Sept 29th - Important Dates

PTA Fundraiser - The first fundraiser was handed out to students on Wednesday, September 27th. Please make sure that students sell safely and return the forms by Wednesday, October 4th. Thank you for your continue support.

Off Site Evacuation - During the week of October 2, our staff and students will participate in an off-site evacuation of the school. Both the Hooksett Fire and Police Departments are expected to participate in the exercise. We thank the school’s Emergency Management Team for their work to plan this important exercise.

Picture Day - Students will have their pictures taken on Friday, October 6th

Destination Imagination - Parent and Student Information & Registration Night

Anyone interested in learning more about a year long – after school Creative Problem Solving Enrichment Program

Please attend!

Tuesday October 3, 2017

6:00 PM in the Media Center

If you’d like-a-challenge, join us to hear more about what DI is all about.

Please note: We meet every Wednesday afternoons, beginning on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 (3:30 – 5:00). Extended time will be added as we approach the March Tournaments. The expectation is that each team member will be there each week in order to be a part of the DI team. If a team is selected to advance to a state tournament, the commitment lasts a bit longer. Work will be assigned each week. Please contact Ellie Stetson, HMS DI coordinator at ellie.stetson@nh-di.org if you have questions.

On Friday, students went to the Library with Mrs. Beaudoin to complete activities for DOT Day, which was September 15th. She read the students The Dot book and explained how she had met the author. Then students colored a dot and used an app to make their dot come to life. Mrs. Beaudoin then provided many other dot activities for the students to complete. What a great time!

9/19/17 - Accelerated Reader (AR)

Accelerated Reader is up and running for third graders! AR is a computer based reading comprehension program. "Your child picks a book at his own level and reads it at his own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.) AR gives children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results."

Be aware that you cannot complete a google search for AR, as each school has it's own specific URL. Be sure to use the Important Links tab for the correct AR website. In my class, students can earn rewards the more books they pass quizzes on! Therefore, students should be choosing books that are at their appropriate reading level or "Good Fit Book". Quizzes can be taken at home or school but need to be completed independently by the student. Here is the HMS AR link. I am also challenging my students to read 1 million words each this year! We will keep track of the words read throughout the year.

To log in, your child will use the first letter of their first name, and first four letters of their last name as their username (Two students have a 1 after the first four letters of their last name - double check the notice that went home for your child's username). Passwords are "abc". Students can begin taking quizzes immediately.

Highlights Magazine

Students came home with a Highlights Magazine order form on Friday. For parents, please complete the following steps:

• Check YES or NO on the form
• If YES, fill out the whole form and then sign at the bottom
• If NO, please sign at the bottom

Book Order

The first book order was sent home with students on Friday afternoon. Please take a look at the September order. You may order online with the class code, or send in a check or cash with the order slip all filled out. If you order with a check, you only need to write ONE check to Scholastic for the total amount.

First Day of School

We had a wonderful first day of third grade. The students went over many rules and procedures throughout the day. Here are some highlights.

Reading: We were able to start Daily 5 today and students practiced Reading to Self using their book bags. I was so impressed with the students ability to follow directions.

Special: During gym, Mrs. Olkenon went over all the rules for the playground equipment rules. This means tomorrow all of third grade will be able to use the equipment during recess.

Growth Mindset: We started talking about the difference between a student with a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. We listened to Try Everything by Shakira, which is in Zootopia. This song talks about never giving up and always trying even when you think you can't do it. Then we watched Your Brain is Like a Muscle, which students enjoyed. We will continue to talk about Growth Mindset over the next few weeks.