May is Here!

May is here...the year went so fast!  Here are the important notes for the last few weeks of school.  I will most likely not do another blog post until the last week of school.  I will however, send out a couple of quick email reminders about things when needed.

Reading:
Our last couple of weeks will be spent doing one last book club.  We will be reading a variety of books written by Beverly Cleary.  She writes wonderful stories that are intended for this exact age group.  As we read these, I hope that this may be a good introduction to reading over the summer.  Beverly Cleary has so many different books that reach all interests and my hope is that I will hook most of the kids enough that they will want to read another one of her stories over the summer.

Writing
We are finishing up our last big writing unit and will be publishing our non-fiction pieces next week.  We will see how much time we have left once these are published.  I would like to do a couple of shorter and more informal pieces, but that depends on time.

Math
I have planned out my goal for math until the end of the year.  We will be going through lesson 101.  Here is the testing schedule (of course this may vary if we need to review a concept or if flooding/achievement tests bend our schedule).
May 5 - May 11 - Lessons 91 through 96
Thursday May 11 - Study Guide sent home
Friday May 12 - Test
May 15 - 18 - Lessons 97-100/100
Thursday May 18 - Final Study Guide sent home
Tuesday May 23 - Last Math Test

Social Studies
We will spend the next two weeks looking at Immigration into America.  I will be sending a note home that explains more of what we will cover.  The basic overview is that we will take a virtual tour of Ellis Island and look at the various groups that have immigrated to America through Ellis Island.  We will not be talking too much about our country's current immigration.  However, this will be a good opportunity for you to talk with your kids about the following:
1. Where did your family come from? We would love to have them be able to share some personal stories about how their families became Americans!  
2. Current events with immigration in our country.  I know this is a sensitive and controversial topic.  While I do feel that it is important for our kids to be a part of the discussion, I do not feel that it is always my place to give them all of that information, especially at this young age.  I encourage you to help them be good researchers and look up reliable information on this topic.  My goal is not to sway them in one direction, but rather to make them learn how to be informed and knowledgeable citizens as they grow up.  I hope that my students can learn how to take in information and form their own opinion based on facts (not heresay) and God's Word.

Grandparents' Day Photos
I took a photo of each child with their guests last week and have put them into a google folder for you to download/print on your own.  I will be having them use these photos in the thank you notes we send out next week, so please don't share with grandparents just yet! At least wait until they get their thank you letters in the mail.  I had a great time meeting your parents!

Here is the link to the folder:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1BE3J0po_8JUmFvblpfaVVrSDQ?usp=sharing

Amazing Race Field Trip

Monday May 22nd is our field trip to Forest Park for the Amazing Race.  This is a very fun day that requires a lot of parents to be present.  I guarantee you will have fun while getting exercise for your legs and brain!  Here's a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Parents will be assigned to a group of 3-4 students (we can put more than one adult in a group if you can only come for part of the day)

2. Make sure you and your child wear weather appropriate clothing.  We will be outside ALL DAY! You will want to wear exercise clothes and tennis shoes.  

3. This is a giant scavenger hunt that parents lead the kids on around Forest Park.  The clues are on an app called Klikaklu.  This app is only on iphones unfortunately.  If you don't have an iphone, you can still come.  We will just arrange our groups accordingly.  

4. We try to start the race as close to 9 am as possible.  Groups finish at different times so we just have the finished groups head over to the playground while they wait.  We will eat lunch there and then head home sometime around 1:30.  

5. If you know that you would like to come, please RSVP and let me know if you have access to an iphone or ipad with cell service.  It's easiest if you tell me what type of device you have available to you.  

6. We will be going rain or shine, as long as it is safe for the kids (obviously no thunderstorms or giant downpours.  

Field Day

Friday May 19th is Field Day!  Mrs. Knost is very good about sending out emails that explain this day to parents.  Be sure to look for her emails for more information.  Just remember: 

• Chapel Family color assignments
• $1 for Ted Drewes ice cream (Give to Mrs. Glackin)
• Bring water bottle and extra clothes (probably even extra shoes and underwear)

Important Dates

May 19th: Field Day

May 22nd: Amazing Race Field Trip 

May 26th: Last Day of School - Closing Chapel at 8:45 a.m. - please join us

                 Dismissal at 11 a.m. 

April 19th

Religion: 

We have created art and done reflection pieces on each day of Holy Week.  We are slowly working on publishing those and putting them up on the wall you run into as you come downstairs.  Come check out the beautiful work your kiddos have done!

Math: 

We are still working on division, multiplication facts, and practicing for our Achievement Tests in a couple of weeks.  

Writing and Reading: 

Last week we began a Non-Fiction writing unit as well as a project that involves your kids doing some reporting.  These are pretty big projects and we will be continuing them for the next couple of weeks so that we have nice finished work to display for our Grandparents! 

Grandparents' Day: 

Next Thursday April 27th is Grandparents' Day.  Please make sure to check out the link below for more information and RSVP your guests.  As always, Grandparents are welcome to take students off campus for lunch after the classroom sessions.  They may also stay here at school and eat lunch if they choose.  Please just make sure to mark what they will be doing when they RSVP.  It also helps to let your child know who will be coming and what their lunch plans are.  It creates a much smoother day for all of us if your child is in the know!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOprYjpeqcYcaW0t8GiYwz5XWYkOvC3Qv4Bmq4h5AEUvIaNw/viewform

Amazing Race Field Trip:

Monday May 22nd is our field trip to Forest Park for the Amazing Race.  This is a very fun day that requires a lot of parents to be present.  I guarantee you will have fun while getting exercise for your legs and brain!  Here's a couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Parents will be assigned to a group of 3-4 students (we can put more than one adult in a group if you can only come for part of the day)

2. Make sure you and your child wear weather appropriate clothing.  We will be outside ALL DAY! You will want to wear exercise clothes and tennis shoes.  

3. This is a giant scavenger hunt that parents lead the kids on around Forest Park.  The clues are on an app called Klikaklu.  This app is only on iphones unfortunately.  If you don't have an iphone, you can still come.  We will just arrange our groups accordingly.  

4. We try to start the race as close to 9 am as possible.  Groups finish at different times so we just have the finished groups head over to the playground while they wait.  We will eat lunch there and then head home sometime around 1:30.  

5. If you know that you would like to come, please RSVP and let me know if you have access to an iphone or ipad with cell service.  It's easiest if you tell me what type of device you have available to you.  

6. We will be going rain or shine, as long as it is safe for the kids (obviously no thunderstorms or giant downpours.  

Important Dates:

April 27th: Grandparent's Day and Operetta

May 1st-5th: Standardized Testing Week

May 19th: Field Day

May 22nd: Amazing Race Field Trip 

May 26th: Last Day of School - Closing Chapel at 8:45 a.m. - please join us

                 Dismissal at 11 a.m. 

March 27th

Hello parents,
Spring break is over already and we are down to just one quarter of school left.  Thanks for all of your support so far this year.  I am so proud of your kids and the way they have grown up.  Lately I have caught them pulling out books and homework all on their own when they finish things early or have a spare minute during transition times.  We have talked about this all year, but now they do it without reminders or prompts.  Maturity and responsibility are blossoming!

Here's what we have going on for the next couple of weeks:
Religion: 
We are discussing baptism and all of the gifts that God showers on us through this sacrament.

Math:
We will be focusing our attention on a lot of geometry concepts in the next week or so.  On Monday Mrs. Reck-Meyer came in and helped us use 3D pens to draw rectangular prisms.  Check out our pictures on Twitter!

Writing:
We have been working on writing a personal narrative.  The final copy of this will be due on Monday.  Since everyone works at a different pace, I can't give specific assignments.  We will be doing mini lessons in class and I will be conferencing with each child during class time.  They will be responsible for completing all of the steps and having a final copy to turn in on Monday.  I am linking all of the videos we watched as a part of our mini lessons in class  below and will also send home a rubric so they clearly know the expectations for their published copy.

Writing a Personal Narrative

1. Brainstorming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxInWagSaA0
2. Planning - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQ8dU0KPtg
3. Introduction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2H29fRVqf8
4. Draft - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y_fxQ_52pk
5. Conclusion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJMQWNd1TT8
6. Revising - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLcjb0t6SRI
7. Editing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNs9zZm9jzg
8. Publishing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_f-e4OhHU8

Reading:
We have been talking about finding the problem and solution in passages/stories that we read.  Next week we will begin a research project where we read non-fiction news articles and dissect the problem and solution.  Then the kids will report on those articles and be asked to come up with innovative solutions to the problems they report on.  This will be a project that takes us a couple of weeks, but is well worth the time.  I love how it makes them think outside of our Lutheran bubble and gives them a chance to be more ministry minded.

Science:
We are discussing patterns of motion right now and have been conducting several experiments in class to help us observe these patterns and collect data.

Important Dates:

April 13th: Maundy Thursday - 4th Grade will lead chapel at 8:35 a.m. 

April 14th: Good Friday - NO SCHOOL

April 17th: Easter Monday - NO SCHOOL

April 27th: Grandparent's Day and Operetta

May 1st-5th: Standardized Testing Week

May 19th: Field Day

May 26th: Last Day of School - Closing Chapel at 8:45 a.m. - please join us

                 Dismissal at 11 a.m. 

March 6th

Hello parents,
3rd Quarter is almost over!  It's hard to believe how quickly the year is going.  This is what we have going on for the next couple of weeks.

Important Dates:
March 15th:  3rd grade presents chapel at 8:35 a.m. 

March 20th-24th: Spring Break, NO SCHOOL 

April 13th: Maundy Thursday - 4th Grade will lead chapel at 8:35 a.m. 

April 14th: Good Friday - NO SCHOOL

April 17th: Easter Monday - NO SCHOOL

April 27th: Grandparent's Day and Operetta

May 1st-5th: Standardized Testing Week

May 19th: Field Day

May 23rd: Amazing Race Field Trip at Forest Park

May 26th: Last Day of School - Closing Chapel at 8:45 a.m. - please join us

                 Dismissal at 11 a.m. 

Fundraiser for CCLS-U:

On Friday your child brought home a yellow envelope with information on our Read-a-thon.  This week is Read Across America week.  Mr. Fishburn and I decided to use this as an opportunity to raise money for the 2 kids our class sponsors from CCLS-U.  This Wednesday we will be reading for 90 minutes in class.  Your child has been asked to collect pledges from family and friends that will then be sent to our CCLS-U students.  It takes $250 a year for each child to attend CCLS-U.  If each child in 3rd grade is able to raise $17.50 then we will be able to pay the tuition for Peter and Tilda!  Please help your child plan out what types of books they plan to read on Wednesday so that they can correctly ask for pledges.  The envelopes and money do not need to be turned in until Monday March 13th.  Thanks for your support!   On Wednesday your child may bring an extra snack and a blanket to read with if they choose.  

Reading/Writing:

We are finishing up the last couple of book reviews for the March Book Madness Tournament.  The first round of voting is almost over!  Follow the bulletin boards around the school to see which books students across the country have enjoyed the most.  Your child will be completing a summary book report on their favorite book this week.  More information will be sent home on Tuesday!  

End of Quarter Stuff:

• Please remember to turn in Service Project forms no later than Friday! 
• Your child's grades are pretty much up to date on Educate.  You can check out how your child is doing and encourage them to keep working hard!  (I have not entered last week's Spelling, Memory, and some of the late/absent assignments that have been turned into me.   

Chapel Day:

Your kiddos will be presenting chapel on Wednesday March 15th at 8:35 am.  You are welcome to join us!

February 21st

Hello parents,
I know that you have all been enjoying the long weekends and beautiful weather.  It certainly makes February more enjoyable!  Here's what we will be doing in 3rd grade over the next couple of weeks.

Chapel/Religion
Our class is presenting chapel on March 15th.  I am planning to have the kids help write and present the chapel service.  Therefore a large chunk of our religion time will be dedicated to that.  Please join us on March 15th at 8:30 am!

Math:
We have been working on perimeter and area.  As we finish up area, we will move on to volume.

Reading/Writing:
Our language arts time is currently being dedicated to 2 things:
1. Reading the books for March Book Madness.  This is a bracket style tournament for books that is modeled after the NCAA tournament.  Voting begins March 1st on the 16 books.  Each day we read a book, choose vocabulary words from the book, and write a book review for it.  Check out our purple wall downstairs that is full of all the new words we are learning.  
2. Black History Month - We are learning about our nation's history with slavery, and working our way up to the Civil Rights Movement.  As we move into the month of March, we will be focusing on how we can make a difference in our community just like Rosa Parks, MLK Jr., and so many others did.

Science:
We are still talking about Force and Motion.  I have been trying to get the kids in the habit of reflecting on our lessons and experiments using Seesaw.  This way, you can get a good sense of what we are talking about and if your child needs some more time to grasp the concepts.

Social Studies:
Mr. Fishburn is now beginning to discuss the Judicial Branch of the United States government.

Important Dates:
March 15th - Chapel Presentation by 3rd grade

March 20th-24th: Spring Break, NO SCHOOL 

April 14th: Good Friday - NO SCHOOLApril 17th: Easter Monday - NO SCHOOL
April 27th: Grandparent's Day and Operetta

May 1st-5th: Standardized Testing Week
May 19th: Field Day
May 26th: Last Day of School - Closing Chapel at 8:45 a.m. - please join us
                 Dismissal at 11 a.m. 

February 6th

Hello parents,
It is February, sometimes the hardest month of the year.  However, this is also when I tend to come to school and realize how much the kids have grown in the past few months.  I experienced this last week.  While your kiddos are still very young, they have become so much more independent and able to problem solve.  They are learning new words, having sophisticated discussion about books and science, learning new formulas in math, and developing a stronger faith.  It is absolutely wonderful to watch and I would encourage you to challenge your kids at home as well.

Religion:
This is our last week with Mr. Bartok.  He has done an excellent job of teaching your kids about the Lord's Prayer.  Please be sure to thank him if you are in our classroom in the mornings.

Math:
We have been working on perimeter and multiplication the last couple of weeks.  This week we will be building on those concepts and begin talking about how to find the area of an object.

As I have been grading homework and tests, I am noticing that many of the kids are struggling with the tests, but do very well on their homework.  I try hard to make a point of going through their homework in class and allow them to fix their mistakes and ask questions.  I have no problem with parents helping with homework, but I would encourage you to not just give them the answers or point out mistakes.  Give them a chance to find their own mistakes.  One idea is to say, " I see 3 mistakes on this paper.  Can you find them?" This helps teach them to check their own work and look more closely at the quality of their work.

Reading:
We are wrapping up our last session of book clubs by putting a book review up on seesaw.  This week we will start a session of book clubs using picture books that focus on Black History Month.  We will be doing some cross over with Social Studies as we discuss civil rights and our nation's history with this issue.  The kids will be engaging in serious discussions and may come home with questions.  Thanks for taking the time to talk with your kids about things!

Social Studies:
We are continuing our study on the United States government.  Today the kids did a simulation that allowed them to pass a bill on the rules of soccer at CCLS.

Science:
We are still talking about magnetic force and doing experiments.  Your kids will be posting the findings of their experiment on Seesaw.

Auction
Our school auction is coming up next Saturday!  There is still time to help out or buy tickets.  Our class just needs 1 more volunteer to complete the Classroom Challenge and earn a free dress day.  Here is the link to our class grid and the volunteer sign up:
Classroom Challenge
Volunteer Sign UP

No School! - No School next Monday 2/13 and Tuesday 2/14

Valentine's Party
Our class party is this Friday at 2pm.  I will send a list of class names in an email.

National Lutheran Schools Week

Happy Lutheran Schools Week!
Here are the basic things you will need to know for the week:

Spirit Dress Days

• Monday - Comfy Day (please bring tennis shoes)
• Tuesday - Crazy Hair/Hat Day
• Wednesday - Dress Up for Jesus Day (wear your nicest clothes)
• Thursday - Favorite Team Day

• Friday - Make a 100th day shirt to wear on Friday Jan. 27th.  Attach or draw 100 things to a shirt to show off at our 100th day parade.   

Oatmeal Challenge
Our school will be collecting boxes of instant oatmeal with single serve packets to help hungry children in our area. This is part of Operation Food Search, where they send a backpack full of food home each weekend to needy children. The children return the backpack to be filled again. Please send boxes of instant oatmeal any day next week. The class that brings in the most, will get a little Emoji to clip on their backpacks. Thanks for helping!!

Math: 
We are beginning multiplication this week!  Starting Wednesday we will begin doing time tests for multiplication facts just like we did for addition during 1st semester.  The goal is that each child will MEMORIZE their facts 0-12 by the end of the year.  They will need to be able to finish 21 facts in 1:30 minutes.  Please help them practice these at home!  

Religion: 
Meet our Seminary student, Mr. Bartok.  Mr. Bartok is from Michigan and moved his family here so he can attend the Seminary.  Part of his course week includes spending 3 weeks in a classroom to learn some good teaching strategies.  He will be spending the next 3 weeks with us teaching the kids every morning for religion.  Please welcome him if you see him in our classroom in the mornings!

January 9th

Hello parents,
I pray that you are all staying healthy and warm this week.  I want to say a big thank you to all the parents that came for our Christmas party.  It is so nice that you all take the time to plan things for the kids!  Here's what is coming up this week:

Religion/Memory:
We will begin working our way through the Apostle's Creed.  I have put up the rest of the memory work for the year.

Math:
We are doing a unit on Fractions right now that will take us through the middle to end of next week.  I plan to stray from the book for a lot of the assignments and the end test as well.  Next week we will begin working on multiplication as well.  This will be something that we work on for the rest of the school year.  The goal is that your child develops fluency and speed with their multiplication facts 0-12.

Reading/Language Arts:
Currently we are looking at non fiction texts about space.  We will be working very hard on finding the main idea of paragraphs and articles that we read.  I am also having the kids do several writing assignments which will require them to use a main idea and detail correctly.  Most of this writing will be worked on in class so that I can conference and work through the difficult parts with them.  However, depending on the speed of their writing, some of it may need to be finished at home.

Social Studies:
We are joining Mr. Fishburn's class in learning about our country's government.

Science:
We have begun a new unit on Force and Motion that will take us most of the way to Spring Break.  A letter describing the unit in more detail will be sent home tomorrow.

1st Week of December

Hello parents,
December is here and let me tell you...it goes fast!  Thank you so much for helping to make our Thanksgiving Feast wonderful this year!  The food was delicious and we are so appreciative for all of your help! Here's what we have going on in 3rd grade for the next couple of weeks.

Religion: We are looking at the Christmas story and awaiting Jesus' birth from several different points of view.  Using the book Voices of Christmas we will learn the reason that Jesus was born so many years ago!

Reading: Our 1st book club session is underway.  I will be teaching the kids reading strategies such as predicting, visualizing, making connections, find problems and solutions, and others as we read through The Boxcar Children together.  Then they will be breaking off into smaller book club groups and applying these skills independently to their respective books.  For this session of book clubs all the kids are reading a book from The Bailey School Kids series.  As the year goes on, we will break into different levels and genres of books.

Science: We are done with our unit on Life Cycles and will be starting to look at Force and Motion beginning next week.

Seesaw I plan to have your kids use Seesaw more and more.  Thanks for all of your comments so far.  The kids love seeing your feedback during the school day!

Important Dates:
Thursday December 8th: Santa's Workshop (we are right away in the morning)

Wednesday December 14th: Last day that I will accept missing/late work for 2nd quarter.

Friday December 16th: Service project field trip to Bethesda Nursing home on Big Bend.  We will be singing Christmas carols and playing games with the residents.  (Leave at 8:45 am and return at 11:45 am)

Monday December 19th: CCLS Advent Service at Concordia Campus - 7 pm (This is a formal and mandatory event)

Tuesday December 20th: Christmas Party @ 2 pm (Last Day of School before Christmas)

December 21st - January 3rd: NO SCHOOL

Week of Nov. 7th

Dear Parents,
Our Thanksgiving project is in full swing.  Your kids are working hard in class to do research before they begin creating things.  Here are a few points to remember:

• Daily homework will still include memory, math, and spelling.  Outside of those subjects, we won't have much time to assign other things since we are working on our projects.  
• Check the calendar that got sent home on Friday for due dates of things.  The kids also have a copy of that calendar in their binder. 
• This week we are doing mostly research and teaching the kids how to cite and organize the information they find.  They are responsible for staying on task and being a productive group member during this.  I will be sending home half sheets of paper with grades for behavior/participation this week.  
• The Traditions Essay is due on Monday Nov. 14th.  We spent a LONG time in class explaining this and taking questions.  This assignment needs to be completed at home.  However, your child is welcome to bring it in and ask for feedback and clarification if needed.  
• ART - Please send a recycled mason jar (spaghetti sauce etc.) so that we can use it for an art project this Friday.  

Reading

We are reading Thanksgiving on Thursday from the Magic Treehouse series.  We are separating facts from pieces of fiction as we read each chapter.  

Religion: 

Our character formation curriculum is currently taking us through the story of Moses and showing us integrity, self-sacrifice, responsibility, and self-sacrifice.  We are also talking about contentment and service connected to our Thanksgiving unit.  

Important Dates:

Wednesday Nov. 16th  - Operation Christmas Child Boxes due

Monday Nov. 21st - 1:00 pm Pie making Day (We could use volunteers to help us make the pies as well as $$ donations to buy the supplies.  These pies will be served at our Thanksgiving Feast.) 

Tuesday Nov. 22nd - 11am - 1pm  - Thanksgiving Feast  (Please see the sign up sheet and invitation to RSVP.) 

Wednesday Nov. 23 - Friday Nov. 25th - No School/Thanksgiving Break

December 8/9 - Santa's Workshop 

Monday Dec. 19th - CCLS Advent Service at Concordia campus

Dec. 21st - Jan. 3rd - No School/Christmas Break

Week of Oct. 17th

Hello parents,
I hope that are all enjoying the lovely fall weather.  I had a great week with your kids last week.  They really are a sweet group!  Please take a minute to look at what is coming up in 3rd grade...

Religion: We will be covering the 9th commandment this week, which talks about coveting.

Math: We are talking about money, especially making money exchanges which leads to adding and subtracting it.  This is a great time to start having your kids pay attention in the checkout line at the store!

Reading: We are going to be combining our Reading and Social Studies for the next 2 weeks.  The story Boomtown is a great tie in to the topic of "Change over time" in Social Studies.  I began teaching the kids a new way to do vocabulary cards using the app "Pic Collage".  This will be something that your kids do at least a little bit of most weeks.  They will need time to work on an ipad to complete this, which I will give them plenty of in class.  However, if your kiddos really want to do some of this at home I am attaching the directions sheet HERE.

Science: Our class is now studying life cycles by observing live crayfish.  We have 10 little crayfish that the kids are working with for the next several weeks.

Important Dates:

Friday 21st - Fall party at 2pm
Tuesday 25th - Candy Corn Festival
October 24 - 26th Book Fair
Thursday 27th  - Early Dismissal P/T conferences
Friday 28th - No School
Monday 31st (Halloween) - Daniel Boone Home Field Trip

Book Fair!

The CCLS Book Fair is coming up in the next couple of weeks.  This is always a great way to get Christmas shopping done and support the school at the same time.  There is a great selection of books this year so please take advantage of this opportunity!  

If you cannot attend, check out the online catalog with this link:  

http://www.scholastic.com/bf/ccls2016

There are still open slots to help out with the Book Fair.  You can sign up HERE

Book Fair Hours & Special Events:

Monday, Oct. 24^th:     8:15am – 10:15am ~ Fair set-up in the gym!  All are welcome!

Tuesday, Oct. 25^th:    8:00am–3:30pm ~ Fair is open.  K-4 students will visit with their class.

6:00pm–7:30pm ~ Fair is open during the preschool Candy Corn Festival!

Wednesday, Oct. 26^th:          7:30am–3:30pm ~ Fair is open.

7:30am–8:15am ~ Breakfast With A Buddy!  Students may invite a relative or

special friend for a light breakfast and book fair shopping!

Thursday, Oct. 27^th:  8:00am–7:00pm ~ Fair is open during school and Parent-Teacher Conferences!

Week of Oct. 10th

Hello parents,
We are slowly but surely getting used to each other and having a great time doing it.  Here's an overview of the next few days as well as some slight changes in routines that you should be aware of.

Religion: We are talking about the 8th commandment this week as well as "Integrity".

Math:  I will be sending home a Practice Test on Wednesday and we will  take Test 3 on Thursday.
I am going to start working with the kids on the speed of their addition and subtraction facts.  This will be tested in class each day (not for a grade).  They need to be able to complete 50 facts in 2:30 minutes.  Once they get a hundred percent on a set, I will have them move on to the next set.  Each child will move at their own pace, but if they are taking more than a couple days to pass these tests it would be beneficial to practice some at home.  

Reading: This week we are reading a Time for Kids article about how things will be changing in the future.

Grammar: We are focusing on irregular plural nouns this week.  We have done a lot of work in class with them and I will give them a short little quiz on Friday to wrap up the quarter.

Social Studies: We are looking at maps and landmarks right now.  The map project was sent home last Friday and is due this Friday.  A good portion of this grade will be based on neatness and effort.  If they take their time and read the instructions they should do just fine!

New Routine:

• I have noticed that some of the kids are working on their homework that they didn't complete when they get to school in the morning.  I understand that Mrs. Headrick allowed this so I have been letting them do it.  However, I generally have meaningful work for them to do when they arrive and they also have to prepare for the day and get themselves organized.  Therefore, I am not going to allow them to complete unfinished homework in the mornings from now on.  I give them lots of time the day before to work in class, as well as a low stress environment to pack up in the afternoon so they can remember what needs to be taken home.  Thanks for your understanding!  

I am really enjoying getting to know your kiddos!  They are all so polite and fun to work with.  Thanks for helping us make a smooth transition.  

Have a great week!  

Week of Sept. 19th

No school - Friday Sept. 23

Zoo/Science Center - Monday Oct. 3

Religion:  This week's Character Formation lessons emphasize self-sacrifice. We continue the story of Abraham with God's direction to sacrifice the son Abraham and Sarah waited so long to have. Abraham had learned to trust God completely and was willing to give up one of his most important possessions, his son, the key to fulfilling God's covenant promise.  In Abraham's mind, God was faithful before, He would somehow prove faithful again. How willing are we to follow God all the way in every part of our lives? Thankfully, His Son, Jesus, did that for us to be able to save us.

We study the 5th Commandment this week. God did not want harm to come to Isaac. Murder is prevalent in our city. We are also guilty when we cause hurt or harm to others either physically and emotionally. We will look at the examples of Cain and Abel as well, as the Good Samaritan.

Math:  We start the 2nd unit with an investigation of pictographs and bar graphs. We will proceed to place value, reading and writing numbers through 999, and adding two digit numbers.

Spelling: This week's list concentrates on the long "o" sound. With the short week, contracts are due on Thursday. New spelling lists will be assigned that day to be completed over the weekend.

Grammar: We will combine short sentences with the use of a comma and a conjunction. Though we finished subjects and predicates, we will revisit them. Many students were rock solid on these, while others still need some work.

Social Studies: Let the project begin! Students will be paired up to plan a map or model to depict the difference between rural and urban environments. In class, they will research books and the internet to cite their information. Presentations will most likely occur next week.

Science: We finished the six days of drawings and observations of our seeds in our mini sprouters. One student described them as looking like a jungle. We had that much growth in a short time with only water, no light, and no soil. We also compared the weight and other properties of dry and soaked lima bean seeds. We have one more activity to disperse seeds as naturally as possible to simulate how seeds get moved away from the parent plants. We should be ready for an Investigation Check, written assessment, by next week. 

Reading: We will read "The Perfect Pet". Once again, we will identify the problem and follow a sequence of events that lead to a solution. Other skills include reading a diagram and a dictionary entry. We will also have a review of the vocabulary words covered in this unit.

Week of Sept. 12th

This week's highlight is our field trip on Tuesday, Sept. 13th, to Fresh Pasture Farm and the City LIbrary. All parents are welcome. We leave ate 9:00 A,M. and return around 2:30 P.M. Please bring a lunch. 

Religion:  This week's character lesson revisits integrity, God's power to be true to HIm and yourself.  Abraham and Sarah had trouble understanding God's plan. After waiting 25 years in their old age for God to grant them a child, they took matters into their own hands. God still remained faithful to HIs promise, but the consequences of their actions did not go away. Use this discussion starter at home of how do you stay true to God when you do not understand His plan?

Memory: The 4th commandment and its meaning can be tied to the discussion of not understanding God's plan as we approach the next election and the actions of those in charge. We are reminded that these people are placed in their positions by God. We are to respect authority in all forms.

Math:  We are fast approaching our first math test. After two more lessons on missing addends and adding three addends, we will take a practice test on Thursday. Friday is test day.

Reading: We will read two nonfiction pieces about arctic climates. We continue to work on main ideas and details for understanding and the writing process. Homographs will also be reviewed. If time allows, we will try our hand at writing some poetry.

Spelling: From now on the Monday sight word tests will be 10 words.  

Grammar:  After successfully conquering subjects, we go headlong into predicates. We will also identify and correct run on sentences this week.

Social Studies: Tuesday's field trip will be a springboard for the rural/ urban project. The students will take notes on the trip. They continue to learn about organization and paragraph production with Mr. Fishburn.

Science: Our seeds are spouting and changing daily! This week we will continue to note changes in our notebooks. We will also use a balance scale to determine how much water our seeds have soaked up compared to dry seeds. Though you haven't seen any grades, notebook evaluations will happen very soon. More formal evaluations will happen at the conclusion of our seed investigation. 

Friday Sept. 23 - No School for Professional Development for teachers

Blessings on your week!

Week of Sept. 5th

Seesaw: A big thank you to those parents who attended curriculum night. Seesaw was introduced to parents. Several parents who received their QR codes have already commented on their student's first journal entry. Those who did not attend should look for their codes and instructions to come home with their kids. Included are tips for posting comments to your child's account. Seesaw parents posts are only visible to your student, and their teacher. Class viewing of everyone's is only permissible if the teacher allows. Please feel free to ask questions about this new program which will be a part of documenting your child's progress.

Religion: This week's character word, deligence, is taught from the story of Noah. We know about Noah's ability to stick to God's plan. We will look at God's ability to stick to His promises and all the work He does. He expects us to also to remain focused on our work and His expectations. How timely is this as we study the 3rd Commandment as our memory assignment and this week's Bible study?

Math:  The answer sheet adjustment is coming along nicely. This week word problems answers MUST include a label for full credit.We began work on telling time with analog and digital clocks as well as reading thermometers. We will proceed with more clock work and begin reviewing addition, subtraction, and fact families. 

Reading/Grammar/Writing: We will read a nonfiction article, "Whose Habitat Is It?" Skills include main idea/details, using a dictionary, long vowels, and rhyming. Grammar moves into identifying subjects and sentence fragments. With our recently acquired knowledge of the four kinds of sentences, we are going to write a message on a "postcard" about a summer event incorporating each of the four kinds of sentence. The other side of the card will be an original watercolor painting of the place described. Mrs. Glackin will be the recipient of these larger than usual "pieces of mail." We will send these out on Seesaw so you can see them too.

Spelling: Our first attempts at creating our own spelling lists were successful. Some were not only successful, but ambitious. Others could benefit from a little more challenge. Thanks, parents. Your efforts are very much appreciated. The kids are have commented about how much fun they are having with their spelling assignments.This week we attempt long vowel sounds in this short week. 

Social Studies: Mr. Fishburn continues teaching expectations for the rural/urban project. This week we learned about citing sources and main idea/detail sentences. Our field trip is Tuesday, September 13th. We will go Fresh Pastures Farm in Millstadt, IL, in the morning and to Central Library downtown for a mapping program in the afternoon. The students are expected to complete notes as a part of their project grade.

Science: Mr. Fishburn and I hope to coordinate class time as we share one large sprouter. Groups will be maintaining mini sprouters. We will record our observations as we note daily changes in bean seeds. Grades thus far will be based on participation and notebook completion. Each unit is designed to last 1/3 of the school year. 

Yesterday was a big day for the Glackin family. Little Tessa was baptized at Webster Gardens. We celebrate the gift of new life that is hers through water and the Word.Her identity, like some many of us, child of God, comes with joy and much responsibility to live the life God intends for us.

Week of August 29th

Religion:  This week's CFP devotions will focus on the virtue respect. Adam and Eve's disobedience will teach us about our own struggles concerning respect for God and others. Our respect for God will also be challenged by our study of the 2nd Commandment.

Math: We started the math text this past week. We will take the time to answer questions from graded homework in class. Please go over these with your children. Many mistakes are happening from not reading carefully or working too quickly. I plan to make quizzes from the homework questions. After doing calendars this week, we will press on to clocks and thermometers. Follow up with teachable moments at home especially on telling and using time.

Reading:  We will finish reading Ranger in Time on time and get the author's point of view in person. Kate Messner will visit on Tuesday, Aug. 30. The 3rd-4th grade presentation will be from 10:00-10:45 in the church sanctuary. Mr. Fishburn ordered extra books which are available for sale while supplies last. The kids have really enjoyed this book. There are currently three books in this series with more to come in the future. Check your public libraries for all of Kate Messner's books. They would make great read aloud material for home.

Spelling: Our first contract is behind us. The kids seemed to really enjoy doing jumping jacks while spelling. Please do each activity only once per week as per the directions. I look forward to seeing what kinds of words are selected this week.

Grammar: We will continue with the four kinds of sentences. So far, the kids have done well identifying and writing these.

Social Studies: I hope you didn't take the day off to attend a field trip on Sept. 9th. Mr. Fishburn and I found an alternative to replace our foiled afternoon plans. However, kindergarten scheduled a field trip and the bus only minutes before we got our trip approved. We are hoping for a date the following week.

Mr. Fishburn will introduce the rural/urban/suburban project on Monday. The students will work in pairs researching, presenting and writing the differences in these three communities. This project will be a combination of field trip notes, research notes, Vern diagram, main idea/detail sentences, and a representation depicting the differences.

Science:  Our notebooks are coming along. We counted the fruit inside pea pods. Yes, the seeds are called the fruit even in green veggies. We will look at a variety of seeds this week and will start some sprouting beans in the near future. We will log daily changes in their growth for 6 days.

Please come to Curriculum night. We will talk about Seesaw, a digital way to see the work students are proud to save and show you without a lot of clutter and files of paper. 

Week of August 22nd

Religion

Micah 6:8 serves as our theme verse. "What does the Lord require of you. . .act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." We not only memorized this verse but we see it as a key verse for understanding how we live in God's will. Ask your kids to give examples of how to live each of the three requirements. It's our goal this year and every year of our lives.

Be sure and note the new memory assignment. We begin a new pilot program, the Character Formation Project, for our morning devotions. This week is a series of lessons about creation that teach the virtue integrity, God's power to be true to Him and to yourself. We also begin our first lessons from My First Catechism for Kids.

Math

We spent a few days reviewing addition and subtraction with some fun games. Friday's baseline test showed good retention overall of 2nd grade math skills. Therefore, we will press on to 3rd grade math.

This week we will begin keeping a math notebook. Our first entries will be problem solving strategies. Another transition to be introduced will be using an answer sheet and text- book for the first time. Look for this to begin toward the end of the week.

Spelling

You should have seen some mini sight word quizzes we did this week. We will continue these on the first day of each week. A list was sent home over the weekend. Not all words will be tested, only a random sampling.Be mindful that what makes these challenging for some is many are homophones.

First contracts went home on Friday. They are due Friday, August 26. This week's list was a prescribed list of classmates' and teachers' names the students should know how to spell.

Reading

A story from our textbook was appropriate for this week, "First Day Jitters," reminded kids that students aren't the only ones who get nervous. Teachers do too. In class activities included vocabulary and sequencing.

The 3rd and 4th grades are reading Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail by Kate Messner. Ranger is a rescue dog who is transported into the past. Ms. Messner will be our visiting author on August 30. Her visit will give us a greater appreciation of the research, editing, and publishing process. This book will satisfy our reading and social studies this week. Students will write responses that will help them identify with those who made this difficult journey. 

Social Studies

We need to adjust our field trip plans for September 9. We will not be going to Soulard Old Trinity. Mr. Fishburn is working on plan B. More details will be forthcoming.

Hopefully you have seen the "Who Am I?" folders taking shape. This week we solve these mysteries with our combined classes. It will be neat to combine this lesson with our identity in Christ.

Science

We took part of the survey test for the next unit in our new Foss science curriculum. It was challenging for many. Our third graders are going to learn so much this year as we complete hands on activities and document our findings in a notebook. Our first large unit is Structures of Life. This will begin with seeds and progress to animals and people.

Art

Mistakes don't happen in art this year. They are better known as a Beautiful Oops. The students learned to make something beautiful from an otherwise discarded mistake. That's life. We make the best of the situation. Creativity and much imagination was exercised on Fridayand will continue until the next Friday.

Important Dates

August 30   Author visit

September 1  Curriculum night

September 5  Labor Day (no school)

September 9  Field trip 

Can you help?

We can use old newspaper for art and science.

Big thanks, parents!

The first three days were awesome! Applause for excellent hall behavior, good manners, and terrific attitudes.