Welcome back! I can't believe that it is already January. It has been great to be back together again after the long break. We have quite a few things happening the next few weeks.
Box Tops We are right in the middle of our January box top contest. The winners of the contest get a hot chocolate party for their class! Thank you to those who have already sent box tops in. I know it takes extra time to cut out the box tops and I truly appreciate your willingness to help our classroom. Just a few can go a long way! PTA Steelheads Night Last week your child should have come home with a flyer explaining the PTA Steelheads Night coming up this Friday. $15 gets admission to the game, a hot dog, chips, and a drink. Money raised from this will go towards either STEM or helping to purchase more toys for our playground. Literacy Night Book Swap Our annual Literacy Night is coming up Thursday, January 25. Students are invited to bring in books to swap from now until January 24. Students are encouraged to bring the type of book that they are hoping to get. For example, if a student wants a picture book, they should bring a picture book to the swap. If a student wants a chapter book, they should bring a chapter book to exchange. They can bring in as many books as they would like. Students will be given a ticket that they will need to save and bring with them to Literacy Night. Parent Teacher Conferences The time has finally come to catch up on conferences. Grades will be due January 24. I will send out a sign up genius shortly after that for parents to sign up for times to come and discuss your child's growth so far this year. Reading This week we are reading a story about an officer and his K9 partner we are focusing on:
Math This week we are continuing our work with subtraction and regrouping. I have been so proud of how hard the kids have worked. This has been a challenging concept but they are beginning to grasp it. Spelling This week we are focusing on the R controlled sounds spelled or and ar. 1. horse 2. mark 3. storm 4. market 5. acorn 6. artist 7. March 8. north 9. barking 10. stork 11. thorn 12. forest 13. chore 14. restore 15. partner 16. fortune
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Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I can't tell you just how good it feels to be back at school. I have missed the kids immensely. As we all work to get back into a routine, there are a few things I would like to make you aware of. While I am back, there will still be some days that Mrs. Douglas will be covering for me so that I can make it to different appointments. I will do my best to keep these as minimal as possible so that I can be in the classroom as much as possible with the kids. The next few weeks before Christmas break are going to fly by. Here are some agenda items to keep in mind: Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser The Texas Roadhouse packets will be due back tomorrow. Thank you so much to those who have turned these in so far. This is our main classroom fundraiser for the year. The money raised will be put towards our spring field trip. Christmas Concert Our wonderful Mrs. Olsen has been working tirelessly to prepare for our annual Christmas concert. This year the concert will be Tuesday, December 12. Students are asked to wear black pants or a skirt and can wear either a red, green, or white shirt. They will need to be dropped off in the cafeteria at 6:15. We will also be collecting non-perishable and canned food items at the door as the cost of admission. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about the evening. Secret Santa and Books Our class is going to be drawing names for a class secret Santa in the next week or two. Students will secretly leave nice notes for their person. We also will be doing a book gift exchange. The students will bring a wrapped book for the student they drew. The book can be a used book from home, or a book from the DI. I also have books that students can gift if it is necessary. Math This week in math we will continue exploring data and graphs. You can expect students to have some kind of math homework each day this week. Reading This week we are reading a biography about the life of Thomas Edison. We are focusing on the following skills:
Our spelling pattern this week is words with the au, aw, o and al sounds. 1. talk 2. cross 3. awful 4. law 5. cloth 6. cost 7. crawl 8. chalk 9. also 10. raw 11. salt 12. wall 13. lawn 14. always Challenge 15. often 16. strawberry Hello!
The next few weeks are going to fly by. There are quite a few calendar items to go over. Boise Philharmonic Field Trip Tomorrow we will be taking our 3rd grade philharmonic music field trip to NNU. We will leave the school at 10:15 and will return before lunch. Students are asked to wear their best dress. Veteran's Day Program Our annual Veteran's Day program is quickly sneaking up on us. We have already begun practicing and learning our songs. Your child should have come home with a slip explaining the program. They are asked to bring back the form stating whether or not they will be inviting a veteran. Your child may invite anyone they know that has served in any branch of the military at any time. Veteran's are invited to a classroom breakfast at 9:30. The program will begin at 10:15 in the gym on Friday, November 10. There will be a night time performance for parents to attend. More details will be sent out on that shortly. I will also be sending out a signup genius to get help with the breakfast and decorations. Please contact me if you have any questions at all. Stuff the Pig The PTA is doing a "Stuff the Pig" contest over the next few weeks. Students are invited to bring coins to put in our class piggy bank. The class with the most money in their pig at the end of the week will win a pizza party and a piggy bank from Idaho Central Credit Union. The winning teacher will also have to kiss a pig during the Halloween parade. Career Week Red Ribbon Week is coming up the last week of October. Part of the week will involve a career day. We are looking for a few more volunteers to come in and share their career with our school. If you are willing to help out or know someone who is, please contact Miss Carmel in the office. Halloween Party Our class Halloween party will be Tuesday, October 31. The party will be from 1:00-2:00 and then we will move into the school wide Halloween parade. I will be sending out a sign up genius in the next week or two to get help with bringing in supplies for the party. Math We will continue working on developing a conceptual understanding of multiplication. Monday: 3.7 Tuesday: Subtraction Review Wednesday: Review Thursday: Review Reading This week in our reading curriculum, we are going to be reading a nonfiction piece about bats. We were able to get access to the Idaho Fish and Game bat trunk and will be working on activities from the trunk. We will also be making homemade applesauce to aid in our discussion of sequence of events. We will be focusing on:
There will not be spelling words this week. Hello!
Hello!
Welcome back to another incredible year at Ronald Reagan! Our first day was fantastic and I can already tell that I have an amazing group of kids in my class. I feel blessed to be teaching third grade. In lieu of my typical Back to School Night brochure, I am updating our classroom website with important information for our year together! I will be updating this website each week. The updates will include information about learning targets for the week, spelling lists, and any other important upcoming school events. This website also includes links to common websites that are used in class, and pictures of different activities that we do throughout the year. Below you will find my policies on each of the following topics: Daily Planner and Homework Students will come home with a planner tonight. This planner will come back and forth between home and school each day. In the mornings, students will write their daily homework. Daily homework consists of reading 20 minutes each night and getting the planner signed as well as a math assignment. I will check the planner off each morning. The planner will serve as our reading log. Parents may also write any questions or concerns in the planner and I will promptly reply by note or email. Behavior Reinforcement As a teacher, I believe in the importance and power of positive reinforcement. I also believe in the importance of setting high expectations and following through with both positive and negative consequences. I use a magnet behavior system in my room. When students are found on task and doing what they are supposed to be doing, they will move their magnet up. If the magnet remains up by the end of the day, they can pick a treat from our treat basket. If students are struggling and need multiple reminders to change their behavior, they are asked to move their magnet to yellow. If the behavior struggle continues, students will be asked to move their magnet to red. When magnets are moved to yellow, students will owe 5 minutes of recess. If it is moved to red, they will owe 10 minutes of recess. Students may choose to walk along the wall quietly if they would like instead of staying in one place. Flexible Seating Those that visited on Back to School Night may have noticed the physical layout of our room looks somewhat different from a traditional classroom. This is because we are implementing a research-based concept for classroom design called flexible seating. Flexible seating is a concept rooted in educational research that encourages students to choose seating based on their learning preferences. Some students prefer to stand while learning. Other students prefer to sit on the floor or on their knees. There are also students who prefer the traditional desk setting. I am especially aware of students who might need to move while working. These students can enjoy doing their work seated on a wobble chair, yoga balls, or a bicycle add-on. The key to making a flexible seating classroom successful is teaching and reinforcing self advocacy, and responsibility. These two main concepts will be reiterated constantly throughout the school year. Classroom Birthdays Students birthdays will be celebrated individually on the day, or close to the day of their birthday. A week before your child's birthday, I will send out an invitation with a date and time for the child to bring a treat to share with the class. No child is ever required to bring treats to celebrate. Classroom Parties I will send out a sign up genius several weeks before an upcoming holiday to help gather supplies and get volunteers to help during our parties. Typically in the past we have done station parties for Halloween and Valentine's Day. Our Christmas party is a grade wide celebration where students will rotate between classes for different activities. Please email me and let me know if you would rather your child not participate in birthday or holiday celebrations. I believe we have covered the most crucial concerns for the moment. My door is always open. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have now, or any time throughout the year. Thank you for allowing me to spend time with your children everyday. I am so excited for the growth we will experience together throughout the year! Also, don't forget to check out the class pictures section for a few shots of our first day! Hello!
So much to update. I apologize for not getting an update last week. We are rolling our way to the end of the year! We have so many fun and exciting things ahead of us. This time of year is my favorite because it is an opportunity for us to focus on science and collaboration. KBOI News Channel 2 Pledge KBOI News Channel 2 will be in to record our class reciting the pledge of allegiance tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26. Please be sure to send in your child's permission slip if you would like them to participate. Final SBAC We will have our final SBAC test Thursday afternoon. The kids have showed a huge amount of determination and stamina and I am so proud of them. We will be having an SBAC celebration at Osbourne Park next Friday, May 5. Please be looking for a permission slip coming home today or tomorrow. Spring Carnival Our much anticipated Spring Carnival has finally arrived! Thank you so much to all of those who have donated to help us get our baskets together. We are so blessed to have such incredible and supporting parents. The carnival will be Friday from 5:30-8:00 p.m. Pre-order forms have been sent home with your child. Please be sure to have these in by tomorrow if you would like to avoid the lines! Math This week in math we are continuing our review before moving into our final geometry unit. Homework this week is as follows:
Reading This week in reading we are going to continue our unit from last week. The story last week was a fictional piece about the discovery of Hawaii. This week we are going to focus on studying the elements of volcanoes that were described in the story. We will also be focusing on:
Spelling 1. unfold 2. rejoin 3. untie 4. reheat 5. unfair 6. unclear 7. repaid 8. unhurt 9. recheck 10. unlucky 11. unwrap 12. reuse 13. unsure 14. rewrite 15. unbuckle 16. unknown SBAC WeekGood Morning,
We are excited and ready to take SBAC’s head on this week! Our kids are ready and they have the tools they need to be successful. SBAC We have our first SBAC test this Wednesday. We will also test again on Friday. Both tests will be in the morning. I will have a small breakfast for the kids each morning. Please contact me and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Kindergarten Registration Kindergarten registration is from 8:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 18. Reagan is offering a pay to stay option for families that would like their child have all day Kindergarten. Spring Carnival Mark your calendar for the Spring Carnival on Friday, April 28. This is always a fun night and this year promises to be the same. If you signed up to donate an item to our class auction basket, please send it to school with your child no later than Friday, April 21. Freddy's Fundraiser Freddy's has agreed to give our school 15% of all sales that are made next Monday, April 17 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. Flyers will be going home with students sometime towards the end of the week. Math This week in math we will be working on hard on telling time and using number lines to determine elapsed time. The homework this week is as follows: · Monday: Fact Practice · Tuesday: Review · Wednesday: No Homework · Thursday: Review Reading This week we will be reading a fun story about a wooden puppet that takes a journey across the United States. We will be focusing on: · Sequence of events · Analyzing and evaluating · Suffixes · Possessive nouns and pronouns Spelling Our spelling pattern this week focuses on words with the suffixes –ful, -er, and –ly. 1. singer 2. loudly 3. joyful 4. teacher 5. fighter 6. closely 7. powerful 8. farmer 9. quickly 10. careful 11. friendly 12. speaker 13. wonderful 14. truly Challenge 15. listener 16. calmly Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a wonderful break. I am excited to have everyone back together again. We are full speed ahead to the end of the year. I simply can't believe how fast the year is flying by.
Roaring Readers The Roaring Reader reading logs are due back tomorrow, April 4. Students that have completed the reading log will qualify to receive one free ticket to Roaring Springs. DaVinci Night Our annual DaVinci night will take place tomorrow evening from 5:30-7:30. This will be a fun filled, jam packed night. Individual student projects will be on display in the gym. Each student has chosen a piece of art work to display. Our class will also compete in a grade-level challenge tomorrow afternoon. In addition to the Great Artist Show, student projects, and the grade-level building challenge, the Da Vinci Festival will also have hands-on activities such as a Lego Tower Building contest, Stomp Rockets with the Discovery Center, and Alka-Seltzer Rockets. Students who complete projects are not required to stay with their projects during the evening, and are free to participate in all of the activities. In addition to the Great Artist Show, student projects, and the grade-level building challenge, the Da Vinci Festival will also have hands-on activities such as a Lego Tower Building contest, Stomp Rockets with the Discovery Center, and Alka-Seltzer Rockets. Students who complete projects are not required to stay with their projects during the evening, and are free to participate in all of the activities. Recipe Book We are collecting recipes to compile a class recipe book. Your child should have come home with a paper explaining the project. They are to write down their favorite recipe and bring it back to school as soon as possible. SBAC This week marks the beginning of SBAC testing season. I want to emphasize the stress free approach I have been taking with the students. I want the kids to understand that I want them to do their best and forget the rest. Our testing days are as follows: Wednesday, April 12 (afternoon) - English Language Arts Friday, April 14 (morning) - English Language Arts Thursday, April 20 (morning) - Math Thursday, April 27 (afternoon) - Math On the days that we have testing in the morning, I will have a fun breakfast for the kids at school. On the days that we have testing in the afternoon, I will have a pick me up treat. Please let me know if you notice that your child is experiencing anxiety towards the test. Math This week in math we will be reviewing concepts we have learned throughout the year. We will also be focusing on elapsed time. Homework this week will be as follows: Monday - Fact Practice Tuesday - Time Wednesday - Fact Practice Thursday - Time Reading This week we will be reading one of my favorite stories about animal migration. We will be focusing on: · Comparing and contrasting · Word roots · Author’s word choice · Making comparisons with adjectives and adverbs Spelling Our spelling pattern this week is words with the inflectional endings –s, -es, - ed, and –ing. 1. cities 2. cried 3. puppies 4. hurried 5. stories 6. flies 7. parties 8. tried 9. pennies 10. fried 11. carried 12. babies 13. spied 14. ponies Challenge 15. countries 16. libraries Good Morning!
We had such a wonderful week filled with research and learning last week. Be sure to take a look at all of the pictures below. There are quite a few things coming up! Davinci Day The Davinci Day packets were sent home last week. Please read this packet over with your child. If this is something your child is interested in participating in, they will need to have the packet turned in by Friday, March 17. More information will be coming out on this event shortly. Roaring Reader Program Your child is coming home with a chart to track all of the reading that they do outside of school and homework. The goal is to read for fun for a total of 600 minutes by April 4. This reading can include books, comic books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Once your child has completed the 600 minutes, they bring the signed chart back to school and they will receive one free admission ticket to Roaring Springs. I have promised the kids that if every student turns in 600 minutes I will buy pizza for the class. Spring Carnival The Spring Carnival is just around the corner. It will be held Friday, April 28. This carnival is one of the biggest fundraisers for the year. Proceeds from this event go directly to our classroom. We will be putting together a family fun basket to auction off. Our Third Grade Team is looking to reach out to different vendors to find donations for things that we can put in the basket. If you have any way to help connect us to those willing to donate for our basket we would greatly appreciate it. We are looking for certificates to family establishments such as Wahooz, Big Als, or Roaring Springs (these are just some brainstorming ideas). We are also looking for family games, and activities, as well as gift certificates to family restaurants. Math This week in math we will begin a new unit on measurement. We will also begin reviewing all of the concepts that we have worked on this year. Homework here on out will be a mixture of all of our standards and skills. The homework this week is as follows: · Monday: Fact Practice · Tuesday: Measurement · Wednesday: Fact Practice Thursday: Review Reading In reading, we will be reading a play about two bear cubs. We will be focusing on:
Spelling Our spelling pattern this week is words with the vowel sound in spoon and wood. 1. mood 2. wooden 3. drew 4. smooth 5. blue 6. balloon 7. true 8. crooked 9. chew 10. tooth 11. hooves 12. cool 13. food 14. pooch Challenge 15. loose 16. jewel Hello!
We have a very busy short week ahead of us! Book Fair We are so excited for our book fair this week. Book fair hours will be 8:25-8:45 in the morning. The book fair will also be open during lunch time and after school until 4:30 as long as students have an adult or adult's permission. Mrs. Harp will also have it open during targeted conferences Wednesday night and Thursday night. Valentines Party Our Valentines party will be tomorrow afternoon. Class lists were sent home on Friday and students are invited to bring a valentine for every student in our class. Picture Day Class pictures will be taken tomorrow morning. Please send the picture packet with your child tomorrow if you are wanting copies of class picture or individual prints. Specials Monday - Computers Tuesday - PE Wednesday - Library Thursday - Music Math This next week in math we will be continuing our work in fractions. We will use manipulatives to help deepen our understanding of what fractions really are. The homework for the week will be as follows: · Monday – Comparing fractions · Tuesday– Fact practice · Wednesday– Comparing fractions Reading In reading we will be reading an information text about the Albertosaurus dinosaur. We will be focusing on: · Drawing conclusions · Point of view · Adjectives that compare · Suffix –ly Spelling Our spelling pattern words with the /j/ and /s/ sound. 1. age 2. space 3. change 4. jawbone 5. jacket 6. giant 7. pencil 8. circle 9. once 10. large 11. dance 12. jeans 13. bounce 14. huge Challenge: 15. excited 16. gigantic |
I believe in being happy. I love looking at stars, smelling the mountain air, and buying lemonade from lemonade stands!
I am passionate about traveling and exploring the world around me. I spent 4 months teaching English in China in 2010. In 2015, I spent the summer working at a special needs summer camp in Pennsylvania. I am passionate about working with children with special needs. I feel blessed for the opportunity to work with children everyday. I look forward to another year of learning and growing together. Archives
January 2018
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