Our students did a wonderful job of bringing in food for the food drive. We had 285 items brought in. (I think Ms. Carlsen brought in 100 of the items.) Also, thank you for making our pot luck successful. The food and the parent helpers were great!

I am going to start putting "secret information" in the blog to see how many students actually are reading it. If your child hasn't read this blog yet, encourage them to do so.

Wednesday we will begin our applique' project. The students will need the following by then:
1/4 yard of holiday fabric with "Wonder Under" ironed on it and 1 skein of embroidery thread. They can also bring buttons, bows and any small decorative items that can be sewn.

We will have a math test on Wednesday. A study sheet came home with your child today. Our next Math unit will be on multiplication.

The Wordmaster Challenge will be next week. The students have been working on learning about analogies.

The students are having a great time learning about the Solar System. Using a scale, we measured out the distance of each planet from the sun.

Our class auction will be held the week of December 15. If your child brings in items for the auction, they will be given tickets. This is the secret item for this blog.

Please encourage your child to continue to work on addition and subtraction facts. We only have three students in the addition Hall of Fame and none in the subtraction Hall of Fame. To make it into the Hall of Fame, they have to complete 50 facts in 2 minutes at least 3 weeks in a row.

We made it through Terra Nova Testing with flying colors. Now it's time for Analytical Writing Assessment, which will be Tuesday and Wednesday. We will start at 9:00 each day. Please help your child be ready for the assessment.

The third grade teachers have noticed there have been some behaviors happening more and more that are not conducive to learning. We met with Mrs. Kelley to come up with a solution to the problem. Mrs. Kelley then talked with the third grade students and went over behavior that is expected for each student. To help solve this problem you will notice that desks have been separated and "private offices" are being used more. The "private offices" are also a signal for no talking time, and if a student talks, they automatically get a Think Sheet. Needless to say, many more Think Sheets have been given out over the last week. The children also need to work on their listening skills. Making faces at other students, looking at places other then the teacher or the book, and laying their head on their desk is inappropriate. The children do better work when they have a quieter place to work.

MATH
The students have been working on telling time to the minute and figuring elapsed time. Please help your child with these two skills at home. This week we are learning about different graphs, reading the graphs, making graphs, and identifying the range and mode of the graphs.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We will be finishing up with our Social Studies Unit this week and testing next Monday. A study sheet will come home with the students Thursday.

READING
In reading we have been working on the author's purpose. We talk about reasons author's write books. Sometimes it is to entertain, inform, persuade or give directions.
Next week we will work on sequencing the story. Another focus strategy is suffixes and prefixes. Whenever the opportunity arises, talk with your child about these concepts.

CELEBRATION
To celebrate the hard work the students have done, we will be having a Pot Luck on Wednesday, Nov. 19. More information will come home with your child on Friday. If you would like to help set up, or take down, please let me know.

The last night of Write Stuff will be Monday night. Enjoy this time with your child. Also Monday your child will be bringing home their Original Art Works order form. Orders will be due by October 24th.

PARTY MONEY
We have only had 12 students bring $4.00 for the Holiday Parties. Our students will be having a party on October 31st and in February. Please send the money to school next week in an envelope marked with your child's name.

READING CARDS
October 14th is the last day to turn in your reading cards. Their will be a special celebration for those students that have completed their reading card.

Keep reading, writing and practicing math facts with your child.

Enjoy the weekend!

The students are having fun dressing up for Spirit Week. Look in the Willowdale Whispers for information about the rest of the week. These students are dressed for the future.

WE NEED A VOLUNTEER OR VOLUNTEERS TO DYE OUR
T-SHIRTS They have already been rubberbanded, now they are waiting for some kind person to take them home and dye them. We will be wearing our shirts for the first time on Wednesday, Oct. 1, so the shirts will need to be done by Friday. That way the students can take them home and wash them before they wear them.

Tests that are coming up are:
Math - Friday, September 26. A study sheet will come home on Wednesday.
Science - Monday, September 29. A study sheet will come home on Thursday.

Did your child tell you that our class earned an extra recess Friday? They had been working on points for about 2 weeks. Now we need 10 more point for the next extra recess. As of today, we have 0. (They are quite talky.)

Don't forget picture day tomorrow. Also, if you haven't sent back your child's midquarter report, please do so by Wednesday.

Please help your child bring there library books on Wednesdays, as that is our check out day.

Thanks for helping your child be prepared for school each day. KEEP PRACTICING THOSE SUBTRACTION FACTS!!!!!

There are just a few things that I need to communicate this week.

First off I want to compliment the students on how well they are beginning to remember the routines. They are beginning to remember to work quietly, where to put their papers, and what to do when they come in each morning.

SCIENCE - We will be having a Science test on Tuesday. A study sheet came home with them on Friday.

MATH - We will have a Math test on Wednesday. A study sheet will be coming home on Monday. PLEASE help your child work on addition and subtraction facts and making change up to $5.oo.

Please make sure that your child is dressing in layers. As it gets colder outside they may find they need a jacket for recess OR indoors.

When your child is chosen to be "STAR OF THE WEEK" they can bring a poster with pictures on it about themself. Some other things that can be done to help them shine are:
~bring a container filled with things for estimating
~bring a pet to show the class (Please make arrangements with the teacher.)
~read a favorite picture book to the class
~have a parent come and eat lunch with them
~bring a treat for the class on Friday

Believe it or not, August is sadly coming to an end and Fall is just around the corner.

There are just a couple of things that I forgot to mention during Curriculum Night.

Please do not sign student planners, if the child has not completed all of the home work. You can write me a note and let me know what they have completed.

Generally I will have students fix there work here at school and then I will look at it. This is so I can make sure they understand the concept being taught. However, there will be times I will send work home for them to fix because of time constraints. I ask the students to not erase their original answers. What I do ask them to do is use a red pen to make their corrections on their paper.

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

We have had a good start to the 2008/2009 school year. The students are beginning to learn classroom rules, schedules and remember to listen when someone is talking. It is hard work remembering when it is okay to talk and when to listen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
~Next Tuesday is Curriculum Night. This is the time parents get to come to school and hear about what to expect for their child's third grade year.
~On Wednesday we will be having a test over continents and oceans. A study sheet has come home with the students today.
~We will also be having a Science test on Wednesday. Your child has brought a "Little Science" book home today. Please help them remember to bring this book back on Monday.
~Thank you for sending ALL the school supplies.
~Please help your child remember to bring their student planner back to school each day.
~Are you collecting Box Tops? The students are going to be asking you, their grandparents and aunts and uncles to collect Box Tops.

MATH
We have been working on place value to the hundred thousands place. This is a difficult concept if your child doesn't know ones, tens and hundreds. Please review reading and writing numbers to the hundred-thousands.
Also the students need to be working on addition and subtraction facts.

READING
The students will be working on making and confirming predictions and decoding long words. We will also be doing a lesson on how to pick out a book at their reading level.

WRITING
In writing we are working on writing in complete sentences and adding description to our writing. The students need to make sure they are using a capital letter at the beginning of their sentences and an end mark at the end.

SCIENCE
Our current Science Unit is Earth Science. This week we have been learning about the importance of water on the earth and the water cycle. Next week, we will begin studying about weather and tools used to identify weather changes.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Our focus for the year is on communities. We have been working a lot on map skills. The students need to practice reading the map key and measuring distances with the distance scale. I will send more practice home next week.

The students wanted me to tell you about the walking club. A walking club has been created to help the students remember to line up without talking. Ask your child about the walking club.

Welcome to third grade!