Week 31
Class Notes:
Spring Break begins this Friday.
Solar Eclipse - We will be viewing the beginning of the solar eclipse tomorrow right before dismissal. Students will receive glasses from the Science Center that they can take home with them.
More Spring Conferences will take place this week. I look forward to speaking with you and sharing your 3rd grader's portfolio of work.
The ELA MCAS test will be administered on Wednesday and Thursday. We take a low key approach to standardized tests and encourage our students to just do their best work (just like any other day). As parents, you can cheer your 3rd grader on by helping your 3rd grader get a good night’s sleep, prepare a hearty breakfast, give some reassuring words and pack some awesome snacks!
State Fair Home Project is due this Wednesday, April 10th. The actual State Fair for parents is on Friday starting at 8:30 AM. Parents will start the morning in our classroom to view all of the student's state fair research projects. Then, at 9AM, parents will take their seats in the "cafetorium" to listen to the 3rd grade musical presentation.
In Readers Workshop, we will wrap up our Mystery unit and start Research Clubs (nonfiction: informational books) after vacation.
In Writers Workshop, we will begin to publish our persuasive speeches and practice delivering speeches using a persuasive tone.
In Fundations, we will continue on Unit 11-- contractions -- Unit 11 Home support
In Math, lessons will focus on measurement and plotting measurement data on line plot graphs.
Science activities will continue to focus on electricity-- we will make a light bulb light up and learn about open and close circuits.
A message from Mr. Martin about the 3rd Grade Bike Rodeo:
The annual Mitchell Bike Rodeo will be held on Tuesday, May 7th. The rain date will be Tuesday, May 14th. The Bike Rodeo is a special event where our third graders learn the essentials of being a responsible bike rider in our communities. There are four content areas included in the bike rodeo: bike safety, bike maintenance, helmet safety, and the road course. If a third grader is able to participate in all four content areas, they will receive a bike license. The bike license allows that student to ride to and from school alone (with parent/guardian consent of course). Please review this Bike Rodeo presentation to help your child practice.
What do I need for the Bike Rodeo?
We need our helmet, and our 2 wheel bike. If you are not able to bring your bike or helmet, we have bikes and helmets that have been donated by the Needham Police Department. If your child is able to bring their bike we recommend putting their name on it with masking/painters tape. You can park them outside the Mitchell gym on the day of the event.
Repeat Annoucements:
Some students have asked me if they could access their school state fair notes from home--this is easy enough to do on any computer with access to Google. Student usernames are generally like this: first, middle and last initial and the number 331 or 332 (there are a few exceptions to these numbers--reach out if your child isn't sure of their email address numbers and wants to log in). The second part is @students.needham.k12.ma.us. So my email, if I were a student, would be: jer331@students.needham.k12.ma.us. Students all know their passwords because they are the same password they use to log into their Chromebooks every day. Their note-taking slideshow is located inside of Google Classroom. Reach out if you need any help with this! If all else fails, the public library is a great resource for books on the 50 states!
Great resource:
Our library has linked student friendly research sites here:
https://mitchell.needham.k12.ma.us/classrooms/library/research
PebbleGo and PebbleGo Next are great resources for information about states, animals, and biographies. Students utilize these resources to conduct research in their library classes, but they can be used at home as well! Please reach out to our librarian, Jennifer Guardino, if you have any questions.
Mitchell Email for Absences, Late Arrivals, and Dismissals
Please report an absence, late arrival, or early dismissal at this email address: Mitchell_Office@needham.k12.ma.us Our safe arrival line is still an option as well - dial 781-455-0466 and press 1.
Media
Our book swapping day is on Wednesdays--please help your child remember to return their library books.
Special Subject Schedule
Monday -- Spanish and Music
Tuesday -- P.E.
Wednesday -- Media
Thursday -- Spanish and P.E.
Friday -- Art
Important Dates
April 10th & April 11th - ELA MCAS
April 12th - State Fair for parents, 8:30-9:00 (in rooms), 9:00-9:30 (concert in cafeteria)
April 13th - 21st - April Vacation
April 22nd - Classes resume
April 24th - Early Dismissal Day
May 7th - Bike Rodeo
May 15th & May 17th - Math MCAS
Created 4/2024
Jennifer_ramras@needham.k12.ma.us