November 11-15

Happy Veteran's Day! I hope you all had a great weekend! There is no doubt that the cold front is definitely here.  Please make sure your child brings a coat and warm clothing for recess! (I told them today that they will not be allowed to go outside to play if they were wearing shorts and/or if they do not have a coat with them).

Upcoming Reminders:

Tues., Nov. 12 Picture Retake Day
Wed., Nov. 13 Field trip to Mill Valley High School to film reading skit- Please return permission slip ASAP & remember to pack a lunch!!
Wed. & Friday, November 13 & 15  Genius Hour in the classroom!
Mon., Nov. 18 Skate Party at Skate City from 6-8
Nov. 27-29  Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

Thanksgiving lunch-
Parents are invited to join students for a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch prepared by our amazing kitchen staff on Wednesday, November 20^th. To ensure we have enough food for all attending, parents are asked to RSVP their reservations by calling the office no later than Monday, November 18^th at 667-1800.

Pen Pals to Taiwan-
Students began writing their pen pal letters today to students in Taiwan. They will be bringing them home for a parent to edit. I would really appreciate your help in checking for spelling, conventions, and sentence clarity. They should have 3 paragraphs written. Here is an outline of what should be included in the letter:
1st- all about me and who I am
2nd- all about my family
3rd- interests, sports, hobbies, or activities I like
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SEND A PICTURE FOR YOUR CHILD TO INCLUDE WITH HIS LETTER.

Reading-
We will walk to the high school on Wednesday to film our Reader's Theater!  The kids should be practicing their lines at home in addition to practicing in school. 

Math-
Our study on multiplication will end this week with a final test on Friday. The students have now learned all of their basic multiplication facts and should continue to study them at home for practice.

Science-
This week the students will have the opportunity to learn about forces and motions with a fun book and activities from Jeep in a Sheep.  We'll be working together to create roller coasters together next week. 

Vocabulary and Spelling-
We will have our forces and motion test this Friday, November 15.  Here is the link to practice the vocabulary words: 

http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_21/Forces_and_Interactions_Test_Nov_8_ZVcnx.htm

You can also have your child study from Spelling City here:
https://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=14994847

Reading Logs-
The students have been doing a really nice job completing their logs weekly and turning them in on time. We have just 2 more weeks left of this reading program. Keep reading!!

Have a super week!

November 4-8

Hello!

Thanks so much to the many wonderful parents that helped during our first Genius Hour research session.  We will have another Genius Hour this Wednesday from 2:05-2:55.  (I'm starting just a little earlier than Friday in case we have any unexpected events.)  Come one, come all!  Let me know if you'd like to help.  Thanks so much! 

Technology--I introduced the kids to EdModo last week. This is an interactive page where I can pose questions for the students and they can each write a response.  As I find useful apps, I will add them and let the kids know.  An app was added last week to help your child with math facts.  Many of the kids said it was a lot of fun.  You may want to check it out.  I intend to use EdModo as our daily communication for homework but will also send you an email for the remainder of this week.  Next week it will only be posted on EdModo. 

Math--We began Topic 6 today.  The kids learned about the distributive property of multiplication.  It basically states that a multiplication fact can be broken up into smaller multiplication facts and added together.  The kids will also learn their multiplication facts for 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8.  Please continue to practice math facts at home with your child.

Spelling and Vocabulary-- A new list was sent home last week with the test date of this Friday.  We spent a bit longer time than expected on our community unit so we did not get to start our Forces and Interactions unit until today.  As a result, the test day will be moved to NEXT Friday, November 15.  Here is the link to practice the spelling words at Spellingcity.com:
http://www.spellingcity.com/view-spelling-list.html?listId=14994847
Kids can also practice the meanings of the words here:
http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_21/Forces_and_Interactions_Test_Nov_8_ZVcnx.htm

Science and Reading-- As we learn the vocabulary for Forces and Interactions, we will also be reading and experimenting to learn more about these topics.

Reading logs are due tomorrow if you did not send them today. Please continue to have your child read regularly each night. The goal is 100 minutes a week.  We are leading the 3rd grade with the most minutes read each week!  I've been very impressed with some of the numbers I've seen from the kids.  We love to read!!  :)

Writing-- Our class will be walking to MVHS on November 13. We are finishing up our script writing so we can start practicing it this week. The kids are excited with the opportunity to be video-taped by Cindy Schwartz's film class. This is such a fun project for the kiddos and they learn a lot about video production.

Thanksgiving Feast--Parents are invited to join students for a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch prepared by our amazing kitchen staff on Wednesday, November 20^th.  To ensure we have enough food for all attending, parents are asked to RSVP their reservations by calling the office no later than Monday, November 18^th at 667-1800.