Dear Families,

I hope you had a great week! This week was full of excitement. Your kiddos rocked their first fire drill- I told them it was the best I've seen a class do in my 14 years as a teacher! They also worked hard to fill up our smiley face jar and voted to have a Stuffie Day on Tuesday 9/2. They may each bring 1 or 2 stuffed animals to school for the day!

Homework

I am looking for a parent volunteer to help on Mondays (preferably in the afternoons) with stuffing homework folders. This involves checking a list to see which multiplication fact set each student is currently working on and placing the matching homework sheets in their folders. At times, I may also ask you to do some quick grading of previous timed tests! If you’re interested in helping out with this important task, please let me know! Your support is greatly appreciated.

In third grade, we believe that kids work hard at school, and when they go home, they deserve time to relax, play, and just be kids. That’s why we keep homework light and focused on what matters most.

📚 Reading at Home

We ask that students read for about 20 minutes each night. This can be anything they enjoy...a book, magazine, comic, or an online article. The key is finding something that excites them so that reading doesn’t feel like a chore. If you need help finding books at a level your child can access or a series they will enjoy, please let me know.

Research shows that 20 minutes of reading each day is age-appropriate for third graders and helps build vocabulary, comprehension, and a lifelong love of reading.

➕ Math Practice & Fluency

To help build strong math fact fluency, especially with multiplication, we encourage 5-10 minutes of math fact practice each day at home. This consistent, short practice builds speed, accuracy, and confidence, which are skills that are essential as students begin tackling more complex math problems.

Each student will be sent home with:

A multiplication flap page (they’ll need to cut and fold the flaps) to help them quiz themselves on their facts in a fun and interactive way

A few practice worksheets that match the multiplication number set they’re currently working on

We understand that fact memorization can be controversial, but many students across all grade levels struggle with problem solving and multi-digit operations. This is usually not because they don’t understand the math, but because they aren’t fluent with the basics. Without fact fluency, students often get stuck on simple steps and lose confidence or focus.

Our goal is not rote memorization, but math fact fluency (understand the why behind the facts, use strategies when needed, and eventually recall them automatically because they've practiced them meaningfully not just because they repeated them over and over). This should allow students to focus their thinking on solving bigger problems and applying deeper reasoning.

🗓️ Weekly Math Routine

Here’s what a typical week looks like:

Monday: Math homework is sent home in folders; begin fact practice

Tuesday & Wednesday:  Continue 5-10 minutes of fact practice at home

Thursday: Practice timed test in class (3 minutes, 50 problems)

Friday: Official multiplication timed test in class

Timed Test Details:

3 minutes

50 multiplication problems

Passing score: 42/50

If a student doesn’t pass, it’s not a problem, just a learning opportunity. They’ll have more time to practice and will try again the following week. The focus is on growth over time, not perfection. We’re here to support them every step of the way!

Specials This Week

Art and Mandarin

Library: Thursday

What’s Happening in Class

Math:  Topic 2: Multiplication Facts- Use Patterns

Reading: We will continue with the same topic as this past week, because we did not get to very much of our reading block this week (due to the iReady reading assessment).

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Essential Question: How do people from different cultures contribute to a community?   

Skills:  text features (maps and headings), chronology and author's purpose. 

Strategies: ask and answer questions 

Writing: So far we have discussed what the planning process looks like (Pre-Read for the gist, pull apart the prompt, and pick ideas). This week we will focus on organizing our ideas and writing. We have been learning lots of fun acronyms that will be useful in third grade writing and beyond!

Social Studies: Local Government

September Dates to Remember: 

Sep 01 - No School/ Labor Day

Sep 02 - Cold Stone Night (I will be there scooping ice cream from 4:45-5:30)!

Sep 10 - Fun Run

Sep 12 - Popcorn Friday

Sep 22 - No School/ Professional Development Day

Sep 26 - Fun Run Prize Day

Sep 27-Sep 29 - 6th Grade Outdoor Ed

Sep 29-Oct 3 - Book Fair

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! 

Thank you,

Emalie