WEEK OF AUGUST 13 – 17, 2012

We had a great beginning to the school year last week, and we are now ready to jump right into our 3^rd grade curriculum.

We thank the parents that have already sent the school supplies and the classroom fee (L600). If you have not done so, please do so by Monday.

We want to stress the importance of getting to school ON TIME. When a student is late to school, even if he or she is only a few minutes late, his/her whole day is disrupted. It is important for our 3rd graders to be here in school at least 10 minutes before the school day begins.  This allows them to read the morning message , get their materials ready, and be in their seats for instruction to begin at 8:00 a.m. MATH is the first subject taught in the school day, and as all of you know, 3rd grade math is crucial. We understand the problems parents may run into, so we ask that you plan ahead for traffic, distance and other inconveniences and help us get your third grader to school on time. Teachers will begin instruction promptly at 8:00 a.m.

Here is what we will be working on this week:

·         Math: we will be reviewing content and skills from 2^nd grade, and be working on cooperative activities in class.

·         Theme: our Social Studies unit for this quarter is about Civics and Citizenship. For this, we will be discussing the expected behaviors for 3^rd grade, practicing routines and setting our classroom management system in place. 3A and 3B will be working together on this.

·         Spelling: Lesson 1 is about the /a/ and /o/ sounds. The first Spelling quiz will 
      be this Friday.

·         R/W: during Reader’s/Writer’s Workshop this week we will be getting familiarized with the steps in the writing process by writing a story as a whole class. We will also begin our first 3^rd grade Read Aloud: The Witches by Roald Dahl. This is reading children really enjoy. If you would like to read reviews for the book go to http://www.epinions.com/reviews/The_Witches_by_Roald_Dahl_and_illustrated_by_Quentin_Blake?sb=1

      http://www.ezilon.com/articles/articles/13330/1/The-Witches--by-Ronald-Dahl---Book-Reviews  http://www.pageturnersbooks.org/2011/12/review-witches-by-roald-dahl.html

·         Handwriting: we will practice the strokes that are necessary for cursive handwriting, and begin with the lower case letters practicing letter /l/

We will have a birthday celebration on Monday, so please do not send lunch for your 3^rd grader since pizza, drinks and cake will be provided. If you are thinking about celebrating your 3rd grader's birthday at school please read the NEW Birthday Policy in the documents on the right of this blog. 

We want to remind parents that our Open House will take place this Thursday, August 16 at 7:30 a.m. We ask that parents make their best effort to be in the third grade classrooms promptly at 7:30 a.m. since both teachers have classes to begin at 8:00 a.m. and there is important information that needs to be shared during the Open House.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. 

Ms. Cristiana and Ms. Ashley

HOMEWORK

Monday	1.      Read 10 minutes for fun 2.      Math sheet (pgs 4 and 5 in the packet) 3.      Choose an activity from the list to do with the Spelling words
Tuesday	1.      Read for 10 minutes for fun 2.      Math sheet (pgs 6 and 7 in the packet) 3.      Write sentences with the Spelling words (you can use 2 words in a sentence)
Wednesday	1.      Read 10 minutes for fun 2.      Math sheet (pgs 11 and 12 in the packet) 3.      Spelling page **Remember: Open House tomorrow 7:30-9:00 a.m.
Thursday	1.      Read 10 minutes for fun 2.      Math sheet (pgs 15 and 16 in the packet) 3.      Study for tomorrow’s Spelling quiz
Friday	1.      Read for 10 minutes every day 2.      Have a great weekend!