next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Personally, I am having the kids show their work even if they think it is incredibly easy for them.  Showing their work simply checks their mental math.  :)

Science:
We will begin a unit of sound and motion later this week.

Social Studies:
We will begin Unit 9 this week.  Our comprehension strategy is a review of making connections and compare/contrast information.

Grammar: 
We will review nouns.

Spelling:
The Rigby list is a list of nouns.  The words are buzzard, piano, boat, clown, airport, farm, cavern, giant, sponge, cluster, fable, author, bamboo, cloud and person.
The Extension list uses the prefix mis, which means bad or badly, wrong.  The words are misunderstand, mischievous, mistreat, mistreat, mislead, misjudge, misbehave, miserable, mistake, misfortune and misspell.

Writing:
We are finishing up the biographies for the Studentreasures hardback books.  If you have not sent in your order form, please do so by Thursday.  We will be mailing the books in to be published on Friday.  Let me know if you need a new form as I do have extra. 

As you can see, it will be a very busy week.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns at all.  :)

February 27 - March 2

Hello!

Hope you all had a chance to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend! Hopefully it will stay around for awhile! :) It's a big week for 3rd grade as we will begin our Kansas Reading State Assessments. They will take place Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12:00-1:30 (or longer if anyone needs extra time). Please make sure your child receives a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day this week. There will be NO homework until Thursday evening.  There will also be NO SPELLING this week due to testing.

Thank you for sending in a white t-shirt. The kids were excited to decorate their "team jersey" for our annual KSA Super Bowl. The class decided on our team name--the Bandits!! GO BANDITS!

Please consider sending in non-perishable items for the 5th grade food drive for St. Mary's food kitchen this week. Thank you in advance.

Math
This week, we will begin Topic 15, focusing on liquid volume and mass. We will cover customary units of capacity, metric units of capacity, units of mass and units of weight this week.

Writing
We will begin writing autobiographies this week. We will be publishing the autobiographies into a hard bound book.  You will recieve one book free and you option of purchasing more than one.

Some of the 3rd graders will be purchasing one of their books and sending them to Ethiopia Reads. Ethiopia Reads is a program that sends books to fill libraries in Ethiopia. You do not need to donate a book to this program.  If you have any gently used books that you would rather donate to this program, we will certainly accept those as well.  It is an exciting opportunity for our children to be a part of something like this and be able to help kids across the world.

If you would like to purchase a copy of your child's autobiography you may do so by filling out the form that I gave to you at conferences. If not, please just sign the form and return it! Thank you and let me know if you have any questions about this. 

Social Studies
We will begin a unit about Economics that should last until Spring Break.

Have a fabulous week!

February 20 - February 24

Hello!

Thanks so much for attending your child's conference!  It's a team effort to make sure your children are learning as much as they can to reach their fullest potential.  I truly appreciate all of the support you are giving them at home to help them prepare for the upcoming state assessments.  I know they'll do GREAT! 

REMINDERS!!
Please send a sack lunch with your child on Tuesday, February 21.  We will be attending the symphony during our lunch time so will eat when we return at 1:00. 

Please send a food dish with your child on Thursday, February 23rd.  Your child should come to school dressed in clothing that portrays their ancestor's country for the all school International Festival which will showcase their hard work over the past few weeks!

Please send a plain, white t-shirt by Friday, February 24.  We will design our own team jerseys for our KSA Super Bowl! 

Reading
We will begin with Theme 10 this week and will carry it out over the next three weeks. Our strategy focus is reviewing author's purpose along with comparing and contrasting information. We are stretching it out over the next few weeks as we are not allowed to do any other reading on the days the students take their state reading assessment.  We will still use our small group time to practice strategies that will help them on their assessments.

Spelling
Our Rigby words this week are brother, food, inside, atlas, sneeze, index, contents, data, edge, lunch, penny, summer, title, source and information.  Our prefix pattern is: trans-, which means across or through.  Our words are transatlantic, transcontinental, transcribe, transect, transfer, translate, translucent, transparent, transpiration and transport.  The test for both lists will be on Friday.

Writing
The students will be writing an autobiography for their published book this year.  We will begin those after our International Festival this week.  Look for more information regarding this soon!  :)

Math
Division!! The students did a fabulous job on our first division test.  We are currently studying fact families with division and multiplication facts.  We will have a test over Chapter 8 next week. 

Social StudiesThis week is the big week!  We have our International Festival on Thursday, February 23.  There will be an all school assembly from 10:00-10:45 in the morning with sampling various food from our countries and a chance for the different grade levels to learn more about our countries in the afternoon.  The students will showcase their hard work from 2:15-3:30 in the cafeteria.  Thanks so much for all of your help with this big undertaking.  We couldn't have accomplished it all without YOU!

January 30 - February 3

Welcome to another gorgeous week of "winter" weather!!

We will be working VERY hard as we enter into the month of February. As you know the International Festival is February 23rd, so the students will continue getting ready for that big event. The Valentine's Party this year is actually on February 14th. We also, have student-led conferences coming up on the 15th and 16th. And, we will end the month with our Reading State Assessments. Phew!! There is a lot to do this month!!

Reading
We will continue with Theme 8. Our strategy focus is still determining important information. We will take a theme test on Friday.

We are still using our small group time to practice strategies to help them take their reading state assessments.

Spelling
Our Rigby pattern will focus on word endings: -s, -ed, and -ing.  Our words are smiling, radios, jumped, pages, buzzes, grabbed, pushing, roasted, keys, patches, exploring, addresses, fall, close & blue.
Our prefix pattern is: circ-, circum-, which means round or around.  Our words are circumnavigate, circumvent, circumrotate, circle, circulate, circumference, circuit, circumspect, circlet & circumflex.

Writing
Along with typing their reports, the students will learn how to write a bibliography for their reports.
In grammar, we will focus on singular and plural possessive nouns.

Math
Division!! The students are very excited to finally be learning about division. During Topic 7 the students will learn that divison is the operation used to find how many equal groups or how many are in each group.

Social Studies
Students will continue working on their cultural research report. Thank you for spending your time editing them this weekend. That will help our class time focus on typing the reports in a word document.

January 23-27

Hello!
I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. 

Later this week, I will be sending home a literacy playbook that should be played each night in review for the Kansas Reading State Assessment. This should be studied as part of homework each night and brought back to school each day to look over. Here are some links to the study guide and some prefix/suffix matching and quizzes that should be practiced at home as well.
prefix/suffix matching http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/dragflip.asp?filename=bleggett
prefix/suffix quiz http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/quiz/mquiz.asp?filename=bleggett
reading state assessment video game http://classtools.net/widgets/quiz_2/Meg49.htm

Math
We focused on analyzing data last week (mode, median, maximum, minimum, and range). This week we will work on probability. We will take a test on both concepts Friday, January 27th. I will be sending home a review packet on Thursday for them to study at home.

Rigby Reading
We will begin Theme 8, Week 1 in Rigby. We will focus on determining importance (we will identify the main idea and details) and review fix-up strategies.

Spelling
The word study focus this week is homophones. The Rigby words this week are better, clean, done, hair, hare, maul, mall, paws, pause, raise, rays, sea, see, principal, and principle.
The challenge list is with the prefix intra- (within, inside) intracellular, intradermal, intragalactic, intramural, intranasal, intraocular, intrapersonal, intrapsychic, intrastate, and intravenous.

Social Studies
We will continue our study of celebrations of cultures by looking at traditions, holidays, education, foods, sports, and languages. We finished our research last week and will begin our rough draft this week.  Students will be bringing their rough drafts home over the weekend to edit with you.  Next week we will start typing our final copy on the computers.  MOST of this project is done at school; however, there may be a time or two that your help is needed at home.  Thanks for supporting your child with this big project.  The kids are doing a great job thus far.  Our third grade International Festival will be on February 23.

Writing
We will begin our rough draft on our ancestor's culture and country from which they originated.

Have an awesome week with some nice weather! :)

January 9-13

Welcome to the New Year!!!

It was so great to get back into the swing of things last week after having such a nice holiday break. I loved having the kiddos back and I can tell they are all rested and ready to take on the 2nd half of 3rd grade.  We were all anxious to meet Trey last week.  Trey was just as excited to meet his new Kansas friends; however, he said he'd still like to have some snow! 

Grace Riley and Kaiden Cook will represent our class in the school spelling bee this Thursday at 2:00pm.  Good luck! 

State assessments will be here before we know it!  We will be spending a lot of time over the next 2 months preparing for them. This will be the very first time these students take a state assessment, therefore we will be working very hard in order to get the students ready to take them.

Reading Assessments will be given to the 3rd graders February 28-March 1.
Math Assessments will be given to the 3rd graders March 27-29.
Please try not to schedule appointments for these days.

Report cards will be coming home today. Please sign the cover sheet and return it to school with your child.
Also, Mrs. Ronchetti has a fun field trip planned to the symphony with the 3rd graders. Please sign the permission slip and return it to school with $2.

International Festival:
Today in Monday folders you will find a letter that will give you some information about the International Festival. The boys and girls will be in responsible for researching and learning about their own culture and/or heritage. This information will be presented at our International Festival which will be held on February 23.

Reading:
We will be starting Theme 7, On Moving Ground, this week. Students will learn and practice fix-up strategies while they read. Small Group focus for the next month will be on state assessment preparation, rather than novel and small-book work.

Spelling:
The pattern for the week will be: synonyms and antonyms. The prefix pattern for the week is "-dis", which means not or none.

Math:
This week we will learn about "Time."

Social Studies:
We will begin researching for our International Festival. The students will learn notetaking skills and will gather information about the culture they are studying on notecards.