Newsletters-Blog 

Dear Families,

Well, we have made it to the finish line. I am so proud of our rising 4th graders. We have done a lot this year. We will finish the week by concluding Portland History and Bridges. We have a memory book to complete, acting out fairy tale plays, and our walking field trip tomorrow.  

We will leave around 10 a.m. for our walking field trip to Mountain Park and return by 12:30 p.m. Please ensure everyone brings a backpack, hiking or walking shoes and a lunch. 

I will send home finished work, journals, supplies, extra practice packets, and assessment reports from our latest MAPS and i-Ready Math Diagnostic this week. iReady should be available at my.pps.net (Classlink) this summer. If students use MyPath on the i-Ready application this summer, it will automatically give them practice for next year and will most likely improve their i-Ready scores. The toolkit app may be temporarily unavailable at the beginning of August as PPS shifts to the 2025-2026 school year.

We will also celebrate June, July, and August birthdays on the last day this week.

All Stephenson Library books should be in, and student Chromebooks must remain at school starting tomorrow (6/10). I will also need those power cords.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me this year—it has been a joy to be part of their learning journey. I’m grateful for your support and partnership, and I feel lucky to have worked with such a fun group of students.

Wishing you a great and pleasurable summer!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

What a fantastic day!  Amazing and creative bridges were showcased today!  Thank you for your support and participation in this project.  The students learn a lot in the process.  We are on Week 37.  Although we have completed our Bridge models, we will continue to learn the engineering portion of this unit.  We will build some 2D and 3D structures to understand better the different forces that make bridges work.  We will start writing our adaptive Fairy Tales this week and continue learning about our Portland history.   We'll talk about the Vanport flood tomorrow. 

The Improvadoodle 3rd Grade Stories book is still available on Amazon.  The proceeds and sales from this workbook anthology will go directly to Stephenson. No names are included in the workbook.

Field Day is on Friday, the 6th, after 12:30 p.m. It will be partly cloudy and warm that day, so an extra set of clothes might suit some. There is one wet activity.  Traditionally, there have been popsicles at the end of the event.      

The last day to check out library books was last Friday. All Stephenson Library books are due this Friday, June 6th.  All student Chromebooks and power cords must be returned to school by Tuesday, June 10th, next week.

On June 10th, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we will have our walking field trip to the Mtn. Park Trail system. If you would like to join us, please let me know. I will need permission forms by the end of the week and any orders for a sack lunch as soon as possible.

PARENT HOMEWORK

We have completed this year's Word Work and new Math concepts. This will also be the last week for homework, which will be Math review. Past assignments, reading and math assessments, and artwork will be sent home this week as we close out the year. The kids have grown! Please take a moment to review and celebrate! 

The PPS Digital Toolkit applications may be available during the summer. Your kids can access most district programs like i-Ready, Learning A-Z, and Typing Club. Tools can be accessed via my.pps.net. Applications may be temporarily unavailable at the beginning of August as PPS shifts to the 2025/26 school year.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Word Work: None - no more spelling this year.

• Reading:  We are in the middle of our final Language Arts unit on Fairy Tale Adaptations. This week we read fun adaptations like Frilly Goats Fluff and Prince Cinders, and began planning our adaptation plays. 

• Math: There are no new concepts, just some review and final assessments. However, we are looking at types of bridges and bridge engineering.

• Social Studies: We continue our journey through Portland history, hitting some major points such as the 1905 World’s Fair, the history of transportation in Portland, and the Vanport flood. Next week, we will begin a large map of the city. Those Portland binders are going to be fantastic!

• Social Emotional - Week 38: Becoming Is Better Than Being

• Science - Finishing Weather and Climate

• WIN - Reading: chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 45 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Word Work - Spelling practice

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Friday. Practice sheets.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• June 6th Field Day

• June 6: Last Day to Return Library Books—DUE Date

• June 10th Walking Field Trip

• June 12th Last Day of 3rd Grade!!

Thank you for reading our news.  I hope you have an excellent rest of the week! 

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

It's week 36, and we have three more weeks left.  I hope you had a good Memorial Day. We continue with Portland history, Oregon history, Fairy Tales, and Portland bridges.  Remember the bridges are due Monday, June 2nd. You'll be able to bring them directly to the cafeteria that morning. 

Some students' doodle stories from Mr. Perison's visit have been published. The Improvadoodle 3rd Grade Stories book can be purchased on Amazon.  The proceeds and sales from this workbook anthology will go directly to Stephenson. No names are included in the workbook.

We have our Variety Show on Friday, May 30, at 12:45 p.m. and an evening performance at 6:30 p.m. in the school Gym. I hope to see you there.

On June 10th, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., we will have our walking field trip to the Mtn. Park Trail system. If you would like to join us, please let me know. I will need permission forms by the end of the week and any orders for a sack lunch ASAP.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Continue to work and complete bridges at home.  Here is some information about building the bridges. This is the letter that was sent home a few weeks ago. The bridges are due on Monday, June 2nd. You can bring the bridges straight to the cafeteria that morning. There will be a Bridge Exhibit from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Please join us and celebrate our accomplished 3rd-grade bridges!  

*Please note that bridges and features must be within a 2ft x 1 ft base. The attached slide deck has even more information and examples of bridges built in the past.

Additionally, students can receive extra credit (through June 1) if they engage in an activity outside our classroom related to learning about Portland History. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them.  Have fun planning some Portland field trips, and have kids bring the extra credit paper in by June 1st.   Here is the worksheet about this additional credit.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Word Work: Unit #25

-ow (as in snow)

This pronunciation is usually, but not always,  found at the end of a word or syllable.

*An alternate pronunciation is –ow (as in clown)

• Math: We are pausing new lessons so we can catch up with the Bridge study.  We are reviewing what we have learned this year.

• Social Studies: We will continue Portland history, learning about early Portland history and studying some of our native local tribes.

• Social Emotional - Week 36: Self Care

• Science - Weather and Climate

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Word Work - Spelling practice

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays. Practice sheets.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• May 30th Variety Show

• June 2nd Bridge Exposition

• June 6th Field Day

• June 6: Last Day to Return Library Books—DUE Date

• June 10th Walking Field Trip

• June 12th Last Day of 3rd Grade!!

Have a splendid week.  See you soon!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

In Week 35, we trek along with Portland and Oregon History.  We start investigating and researching our Portland Bridges.  We discuss snow in Weather and Climate.  A few students are finishing their diagnostic assessments this week.

I am hoping you enjoyed Day of the Child on Friday and were able to make some gyotaku fish prints.  Yes, they were real rock fish!   It was a lot of fun.  The eyes and teeth were a hit.

Permission slips were sent home today for our walking field trip to the Mtn. Park Trail system on June 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We will have a picnic, so sack lunches will be needed. Please let me know if you want to order a sack lunch from the cafeteria by Friday, May 23rd. We will also need a few parent hikers to come along. Let me know if you would like to join us!

We have early release on Wednesday, May 21st, at 11:50 a.m. There will be no SCCA. Let me know if there are any student pick-up or bus changes.   

PARENT HOMEWORK

Students should have chosen a Portland bridge last week. Though we will study bridges and engineering in class, the bridges are built at home. Here is some information about building the bridges. This letter was sent home last week. The bridges are due on Monday, June 2nd. You can bring the bridges straight to the cafeteria that morning. There will be a Bridge Exhibit from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Please join us and celebrate our accomplished 3rd-grade bridges!  

*Please note that bridges must be about 2ft x 1 ft. We will run out of space if they are bigger! The attached slide deck has even more information and examples of bridges built in the past.

Additionally, students can receive extra credit (through June 1) if they engage in an activity outside of our classroom related to learning about Portland History. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them.  Have fun planning some Portland field trips, and have kids bring the extra credit paper in by June 1st.   Here is the worksheet about this additional credit.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Word Work: Unit #24 -tion and –sion

-tion: /shun/ (as in action)—most frequently used

-sion: /shun/ (as in mansion)

-sion: (as in division)

• Math: We are pausing the lesson so we can catch up with the Bridge study

• Social Studies: We will continue Portland history, learning about early Portland history and studying some of our native local tribes.

• Social Emotional - Week 35: Mindfulness

• Science - Weather and Climate.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Word Work - Spelling practice

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays. Practice sheets.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• May 21st Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• May 26th Memorial Day (No School)

• May 30th Variety Show

• June 2nd Bridge Exposition

• June 6th Field Day

• June 10th Walking Field Trip

• June 12th Last Day of 3rd Grade!!

Have a great week and a good Memorial Day holiday!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

Thank you for the gifts last week. I appreciate them. For week 34, we will review clocks and time in Math, learn about early Portland history, hear stories from our local  Indigenous Tribes, and finish Weather and Climate. We are almost finished with diagnostic and state assessments.  We will finish them this week.  

The Variety Show auditions begin this week. Permission slips are available in the main office, and students can sign up for an audition spot. Auditions are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, May 12, 14, and 15. Each spot is 10 minutes. This is an audition for just students, and the student's performance does not need to be polished for the audition.  There will be a week to finish rehearsing routines. Please feel free to contact Principal Galindo with any questions.

Our annual Day of the Child celebration is Friday, May 16th, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Ms. Cleary and I will explore the ancient Japanese art of "GYOTAKU" (fish printing). Please be sure to look for the fish-printing station outside. If it rains, we will be in the library's wet space. Ms. Cleary's brother-in-law has connections to the owner of Newman's Fish and will be providing two large fish to paint. 

We will take a walking field trip in the Mtn. Park Trail system on June 10th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Permission slips will be coming soon. We will have a picnic, so sack lunches will be needed. Please let me know if you want to order a sack lunch from the cafeteria by Friday, May 23rd. We will also need a few parent hikers to come along. Let me know if you would like to join us!

PARENT HOMEWORK

Students should have chosen a Portland bridge last week. Though we will study bridges and engineering in class, the bridges are built at home. Here is some information about building the bridges. This letter was sent home last week. The bridges are due on Monday, June 2nd. You can bring the bridges straight to the cafeteria that morning. There will be a Bridge Exhibit from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Please join us and celebrate our accomplished 3rd-grade bridges!  

*Please note that bridges must be about 2ft x 1 ft. We will run out of space if they are bigger! The attached slide deck has even more information and examples of bridges built in the past.

Additionally, students can receive extra credit (through June 1) if they engage in an activity outside of our classroom related to learning about Portland History. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them.  Have fun planning some Portland field trips, and have kids bring the extra credit paper in by June 1st.   Here is the worksheet about this additional credit.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Word Work: We will start spelling again this week.  Unit #23 - Schwa 

This is a vowel sound, which usually sounds like a “u.” It usually occurs in an unaccented syllable and is most commonly associated with the letter “a.”

• Math: Unit 4 Lesson 27 - Time

We wrap up the Fractions Unit and start Elapsed time.  Next week we will look at liquid measurements. 

• Social Studies: We will continue Portland history, learning about early Portland history and studying some of our native local tribes.

• Social Emotional - Week 34: Multiple Intelligences

• Science - Weather and Climate.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice has been postponed for the next few weeks.

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• May 16th Day of the Child 5:00 - 8:00

• May 21st Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• May 26th Memorial Day (No School)

• May 30th Variety Show

• June 2nd Bridge Exposition

• June 6th Field Day

• June 10th Walking Field Trip

• June 12th Last Day of 3rd Grade!!

Have a great week!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

This is week 33. I hope you are enjoying the sunshine. I wish we could stay outside all day. This week's big topics are finishing the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) assessments in ELA and Math, finishing health, and beginning to choose our bridge projects.  Salt Dough Maps will be coming home later this week.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Students will choose a Portland bridge to build at home this week.  Here is some information about building the bridges.  The bridges are due on Monday, June 2nd. You can bring the bridges straight to the cafeteria that morning. There will be a Bridge Exposition from 8:30 am to 9:15 am. Please join us and celebrate our accomplished 3rd-grade bridges!  

*Please note that bridges must be about 2ft x 1 ft. We will run out of space if they are bigger! The attached slide deck has even more information and examples of bridges built in the past.

Additionally, students can receive extra credit (through June 1) if they engage in an activity outside of our classroom related to learning about Portland History. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them.  Have fun planning some Portland field trips, and have kids bring the extra credit paper in by June 1st.   I sent a worksheet about this extra credit in their folders last week.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Math: Unit 4 Lesson 26 - Measure Length and Plot Data on Line Plots

We wrap up the Fractions Unit by looking at measurement to the ¼ inch and plotting data on Line Plots. Next up: Elapsed time and liquid measurements. 

• Social Studies: We continue Portland history, learning about native trees, and beginning our studies of native tribes from this area. 

• Health:  We have a few more lessons about Growth and Development + Violence Prevention

• Social Emotional - Week 33: Commitment

• Science - Weather and Climate.  We will continue science this week.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice has been postponed for the next few weeks.

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• May 16th Day of the Child 5:00 - 8:00

• May 21st Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• May 26th Memorial Day (No School)

• May 30th Variety Show

• June 2nd Bridge Exposition

• June 6th Field Day

• June 10th Walking Field Trip

• June 12th Last Day of 3rd Grade!!

Have a great week and Happy Mother's Day to you!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Dear Families,

Welcome to Week 32!  I want to thank everyone who attended the auction.  Your participation and support at our auction ensures that Stephenson will continue to thrive in the years ahead. A special thank you to Seth Shelman, Lindsey Shelman, and Phoebe Doherty for coordinating the Artistic Squares art piece.  It was a fantastic collage. 

This week, we began the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) assessment in reading, writing, and math. The OSAS exam is a summative assessment used to evaluate student learning at the end of the school year. We will also take the district NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress), which is administered every quarter. MAPS is a computer-adaptive assessment that measures student achievement and growth. 

We are practicing for these exams in class and on homework. These test scores will not affect our classroom grades or be used for the report card. If you have planned absences for the next few weeks, please let me know as soon as possible. Additionally, please help your kids perform at their best by sending healthy snacks and ensuring they get plenty of sleep.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Salt Dough Maps this Wednesday!  

As we begin our unit on Portland's history, we will create elevation maps of the city's geography. Here is a link to the salt dough recipe. A paper copy was sent home in the orange Homework Folders on Monday.   I’m asking each student to make one batch and bring it to school this WEDNESDAY, April 30th.   We have four parent volunteers coming in to help us with this fun project, but please email or chat with me if you’d like to join in the fun!!  

Additionally, students will receive extra credit (through June 1) for our Portland History unit if they engage in the City outside of our classroom. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them. Have fun planning some Portland field trips, and have kids bring the extra credit paper in by June 1st.   I sent a worksheet about this extra credit in their folders on Monday.

We will begin discussing our Portland bridge models next week, and I’ll send home guidance and directions. Kids will have about 3 weeks (4 weekends) before they are due in late May.  There should be plenty of time to plan & build.  

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Math: Lesson 24/25 Unit 4 Comparing Fractions

We continue our Fractions Unit by looking at equivalent and mixed fractions on a number line.  

• Social Studies: We continue studying Portland history, learning about the major geological formations that shape our state and city. Salt Dough elevation maps on Wednesday! 

• Health:  We have a few more lessons about Growth and Development + Violence Prevention

• Social Emotional - Week 32: My Growth Mindset Reflections

• Science - Weather and Climate.  We will continue science this week.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone, or one-on-one review and support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 45 this week.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice has been postponed for the next few weeks.

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO REMEMBER

• April 30th State Testing Begins

• May 2nd Frozen Sing-a-Long 6:00

• May 16th Day of the Child 5:00 - 8:00

• May 21st Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• May 26th Memorial Day (No School)

• May 30th Variety Show

• June 2nd Bridge Exposition

Thank you for reading this post.  I hope you have an excellent rest of the week!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 31 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful time with our guest author Evan Pierson last week. He visited the 2nd and 3rd-grade classrooms and sparked a lot of creativity!  He talked to the students about how they can use their imaginations to come up with ideas and how to develop those ideas into stories. Using his improvadoodle squiggles, the students created an imaginative character and then built a short story around them.   They made some great characters and stories! 

Ms. Cleary and the author come up with a fun way to share these stories with you.  We are going to create a book of stories using Amazon Printing services.  Mr. Peirson will create a colorful workbook of stories from each grade level, with some extra pages in the back for more creative writing.  The children’s names will NOT be included in the workbooks; only their stories. (The kids themselves, of course, will know their stories).  If you choose to purchase a book, feel free to bring it to school so the authors can sign it.  We will make them available for purchase for a few weeks and then remove them from Amazon by June 1st.  When they are ready, I will notify you with the ordering information.

The proceeds and sales from this workbook anthology will go directly to Stephenson Elementary - Yay! These will make priceless keepsakes and fun gifts.  If you do NOT wish for your child’s story to be included in the anthology, please email me directly at mrocha@pps.net by April 25th.  Again, NO names will be included in the workbook, only Stephenson 2nd or 3rd grade, with no reference to city or state. 

The next four weeks will include formal assessments, starting with the Math Diagnostic this week.  This diagnostic will help students with individualized math instruction for the remainder of the school year.  We will take the Oregon State Summative Assessments in reading/writing and math, and a District MAP Reading assessment that track student growth over time.  Students are well-prepared for these tests, given the work they have done this year. These test scores do not affect our classroom grades.  If you have planned absences for the next few weeks, please let me know as soon as possible! Also, help your kids be at their best by sending healthy snacks and encouraging them to get plenty of sleep.

Due to the added time required for these assessments, we will pause our spelling routines for the next three weeks. As a result, no homework spelling words will be sent home.

We start Portland History this week.  Information about Portland bridge projects will be coming soon, but first, we need to learn about our geography.  We will be creating salt-dough elevation maps. Here is a link to the salt dough recipe.  I’m asking each student to make one batch and bring it to school on April 30th.  This is a fun project that requires 3-4 adults who don’t mind getting their hands a little messy. If you would like to help us and join the fun, please email or chat with me.

Students can also earn extra credit (through June 1) for the Portland History unit.  They can research or engage in a Portland History activity outside of our classroom. This could include researching different historical landmarks, bridges, museums, gardens, etc, by viewing or visiting them. More information can be found here. I’ll also send home a hard copy of this form next week. 

We will have one more early PE special at 8:05 a.m. on Thursday, April 24.  PE will be at the regular time of 12:50 p.m. on all other days.

We started the first lesson of the PPS Health Unit K-5 Health, Unit 4: Growth and Development + Violence Prevention.  Please let me know if you wish your child to opt out of the anatomy lesson. Here is the link to the lesson and the opt-out form. Please return it to me before Thursday April 24th. If you have any questions, please let me know.

PARENT HOMEWORK

No spelling homework this week.  Students should continue practicing Math (multiplication or division facts) and reading independently at home. Most students need help with 7s and 8s.    Please continue to help your child practice and review their multiplication facts; it makes a difference.  Keep up the great work! 

CURRICULUM - Classwork

English Language Arts - We finished reading Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie. We will revisit what we learned from our character study using our leveled book groups.

Math - Unit 4, Lesson 22/23: Equivalent Fractions

Word Work (Spelling): None 

• Social Emotional - Week 31: Positive Affirmations

• Science - Weather and Climate.  We are pausing the science unit as we study health this week.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone or one-on-one review and support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 45 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 30 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

Children's book author Evan Pierson visited our classroom last week. I will post some pictures late this week. Once all of the student stories are complete, Ms. Caleary and I are thinking about publishing them in a book format for all of us to enjoy. I will have more details about that soon.

We continue to prepare for African resident artist Yingwana in PE, using drumming and dance. To accommodate the schedule, PE will change to 8:05 a.m. on the Thursday mornings of 4/14 and 4/24. There will be an all-school assembly on 4/25. PE will be the regular 12:50 p.m. on all other days.

We will start preparing Q4 assessments next week. iReady Math will begin on April 21. Around that time, we will also discuss and practice the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS). State examinations start the first week of May, and MAPS tests will also be in May.  There will be no spelling homework during the testing weeks (April 21 - May 2nd).  

The Portland History unit starts this week, which marks the start of our Portland bridge projects. Students will decide which bridge they will make by the end of the month.  More details will be provided next week. I will need some parent helpers for a portion of this study.  We will be making 3D salt dough Portland maps on April 30th. 

Class group photos will be on Monday morning, April 21st. Last week, students took home fliers with ordering information in their orange folders. 

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words.  The back of the green sheet has a few ideas. 

For Math, we continue studying fractions.  Students should continue practicing Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home. Most students need help with  7s and 8s.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

Please continue to help your child practice and review their multiplication facts at home; it makes a difference.  We have many ways to practice.  Many kids have learned their facts up through 12. Keep up the great work! 

I would like to start the required PPS Health Unit K-5 Health, Unit 4: Growth and Development + Violence Prevention, the week of April 21st. Please let me know if you wish your child to opt out of the anatomy lesson. I emailed everyone the link to the lesson and the form. Please return it to me by April 18th. If you have any questions, please let me know.

CURRICULUM - Classwork

English Language Arts - We continue to with our character study of Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie. We will also continue studying characters in our leveled book groups.

Math - Unit 4, Lesson 21: Number Line Fractions.  We continue to study fractions but now linear on a number line.

Word Work (Spelling): We are studying Unit#22: Spelling Rule "i before e except after c".  Additional spellings exist for the long /e/ sound - ie and ei words. The spelling test is on Thursday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 30: Confidence

• Science - Weather and Climate.  Last week, we explored the question of "Where do clouds come from?"  Today we discuss "How can we predict when it’s going to storm?" 

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• April 21st Class Group Photos

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 29 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

April has started to be a fun and busy month.  Report cards are almost complete, and you should have access to them on ParentVue on April 11th.  This week, we have Evan Pierson, a children's book author of Purpose: A Children's Story About Little Fire Hydrant Looking for Meaning.  He will visit the 2nd and 3rd grade classes on Thursday and Friday.  He will talk about his books, being an author, and working with us to create some art.  He is related to Ms. Cleary, too.

We will also have a guest artist during PE for the next three weeks.  The students will work with the South African resident artist Yingwana, learning drumming and dance. To fit this in our schedule, PE will be changed to 8:05 am on the Thursday mornings of 4/10, 4/14, and 4/24. There will be an all-school assembly on 4/25. PE will be the normal 12:50 pm on all other days.

We will start Q4 assessments this month. iReady Math will begin on April 21. Around that time, we will also discuss and practice the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS). State examinations start the first week in May.

The Portland History unit starts on April 16th, which also marks the start of our Portland bridge projects. Students will decide which bridge they will make by the end of the month.  More details will be provided next week.

The week of April 21st, I would like to start the required PPS Health Unit K-5 Health, Unit 4: Growth and Development + Violence Prevention.  We address some important topics about safe touch and personal boundaries.  We hope these lessons will help your child stay safe now and in the future.  There are four lessons in this health unit. One of the lessons is about 15 minutes, Understanding Our Bodies.  This is an opt-out lesson. You can preview the anatomy lesson here. If you would like your child not to participate in this lesson, please complete this form and return it to me by April 18th.  You do not need to do anything if you want your child to participate in this lesson.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words.  The back of the green sheet has a few ideas. 

For Math, we begin fractions.  Students should continue practicing Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home. Most students need help with  7s and 8s.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

Please continue to help your child practice and review their multiplication facts at home, it makes a difference.  We have many ways to practice.  Many kids have learned their facts up through 12. Keep up the great work! 

CURRICULUM - Classwork

English Language Arts - We continue to with our character study of Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie. We will also continue studying characters in our leveled book groups.

Math - Unit 4, Lesson 20: Understand What a Fraction Is.  We start by understanding a fraction, partitioning shapes into equal pieces, and learning how to label and name them. 

Word Work (Spelling): We are studying Unit#21: Homonyms. The spelling test is on Friday. (The words are coming home on Wednesday.) 

• Social Emotional - Week 29: Improvement

• Science - We start with Weather and Climate

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 40 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• April 11th Report Cards available on ParentVue

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 28 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

Welcome back.  I hope you had a good Spring Break.  We are wrapping up this quarter with some final assessments, ending some units, and starting some new topics.  There will be no school on Friday and Monday. 

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words.  The back of the green sheet has a few ideas. For Math, we begin fractions.  Students should continue practicing Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home. Most students need help with  7s and 8s.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM - Classwork

• English Language Arts - This week, as a class, we started with a character study of Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie. We will also have individualized, leveled book groups to extend our study to other books.

• Math - Unit 6, Lesson 33 - Partition Shapes and Fractions As Equal Parts

• Word Work (Spelling) - We study Unit#20 Suffixes - er and -est.  The spelling test will be on Thursday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 28: Malleability of the Brain

• Science - This week, we will finish our unit on magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 40 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M-Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or a parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3- 4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• April 4th No School - Grading Day

• April 7th No School - Planning Day

• April 11th Report Cards available on ParentVue

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 27 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

I am excited to meet our guests tomorrow, Grandparents & Special Friends Day.  We will make a class paper quilt and play math games with our visitors.  Wednesday is an early release day, and we will work on our class art project for the auction on Friday.  I hope you have a good spring break and see everyone back on the 31st.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words with your learners.  The back of the green sheet has a few ideas. This week, we learned about Area and Perimeter for math.  Students should continue practicing Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home. Most students need help with  7s and 8s.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM - Classwork

• English Language Arts - We begin a small unit on character traits and go into a writing unit about the immigrant experience.  We read The Keeping Quit by Patricia Polacco this week.

• Math - Unit 6, Lesson 32 - Perimeter and Area.

• Word Work (Spelling) - We study Unit#19 ew or eu or ue words.  The spelling test is on Thursday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 27: Resilience

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs, chapter books, and vocabulary study.  Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers.  Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• March 19th Early Release Day / Grandparents & Special Friends Day 9 am to 11 am

• March 24th - 28th Spring Break

• April 4th No School: Grading Day

• April 7th No School: Planning Day

• April 11th Report Cards available on ParentVue

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 26 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

This week is Missoula week.  We have several students in our class that will be performing in the production of Sleeping Beauty.  We will have a school assembly on Friday at 1 pm.  The evening performance is Friday at 7 pm.  I hope you can make it.   Because it's a busy week, there is not as much homework.

Next Wednesday is Grandparents & Special Friends Day and an early release day.  I am excited to meet the grandparents and special friends.  Please complete and return the form that came home last Friday if you want your child to leave school at 10:30 with their grandparent or special guest. If you do not send the form, your child will be dismissed at the standard early release time, 11:50, and they will have lunch at school.

I will be out this Thursday and Friday for the burial service of my father.  I will be back on Monday.  Ms. Noyer, a retired Stephenson teacher, will be substituting for me.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words with your learners.  The back of the green sheet has some ideas.   This week we study polygons and quadrilaterals.  Students should continue practicing their Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home. Most students need help with  7s and 8s.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM - Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - We are finalizing and typing our opinion essays with the question of "Would you go on the Apollo 11 mission?"  Students will then explain why they would go on the mission or not by citing their evidence using One Giant Leap and Moonshot.

• Math - Jumping to Unit 6, Lesson 30 - Polygons and Quadrilaterals.  We will finish Unit 3 this week and return to Unit 4 after spring break.

• Word Work (Spelling) - We are looking at work with oi and oy.  The spelling test is on Thursday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 26: Extrinsic Motivation vs. Intrinsic Motivation

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers. Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students earn 10 ClassDojo points a day, 50 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• March 10th - 14th Missoula Week

• March 14th MCT show 7:00 pm

• March 19th Early Release Day / Grandparents & Special Friends Day 9 am to 11 am

• March 24th - 28th Spring Break

• April 4th No School: Grading Day

• April 7th No School: Planning Day

• April 11th Report Cards available on ParentVue

• April 23rd Early Release Day (No SCCA)

• April 26th Stephenson Auction

• April 30th State Testing Begins

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 25 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

Welcome to March.  I hope you are enjoying the beginning stir of Spring.  We have spring break in 3 weeks and a lot to do until then.  

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please be sure to practice the spelling words with your learners.  The back of the green sheet has some ideas.   This week we study scaled graphs in math.  Students should continue practicing their Math multiplication or division facts and reading independently at home.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM - Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - We continue to study writing using the outer space theme.  We will finalize our study of opinion essays with the prompt, Would you go on the Apollo 11 mission?  Students then explain why they would go on the mission or not by citing their evidence using One Giant Leap and Moonshot.

• Math - Unit 3, Lesson 19 - Scaled Graphs

• Word Work (Spelling) - We will study a few words using aw, au, a, aught, and ought.  The spelling test is on Friday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 25 Motivation

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers. Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students are earning 10 ClassDojo points a day, 40 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• March 10th - 14th Missoula Week

• March 14th MCT show 7:00 pm

• March 19th Early Release Day / Grandparents & Special Friends Day 9am to 11am

• March 24th - 28th Spring Break

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 24 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

Thank you for participating in the Friendship (Valentine) exchange last week.  The class had a lovely time, and there was not too much candy or sweets.  We have an early release this Wednesday, the 26th, and the choir performance at 6:30 that evening.  The choir performed for the school last week, and they sounded great.  There will also be no school on Monday, March 3rd, for teacher professional and planning day.

PARENT HOMEWORK 

Spelling/Word Work starts again this week.  The math homework will increase a little bit due to catching up on no-school days.  Most will be for review and practice.  They can do what they can and even turn in the homework later if they need more time.  Students should continue to practice their Math multiplication or division facts. Students should continue to read independently at home.  Homework is updated on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - We continue to study writing using the outer space theme.  We start a new text, One Giant Leap, by  Robert Burleigh, and continue to improve our opinion writing by providing evidence in the text.

• Math - We continue with Area but add word problems this week.

• Word Work (Spelling) - We will study a few words with the hard and soft c and g sounds.  We test on Thursday. 

• Social Emotional - Week 24 is My Growth Mindset Reflections

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers. Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students are earning 10 ClassDojo points a day, 45 this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• Feb. 26th Early Release Day at 11:50 am

• Feb. 26th: Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m.

• March 3rd Teacher Planning Day, No School

• March 10th - 14th Missoula Week

• March 14th MCT show 7:00 pm

• March 19th Early Release Day / Grandparents & Special Friends Day 9am to 11am

• March 24th - 28th Spring Break

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 23 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd-grade class

Dear Families,

I hope you were safe and warm last week.  I am back in town and will pick up where we left off on Wednesday.  We have a lot to do on Tuesday, and Ms. Simonoff will have a counseling lesson for you at the end of the day.  Let's plan to have our friendship party on Wednesday afternoon.  

PARENT HOMEWORK 

No new Spelling/Word Work this week since we will continue last week's words.  Students should continue to practice their Math multiplication or division facts. Students should continue to read independently at home and practice their multiplication facts practice.  Homework is on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - We continue to study writing using the outer space theme.  We explore the text of Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca.  We will continue to discuss opinion writing.

• Math - We will continue to learning multiplying to find the area this week.  Adding Area on Thursday.

• Word Work (Spelling) - Sounds of y, Consonant, Long i, Long e, Short i - Test on Wednesday, Handwriting on Thursday and Friday. 

• Social Emotional - Finish week 22 (Failure) and start Week 23: The Success of Others.

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers. Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - Students are earning 10 ClassDojo points a day, 40 for the week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids) - START UP AGAIN NEXT WEEK

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• TO BE RESCHEDULED: Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m.

• ON WEDNESDAY, Feb 19th:  Friendship Valentine Exchange Mr. Rocha's Class List - If your child chooses to make valentines, please bring one for every student! 🙂   

• Feb. 26th Early Release Day

• March 3rd Teacher Planning Day, No School

• March 10th - 14th Missoula Week

• March 14th MCT show 7:00 pm

• March 19th Early Release Day / Grandparents & Special Friends Day 9am to 11am

• March 24th - 28th Spring Break

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 21 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class 

Dear Families,

Unfortunately, I am out of town this week due to a family situation.  Mr. Robert will substitute Monday - Thursday, and Ms. Schreck will cover Friday.  Students will have a small Friendship/Valentine's exchange on Friday afternoon.  

PARENT HOMEWORK 

Spelling/Word Work resumes this week.  Students should continue to practice their Math multiplication or division facts. Students should continue to read independently at home and practice their multiplication facts practice.  Homework is on the Schedule/Homework page.

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - We continue to study writing using the outer space theme.  We explore the text of Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca.  We also discuss our next writing piece in opinion writing.

• Math - We are learning multiplying to find the area this week.

• Word Work (Spelling) - Sounds of y, Consonant, Long i, Long e, Short i 

• Social Emotional - The week we discuss Failure.

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism, forces, and gravity.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers. Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - The substitues will manage points this week.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• Feb. 13th: Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m.

• Feb. 14th: Friendship Valentine Exchange Mr. Rocha's Class List - If your child chooses to make valentines, please bring one for every student! 🙂

• Feb. 26th Early Release Day

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 19-20 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class 

Dear Families,

We ended quarter 2 and started quarter 3 with sunshine. Rain will return this weekend, and possibly snow will visit us next week. We will wait and see. We gained a new student this quarter. Please welcome Ceazar and his family to our class! We also finished most of our assessments at the beginning of the quarter, and report cards will be available next week.  Student homework has been checked, and work samples will be sent home next week.

Since we completed the iReady diagnostic and the Winter MAPS reading and math assessments are complete, iReady levels have been updated. The “My Path” tab in your child's iReady is adjusted to your child’s level. This is always an excellent choice for Math independent practice and learning. 

The Stephenson Auction is happening this year on April 26th. We will have a classroom art project to auction. We need 1 or 2 parent volunteers to help coordinate this art project. Please email me if you are interested. Here are some art projects for ideas.

PARENT HOMEWORK 

No Spelling Word Study homework this week as we focus on our cursive handwriting and tying some loose ends with Math multiplication and division. We will start Spelling again next week. Students should continue to read independently at home and practice their multiplication facts practice. Here are ways to practice. So far, in class, we’ve worked on 2s through 6s. Some students should continue to work on these, while others are ready to tackle larger numbers. Keep up the great work! We hope to learn facts up through 10 by the end of this next quarter.

Quarter 2 Report Cards will be available on ParentVue this coming Monday, Feb. 3rd.  Please get in touch with me if you have any questions. 

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• English Language Arts unit - OUTER SPACE! For the past 2 weeks, we have explored Gailelio and his contributions to the science. We analyzed the main ideas in our writing and studied how to make a good conclusion paragraph. We are learning how to paraphrase our information. We will continue researching 2 to 3 planets next week and forming a main idea for our next 5-6 paragraph expository essay.

• Math - In the last 2 weeks, we have connected multiplication and division. We begin exploring Areas and developing graphing skills next week.

• Word Work (Spelling) - Next week, we are looking at consonant suffixes. I will also start a new vocabulary option for students who continually master the weekly spelling words.

• Social Emotional - The week ends with the discussion of SMART goals and next week, we will review fixed and growth mindsets.

• Science - We continue to explore magnetism and forces.

• WIN - Reading: Book clubs or OBOB reading for advanced readers and Lexia or one-to-one support for developing readers. Math: iReady for everyone or one-to-one review/support.

• Behavior - In my class, students earn ClassDojo points for free choice time in the classroom at the end of the week (15 minutes). They need 50 points to participate by the end of the week (10 points per day). Points are earned by exhibiting good behavior, following directions, staying on task, being kind to their peers, and completing their homework. Their points can also be removed for excessive reminders or purposeful neglectful behavior. If students do not earn their points by the last school day, they will work on a project with me and discuss how to earn points for the following week. Let me know if you want more info about ClassDojo or if you want to monitor their points, and I will give you access.

Student Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day, T-Th. (Word Work kids)

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes, I will send home a Scholastic News Magazine or other reading response work for this.)

• Math (all) homework is due on Fridays.

• Want more? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial them at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• February 3rd: report cards available on Parent Vue

• Feb. 13th: Choir Concert at 6:30 p.m.

• Feb. 14th: Friendship Valentine Exchange Mr. Rocha's Class List - If your child chooses to make valentines, please bring one for every student! 🙂

• Feb. 26th Early Release Day

I hope you have an excellent weekend. Stay warm and dry next week!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 17-18 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class 

Dear Families,

Welcome to the new year!  I hope you had a good winter break.  This is the second week since we returned from the break, and we are returning to the usual classroom routines, rules, and expectations. The kids are adjusting well.

As we end the second quarter, we will take the quarterly diagnostic computer assessments, including MAPS ELA, MAPS Math, and iReady Math. We should complete these tests by the end of next week. Please make every effort to have your child attend each day, with plenty of rest at night and healthy snacks to energize and fuel their success! 

PARENT HOMEWORK 

Please continue to help your child practice their multiplication facts daily at home. It makes a difference.  We have many ways to practice - we will work on 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s. Some students should continue to work on these, while others are ready for 6's, 7's, and 9's. Keep up the great work!

Students can practice their multiplication facts with these printable Triangle Flash Cards. You might purchase a laminated set of Three-Corner Flashcards, make your flashcards, or use an online application such as Mathigon. 

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• In English Language Arts, we began a unit on outer space! Students are very excited to learn and write about some of the significant people and events in the history of space exploration. We started to learn about Galileo and how his curiosity and observations 400 years ago fundamentally changed how we see ourselves in the universe. 

• In Math, we are working on multiplying with multiples of 10. Every Monday (or first day of the school week,) a Family Letter goes home outlining what we are learning for the week. It also has some suggested family activities.

• We have started a unit on Balancing Forces in science. We will study force using mentor texts and hands-on experiments by observing scientific phenomena and thinking about what is happening to objects.

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• We started Word Work this week (Spelling Words Unit #12)

• Students should continue reading at least 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to themselves or a parent. 

• All homework is due Friday, but if they need more time, please don't hesitate to let me know.  (Previous homework and school work will checked and sent home on Fridays)

• Want more homework? Click here for weekly practice choices. (Aiming for 15 min, 3-4x per week)

• Homework Trackers help track your child’s reading and other practice choices.  Please keep them in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPCOMING DATES TO CONSIDER

• No School on Monday, January 20th, in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

• Spirit Days Jan. 22-24

• No School January 27th & 28th for Report Card / Planning

• February 3rd: report cards available on Parent Vue

• Feb 13th: choir concert 6:30 p.m.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 15-16 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class 

Hello Families,

It has been a fun week.  We’ve finished some special holiday gifts.  Hopefully, that should make it home tomorrow.  For our last day tomorrow, we will wrap up our narrative writing, do our weekly assessments, and enjoy the rest of the day with Math Games, Word puzzles, and some social activities.  We will enjoy the end of the day with some cocoa (it's a surprise) and watch a video of  "The Snowman" book by Raymond Briggs.

With your permission, I will allow students to take home their assigned Chromebooks for homework and winter break.  However, we do need them back at school every day.  I am emphasizing to students the importance of being responsible.  The Chromebooks are about 200 dollars to replace or repair.  The charger is $15.  I am telling students that if they forget their Chromebooks at home, they cannot borrow one for the day.  If it happens often, they could lose the privilege of taking them home since we need them in class. I do have a few extras when accidental situations arise, but I am stressing the importance of responsibility.

My hope is they use their Chromebooks for homework and continue learning at home with appropriate educational games, creativity, and research.  Students can access school resources like educational math games, Fluency Flight, and math lessons on iReady.  For Reading, students can use Learning A-Z, TumbleBooks (the ebooks/some videos might be better suited for upper elementary), Epic! School M-F, 7 am–3 pm (Class Code is zgu6659), and some students have access to Lexia Core 5.  Students can access Seesaw to create video and audio projects.  BookCreator is available to create books online (final projects in both programs require my approval).  Typing practice is available on TypingClub. 

You can access the PPS learning apps through the My.PPS Portal at my.pps.net 

Students should know their usernames. Their password is ilove3rdgrade. I can also email you their usernames.

Please let me know if you approve of your student taking home their Chromebook.  I will send their Chromebook, a charging power cord, and a case. I will also send the Stephenson Acceptable Use Policy 2024-25 form.  These are the school expectations for using Chromebooks at home and in school. Please review the district policy with your child and return the form.

PARENT HOMEWORK

Continue reviewing multiplication facts in 3s, 4s, 5s, 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s. We will continue after the break testing on Fridays (or Thursdays if it’s a 4-day week) to see what facts we know in 2 minutes. Learning multiplication facts takes a lot of practice and patience. So….please build in + 10 minutes for multiplication facts practice a few nights a week. 

Kids can practice their multiplication facts with these printable Triangle Flash Cards. You might laminate a set of Three-Corner Flashcards, make your flashcards, or use an online application such as Mathigon.  Practice is the thing - try making it a habit to quiz each other when driving in the car, etc. 

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Language Arts: We finished the mystery genre study this month. The kids were excited about discovering the joy of a red herring or trying to solve the mystery. We will review some elements when we get back in January and begin a study on Space Exploration in January.

• Writing: Narrative stories are complete, and we begin expository essays when we return.

• Math: Continue Basic Multiplication Facts and Grouping

• Science: We will start a unit on Forces and Motion.

• In addition to new material, we also have winter growth assessments in MAPS Reading, Math, and iReady Math.

Homework or things to work on during winter break

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent.

• iReady Math, A-Z Learning, Lexia, or Typing on my.pps.net

• Click here for OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

I will be out of town during the break but will check my email occasionally.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  Wishing you a great winter holiday and we will see you back on January 6th!

Upcoming Dates to Keep in Mind:

Jan 6: Welcome Back - Normal Schedule

Jan 20: No School - MLK Holiday

Jan 24: End of Quarter 2

Jan 27th and 28th: No School

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 14 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class 

Hello Families,

It was great meeting you at parent-teacher conferences and reflecting on your children’s progress.  I hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday as well. We are now enjoying the school rhythm and learning again, and we have a lot to do in three weeks.

As mentioned in the conferences, students can access the PPS learning apps through the My.PPS Portal at my.pps.net 

Students can access most resources, such as iReady (math), Learning A-Z (Reading), and TypingClub. Once on iReady, kids can access teacher-assigned lessons, MyPath, or Fluency Flight. They should know their usernames. Their password is ilove3rdgrade. I will also email you their usernames.

PARENT HOMEWORK

NEW HOMEWORK! Starting this week, students began reviewing multiplication facts in 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s. We will test a new fact every Friday (or Thursday if it’s a 4-day week) to see what facts we know in 2 minutes. Everyone began with 2s before Thanksgiving Break. Learning multiplication facts takes a lot of practice and patience. So….please build in + 10 minutes for multiplication facts practice a few nights a week. 

Kids can practice their multiplication facts with these printable Triangle Flash Cards. You might choose to get a laminated set of Three-Corner Flashcards, make your own flashcards, or use an online application such as Mathigon.  Practice is the thing - try making it a habit to quiz each other when you’re driving in the car, etc. 

CURRICULUM

Classwork

• Language Arts: We began studying the mystery genre. As a class, we are reading “The Absent Author” by Ron Roy and other mystery books with a reading partner. We act as sleuths, finding out “whodunnit” and discussing clues, suspects, motives, and opportunities.

• Writing: We are writing narrative stories, using the cultural stories of constellations as a guide to create our own stories. We will write and edit our stories next week. 

• Math: Multiplication and Arrays!

Homework 

• Multiplication Fact Practice 10 mins each day, M - Th.

• Spelling practice 15 min. each day,  M-W. (Word Work Kids)

• Math Homework will come Mon or Tues. ... .due Friday.

• Unfinished work may come throughout the week. 

• One piece of either reading comprehension or writing practice (not sent this week, but I will send one next week).

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes I send a Scholastic News magazine for this as well.)

• Please keep the Homework Tracker in the Home-to-School Folders, and sign or initial at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

• Click here for OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

We have many mystery books in our room, but we’d love for you to hunt and gather some for your little detectives to read at home.  We’ve attached a list to start. Click here for Mystery Series Books. Have fun solving some “Whodunits” together!

Lucia, one of our class members, would like to introduce her pet dog to the class. This will happen outside at the end of the day tomorrow, 12/6. We hope to keep it a surprise. If the kids are interested in this, we could arrange other “show and tells” in the future. If there are any concerns, let me know.

Upcoming Dates to Keep in Mind:

Dec 18th: Early Release Day

Dec. 18-20th: Spirit Days

Dec. 23rd: First Day of Winter Break . . . see you back Jan. 6th!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 10-13 - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class

Hello Families,  

I apologize for not sending an email for the past couple of weeks. In Week 10, we concluded the week by visiting Tryon Creek State Natural Area. In week 11, we wrapped up subtraction week in Math, and in Week 11, we concluded our animal adaptations science unit. This week, we ended our unit on researching The Sea with excellent research writing and engaging undersea art. 

With the theme of gratitude, this month, we will celebrate our work this week, reflect on what we have learned, and discuss what we are grateful for.

Early Release this Wednesday, Nov 20th. 

Let me know if there are any changes regarding afterschool plans.

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Conferences begin Thursday evening, November 21st, Monday, Nov. 25th, and Tuesday, November 26th. We will discuss the assessments at the beginning of the year, Q1 report cards, and goals.  Let me know if you need to confirm the time.

Report Card Changes this year.

PPS has moved to digital access to student report cards through ParentVUE. If you still want a paper copy printed and sent home, please email me, and I will let the office know.

Parent Homework:

When we return from Thanksgiving week, we will start a reading unit on MYSTERIES, filling the 3 weeks of December. The mystery genre is perfect for 3rd graders because it encourages them to read carefully, like detectives, and search for clues, which will help strengthen comprehension.

We have many mystery books in our classroom, but I’d love for you to hunt and gather some for your little detectives to read at home.  I’ve attached a list to start. Click here for Mystery Series Books. Have fun solving some “Whodunits” together!

Curriculum:

• Language Arts: Students completed and published their expedition research papers with a fun visual arts project! We will spend next week practicing our paragraph writing with a Thanksgiving twist. Up next: a mystery reading unit and narrative writing.

• Math: We started Multiplication. I will be sending practice sheets and practice methods home.

Student Homework (Usually Due Friday)

• Spelling practice 10-15 min. Each day, M-W. (Word Work Kids - green sheets)

• Math Homework will come Wed. or Thurs. It is due Friday.

• One piece of either reading comprehension or writing practice.  It was Scholastic News today.

• Students should read to themselves or their parents for at least 20 minutes daily from a “Good Fit” book. 

• Please keep the Homework Tracker in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

• Click here for OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

Final Announcements:

My next email update will probably be the first week of December. I’m looking forward to our conversations at conferences.

Dates to Remember:

November always has a bit of a crazy schedule, with several non-school days for kids. Please double-check the dates below and mark your calendars.

Nov. 20th Early Release Day

Nov. 21st: Evening Conferences

Nov. 25th & 26th: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov. 27-29: Happy Thanksgiving Break!!

Dec 18th: Early Release Day

Dec. 18-20th: Spirit Days

Dec. 23rd: First Day of Winter Break . . . see you back Jan. 6th!!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Weeks 8 and 9 Update - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class

Hello Families,   

I hope you had a Fun Fall Night last week. This week, we have students in rehearsals and performances at the end of the week for Missoula Children’s Theater's production of The Pied Piper. We will have a school assembly and an evening performance (7:00 p.m.) on Friday, October 25. 

We do have an early release tomorrow at 11:50 p.m. Please let me or your child know if they will take the bus, go to SCCA, Missoula rehearsal, or be picked up tomorrow. 

Field Trip:

We still need drivers for our field trip to Tryon Creek on Thursday, Oct. 31st, from 9:00 to 12:30.  I have two parent drivers who can provide transportation for ten students, but we need rides for 11 more students. Unfortunately, we cannot go on our field trip if we do not have enough drivers.  Here is the document for being a parent driver.

PARENT HOMEWORK 

It is Subtraction week.  Like Addition week, please support your child by having them teach you the strategy.  If you need help, here are a few videos for this week’s strategies.

Draw It!

Count On!

Expand It!

CURRICULUM 

• Language Arts: Our next focus is how scientists study sea creatures, specifically sharks and giant squid. Students have chosen a sea creature they want to learn about and have begun taking notes to plan their research expeditions. Up next: a fun visual arts culmination project! 

• Math: We have learned many strategies for subtracting big numbers and are wrapping up our addition and subtraction unit. Next up: multiplication concepts!

• Science: “Environments & Survival:”  This was our final week of this unit. We got to practice our engineering/biomimicry skills by designing a “Robograzer” to solve an invasive plant problem. Check out the photos in the October Fun collection.

Homework 

• Math Homework will come home Wednesday or Thursday and will be due Friday.

• Twenty minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (I will send a few Scholastic News magazines this week.)

• Please keep the Homework Tracker in the Home-to-School Folders and sign or initial at the end of each week. Here is a link to print out an extra if you need it.   Homework Tracker 

• Click here for additional weekly practice choices for OPTIONAL.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

I think almost everyone has signed up for a parent-teacher conference.  I will send you a confirmation email and reminder.  Please reach out if you still need to schedule or change your time.  Conferences will be at Stephenson on Thursday evening, November 21st, Monday, Nov. 25th, and Tuesday, November 26th. We will discuss the assessments, report cards, and goals for Q1 and on.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct. 25th: Missoula Children’s Theater Performances

Oct. 31: Tryon Creek Field Trip 9:00 - 12:30

Nov. 1st: No School, Report Cards

Nov. 3rd: Daylight Savings Time ends

Nov. 4th: No School, Professional Development

Nov. 6th-8th: Spirit Days

Nov. 11th: No School, Veteran’s Day

Nov. 14th: Ruby Bridges Walk on the Playground

Nov. 21st: Evening Conferences

Nov. 22nd: Grandparent’s / Special Friends Day 8:30 am

Nov. 25th & 26th: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Nov. 27-29: No School, Thanksgiving Break

Thanks for your time.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 6 and 7 Update - Mr. Rocha's 3rd grade class

Hello Families,   

I hope you are enjoying the change from summer to autumn. Fall is my favorite time of year, and the students seem to enjoy it during outdoor recess. Please remind your child to bring a sweater or coat for those cool mornings.

Run for Stephenson

This is too late, but the Run for Stephenson is tomorrow, Thursday, October 10, 2024. Students received their Pledge Forms on Monday, September 23rd, and they are due on Monday, October 21st, 2024. Please encourage your child to participate, as this is a fundraiser for our school. All students will participate during the run/walk, whether they do pledges or not.  

Early Release Days

SCCA will not operate during early release days. If your child typically attends SCCA, please email me how your child is going home on early release days.  Our next one is October 23rd.

If you have noticed, homework has been sent home all week. It has been ADDITION WEEK as we learn different strategies or tools to add six-digit numbers. Students should teach you the strategy, and then you practice it on a few problems while they supervise and correct your work. I appreciate your help with this.

Other homework has also been added to the orange folder. My apologies. This homework was supposed to be sent home while I was on leave for jury duty. It can be turned in when you can. I need to catch up in grading past homework, and these will be sent home soon.

The orange folder will also contain information from our PTA. I have some current communication for you here. Here is the first one.

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

This year's conferences will be on Thursday evening, November 21st, Monday, November 25th, and Tuesday, November 26th. I will send you a confirmation email on the date you selected. I apologize, but I made an error on my last sign-up spreadsheet. I am also available to meet on Tuesday, November 26th, from 8:00 to 3:50. Please let me know if you prefer a time on Tuesday.  

HOMEWORK NEXT WEEK

Since there is no school on Friday, we will continue with Math Addition Week and then move into Subtraction Week. I will send home practice “parent” homework.

Work Work (Spelling)

A green spelling list will come home each Monday. Students should have additional practice at home for 10-15 minutes on Monday through Wednesday. On Monday through Wednesday, use the practice grid on the back of the spelling list or any other strategies that work well for your child. We will have a spelling check-in each Thursday. 

CURRICULUM WEEK 7

Classwork

• Language Arts: Our next focus moves to nonfiction as we examine ways scientists study the ocean. We will learn about photosynthesis in ocean phytoplankton and read a biography of Jacques Cousteau. We will make observations and gather textual evidence to support our opinions. We will apply these skills in our writing, moving toward well-formed paragraphs.

• Math: we learn several strategies for adding big numbers that require regrouping (carrying). We move into Subtraction.

• Science: We began our first unit, “Environments & Survival.” We are exploring what organisms need to survive and why some are more likely than others to survive in a particular environment. 

Homework 

• Spelling practice 10-15 min. each day, M-W.

• Math Homework will come home each night for a few weeks, then back to Wednesday or Thursday. It is due Friday.

• 20 minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent. (Sometimes I send a Scholastic News magazine for this as well.)

• Click here for OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Last week, I sent home a green field trip permission slip. On the morning of October 31st, the Stephenson 3rd grade classes will take our first field trip of the year to Tryon Creek State Natural Area. The state park offers terrific educational programs, and we will explore animal adaptations and environments. 

Each child must return the signed field trip form to attend the field trip. I will send you a confirmation email indicating whether I have received or not received your child’s permission slip.  

We will be eating lunch at Tryon Creek.  Each child will need a sack lunch. If you would like to order a complimentary sack lunch from the cafeteria, please reply to this email by Thursday, October 17th so we can let the cafeteria know. Requests after 10/17 won’t be able to be filled. 

We also need parent drivers to get us there and back. Please add your name to this document to be a parent driver.   We have 21 students.

To be a parent driver, you must register as a PPS volunteer if you aren’t already (this needs to be redone every three years) and fill out a driver qualification form. Here is the link to the volunteer sign-up: https://www.pps.net/volunteer. It will take several weeks for this to go through. You can call the office to see if you are approved for this year.

Attached to the student permission slips is a Driver Qualification form for those interested in driving/chaperoning. Here is the link as well: https://www.pps.net/cms/lib8/OR01913224/Centricity/Domain/55/DriverVehicleQualificationForm_n.pdf  The Driver Vehicle Qualification Form needs to be completed and returned to school along with some additional documents.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Oct. 11th: No School for Kids - State Inservice Day

Oct 18th: Fall Fun Night 6:00 -7:30 pm

Oct. 21st: Run for Stephenson Pledge Forms Due

Oct. 23rd: Early Release @ 11:50

Oct. 25th: Missoula Children’s Theater Performance

Oct. 31: Tryon Creek Field Trip 9:00 - 12:30

Nov. 1st: No School, Report Cards

Nov. 4th: No School, Professional Development

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 5 Updates 

Hello Families,   

A quick update for Week 5. First, I apologize for being out this week.  I forgot that I had jury duty and hoped that I would have served my two days.  Well, I have been selected for a case.  I should be back on Tuesday.  In the meantime, Mr. Robert, a retired and former Stephenson 4th grade teacher, has been substituting for me.  

Parent-Teacher Conferences:

As a reminder, this year's conferences will be on Thursday evening, November 21st, Monday, November 25th and Tuesday, November 26th. We will discuss the assessments that came home at the beginning of the year and much more. Conferences will be held on-site at Stephenson this year. Click here for Conference Sign Ups.  If you plan to be out of town that week, please let me know ASAP, and we can plan a different time before November 21st. 

CURRICULUM WEEK 5

Classwork

• We began our Language Arts unit on the sea this week. We are learning about how various artists (poets, painters, authors) use their tools and talents to explore the vastness of the sea. We are learning to make observations and inferences. We are applying these skills in our writing, moving toward well-formed paragraphs.

• In math, we are learning about Place Value and Rounding as we prepare to add and subtract large numbers efficiently.

• Science: We began our first unit, “Environments & Survival.” We are exploring what organisms need to survive and why some are more likely than others to survive in a particular environment. 

Homework 

• Homework was sent home yesterday.  It is reading comprehension called “Sneaky Snakes.”  Please return it by tomorrow.  

• Twenty minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent.

• Click here for OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please keep checking those Home-to-School Folders every night. We will get in the rhythm of sending home graded or checked papers on Fridays. Please remove finished work from folders so it doesn’t get mixed up with homework returning to school. Thank you! 

Run for Stephenson

The RUN Day is Thursday, October 10, 2024. Pledge forms and information have been shared with families in Friday News Notes. Students received their Pledge Forms on Monday, September 23rd, which began the pledge period. Please encourage your child to participate, as this is a fundraiser for our school. All students will participate during the run/walk, whether they do pledges or not, as this is the PE period for the day. We encourage parents/guardians to sign up and volunteer as we need their support to make our run successful.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Sept. 23-27: Sign up for Missoula Children’s Theater Show!

Oct 10th:  Run for Stephenson 8:30-11:15

Oct. 11th: No School for students - State Inservice Day

Oct 18th: Fall Fun Night 6:00 -7:30 pm

Oct. 25th: Missoula Children’s Theater Performance

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 3 and 4 - Rocha 3rd grade Class

Hello Families,   

It was great seeing many of you at Back to School Night yesterday. If you missed the event, you can visit the classroom another time. We can also schedule a meeting or wait until November for conferences to see the classroom. 

We are close to finishing our beginning-of-the-year assessments, which should conclude by the end of next week. A few students may need a little more time, but I will share data regarding levels and summary results with you in a few weeks.

The beginning-of-the-year assessments will be part of the Fall Conferences, which are scheduled on Thursday, November 21 (evening), Monday, 11/25 (all day and evening), and Tuesday, 11/26 (day/no evening). Conferences will be at Stephenson. Be on the lookout for sign-ups in mid-October. If you know you will be out during conference week (Thanksgiving week), please let me know, and we can schedule a meeting before November 21st. 

PARENT HOMEWORK

I gave the students homework today. It should be in their orange folders, and I have also attached it to this email. I plan on providing homework on Tuesdays so they have a few days to complete it. Homework is due on Fridays but can also be returned earlier. Today’s lesson can be turned in next week. If you have questions, let me know.

Students should continue reading “good fit” books as part of homework. In addition to free reading of graphic novels and picture books, “good fit” books include text-rich fiction and nonfiction books.  A quick way to see if a book is at the right reading level is to open up to any page and have your child read aloud to you. The book is likely too difficult to read if students make three or more mistakes. If they speed through the page with no errors and show little interest, it may be too easy. 

For resources, bookstores are good, but don’t forget your public libraries. There are many resources at the Multnomah County Library.  MCL has a suggested set of books for beginning readers on https://multcolib.org/families/books-beginning-readers

The green books might be a good starting point for some.

Here are also a few book lists if you are wondering what type of books to look for:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/3rd-grade-reading-list

https://www.readbrightly.com/8-great-chapter-books-third-graders/

CURRICULUM WEEK 5

Classwork

• We will begin a new unit exploring the sea in language arts. 

• Up next week in math: rounding to tens and hundreds.

• Science: We began our first unit, “Environments & Survival.” We are exploring what organisms need to survive and why some are more likely than others to survive in a particular environment. 

Homework 

• Twenty minutes a day of reading a “Good Fit” book to self or parent.

• For OPTIONAL additional weekly practice choices.

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

I'm sorry for not sending a Week 3 newsletter. My focus for the week was assessments and Back to School Night. I plan to create a class website soon to provide up-to-date information. I will post schedules, essential dates, explanations of homework, short daily posts, and photos. I will only share the website with the families in my class. 

Will everyone be ok with photos and videos of their child being posted on our class website?  Photos would include students working on projects or activities during class events.  We might eventually also work on video presentations on Book Creator and Seesaw. Feel free to let me know if you have any concerns. 

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Wednesday, Sept. 25th, 11:50 am: Early Release Day

Friday, Sept. 27: Cast sign-ups begin for the Missoula Children’s Theater Show!

Thursday, Oct 10th:  Run for Stephenson 8:30 am

Friday, Oct. 25th: Missoula Children’s Theater Performance

Friday, Nov. 1st: Fall Fun Night at 6:00 pm

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Week 2 - 3rd grade update

Hello 3rd-grade families,

We ended Week 2 with an interesting weather development, but we still had fun and remained hydrated. Thank you for your emails regarding how students went home in the past two days. 

During this eventful short week, we continued developing our classroom community by learning about each other and ourselves.  We are reviewing classroom expectations and routines to prepare to grow and learn in 3rd grade.  

We are in the process and will continue completing beginning-of-the-year reading, writing, and math assessments. Once completed in the next few weeks, I will send you a baseline summary to let you know whether your child is on track or may need extra support.

Next week, we will begin several online assessments on student Chromebooks. On Monday, we will start the iReady Math Diagnostic and the MAPS Reading and Math assessments in Week 4. We will use about 30-40 minutes each morning until these are completed. We hope to be finished by Friday, Sept. 20th.

You can help your child do their best by ensuring they get plenty of rest, eat healthy breakfasts, and arrive on time.  I will have more information from these assessments to discuss at our conferences.  I appreciate your support! 

PARENT HOMEWORK

Please return any paperwork from the first day of school (walking field trip form, publicity release, and pink Dear Teacher letter about your student). Thank you to those who have already done so.

SCHEDULE

I just remembered to include the enrichment (specials) schedule in last week's email.  They will occur every day at 12:55.  

Monday - Art

Tuesday - Music 

Wednesday - P.E. (students should wear athletic shoes)

Thursday - P.E.  (students should wear athletic shoes)

Friday - Library

Here is our class’s daily schedule.

The school day ends at 2:30. If you pick up your child at the end of the day, you can meet us at the front entrance. Any children who have not been picked up by 2:35 will be waiting in the front office.  When you arrive, “buzz” into the office, and they will send your child to you. 

If you have information on attendance (tardiness, absences, early pickups, etc.), please email me and our school secretary, Georg Sperle (gsperle@pps.net), so he can adjust the attendance code.

CURRICULUM WEEK 3

Classwork

• Next week, we will continue to focus on building routines, a sense of community, and learning expectations. We will also begin a two-week novel study in Reading. We will work on co-creating a class charter or a class agreement. We will also start a watercolor art project—an art piece for you to enjoy at Back to School Night. We will also complete our first writing project.

Homework 

• Please have your child read out loud to you for 15-20 minutes daily and check their orange Home Folders for occasional activities. I will send a few math games this week. More specific homework assignments will be coming in October. 

Here are some homework resources if you are interested.

• Click here for optional writing prompts (you print and your child turns in to class when one is completed)

• Click here for an optional math activity (you print and keep it at home)

• Click here for optional math extension activity (you print and your child turns in to class when one is completed)

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Stephenson’s Back to School night is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18th. Students are invited to attend an informal open house to see the classroom and other areas of the school. I’m looking forward to visiting with you then.

UPCOMING DATES

Back to School Open House: Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 6:00-7:30

School Picture Day: Thursday, September 19th

Early Release Day: Wednesday, Sept. 25th, 11:55 am

I am excited to work with everyone for an entire week during week 3.  I hope you are having a great weekend! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

3rd grade Week 1

Dear families,

I hope you are enjoying the Labor Day weekend.  We made it through the first week!  Getting to know each other through games, projects, stories, and discussions last week has been fun.  It helps build our caring community.

Thank you for returning the yellow parent letters.  I appreciate reading about your children.  I know a lot about them, and getting your perspective will help me understand them better.

Here is an updated class list: Mr. Rocha 24/25 Class 08.28.24

The daily schedule is still subject to change, but it should mainly be:

8:00 Morning Work

8:10 Morning Meeting

8:30 Word Work/Spelling/Handwriting

9:00 Math (iReady)

10:00 Break/Snack

10:15 Reading (Wit & Wisdom) - Reading Comprehension & Writing

11:10 Academic Supports 

11:35 Recess

12:00-12:25 Lunch (around 12:15, if students are finished eating, they may go outside)

12:25 Continue Reading/Word Work/Read Aloud

12:55 PE/Library/Art/Music

1:40 Science/Social Studies/Health

2:20 Cleanup/Closing Circle

2:30 Dismissal

The HOME-to-SCHOOL orange folders will start going back and forth every day. The folder will contain completed work, incomplete classwork, assigned homework, or information from the school.  Please check the folder, keep the finished work, and return the homework in the folders each day. I won’t send homework every evening, but we should start developing this habit.

As part of a reading lesson on “Building Good Reading Habits,” students were asked to bring a favorite book from home to share with their classmates next week.  Please help and remind them to choose a book and put it in their backpack so they will be prepared.  This lesson will begin on Tuesday.   

I will eventually need parent helpers for special projects, field trips, or general student support. If you are able and willing to volunteer in our classroom (or for the school), please complete the PPS mandatory volunteer training and background check. The background checks may take a few weeks, so it is recommended that you complete them at the start of the school year. The online application must also be renewed every three years.

Here are some dates to remember:  

PTA Back to School Picnic: Friday, September 6th, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Back to School Open House: Wed., September 18th, 6:00-7:30 pm

School Picture Day: Thursday, September 19th

Early Release Day: Wednesday, Sept. 25th, 11:55 am

Three student lunch boxes remained in the classroom when I left for the weekend.  That was probably my error.  I'm sorry about that.  We have a great group of kids this year! Enjoy your holiday!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net

Stephenson 2024-2025 - Welcome to 3rd grade!

Hello 3rd-grade families,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year.

I am excited to be your child’s 3rd-grade classroom teacher! 

Our class will have 21 excellent students, and we will have a great time learning together. Here is our class list. 

We will be in room 108, the second room on the right in the primary hall.

On the first day of school, enter through the main school doors.  There will be plenty of people helping your child find their way to our classroom. Of course, you are welcome to bring them directly to the classroom for the first day of school on Tuesday, August 27th. 

Please bring the school supplies (school supply list) for the year on the first school day.

Write your child’s name and label backpacks, clothing, watercolor sets, and headphones.  We will take a short snack break each morning, so please provide a healthy snack every day. 

Additionally, here is the PPS Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook.  Please review it with your child and let me or the office know if you have any questions.

Going Home Information

Please complete this survey about your child’s after-school transportation plans.  This will help me ensure your child is where they must be at the end of each school day.  Click here for Mr. Rocha's survey.  Ensure your child knows how they will get home on the first day of school so they are not confused or worried at the end of the day.

Class Communication

I will mainly use email for weekly communications. At the moment, I am using both parent/guardian addresses registered with the Stephenson office. Please email me if you want me to add a caregiver to receive my weekly communication or if you want to be removed from the class email list. You may prefer only one family member to receive weekly communications. I will also use Remind for text messaging.

We will have much more to discuss in the coming weeks.  I hope you enjoy the last weekend of summer. I’m looking forward to welcoming your child into a fun 3rd-grade year.  We will see you next Tuesday!

Best,

Michael Rocha

3rd-grade Teacher

Stephenson Elementary School | 2627 SW Stephenson St.

Portland, OR 97219 | (503) 916-6318 x72174 | mrocha@pps.net