Break

Merry Christmas to all of you!
I wish you all safe travels!

Science

Today I will be sending home a vocabulary chapter review. It is completely optional, and will only benefit the students if they do it. I thought it would be a nice way to finish up chapter 6.

Snow is coming.....

As the snow starts to fall,I want to remind you to send the proper winter gear with your child. It is important that they are dressed to play while outside.

Things to know....

1)Our science partner quiz from last week was thrown out, and I have created a new one that the students will take this week. Many did not do well, so I have decided to give them another shot at it.
2)A social studies timeline project is coming home today, and is due November 30th.

Couple Notes

Hi Families~
I just wanted to let you all know that the science partner quiz we took last week will be thrown out. There were quite a few students that did not do well on it even though they had a partner and they were able to use their books. I have created my own lesson 3 quiz and we will be taking it this week.
Also, if you are able to donate anymore disinfecting wipes, our class would greatly appreciate it. We are almost out!

Just a few things.........

*Tomorrow is the last day to turn in October reading logs. The students do get points for turning them in, so it is very important to do so. Also, your child should try to read at home each day and record their minutes. Reading is wonderful!

*We are getting down to our last few containers of Lysol wipes....if you are able to send another one with your child, it would be greatly appreciated. We wipe down our desks each morning, so it does not take long to go through a container. Thank you!

READ, READ!

Congratulations to Tianna! She read the most chapter books during the month of September.

Remember to keep track of your child's daily reading minutes. Book-It officially begins this month!

Week of October 5th

Hello families~
It was great to see so many of you at the Marathon on Saturday. I know that the weather was not the greatest, but it was still fun to be with so many people.
This Friday is popcorn Friday, so please send a quarter with your child if they wish to have popcorn.
Please send in your child's Marathon money. We will be collecting it this week. I hope we made our goal!

Math: Today we spent more time practicing how to figure out and give correct change. Tomorrow we will spend the whole day reviewing in anticipation of our chapter 1 test on Wednesday. The students will be able to bring their math book home tomorrow night to study for it. On Thursday and Friday we will be learning about addition properties. Please keep practicing those math facts!

Reading: Our story this week is "My Rows and Piles of Coins". The theme of money will continue for one more week in our story. It is nice to have this connection with math. The grammar skill we will be focusing on this week is simple and compound sentences. As always, spelling pages will be due on Friday, and we will have our spelling test.

Religion: We will spend the entire week reviewing for our unit 1 religion test on Friday. The students were given a study guide today, and will be able to take their religion book home each night to study they chapter reviews that have been completed in class.

Social Studies: Today we learned a little history on Mexico City. The students found it to be quite interesting. On Tuesday we will work on a skill that will help the students to know how to use the contents page, glossary, and index of a book. Later in the week we will read a short story called "The City on the Lake".

Science: This week we are starting a new chapter on weathering and erosion. We will learn about how glaciers, people, water, and wind have changed the land.

Art: Each student will decorate a foam pumpkin, and they will help decorate our classroom for fall!

Have a great week!

Week in View

Hello families! Here is some information on what we are up to this week. See you at the Marathon on Saturday!

Math: Today we spent some time reviewing the skill of rounding numbers to the nearest tens, hundreds, and thousands. Tomorrow we will have a small quiz on this as well. For the rest of the week we will be working with money. As a class we will learn about counting money and value, as well as starting to learn how to make change. Please keep studying math facts daily! I have a seen a lot of progress so far.

Reading: Our story this week is "If You Made a Million". This story will fit nicely with math as well since we are beginning to work on money. The grammar skill we will be focusing on this week is commands and exclamations. As always, spelling pages will be due on Friday, and we will have our spelling test.

Religion: The chapter this week is called "At Home With God". We will be reading and learning about loving and caring for each other, and how families teach us to love. It is important for us to know that God loves us all!

Social Studies: We continue to talk about our country's geography this week. The class will take an imaginary trip across the United States, and will have to create a post card of one place they visited. Later in the week we will learn how to read a climate map, and do one activity with it.

Science: This week we are starting a new chapter about the sudden changes to the earth. We will learn about things such as: earthquakes, volcanoes, and landslides. As a class we will do one mini-experiment on Wednesday.

Art: Each student will make a mini church out of popsicle sticks. Should be fun!

September Birthdays:
Ms. Paumen--5th
Brooklyn--13th

September Reading Log

Reminder: September reading calendars are due next Thursday, October 1st. Keep on reading!

Book Order

Hello families!
There will be a book order coming home today. If you are interested in ordering books, please make sure that you return your order by Friday, September 18th. Thank you!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to 3rd grade! I am so happy to be working with all of you this school year. This blog will be just like a newsletter. My hopes, like I said it my open house letter, is to save on paper by posting on-line. I hope that this is a helpful tool for you and your child. I will post more the end of this week or early next week to let you know what will be taking place next week.

Happy Birthday!
Ms. Paumen: September 5th
Brooklyn: September 13th

Summer

Remember to check this blog during the summer. I might make little notes, and check in to see how everyone is doing. I will miss you all!

Last Week of School

Hello families! Sorry I did not make a post last week........things got a little crazy with track and field day on Friday. We had a beautiful day on Friday for all of the events. I hope that your child enjoyed all of it!
Well this is the last week of school. Remember that Thursday is only half a day of school.
This week will consist of finishing up a lot of things. We will start to look at fractions in math, and do a little review of things from the year. In religion, we will try to finish up our Fully Alive book. I hope that this has been beneficial for your child, and that they have learned a new way to look at family, life, and friends. On Tuesday the groups will present their book group presentation. Last week we started water Olympics in science, and the students will finish up those activities tomorrow. Naturally there will be some desk/room cleaning going on, as well as some little projects. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SEND AN EMPTY SOUP CAN WITH YOUR CHILD BY TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful summer! You have been amazing families to work with, and I appreciate all of your help and support.

Summer Birthday:
Thomas~ July 4th

Well Done!

Thank you to those of you who were able to come to our performance today! The students did a fantastic job, and I am so proud of all of their hard work. It was a great way to share their talents.

So Strange

Reminder that tomorrow is our performance of "Strange Creatures". The students are so excited, and have been working really hard! Please let me know by tomorrow morning if you can be there. :)

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

Today was our big end of the year, review spelling, test. For the most part, the students did pretty well. This was a true test of their spelling skills, and it shows how well they retain what they have studied during the year. It also helps me to see if the spelling words learned has transferred into their daily writing. I decided to grade these in a different way....in my grade book I have the total points as 15. This means that anything your child may have gotten that was over 15, is considered extra points.

Weekly Newsletter

Hello families!
I hope that you are all doing well! We are down to just about 8 days of school left, and the students are getting eager for summer. In the few days that we do have left, there is a lot going on.
*No School Monday: Memorial Day
*School Mass is at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, instead of 9:00 a.m
*Friday: Track and Field Day
*Thursday morning: Last buddy activity

Please make sure that you are checking your child's take-home folder daily for any information that may come home. I know that each day will be filled with many fun activities.

Math: In math next week we will be finishing up chapter 8. On Monday we will spend some time learning about volume, and on Wednesday we will be reviewing the chapter before our test. We will have our chapter 8 test on Thursday, May 28th.

Reading: I hope that you all received an invitation this week to come see our class' readers theatre play that we will perform next Wednesday morning. We will use time Tuesday morning as a mini dress rehearsal. Please remember to RSVP to me by next Tuesday so that I know about how many chairs to have ready for people. The students have all been working really hard, and are excited to show you what they have done.
**Book groups will finish up next week, and the three groups will begin to put together a group presentation about the book they read.**

Social Studies: The students will continue to work on their opinion papers. We have been doing some research in class, and the students have been working on creating reasons to support their opinions. Like I have told the students, this paper does not need to be completed at home. I will give them plenty of time to write it in class. It will probably end up being just a paragraph or two depending on how much time we have. There is a note going home today that lists some helpful websites, if the students choose to do a little research at home.

Science: We currently have some baby chicks staying in our classroom. Mrs. Miller has been kind enough to share five baby chicks with us. They will go back home with her either tonight or tomorrow after school. The students have enjoyed having them in our room, and have already named each of them.

Handwriting: Your child should have their handwriting book completely finished by the middle of next week. We have been working on the review when we have had time.

Religion: In religion next week we will continue to work in our Fully Alive books. The themes we will cover next week are: Beginning life, Our first home, Welcoming the new baby, and Growing in commitment.

Art: In art next Thursday the students will each begin to create a little memory book from the year. They will have to write about at least three or four memories that they have from the school year, and draw a picture to go with each. I am hoping to have them create a cover that we can laminate. (We will see how much time there is!)

May Birthdays:
Sam~ May 10th
Jack~ May 11th
Triston~ May 25th

Fuzzy Visitors

Today we will have some fuzzy visitors in our classroom. Mrs. Miller has been kind enough to let us adopt a few of her baby chicks for the day so that the students can get a taste of the experience.

Weekly Newsletter

Hello families! We are down to just 13.5 days of school remaining. I cannot believe how fast this school year has gone. So much has happened, and so many memories have been created. It has been a wonderful first year of teaching for me, and I hope that your child has enjoyed 3rd grade!
Extras: Next Thursday, May 21st, is our school's spring program. I am sure that you have seen the letters that have been coming home about it. In preparation for this, we will have at least one rehearsal each day next week. I also know that the students have been hard at work in music class for many weeks.
We will still have library next Thursday, but the students will not be able to check out books anymore. Today is the last day to check out.
**Monday: Spanish open class! Come see what your child is doing in Spanish!**

Math: In math next week we will begin by learning about congruent figures and their motion (slide, translate, flip, and rotate). We will then move on into symmetry, perimeter, and area. One thing we are going to look at with symmetry is how common it is to see symmetry in nature. As you are driving around, or spending time outside, look with your child to see how many different examples you can find.
Please continue to practice math facts with your child, because practice only makes them more confident!

Reading: As you noticed in the newsletter that was posted last week, we read the last story in our books this week. The students have done a wonderful job all year, and I hope that they were exposed to many different story genres that they enjoyed. Along with no more stories, there will also be no more spelling practice pages. I have decided to have a yearly review spelling test next Friday. I will choose 2o random words from our lists that we had this year. There will only be two or three challenge words. If your child does wish to study, they may use their spelling book that has all of the lists in it.
We have started to practice a readers theatre play, and will be spending a lot more time with it next week. There will be a performance date that you will be invited in for, but I will send a note home that will give more information. The students have already been working so hard, and have had some creative ideas.

**Book groups will continue through the end of the month. The students are doing a wonderful job, and really seem to be enjoying it. We have book group time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.**

Social Studies: The students did a great job with their planning a community activity that we did this week. It was sent home already, so I hope you were able to take a look at it. Next week we will be starting opinion essays. This activity will take a few days, and there will be some research and deep thought involved.

Science: As of today we do not have any baby chicks yet. Like I have explained to the students, they do not always hatch every time. I am still hoping that we will have at least one chick, but if not, Mrs. Miller said she could bring in some baby chicks for us to look at one day next week. This activity has definitely made the students more curious about animal life. Even if it does not end up like I had planned, I hope that it has been a memorable journey for the students.
In science next week we will be doing a robotic arm activity. The students will be assembling a claw type thing (made from tag board), and trying to complete a challenge. The students will be paired with a partner, and they will take turns closing their eyes, and relying on their partner to direct them towards the objects they will need to pick up with their "robotic" arm. It should be interesting!

Handwriting:Over the next couple of weeks we will be spending time reviewing all upper and lower case letters. Please continue to stress neat writing with your child. Ask them to write you a little sample some time.

Religion: In religion next week we will continue to work in our Fully Alive books. I hope that you all took the time to look through the book when it was sent home with your child this week. The themes we will cover next week are: Family love is open, family changes, brothers and sisters, and friendship/being part of a group.

Art: In art next Thursday each student will be creating a self-portrait. They will all become artists!

May Birthdays:
Sam~ May 10th
Jack~ May 11th
Triston~ May 25th

Weekly Newsletter

Hello families! I hope that this newsletter finds you all well. I realize it is only Wednesday, and you might be wondering why the letter is being posted so early, but like I said last week.....I will be gone this Friday. As a result of that I am doing everything I can to get ready for it. Please understand that things may change since it is being posted early, but more than likely, this will be our plan for next week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Extras: Mass on Wednesday will be at the Church for May Crowning. Please make sure that your child has returned their permission slip. On Monday in computers, the students will start their Learnia reading and math testing.

Our agenda for next week:

Math: Our week next week will begin with polygons. We will learn about what a polygon is, and use geoboards as a way to create our own. On Wednesday we will talk about tessellations, and use pattern blocks to create examples. Later in the week we will learn about the different types of triangles (equilateral, isosceles, and scalene), and then we will spend some time reviewing angles, polygons, and other shapes.

Reading: Our story next week is “Elena's Serenade”, and this will be our last story in our books. As always, we will be doing activities all week that relate to and involve the story. We will have a spelling test next week, so please make sure that your child is studying their words. There will also be pages from the spelling book that need to be completed by Friday.
**Book groups will continue through the end of the month. The students are doing a wonderful job, and really seem to be enjoying it. We have book group time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.**

Social Studies: Next week the students will be working on an activity called "Plan a Community". They will be given a grid, and directions on where to place each building on the grid. It involves a lot of planning, and knowing how to use space. It may take them a few tries to get everything to fit. It should be exciting!

Science: Things continue to go well the the chicken eggs. One week from today is officially 21 days, which is about how long it takes, so the anticipation is growing. We have also been growing bean plants, and some of them are really taking off!
In science next week we will be finishing up our life cycles unit. We will read about how the way we grow, and the needs we have, are similar to plants in some ways. On Wednesday we will do a little reviewing, and on Friday we will have a quiz on the life cycle of plants. We will also spend some time in our nutrition books on Friday too.

Handwriting:Please continue to encourage your child to slow down, and do their best handwriting on their homework. I remind them daily to do their best in class, and I am also pushing them to write as much in cursive as they are comfortable with. I have seen a great deal of improvement in their cursive. Ask them to write you a little sample some time.

Religion: In religion next week we will start a series called "Fully Alive". This book is divided into themes. The first theme we will focus on is how we are "Created and Loved by God". As a class we will explore how God knows our names, and our gifts and talents. Later in the week we will start the theme that discusses "Living in Relationship". With this theme we will start to explore what makes up our families.

Art: I have declared Thursday as a messy art day. I have not decided for sure what our project will be, but it will be a little more messy than normal.

May Birthdays:
Sam~ May 10th
Jack~ May 11th
Triston~ May 25th

Spanish Opportunity

On May 18th Mrs. Gramstad will be having an open Spanish class from 9:00-9:30, which is our normal Spanish time on Mondays. This is a chance for you to come in and observe what your child does in Spanish. Please mark this on your calendar!

Weekly Newsletter: Happy May Day!

Hello families! It is official........the ducks have come and taken over our room. In case you have not heard from your child, I collect rubber duckies, and they made their appearance today. I decided that Spring would be a good time to bring them all out. The students are now calling it "duck season" in our room. It is a lot of fun, and the students have been looking forward to it as much as I have.
I also wanted to let you all know that I will be gone next Friday, May 8th. I will try to get the newsletter posted Thursday, but if I am a little late, please forgive me.

Here is what our class will be up to next week:

Math: Today in math we started learning about solid figures, and will continue to do so the first couple days of next week. On Wednesday we will be working in centers. The students will be tracing the faces of the solid figures, working on sample problems, and identifying the names of shapes. Later on in the week we will start learning about lines and line segments, and angles.

Reading: Our story next week is “Two Bad Ants”, and we will be doing activities all week that relate to and involve the story. We will have a spelling test next week, so please make sure that your child is studying their words. There will also be pages from the spelling book that need to be completed by Friday.
**Book groups will continue through the end of the month. The students are doing a wonderful job, and really seem to be enjoying it. We have book group time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.**

Social Studies: Next week the students will continue to work in their map packet.

Science: I am sure that you hear almost daily updates about our chicks, but things seem to be going well so far. The countdown is on as we wait for them to hatch. We are down to about 2 weeks, and the children pray for them daily!
In science next week we will be trying to classify pine cones. If you have any pine trees around your home, please send in a few with your child. We will also talk about the life cycle of a conifer tree.

Handwriting:Please continue to encourage your child to slow down, and do their best handwriting on their homework. I remind them daily to do their best in class, and I am also pushing them to write as much in cursive as they are comfortable with. I have seen a great deal of improvement in their cursive. Ask them to write you a little sample some time.

Religion: We have finished our required religion curriculum. Next week we will be reviewing chapter 21, and there will be a test on Thursday (May 7th).

Art: On Thursday the students will be working on a top secret project. Sorry I cannot give you more details than that. :)

May Birthdays:
Sam~ May 10th
Jack~ May 11th
Triston~ May 25th

Spelling

It has been brought to my attention that a challenge word was written wrong on the spelling list that went home. I had a volunteer write these words onto the list for me, and there must have been a mistake made. I apologize. It is spelled: fascination.

Try Again

As you know we had a math test on Friday, and for most it went pretty well, but for some it was a bit of a struggle. I told the children in class today that I am giving them the chance to re-do any problems that they got wrong on the test for partial credit. The need to have the paper they re-do things on stapled to the test so I can check everything. If your child chooses to do this, I would like them turned in by Wednesday (April 29th).

Just being human

So I guess I made a human error in my posting of the newsletter yesterday. Under the math information I said that we are going to be reviewing all religion, when actually I meant that we are going to be reviewing all division. Sorry for the error, but like I always tell the students....we all make mistakes! Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello families! Welcome to our newsletter on-line. I think that this will be a neat way of communicating, and saving paper at the same time. Feel free to post comments and leave a little note. I am still learning how to add features to the blog, so make sure to check out a couple times each week and see what has changed.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions!


Math:
I was so impressed this week with how well the students did on dividing with remainders. Well done! Next week, we will begin the week by looking at division patterns with 10,11, 12, and we will spend a day reviewing all religion. On Friday we will begin to learn about solid figures.......their names, traits, etc.
Remember to practice math facts at home!

Reading:
Our story next week is “Talking Walls: Art for the People”, and we will be doing activities all week that relate to and involve the story. This story will introduce us to a unique form of art. We will have a spelling test next week, so please make sure that your child is studying their words. There will also be pages from the spelling book that need to be completed by Friday.
**Our book groups have started out very well. I think that it will be a great experience for all of the students to work in a group setting, and understand the book together. Ask your child about the book they are reading, and the jobs they have had.

Social Studies:
Social Studies will continue to be something that we do when there is extra time. Next week the students will start working on a map activity packet.

Science:
As I am sure you have all heard, our baby chicks have arrived! They joined our third grade family on Wednesday. We have been learning all about their development, and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. On average it takes around 21 days before they hatch.
Along with keeping an eye on our chicken eggs, we will continue to learn about the life cycle and parts of a plant. It is also my hope that we can continue to work in our nutrition books at least once a week as well.
REMINDER: There will be a chapter 12 science test on Monday, April 27th!

Handwriting:
Please continue to encourage your child to slow down, and do their best handwriting on their homework. I remind them daily to do their best in class, and I am also pushing them to write as much in cursive as they are comfortable with. I have seen a great deal of improvement in their cursive. Ask them to write you a little sample some time.

Religion:
Our chapter next week is called “Live Forever”. The chapter will tie in a little bit with what we have been learning in science. We will talk about the cycles of life (what happens after death, and new life), as well as what the Church holds in its' future.

Art:
On Thursday the students will be making a paper plate duck. You will have to stop by our classroom in May to see all of the ducks that have invaded our room.
We will also begin to study an artist next week, and try to make a piece of art using the same styles that he did. The artist is Henri Matisse.

April Birthdays:
Claire, April 6th
Tanner, April 16th

Spanish Update

Please check out Mrs. Gramstad's blog as well. This will let you know what the students are up to in Spanish. The address for her site is: http://mrsgramstadspanish.blogspot.com/
I will post later today, and let you know what we will be doing in 3rd grade next week.

Just wanted to post a quick note to let you know that on Friday (April 24th) we will be having flashlight reading during our normal silent reading time after lunch. Things will be a little different than normal though. This time the lights will be shut off, and the students can use flashlights to read. I have told the students that they can pretend they are on a camping trip, or that the power has gone out, or whatever else they can create with their imagination. You may start sending the flashlights in as soon as tomorrow, and I will hold onto them until Friday. Thanks!

I am hoping that over the weekend a few of you will be checking this blog. If you are not able to access it please let me know, and we can try to figure out why it is not working for you. Just a reminder that the posts are organized by date, so make sure that you do not miss anything. I hope you have a great weekend!

Welcome! Over the next few weeks, this blog will take place of my weekly newsletter that your child brings home. It will be a great way to save paper! I will update this site weekly (by Friday), just like I would a newsletter. If there are interesting events that take place, or something I would like to share with you, I may post certain things daily. It is my hope that this can become a great form of communication between your family and I.