Post date: Aug 25, 2017 7:32:37 PM
First, some reminders to note:
BoxTops for Education need to be turned in by September 1 to qualify for the class ice cream competition.
Fan Cloth orders for St. Linus apparel and other cool stuff are due by September 8.
We did some fun projects and activities the first week of school to get back into the groove, and this week we will really get down to work. There is so much to learn in 3rd grade!
We begin our Reading Street series, Unit 1 with the VC/CV (vowel consonant/consonant vowel) spelling pattern in 2-syllable words. These words, such as bas/ket, pub/lic, and gos/sip, are broken between the two middle consonants, and the second syllable has a short vowel sound because of the two consonants in the middle of the word.
All of our spelling words for the week have this VC/CV pattern. We will have a pretest on Monday, and work with these words throughout the week. Our spelling tests will normally take place each Friday. The last 5 words on the list of 20 are more challenging. You can help your child by helping them practice for a few minutes each day at home. You can also create a free account on spellingcity.com, add the words as I publish them each week on this web page, and allow your child to play some fun activities and games that are free. The paid version has a few more options, but don't feel you need to purchase this.
Here are this week's Spelling words that will be tested on Sept. 1:
happen
lettuce
basket
winter
sister
problem
supper
subject
lesson
spelling
napkin
collar
traffic
suggest
puppet
skillet
picnic
planet
system
pumpkin
Our first main reading selection will be When Charlie McButton Lost Power. Within each week's main selection, there are vocabulary words that will be tested in our weekly reading test, along with comprehension skills we practiced throughout the week.
This week's tested vocabulary words are:
bat
battery
blew
fuel
plug
term
vision
Our weekly reading tests will also usually occur on Fridays, unless a school holiday forces a change in our regular routine. There will be spelling and reading homework assigned, but not every day.
We are working toward assigning usernames and passwords so that your child can access the reading text and some helpful resources digitally from home. As soon as I have that information, I'll pass it along to you.
This past Friday, the class did a practice addition fact quiz "just for fun," to help prepare them for a real quiz this week, likely on Tuesday. I have asked the kids to practice their basic addition facts over the next several days, because many are pretty rusty. We will do the same with subtraction later in the week or the following week, when we can squeeze it in.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have students with health/dietary issues that make birthday treats just a bit complicated. One child has a peanut and tree nut allergy. If you would like to be sure that you send something he can enjoy with the rest of the class, you can visit/subscribe to this website:
www.snacksafely.com/subscribe
The site is a great resource. Of course, you are always welcome to donate a book to our class library in lieu of sending treats. And remember, you are under no obligation to send anything at all. For your information, we have 16 students, 10 girls and 6 boys. Students enjoy bringing a few extra treats so that they can deliver one to Ms. Hayes and Mrs. Delisi.
In addition to our nut allergy, we also have a student who is managing type 1 diabetes. If I know ahead of time what snack you are bringing, and if you can email me a photo of the nutrition label showing the total carbs, it is possible that this child can enjoy this treat with his classmates.
In other words, please contact me ahead of time before bringing in any birthday treats, and all will be well. Thanks for your help with this.
Thank you to the Faragoi family, who generously allowed us to borrow an awesome fan for these steamy early weeks of school.
Thank you to all of you who volunteer for lunch/recess monitoring, participate in our fundraisers, and help to make this the best school around!
Thank you for trusting me with your child. I think this is going to be a wonderful year!