Miss Crimin's Third Grade

Happy Thursday evening everyone! Fall is definitely among us! Leaves are changing color, we have windy days and of course the rain is here!
Please make sure as the weather starts to change that your child is dressed appropriately for the cold. Sending a jacket labeled with their first and last name inside would be very helpful! You can even put the room number too! We have been very busy this week. I apologize for my weekly note coming later, but time really caught up with me this week (phew!)

Reading

MAP testing is complete! We made a few changes to our third grade groups, as far as student movement from one group to another. We are happy with placements at this time and will revisit changes as the year progresses. One thing that would really help your child is to make sure their notebook has a pencil bag inside with an extra glue stick, pencils, something to color with and extra scissors. When students switch for reading group each day, there are times when some or all of those supplies are needed. Instead of having to remind kids as they line up, it would be nice if they always have these supplies available. Some students choose to carry there extra crayons and scissors, but making sure they are always in their pencil bag will prevent hallway spills etc. NO PENCIL BOXES, please!


Math
MAP testing tomorrow (Friday) right away at 9:10AM. Please make sure your child is rested and ready to go. Thank you for your support with this schedule. Math is going very well! I feel very proud with the kids and how they are learning all these new strategies and ways of thinking. Hooray for parents as well.....a lot to learn, I know! There are some students who are turning in math homework late or not at all. It is very important that the weekly homework is completed and turned in on time. If your child is sick, feel free to take an extra day, no worries. I do have concerns with students who are not turning the work in. If they are not reviewing the skills at home with you, concepts are not being grasped fully and your child will have difficulty in class. Ask your child every week if he/she has turned in homework or check their homework folder to make sure! The homework that is being turned in looks GREAT! i really appreciate your help! Homework is due EVERY Monday morning when your child arrives.

Miscellaneous information

DON'T FORGET!!!!!!! Your child needs a clean, white t shirt by Monday, Oct. 19th. We are going to tie dye pumpkin shirts and need shirts early to rubberband them etc. We are also in need of more powder dye. Those who have sent in the dye have bought RIT dye, color: Sunshine Orange. We would love more to make sure all our shirts turn out very ORANGE and festive. Our tie dye will take place on Friday the 23rd. We will only be dying shirts on this day, no make ups...sorry! Please make sure your child's shirt is washed (the dye takes better on a washed shirt). It doesn't need to be brand new, so don't feel you have to go buy one. Make sure to put your child's name on the label. After shirts are finished, i will wash them and keep them at school. We will be wearing the shirts on Oct. 30th. (To see what the shirts look like, please scroll down to last week's blog. You will see a link to the family fun website).

Our NHS (National Honor Society pen pals are coming on Oct. 30th. The time is still not decided, but usually it is around our lunch time (12:00). I will keep you posted on this. If your child wants to make his/her pen pal(s) a card, that would be very nice! We are going to complete a craft activity while they visit.


Conference sign ups
I had conference sign ups available at Open House. Please e mail me or call ext. 2421 to set up an appt. Times are filling up fast. I would really appreciate ALL parents signing up for the first conference of the year. It would be nice to talk with you about your child's academic and social growth at this time, share about our classroom/individual goals etc, and hopefully answer any of your questions too. If I don't hear from you, I will assign you a time, send a note home requesting a response. Thank you!


Important dates

MAP Testing- Friday (Tomorrow)

Cookie Dough Sales due- Oct. 26th

Harvest Festival- Oct. 27th

Spirit Award assembly/Slide show- Oct. 30th @ 9:45 AM

NED - Anti-Bullying assembly- Nov. 3rd @ 2:15PM

Picture retakes- Nov. 5th

Veteran's Day assembly- Nov. 9th at 2:00PM

Pacific Science Center Workshops 9:00-3:00PM (We will be scheduled a time).

Happy Monday everyone! It was a beautiful fall day and the kids were ready for a busy day of learning today! It was fun to share our weekend activities with each other. From soccer games, football games and sleepovers...weekends are busy for third graders!!! Thank you very much to Mrs. Peterson (Hannah's mom) and Miss MaryAnn (Madeline's mom) for coming in to volunteer today. Our volunteers started last Thursday and boy are they a great help. Thanks to Mrs. Yerigan (Stephanie's mom) and Mrs. Trujillo (Gillian's mom) for your help last week.

Reading
Reading groups are well on their way. If you have any questions re: group please contact your child's reading teacher. I have many of the homeroom kids, but some do go to Mrs. Pollock or Mrs. Phillips. Here are there email addresses for your convenience cphillips@stanwood.wednet.edu or lpollock@stanwood.wednet.edu I am very proud of the students who are returning their reading calendars every Monday for grading. However there are still some students who have not met the school-wide standard. It is essential that calendars are signed for their minutes of reading. (20 minutes of reading, 5 nights a week). Students receive their names in a school wide drawing for reaching the goal, but it also affects his/her grade. This month, your child's reading calendar is green. It should be located in the front of your child's binder. Thanks for your participation!!! The book fair is going on in our library this week. I DID send home book orders in the Monday folder today. Don't feel obligated to order, especially if you are buying at the book fair. Book orders for school need to be a $20 minimum order. I will keep you posted!

Writing
All I can say is WOW! We have been writing at least 2-3 times a week in our student journals. Sometimes I give the students a topic, other days students can choose what they want to write about. Today we wrote about our favorite time of year. All students listened to music while writing for 20 minutes. Ideas included seasons, holidays etc. On our document camera, we shared student work without names. As I read them aloud, we commented on what was GREAT and also what the writer needed more or less of. The kids thought it was valuable and so did I. They liked to see other writing because it helped them to know what works and gave them some wonderful ideas!!! We have also been working hard on our cursive. Hopefully you have seen their beautiful practice work coming home. I am very impressed...they work so hard!! My class (and Mrs. Pollock's) are still anxiously awaiting our pen pals. I've heard they have been assigned pen pals and the NHS students have actually written. However we have not received the letters yet. However....when we do, our kids will be writing to them once a week!

Math
Oh yes! The wonderful world of math! I am so proud of our kids. They are becoming super listeners and really are staying positive with the new way we are teaching strategies for math. This week is a little more challenging for them (as you will see on the weekly homework). This week we are working with ungrouping (in other words "borrowing"). I am teaching them various methods and strategies, first starting with proof drawings for subtraction. Last week we worked on proof drawings for addition with regrouping and they did very well. Now that it is subtraction...it may be a little tricky at first. Just make sure to take it slow and do what you can with your child. Look at the examples done for you on the homework and ask your child to be the teacher. You would be amazed at what they can recall from the day. I am so pleased with the homework that has been returned. There are students though who do NOT turn in work each week. Please remember that students are given an entire week to complete the work, therefore it should be turned in on time. If you are concerned your child is not turning it in, you will receive an email from me letting you know. I know families are busy, but homework needs to be made a priority. It seems each year as education becomes more challenging, the demands for a home/school partnership is essential. I appreciate all your help and I know your kids do too.


Social Studies
We are starting lesson 2 in Social Studies. Lesson 2 is learning about the location of our community, as well as identifying particular landmarks in other places. Ex. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Fransisco, The Statue of Liberty etc. Students will also review Cardinal directions and measure the distance from our community to these special places. They sure learn a lot during our Soc. Studies time. It is very interesting for them!!

Art
I hope you are enjoying Artsonia so far. There will be more projects soon! One project that will NOT be posted on Artsonia is the traditional Halloween/Harvest Tie Dye shirts. Last year we made some tie dye shirts that turned out fabulous! Basically we use rubber bands all over a white t shirt. Then we put the shirt in orange dye. Once rinsed and the bands were taken off, there was a an orange shirt with white outlined circles. After they were washed and dried at school, students decorated the circles as pumpkins. It was a blast. Please click on the website link at the bottom of this. It will take you to Family Fun magazine to view the project. The entire third grade is planning to do this again, but we need your help!! Each child needs to have a pre-washed and clean white t- shirt (Important that it is washed first as the dye works better with the fabric). We are also asking for a donation of RIT dye. This can be found at many places,(maybe Walmart/Target) but Michael's craft store or Craft Warehouse may have the better color selections. The RIT dye needed is the powder. We are looking for Tangerine or Sunshine Orange. I may have some Michael's coupons, so please email me if you are interested in one ( I am on their mailing list....hard to believe, right??) Thanks for your donation!! Please send in the t-shirt (labeled with your child's name) and the dye no later than Oct. 19th (Monday). We are completing the project on Oct. 23rd (Friday). So don't forget the shirt and the dye. No t shirts will be completed after this date! Our shirts will be worn for our Halloween/Harvest celebration with our pen pals on the 30th. PS... Feel free to bring the t shirt and dye during Open house this week if you'd like!

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=12054 Tie Dye project

http://www.ritdye.com/Color+Chart.4.lasso Color Chart for RIT powder dye


Important Dates
Open House- This Thursday, Oct. 8th, %:30 PM- 6:30 PM Spaghetti Feed, 6:30-7:30 Classroom visits
Cookie Dough assembly (time not announced yet)

Inservice /No School- Oct. 9th (Friday)

Jog a thon $$$$$ due ASAP. The sooner $$ are collected , the sooner $$$ will be available for field trips!!

MAP Testing- Math Oct. 16th right away at 9:10AM. All students need to be ON TIME this day. Thanks!!!!

Have a warm and fun filled week! Miss Crimin

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! It still doesn't seem like fall just yet, but I hear it's coming!!! Things are very busy in third grade. Reading groups have started, and students are grasping the third grade schedule and expectations quite well. This past week we continued to work hard in our class with all our lessons and projects. Please make sure to congratulate your child on a job well done so far!!

MATH
We are continuing to implement our new math curriculum, Math Expressions. I would like to say THANKS for really taking the time to understand the program by working with your child on the homework each week. Remember...it is always due on Mondays, unless otherwise noted. In your child's Monday folder today there is a + and - timing completed last week. Please look this over carefully along with the letter attached. As a third grade team, we truly need your assistance with practicing the basic math facts at home. Although the facts were learned in first and second grade, there are many students that are not at grade level. As we continue in the math curriculum with addition regrouping and soon regrouping with subtraction, we are finding this is difficult for many students. As our volunteers start on the 1st, students will be pulled periodically to review those facts and learn strategies to make them stronger mathematicians.

READING
Reading groups are well on their way! Students are adjusting to the hustle and bustle of changing rooms and having a new teacher! Please make sure that your child has extra supplies in his/her notebook (Scissors, gluesticks, crayons or colored pencils). It is much easier for students to go from one class to another without having to carry more things. I know your child probably has extra supplies in their supply bag. If you can give them a reminder to organize their materials for reading, it would be greatly appreciated. Make sure to keep reading at home each week. It is expected that students read 5 days a week for 20 min. a night. I check the calendar every Monday. If your child has not received stickers on the days read, it is either they have not turned in their calendar on the due date or the calendar has not been signed. Late calendars are not checked, unless of course your child was gone on that Monday.

WRITING/SPELLING
Recently we completed a school-wide writing prompt. We asked the students to write according to the prompt given, using the entire writing process. I was very proud at the effort kids put into it. Our main goal this year is to prepare students to write an elaborate paragraph with a lot of detail, good conventions, and organization. Another skill third graders need to master is the friendly letter format. To assist with this skill we will be partnering up with the Stanwood High School NHS students (National Honor Society)..Mrs. Pollock has invited our class to be a part of this! I did it last year with my third graders and it was a lot of fun. The kids learned how to write letters, but also about how high achievement can take you places. The NHS students were great role models and I am looking forward to it again! This week we are beginning our spelling program. This is primarily done in class, however words to learn will be sent home for extra practice if needed. I will be sending instructions on accessing a website called Spelling City. On the site are the spelling words for the week, along with games and activities revolving around those words.


SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE
Currently we are working on our first unit in Social Studies. During this unit, we are learning about continents, oceans, countries, states, and our community. There is no science during this quarter. We are assigned to teach Earth Materials second quarter, and Plants during the spring.


ART
So many things to do and very little extra time. However.. I will always make time for art. Not only is this a fun time for students (and the teacher :), but it is also a time for kids to express themselves in so many unique ways. A lot of the time our art projects are displayed here at school and sent home at a later date. Now you (and family members) can view your child's art ONLINE! I belong to a website called Artsonia. Basically I take pictures of the artwork, upload it to the site (no student pictures or personal info. is given, except their first name with a number code behind it). Once it is approved by Artsonia, the art is published. I am sending home the parent registration information re: your child's art folder. In order to view and let others see the art, the parent registration must be done online. It is very simple to do, so please read the written instructions I send home. I will be sending information this week. Another wonderful aspect of this site is that the link can be sent to distant relatives (ex.. Grandma and Grandpa) and the artwork can be seen! There is also an optional part of the site which allows parents/family members to shop in the art store to purchase a piece of your child's art. Last year I had parents purchase journals, magnets, notecards etc. with their child's artwork on it. Again this was an optional part of the site, but we did earn 15% of all purchases towards art supplies. It was GREAT!!! If your child was in Ms. Aseltine's class last year, you had the opportunity to register last year. I will be sending home the info. again. Our first project is now uploaded to the site. The project is called Watercolor Trees. Please make sure to check it out! www.artsonia.com

• MAP Testing is this Tuesday at 10:30. We are testing for reading. MAP testing is done in the computer lab. It would be greatly appreciated if ALL kids are here on time for the testing. Thanks! PS. Extra PE time is also on Tuesday.

• This Friday there was a Bullying assembly scheduled. As of today it has been rescheduled for Nov. 3rd

• Don't forget your Jog a thon pledges. $$$ will be funding our field trips this year. All $$ collected for third grade will stay within the grade level. We set a class goal for all students to collect at least $30 , but more pledges would definitely be accepted. Thanks to the PTA for all their hard work on this! We had a great time and the weather couldn't have been any better!

Have a great week!