Week of September 8, 2025
Our Be Seen and Heard assembly for third graders will be on Thursday, September 11th.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will learn about some new Kimochi characters.
The students will work more independently to find signposts while reading a short chapter book: The Ghost at the Grand Inn. Here are other language arts plans for this week:
Vocabulary word of the week: gaze
Opinion writing: Finish opinion writing -- What is the best superpower? Our writing focus will be on the lead and transition words.
Cursive: uppercase and lowercase letters
Sentence Writing: Students will practice spelling common third-grade words while writing sentences that are at least 8 words long.
We will continue multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math. They will also practice math fact fluency on the Xtra Math site. The students are also skip-counting to learn the multiples of 2 through 9.
We will continue learning about life cycles and traits with a lesson on how the environment affects traits.
We will have 2 art lessons from our district art teacher: Ms. Kamali.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. with a P.E. teacher, Mr. Criddle, on Thursdays from 11:35 am to 12:20 pm. The students will also walk/run a lap around the field on most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E. activities.
Week of September 1, 2025
Thank you for the hand sanitizer. I will let you know when we are running low again.
There will be no school on Monday, September 1st, or Tuesday, September 2nd. I hope you enjoy the long weekend.
To improve communication among parents and reach out to our community to request volunteers, the Home and School Club has developed these best practices for recruiting volunteers. Please review them. It takes a village to make Alta Vista great.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will learn about some new Kimochi characters.
The students will work more independently to find signposts while reading a short chapter book The Ghost at the Grand Inn. They will also summarize a chapter.
Here are other language arts plans for this week:
Vocabulary word of the week: ancient
Opinion writing: begin a new opinion writing prompt (Which superpower would you choose?), and focus on writing an engaging lead for their essay.
Cursive: uppercase and lowercase letters
We will continue multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math. They will also practice math fact fluency on the Xtra Math site. The students are also skip-counting to learn the multiples of 2 through 9.
We will continue learning about life cycles and traits with a lesson on how the environment affects traits. They will also have a STEAM challenge to build models of famous monuments out of straws.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. with a P.E. teacher, Mr. Criddle, on Thursdays from 11:35 am to 12:20 pm. The students will also walk/run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E. activities.
Wish List: Purell Hand Sanitizer
I hope you can join me in Room 12 for Back to School Night on the evening of Wednesday, August 27th, from 6:00 - 6:30 PM. At Back to School Night, I will talk about what you can expect in third grade. This event is for parents and guardians only. We are looking for parents to become actively involved in our school community. Here is some information from the Home and School Club.
The Brown Bag Reports are due on Wednesday. Students should have already selected the 4 items for their bags. On Monday and Tuesday, they should be practicing what they are going to say about 5 times. They can practice in front of a mirror, in front of family members, or for an audience of stuffed animals. Someone could also video them so they can see and hear themselves. The more prepared they are to speak, the more confident they will be.
We have completed 3 Digital Citizenship lessons so far. Here are links to the accompanying parent information for each lesson. Seeing the parent information will make it easier for you to follow up at home.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will review the Kimochi characters, and students will decide which character they are most like.
I will introduce the students to a close-reading strategy called Signposts. They will find signposts in reading passages that will help them slow down and process what they are reading.
Here are other language arts plans for this week:
Sentence writing that includes common spelling words
Vocabulary word of the week: capture
Opinion writing: learn the purpose of opinion writing
Cursive: uppercase and lowercase letters
We will continue multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math. They will also practice math fact fluency on the Xtra Math site.
We will continue learning about life cycles and traits with a lesson on how the environment affects traits.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. with a P.E. teacher, Mr. Criddle, on Thursdays from 11:35 am to 12:20 pm. The students will also walk/run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E. activities.
Wish List: Purell Hand Sanitizer
We are off and running! I hope all of the children enjoyed their first week of school! I am having a great time getting to know them. Thank you very much for helping your children get to school on time every morning. Thank you also for the many supplies you have donated to our classroom. If you are looking to donate a supply to our classroom, we would appreciate more hand sanitizer. Not to be too picky, but the students usually have a strong preference for the Purell brand -- it does not feel sticky.
I hope you can join me in Room 12 for Back to School Night on the evening of Wednesday, August 27th from 6:00 - 6:30 PM. At Back to School Night, I will talk about what you can expect in third grade. This event is for parents and guardians only.
In third grade, we expect the students to read at home daily for at least 20 minutes. We will encourage our third graders to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction books this year, and we will introduce a reading challenge after we get settled. In addition to reading, I will occasionally assign projects that will require some work outside of class.
This week, I'll assign a fun back-to-school project called the Brown Bag Report. I will send home a paper copy of the assignment along with a small, brown bag on Wednesday. The students will get to know one another better as they share what they bring in their brown bags. The reports will be due on Wednesday, August 27th. The students will need to fill their bags and practice their presentations at home. To model the presentation, I will share my sample Brown Bag Report with the class many times, beginning this Wednesday.
What to Expect This Week:
Our school uses a schoolwide set of behavior norms: ROAR (Responsibility, Ownership, Attitude, and Respect). We will specifically teach and reinforce behavior expectations for the classroom, the "hallways", the restroom, the cafeteria, the playground, and in shared learning spaces like the media center and the maker space. This week, I will reintroduce these expectations.
Over the next couple of weeks, the students will take some pre-assessments that will give me an idea of their current skills in reading, opinion writing, spelling, and math. The results will help me target my instruction to meet their needs.
In addition to the assessments, we will set up interactive composition notebooks for opinion writing and grammar. We will also practice upper and lowercase cursive handwriting. We will also read a bit about wolves, our classroom mascot.
We will begin opinion writing. The students will write opinions about pet cats vs. pet dogs, and outdoor play vs. video games. In these early writing assignments, we will focus on a clear opinion statement and specific reasons. Later this trimester, students will expand on their reasons with explanations and examples, and add more interesting and specific word choices.
On Monday, we will begin Module 1 of Eureka Math, which introduces multiplication and division concepts. In addition to the workbooks we use in class, I have homework workbooks in my classroom that I will offer to you on Back to School Night. In class, the students will complete paper exit tickets on most days, which they can bring home to show you what they are currently practicing in math.
We will also begin fact fluency practice with a program called Xtra Math. I will send home a parent flyer that will explain more about Xtra Math and show you how to set up parent access to their reports if you are interested. All third-graders will begin with addition fact fluency practice, and work at their own pace through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts this year.
I will introduce the students to the Happy Numbers site soon, which we will use as a supplement to the Eureka Math curriculum.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. with a P.E. teacher on Thursdays from 11:35 am to 12:10 pm. The students will also walk/run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E. activities.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 13th. I hope you all had a fun and memorable summer! I love the fresh start of every school year and I am so excited to meet all of my new students (my Werner Wolf Pack!) and their families. It is perfect that we are beginning on a short day and a short week. We can ease into our school year.
Our classroom is portable #12. Each morning, the students in our class will line up by 8:10 am on the blacktop near room #10. I will be on the blacktop to welcome you on the first day of school and guide you to our line-up spot. Our students get out early (1:15 pm) on Wednesdays. They will leave campus through the front gate by the office. Please let your child know where they will meet you or another caregiver after school. Students will be released at 2:40 pm on the other days of the week.
We are beginning this year with 25 students.
Each day, the children should come with a water bottle and a charged Chromebook. I am well-stocked with school supplies so you do not need to provide any on the first day. Of course, I always appreciate donations of Kleenex, hand sanitizer, and baby wipes. During the year, I will let you know if we are running low on supplies (we go through Expo markers like crazy!) by listing wish-list items on my website updates.
I update this website each week and send our class parents a link to it via email on Sunday mornings. The weekly updates include announcements and a plan for what we will cover in the coming week.
I look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night, Wednesday, August 27th, where you can find out more about what to expect this year.
Olympic Day: Tuesday, June 3rd. Students should wear their class t-shirts. They should also wear sunscreen. We NEED HELP! These events are not possible without our parent volunteers - so please sign up here to join us for Olympic Day 2025: Olympic Day Volunteer sign up link
Last Day of School: Friday, June 6th, 12:15 pm release. I will give each student an envelope on the last day of school, which will include their final 3rd-grade report card. If you do not receive it, please let me know and I will email you a PDF of the report card.
I often receive requests at the end of the year for summer learning suggestions. I am a big believer in giving lots of free time over the summer to allow children to engage in creative play. Young children love to build things and create art out of everyday materials such as cardboard and tape.
We are lucky to live in an area with many natural and cultural destinations. I encourage local outings such as trips to the beach, hikes on a nature trail, and visits to local art and science museums. Travel is extremely educational, especially if it involves destinations that are different from home. Alternatively, regular visits to the library are a fun family outing and can provide a variety of books to interest your child. All of these experiences will build invaluable background knowledge that will improve reading comprehension and inspire writing ideas. They can also help children interact with friends because they will have some great stories to tell their friends about their experiences.
I have also posted summer writing prompts and math menus on Google Classroom.
I hope you have a fun and relaxing summer!
Thank you for coming to our Open House -- it was great to see so many families attend. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading our final Project Cornerstone project of the year.
Holiday: Monday, 26, 2025 for Memorial Day
Last Day of School: Friday, June 6th, 12:15 pm release. I will give each student an envelope on the last day of school, which will include their final 3rd-grade report card. If you do not receive it, please let me know and I will email you a PDF of the report card. I will also email a report card PDF to the families of students who are absent on the 6th.
We have 12 students who have conquered the 30 Book Challenge! The class has earned a pajama/board game day, and we have decided to have it on Wednesday, May 28th. Students can come wearing comfy pj's. They may also bring a stuffed animal. I have plenty of board games and playing cards, such as Sorry, Trouble, Guess Who?, and Jenja. I also have a brand new chess set and a brand new Battleship game. Students are also welcome to bring a game from home as long as they are willing to share it freely. We will dedicate an hour or so to board games on Wednesday.
We also have one remaining crayfish -- Mr. Top Hat. He would love a good home so please let me know if you are interested in adopting him. Mr. Top Hat loves to scoot backward, hide in his cup, pick up small items with his claws, and climb on his rock, such a cutie!
What to Expect This Week:
The students will take the District Opinion Writing Assessment this week. They will also continue to copy cursive sentences about the solar system. Most of their reading activities will be from their science curriculum this week.
The students will complete an end-of-year math review this week, which will tell me which math standards I need to reteach/review during the remaining weeks of third grade.
Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take the final timed multiplication/division tests on Friday.
We will continue working on Forces and Motion and Weather units in science. The students are completing many hands-on science activities with these units. This week, they will get to work with magnets and make an anemometer to measure wind speed.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run/walk a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Thank you all for attending the Third Grade Wax Museum. The students did a great job, which would not have been possible without your support! Thanks to Agnieszka Jaskierny and Sarah Keith for helping during our final library visit of the year. Thank you Sarah Keith, and her helpers, for helping the children glaze their spring clay projects.
Mark your calendars! The Alta Vista Open House will be on the evening of May 21st from 6:00-7:00 pm. The students are looking forward to showing you some of their amazing work.
The final library books are due for return on Thursday, the 22nd.
Reminder: there is still time for students to complete the 30-Book Challenge! The link to the recording sheet and the prize descriptions are on Google Classroom. If 2 more students complete the challenge, the class will win a pajama/board game day!
We will raffle off all of the surviving crayfish on Thursday, May 22nd. To take a crayfish home, a child must have parental permission and must promise not to release the crayfish into the wild. I can provide some crayfish care tips and some food to get started. Raffle winners must take their crayfish home on Thursday, the 22nd, or Friday, the 23rd. They will need to bring a container to school to transport their new pet home. Please reply to this email if your child has permission to enter the raffle.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will visit our TK buddies on Monday.
The students will take their final third-grade Literably online reading assessment. Also, the students will be finishing their opinion essays on whether to get involved when friends are arguing. They will soon take the District Trimester Writing Assessment for Opinion Writing. and they will be practicing cursive handwriting by copying paragraphs about the solar system.
The students will complete an end-of-year math review this week, which will tell me which math standards I need to reteach/review during the remaining weeks of third grade.
Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take timed multiplication/division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue studying the crayfish and caring for them. We will also begin a science unit on weather and a unit on forces and motion.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have finished our music classes for the year. The students will bring home their recorders to keep!
I can't thank you enough for all the wonderful gifts and sentiments during Teacher Appreciation Week. I wish all professions had such a week so you all could experience the same outpouring of regard! I highly recommend teaching as a first, second, or third career! I feel very blessed to be at Alta Vista. Thanks to Lindsay Jafari for coordinating it all. Lindsay also captured and shared some great photos of our class last week.
Thanks to Agnieszka Jaskierny and Sarah Keith for helping during our library time.
Thank you for the Kleenex boxes and baby wipes. We are in good shape for the rest of the year.
Mark your calendars! The Alta Vista Open House will be on the evening of May 21st from 6:00-7:00 pm.
The final library visit and book check-out of the year will be this Thursday, the 15th.
Reminder: there is still time for students to complete the 30-Book Challenge! The link to the recording sheet and the prize descriptions are on Google Classroom. If 3 more students complete the challenge, the class will win a pajama/board game day!
This is a big week for our third-grade classes. The Third-Grade Wax Museum is this Wednesday, May 14th. Parents are encouraged to join us at the backfield at 11:15. Usually the children are pretty tired after 30 minutes so we will wrap up around 11:45 and take some group photos. You will need a visitor's sticker to attend. This is a popular event with students from all four third-grade classes presenting. You can get your visitor's sticker up to one week ahead of the event if you want to avoid the crowd on the 14th. You will need your picture ID to get the sticker. The third-grade teachers will have sign-out sheets on the field in case you would like to sign out your students for the day when the Wax Museum wraps up around noon. Students should arrive at school in costume. They can add easy accessories in class at the last minute if necessary.
Also, we are expecting our classroom live crayfish to arrive this week! We will be studying and caring for these very unusual and feisty creatures through next week. You will be able to see them at the Alta Vista Open House on Wednesday, May 21st.
To give you some notice, I'm letting you know that we will raffle off the surviving crayfish on Thursday, May 22nd. To take a crayfish home, a child must have parental permission and must promise not to release the crayfish into the wild. I can provide some crayfish care tips and some food to get started. Raffle winners must take their crayfish home on Friday, May 23rd. They will need to bring a container to school to transport their new pet home. Please reply to this email if your child has permission to enter the raffle.
What to Expect This Week:
Language Arts: The students will finish editing their opinion writing essay and begin a new opinion essay about whether to get involved when friends are arguing.
The students will also work on some poetry to display at the Open House.
For the remainder of the year, we will spend much more time reading from our science and social studies curricula.
Math: On Monday, the students will work on the Module 6 Practice Test and bring it home to go over with you. On Tuesday, they will take the End of Module 6 Assessment on paper.
Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take timed multiplication/division tests on most Fridays.
Social Studies: We will rehearse for the Wax Museum on Monday and Tuesday for Wednesday's event.
Science: We will spend most of our time going crazy for crayfish this week!
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students can play a few songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Wish List: Kleenex and Baby Wipes, please. We need some of each to get us through the school year.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for volunteering during our library time.
I have reviewed the Biography Report slides and written comments on them. I will give the students time in class on Monday to make corrections and add details where needed. After completing their slides, the students will shift their focus to planning what they will say, wear, and carry during the Wax Museum on May 14th.
Parents are encouraged to join us on the backfield from 11:15 to 12:00 on May 14th. You will need a visitor's sticker to attend. This is a popular event with students from all four third-grade classes presenting. You can get your visitor's sticker up to one week ahead of the event if you want to avoid the crowd on the 14th. You will need your picture ID to get the sticker. The third-grade teachers will have sign-out sheets on the field in case you would like to sign out your students for the day when the Wax Museum wraps up around noon.
We continue CAASPP testing this week.
Please remind your children to charge their Chromebooks every night.
Here is this week's testing schedule. We test from 8:30 to 10:30 on these days:
Students who are absent on testing days will take the test in make-up sessions.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays. We will have just 2 more library visits this school year. Our final library visit is coming up on May 15th.
What to Expect This Week:
We have completed reading Charlotte's Web and we will continue some summary assignments this week. We will also work on opinion writing this week. The students will work on transitions, a conclusion, and editing. We will also continue writing cursive sentences.
We are finishing Module 6 in Eureka Math. This week we will collect data from classmates and make bar graphs or pie charts of the data using Google Sheets.
Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take timed multiplication/division tests on most Fridays.
The students will review my comments on the Biography Report slides and prepare for the Wax Museum. This project is primarily a homework assignment and students should prepare and practice their presentations at home. We will rehearse with individual partners on May 12th and hold a practice Wax Museum with classmates on the 13th to help the students prepare for the Wax Museum on Wednesday, May 14th.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for volunteering during our library time. Thanks to Ruchi Bhatt and Agnieszka Jaskierny for our final Art Vistas lesson of the year.
The Biography Report slides are due this Friday, May 2nd. Students should also begin to prepare their oral report, prop, and costume for the Third Grade Wax Museum on Wednesday, May 14th. Parents are encouraged to join us on the backfield from 11:15 to 12:00. You will need a visitor's sticker to attend. This is a popular event with students from all four third-grade classes presenting. You can get your visitor's sticker up to one week ahead of the event if you want to avoid the crowd on the 14th. You will need your picture ID to get the sticker. The third-grade teachers will have sign-out sheets on the field in case you would like to sign out your students for the day when the Wax Museum wraps up around noon.
We begin CAASPP testing this week. Please remind your children to charge their Chromebooks every night.
Here is our third-grade testing schedule. We test from 8:30 to 10:30 on these days:
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
We should be able to finish Charlotte's Web this week, and we will do some summary activities.
We are continuing Module 6 in Eureka Math. This week we are finding the permeter of polygons and comparing the perimeters of different rectangles that have the same area. We will also practice making line plots and bar graphs of data.
Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take timed multiplication/division tests on most Fridays.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for volunteering during our library time. Thank you to Kim Grist for leading small math groups.
Spring Picture Day: Wednesday, April 23rd. --All students will take individual photos and you can decide if you want to purchase photos after you see the proof. These photos will not be in the yearbook.
All of my students have picked a biography subject for their biography reports and most of them already have a book to read. Their next step will be to read their books and complete a Google slide deck by Friday, May 2nd. The slide deck is posted on Google Classroom and we have begun working on it in class, but the students will need to do most of their reading and slides as homework. The slides are intended as a place to take notes on their biography subject -- students will not be presenting the slides to their classmates. They will share what they have learned when they dress up as a live statue during the Wax Museum event on May 14th. Parents (and grandparents, etc!) are encouraged to attend.
In other news, our third-graders will take the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) standardized tests in English language arts and math later this month. The third-grade testing window will be between April 28th and May 9th. If possible, please do not schedule absences or appointments during the testing window. We will begin testing at 8:30 and stop by 10:30 each day.
Our class will spend more time on practice tests so the students will see the types of questions they will see on CAASPP and get familiar with the testing interface. You are welcome to take a look at the practice tests if you are interested. The students can sign in as a guest to see sample questions.
Please check out the math volunteer opportunity posted on Bloomz. I am looking for a math volunteer on Friday, April 25th from 9:30am - 10:30am.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will meet with our TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We will continue my favorite children's book: Charlotte's Web. This is a beautifully written story about true friendship and the life cycle. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as we make our way through the chapters.
Writing: Students will write an introductory paragraph and consider the audience for the opinion essay this week.
Grammar: subject and verb agreement (same as previous week)
Vocabulary Word of the Week: skipping to focus on opinion writing
Cursive: skipping to focus on math
Journal Prompt: If you had two eyes in the back of your head, how would your life be different? (same as previous week)
We are making our way through module 6. This week, we will focus on geometry, especially on quadrilaterals. Students will also spend time on Xtra Math practicing fact fluency. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100. The students take timed multiplication/division tests on most Fridays.
We will also begin a fraction art project.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for volunteering during our library time and for leading our spring clay project. Thank you to Issaporn Siripakdi, Lindsay Jafari, Jen Ozdinski, and Yoon Park for helping the students make their clay projects. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading a Project Cornerstone lesson.
On Monday, I will assign the Third Grade Biography Report. The students will select a person from history who has changed the world for the better. They will read a book about the person's life and complete a Google slide deck with facts and pictures about their subject's life. On Wednesday, May 14th, from 11:15 am to 12:00 pm, the students will dress up as their biography subject for our Third Grade Wax Museum. Parents are encouraged to attend the Wax Museum so please mark your calendars now. Please review the assignment sheet, including the due dates, with your child this week.
In other news, our third-graders will take the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) standardized tests in English language arts and math later this month. The third-grade testing window will be between April 28th and May 9th. If possible, please do not schedule absences or appointments during the testing window. We will begin testing at 8:30 and stop by 10:30 each day.
I will spend some time this week introducing a practice test so the students will see the types of questions they will see on CAASPP and get familiar with the testing interface. You are welcome to take a look at the practice test if you are interested. The students can sign in as a guest to see sample questions.
Please check out the math volunteer opportunities posted on Bloomz. I am looking for math volunteers on Friday, April 18th and April 25th from 9:30am - 10:30am.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will meet with our TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We will continue my favorite children's book: Charlotte's Web. This is a beautifully written story about true friendship and the life cycle. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as we make our way through the chapters.
Grammar: subject and verb agreement
Vocabulary Word of the Week: ancient
Journal Prompt: If you had two eyes in the back of your head, how would your life be different?
We will double-up on math lessons over the next 3 weeks (one lesson in the morning and one lesson after lunch) as we cover the rest of the topics that will be included in the CAASPP. In Module 6, the students will study time, data and graphing, and geometry. This week, I will send home an Xtra Math report so you can see how your child is progressing since the latest report card. At this point in the year, students who are not completing daily Xtra Math sessions at school should complete them at home. The third-grade standard is to show proficiency in multiplication and division facts up to 100.
We will have an in-house field trip with an Ohlone expert on April 14th. The Ohlone tribe is native to our local area. The students will learn about the Ohlone traditions, foods, housing, and games.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for leading an Art Vistas lesson and hands-on activity. Thank you to Shelley Carrella, Jennifer Ozdinski, Marie Perrin, and Kim Grist for helping students make marine animal dioramas in the Makerspace.
4/7 -- 4/11: No School (Spring Break)
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will meet with our TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
Later in the week, our class will have further discussion about how to communicate with friends that we are not having fun anymore.
We will continue my favorite children's book: Charlotte's Web. This is a beautifully written story about true friendship and the life cycle. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as we make our way through the chapters.
Grammar: pronouns and antecedents
Vocabulary Word of the Week: vanish
Journal Prompt: Pretend that you can go back in time and change one decision that you've made. What would it be? (same as last week)
We will continue Module 5: Fractions. Students will identify fractions of inches on a ruler. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will study what fossils show about environments long ago.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time.
4/7 -- 4/11: No School (Spring Break)
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
The students will be working with partners to make marine dioramas on Friday afternoon. I have two parent volunteers so far. If you are interested in helping us in the Makerspace from 1:00-2:30 on Friday, 3/28, please reply to this email. Also, I am looking for more small shoe boxes in case you have some that you don't need.
The book fair runs next week! See here for details about the fair and volunteer opportunities. (You will need to scroll a bit.) Our class will have an exclusive book fair preview on Monday morning. Students may bring cash in a ziploc bag or a Literati gift card (see above link). Students and parents may visit the book fair after school on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will meet with our TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
Later in the week, our class will have further discussion about how to communicate with friends that we are not having fun anymore.
We will begin reading my favorite children's book: Charlotte's Web. This is a beautifully written story about true friendship. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as we make our way through the chapters.
Grammar: Subject and Predicate
Journal Prompt: Pretend that you can go back in time and change one decision that you've made. What would it be?
We will continue Module 5: Fractions. Students will begin comparing the size of different fractions. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will finish studying how people learn about extinct organisms through fossils. The students will also team up to create marine dioramas based on their marine animal project.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for helping during our library time.
All students whose parents did not have a parent-teacher conference brought home a green folder that included work samples, conference notes, and a report card last week. If you did not receive the report card, please let me know and I will email you a PDF of the report card.
So far, seven of our students have completed the 30 Book Challenge. When the first ten students complete the challenge, the class will earn a pajama/board game day for the whole class! Please talk to your child about the challenge. I am hoping the challenge will encourage the students to broaden their reading selections.
I am looking for a couple of parent volunteers to help students create dioramas of their marine animal habitats. We will be working in the Makerspace on Friday, March 28th, from 1:00-2:30. Please reply to this email if you are available and interested. Also, I would appreciate donations of children's shoe boxes if you happen to have one or more.
3/17/25: No School (Professional Development Day for Union School District staff)
4/7 -- 4/11: No School (Spring Break)
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
We are finishing the nonfiction chapter book, Five True Dog Stories and we will complete comprehension activities after each of the five chapters. The students will also select an opinion writing topic this week. I have also started a weekly journal prompt to give a regular opportunity for creative writing in class. The journal pages include space for drawing as well as writing. I will include the prompt on this website each week in case you would like your child to write about it at home, or talk about what they wrote at school. The journals will remain in the classroom until the end of the school year.
Cursive: Writing sentences
Journal Prompt: How would your life change if you were the size of a mouse?
We have begun Module 5: Fractions. We begin by identifying fractions as equal parts of a whole. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
The third grade standard is that students will memorize the multiplication facts, and the related division facts, up to 10x10 by the end of third grade. If your child has not yet passed the four timed tests, this would be a good time to begin practicing the multiplication/division facts at home with flashcards.
We will study how people learn about extinct organisms through fossils.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders and they are learning how to read musical notes.
Thank you to Sarah Keith and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time. Thank you to the parents who donated hand sanitizer. I will let you know if we run low before the end of the school year.
Parent/Teacher conferences continue this week. Students will be released at 1:15 each day. If you choose not to sign up for a conference, I will send home a completed report card and work samples by March 14th.
3/17/25: No School (Professional Development Day for Union School District staff)
4/7 -- 4/11: No School (Spring Break)
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We are continuing the nonfiction chapter book, Five True Dog Stories and we will do comprehension activities after each of the five chapters. We will also begin our opinion writing unit with a pre-assessment and notebook set-up.
Vocabulary word of the week: wealthy
Cursive: Writing sentences
We will review Module 4 on Tuesday and the students will take the End of Module 4 Assessment on paper on Wednesday. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Purell Hand Sanitizer -- we are running low on hand sanitizer and we would greatly appreciate some donations -- our class has a preference for the Purell brand.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny and Sarah Keith for helping during our library time and Art Vistas. Thank you to Ruchi Choksi for helping with Art Vistas. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for teaching a Project Cornerstone lesson and helping some math groups.
Our spring parent/teacher conferences are optional. You can sign up for a conference if you have questions or concerns about your child's progress in 3rd grade. Otherwise, I will send home a completed report card and work samples by March 14th. Use this Sign-Up link if needed. I will add more slots if these slots fill up. The students will be released from school at 1:15 from March 6th - March 14th.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00. We will have a Kimochi lesson on how to tell your friends that they are acting too silly for the moment.
We are starting a nonfiction chapter book, Five True Dog Stories and we will do comprehension activities after each of the five chapters.
Grammar: comparative and superlative adjectives
Vocabulary word of the week: grasp
Cursive: Writing sentences
We will continue working on the area of rectangles in Eureka Math. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will study what happens to organisms in changing environments.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Week of February 24, 2025
Thank you to Lindsay Jafari, Matthew Keith and Alyssa Saretti for chaperoning our field trip to the Marine Science Institute. Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny and Sarah Keith for volunteering during our library time and to Agnieszka Jaskierny, Ruchi Choksi and Sarah Keith for volunteering for our Art Vistas lesson.
Our spring parent/teacher conferences are optional. You can sign up for a conference if you have questions or concerns about your child's progress in 3rd grade. Otherwise, I will send home a completed report card and work samples by March 14th. Use this Sign-Up link if needed. I will add more slots if these slots fill up. The students will be released from school at 1:15 from March 6th - March 14th.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00. We will have a Kimochi lesson on how to tell your friends that they are acting too silly for the moment.
The students will present their Marine Animal Reports this week. On Monday, the students will practice giving their slide presentations to partners. On Wednesday, we will begin the presentations with volunteers and finish them all on Thursday or Friday. I encourage the students to practice giving their slide presentations at home multiple times this week so they will be better prepared and confident about presenting to the class. In March, the students will work with partners to create marine habitat dioramas in the Makerspace.
The students will also read a nonfiction article in Scholastic News and answer close-reading questions, identify text features, and find nonfiction signposts.
Grammar: comparative and superlative adjectives.
Vocabulary word of the week: frail.
Cursive: Writing sentences
We will continue working on the area of rectangles in Eureka Math. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue to study how environments change rapidly and over time.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Week of February 10, 2025
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14th. Our class will have a Valentine's exchange. It is optional for students to participate, but if they choose to join in they will need to give a comparable valentine to each classmate. I will provide bags that the students can decorate and use to hold their valentines from others. There are 24 students in our class. This week, I will send home a class roster of names so the students can address their valentines. They can just bring them in a sack or ziploc bag. Any treats included with the valentines must be entirely nut- free.
Our field trip to the Marine Science Institute will be on Tuesday, February 11th -- rain or shine! Students should wear their class t-shirt, a jacket, and shoes that won't slip. They will get a bit wet and muddy. Students and chaperones should bring a lunch and a water bottle. Please bring your students to school at 8:05 on the 11th. We need to leave soon thereafter to get to Redwood City by 9:00 am.
There will be no school from February 17th - 21st.
Our spring parent/teacher conferences are optional. You can sign up for a conference if you have questions or concerns about your child's progress in 3rd grade. Otherwise, I will send home a completed report card and work samples by March 14th. Use this Sign-Up link if needed. I will add more slots if these slots fill up. The students will be released from school at 1:15 from March 6th - March 14th.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We will be completing the Marine Animal Report this week. We will write the conclusion, include transition words, and highlight expert words on the slides.
We will continue working on the area of rectangles in Eureka Math. Students will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue to study how environments change rapidly and over time.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Thank you to Shelley Carella for helping math groups and to Sarah Keith for helping during our library time.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Friday, February 14th. Our class will have a Valentine's exchange. It is optional for students to participate, but if they choose to join in they will need to give a comparable valentine to each classmate. I will provide bags that the students can decorate and use to hold their valentines from others. There are 24 students in our class. This week, I will send home a class roster of names so the students can address their valentines. Any treats included with the valentines must be entirely nut- free.
Our field trip to the Marine Science Institute will be on Tuesday, February 11th.
There will be no school from February 17th - 21st.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We will have a Kimochi lesson about silliness and how it may annoy others.
The students have begun paraphrasing their researched facts and adding them to their report slides. We will have a lesson on how to write the introduction to their report.
In grammar, we will review the last several lessons. Our vocabulary Word of the Week is "frail".
We will also continue writing cursive sentences.
We have begun Module 4 and the students are learning how to find the area of quadrilaterals. They will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will study how environments change.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for helping during our library time. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading a Cornerstone lesson that will kick off our Kindness Week activities.
We have all the permission slips returned for the February 11th field trip to the Marine Science Institute. Thank you! I will give more information about the field trip as it gets closer. As a teaser, here is a video! Our field trip will be a Shoreside program -- we will stay on land but still get a little wet and muddy.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will play with our TK little buddies on Monday at 11:00.
The students have begun researching facts about their marine animals and they are making very good progress with their notetaking. We will continue to research this week and have a lesson on how to paraphrase what we have read when we transfer our notes to the slides. We are working to avoid copying and pasting information, and I want to make sure the students truly understand what they are writing in their reports.
In grammar, we will study linking verbs. Our vocabulary Word of the Week is "triumph".
We will also continue writing cursive sentences.
Last Friday, the students completed a math review of Module 3. They all brought home the stapled, green packet on Friday in case their parents would like to look over it with them before Monday's Module 3 Assessment. Later this week, we will begin Module 4, which will focus on the area of rectangles. Students usually understand Module 4 very easily because it builds on the multiplication array models they have drawn in Modules 1 and 3.
They will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue to study animals living in groups.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
There will be no school on Monday, January 20th, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for helping during our library time. Thank you to Lavanya Raghunath for helping math groups.
The students brought home a field trip permission slip this week. We will be going to the Marine Science Institute (MSI) in Redwood City on February 11th. Here is some information about the trip:
The Shoreside program offers a variety of hands-on activities that challenge students and ignite their curiosity. Students learn respect and stewardship for the Bay with inspiring experiences led by expert marine educators.
This program includes three stations, unified by a central theme of adaptations. Students explore using scientific methods and equipment. They interact with artifacts and live animals while developing teamwork and critical thinking skills.
Please sign the slip and send it back to school with your child as soon as possible.
We are all set with parent chaperones for this trip!
What to Expect This Week:
We will find nonfiction signposts in a Scholastic News article on Martin Luther King, Jr. We will also identify text features and answer close-reading questions about the same article.
We will build vocabulary with a word of the week: plunge; and we will practice writing sentences with commonly used 3rd-grade words.
The students will begin researching their marine animal and taking notes on its physical characteristics, food chain, habitat and life cycle.
We will return to module 3 and study multiplication and division concepts. They will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will learn about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. through a Nearpod interactive slide lesson, and by reading an article in Scholastic News. We will also finish a Martin Luther King art project.
We will study how living in a group helps some animals survive.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny and Sarah Keith for helping during our library time. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading a Project Cornerstone Lesson in December. Here is a Cornerstone update from Claire.
There will be no school on Monday, January 20th, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.
The students will bring home a field trip permission slip this week. We will be going to the Marine Science Institute (MSI) in Redwood City on February 11th. Here is some information about the trip:
The Shoreside program offers a variety of hands-on activities that challenge students and ignite their curiosity. Students learn respect and stewardship for the Bay with inspiring experiences led by expert marine educators.
This program includes three stations, unified by a central theme of adaptations. Students explore using scientific methods and equipment. They interact with artifacts and live animals while developing teamwork and critical thinking skills.
Please sign the slip and send it back to school with your child as soon as possible. Parent chaperone spots are very limited. If you are interested in chaperoning, respond to this email. Parent chaperones will need to ride the school bus with us to and from Redwood City, and work at a science station for 3 hours at the MSI. Chaperones must be willing to get a bit dirty and wet with this hands-on program.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will visit our adorable TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00. We will also have a Kimochi lesson on assuming the best.
We will return to our study of nonfiction texts. We will introduce nonfiction signposts this week to help the students read more closely.
We will also assign the Marine Animal Report. The students will have lessons in informational writing and apply them to their report each week. First, the students will choose three marine animals they would like to research.
I have posted a few resources on Google Classroom to provide lots of ideas. On Friday, I will assign a unique animal to each student. Then, they will begin researching in class the following week.
In grammar, the students will study helping verbs.
The students will also continue to write cursive sentences.
We will return to module 3 and study multiplication and division concepts. They will also study math fact fluency with Xtra Math and take timed multiplication or division tests on most Fridays.
We will study how living in a group helps some animals survive.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading a Project Cornerstone Lesson. Here is a Cornerstone update from Claire. Thanks to Lindsay Jafari and the many parents who donated food and their time to make our Holiday Party a success.
I hope you all had a wonderful break, with time for fun and relaxation. I missed my students and I am looking forward to getting back into the classroom with them.
Please send in your empty cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, tape, cereal boxes, wrapping paper, etc. on Monday. We will begin the New Year building forts, rockets, houses, etc. out of these supplies. Students should be prepared to share their supplies with their classmates and to work with a variety of partners.
This week, we will also work on a math review packet, write a variety of New Year poems, and do a winter beanie art project.
We have begun a 3rd Grade 30 Book Challenge. I am challenging your third grader to read 30 books by the end of the school year. I know they can do it! For each book read, the students must write down the title of the book on the 30 Book Challenge Chart, which is posted in Google Classroom. As students complete the challenge, they will earn prizes. So far, two students have completed the challenge. When five students complete the challenge, the whole class will earn ten extra recess minutes. Let's go!
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Week of December 16, 2024
Thank you to Chris Carella and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time. Thank you all for helping your children with their cultural dolls and slides. All of the students were very prepared. The dolls will decorate our classroom for the rest of the school year. Then, I promise, the students will bring them home at the end of third grade.
Please consider saving some of your used wrapping paper, boxes, and bags along with other supplies such as Scotch tape and paper towel rolls, and sending them to school with your child on January 6th. We will begin the New Year building forts, rockets, houses, etc. out of these supplies. Students should be prepared to share their supplies with their classmates and to work with a variety of partners.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
Our party will be on Thursday afternoon. Please consider helping. Here is the link to sign-up on Bloomz. We will also have a fun pajama/board game/movie day on Friday.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will visit our adorable TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00. We have made very cute pop-up cards for them.
Our language arts lessons will have a holiday theme. The students will each make a booklet of holiday similes.
They will also find evidence in wintry reading passages to answer comprehension questions. We will also squeeze in holly, jolly homophones, and snowy Madlibs.
In cursive, we will move on to writing sentences.
We will continue Module 3, working on more multiplication and division concepts and math facts for 6's, 7's, 8's and 9's. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue learning in the TCI Science Unit: Environments and Living Things. The students have done a great job of drawing very detailed rainforests and coral reefs.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. The students are already able to play a couple of songs on their recorders.
Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for leading our Art Vistas lesson. Thank you to Shelley Carella and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time. Thank you to Thanawat Kaewka for working with small math groups.
The Cultural Doll Project is due this Thursday, the 12th. We spent a lot of class time on the slides but not all students finished. Please check your child's slides on Google Classroom to see if they need help. The students will also need to devote some homework time to practicing their presentation so they will feel prepared to present to the class. All slides and dolls are due on Thursday, the 12th. The student presentations will happen on Thursday and Friday, with volunteers going first.
Thursday, the 12th, will be the last day for our student teacher, Mr. Gray, as his semester ends at San Jose State. Mr. Gray has been a kind and helpful member of our Wolf Pack for the last few months and we wish him well. We will surprise him with a big thank you banner and a gift card this week.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will have a Kimochi lesson on being kind and letting people try again.
We will visit our adorable TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
The students will create Winter Is poems that follow a part-of-speech pattern.
We will set up writing notebooks for the informational writing unit.
In grammar, we will study irregular past-tense verbs.
We will finish the cursive alphabet this week. Next, we will begin writing cursive sentences.
We have begun Module 3 and will work more on multiplication and division concepts. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue learning in the TCI Science Unit: Environments and Living Things.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Thank you for the donation of hand sanitizer and baby wipes. We are stocked up for a while.
Thank you to Shelley Carella and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time. Thank you for Claire Tamburovic for leading a Project Cornerstone lesson.
We have assigned the Third Grade Cultural History Project . This project is an opportunity for the students to learn more about their cultural backgrounds and share their family traditions with their classmates. The students will decorate a paper doll to represent their cultural heritage. They will also create a Google slide, giving background information about their family history and the food, traditions, and holidays of their culture. They will present their doll and their slide to the class in an oral report in December.
In class, I will help the students pace their work and teach them how to research information about their culture. The doll and slide are due on December 12th. I have given each student a paper doll template traced on half of a manila folder.
Please note: in this project, we emphasize that all Americans came here from somewhere else at some point, and Native Americans belong to specific tribes, so we do not want a student's doll to represent the USA. I will use this rubric to grade the projects.
Here is a sample of a completed doll from a prior student of mine, and another sample.
The project assignment, rubric, slide template, and recommended kid-friendly research sites are all posted on Google Classroom under the Cultural History Project heading.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will have a Kimochi lesson on being kind and letting people try again.
We will visit our adorable TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
Students will work on their cultural history slides in class.
In grammar, we will study verb tenses.
The students will also write sentences or paragraphs using third-grade core spelling words.
We will also practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We have begun a 3rd Grade 30 Book Challenge. I am challenging your third grader to read 30 books by the end of the school year. I know they can do it!
Each book must be read by your 3rd grader. Books they read in class count in their 30-book total. For each book read, the students must write down the title of the book on the 30 Book Challenge Chart, which is posted in Google Classroom.
If the chapter book is over 200 pages, it will count as two books.
The purpose of this challenge is to get your 3rd grader to read books they might not normally choose and to increase their love of reading. All students are expected to participate; however, grades are not given for the 30 Book Challenge.
We have begun Module 3 and will work more on multiplication and division concepts. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
We will continue learning in the TCI Science Unit: Environments and Living Things.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Week of November 18, 2024
Wish List: hand sanitizer and baby wipes -- I'd really appreciate donations. Sorry to be picky, but the students strongly prefer the clear Purell brand of hand sanitizer. Thank you!
Thank you to Shelley Carella and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping during our library time.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule runs from Thursday, November 14th, through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade.
We have assigned the Third Grade Cultural History Project . This project is an opportunity for the students to learn more about their cultural backgrounds and share their family traditions with their classmates. The students will decorate a paper doll to represent their cultural heritage. They will also create a Google slide, giving background information about their family history and the food, traditions, and holidays of their culture. They will present their doll and their slide to the class in an oral report in December.
In class, I will help the students pace their work and teach them how to research information about their culture. The doll and slide are due on December 12th. I will give each student a paper doll template before Thanksgiving break. Decorating the dolI could be a good activity to do over the break if the students need something to occupy their time. We also hope the break will give the students some time to talk to other relatives who may know more about their family history and cultural traditions.
Please note: in this project, we emphasize that all Americans came here from somewhere else at some point, and Native Americans belong to specific tribes, so we do not want a student's doll to represent the USA. I will use this rubric to grade the projects.
Here is a sample of a completed doll from a prior student of mine, and another sample.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
No school during Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will have a Kimochi lesson on being kind and letting people try again.
We will visit our adorable TK Buddies on Monday at 11:00.
We have begun the 2nd trimester of the school year. This trimester, we are going to focus on nonfiction reading and writing. This week, the students will begin reading books about different countries of the world (in conjunction with the Cultural History Project). They will write details about the countries on a notetaking page.
In grammar, we will study possessive nouns.
The students will also write sentences or paragraphs using third-grade core spelling words.
We will also read about the history of the Thanksgiving holiday and do several activities, including comparing the meal of the first Thanksgiving with the meal we will eat this year. The students will also make a small gift they can bring home for the family.
We will also practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We have begun a 3rd Grade 30 Book Challenge. I am challenging your third grader to read 30 books by the end of the school year. I know they can do it!
Each book must be read by your 3rd grader. Books they read in class count in their 30-book total. For each book read, the students must write down the title of the book on the 30 Book Challenge Chart, which is posted in Google Classroom.
If the chapter book is over 200 pages, it will count as two books.
The purpose of this challenge is to get your 3rd grader to read books they might not normally choose and to increase their love of reading. All students are expected to participate; however, grades are not given for the 30 Book Challenge.
We have begun Module 3 and will work more on multiplication and division concepts. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Week of November 11, 2024
Wish List: hand sanitizer and baby wipes -- we are on our last bottle and last package. I'd really appreciate donations. Sorry to be picky, but the students strongly prefer the clear Purell brand of hand sanitizer. Thank you!
Thank you to Sarah Keith and Agnieszka Jaskierny for helping us in the library. Thank you to Sarah Keith and many other parents who helped the students glaze their clay creations.
Monday, November 11th, is a school holiday in honor of Veterans Day.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule will run from this Thursday, November 14th, through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade. If you need help signing up for Bloomz, please see this flyer.
We are assigning the Third Grade Cultural History Project this week. This project is an opportunity for the students to learn more about their cultural backgrounds and share their family traditions with their classmates. The students will decorate a paper doll to represent their cultural heritage. They will also create a Google slide, giving background information about their family history and the food, traditions, and holidays of their culture. They will present their doll and their slide to the class in an oral report in December.
In class, I will help the students pace their work and teach them how to research information about their culture. The doll and slide are due on December 12th. I will give each student a paper doll template before Thanksgiving break. Decorating the dolI could be a good activity to do over the break if the students need something to occupy their time. We also hope the break will give the students some time to talk to other relatives who may know more about their family history and cultural traditions.
Please note: in this project, we emphasize that all Americans came here from somewhere else at some point, and Native Americans belong to specific tribes, so we do not want a student's doll to represent the USA. I will use this rubric to grade the projects.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
No school during Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will have a Kimochi lesson on being kind and letting people try again.
We are beginning the 2nd trimester of the school year. This trimester, we are going to focus on nonfiction reading and writing. This week, the students will begin reading books about different countries of the world (in conjunction with the Cultural History Project). They will write details about the countries on a notetaking page.
We will also practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We have begun a 3rd Grade 30 Book Challenge. I am challenging your third grader to read 30 books by the end of the school year. I know they can do it!
Each book must be read by your 3rd grader. Books they read in class count in their 30-book total. For each book read, the students must write down the title of the book on the 30 Book Challenge Chart, which is posted in Google Classroom.
If the chapter book is over 200 pages, it will count as two books.
The purpose of this challenge is to get your 3rd grader to read books they might not normally choose and to increase their love of reading. All students are expected to participate; however, grades are not given for the 30 Book Challenge.
We will review Module 2 on Tuesday and the students will take the End of Module 2 Assessment on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will begin Module 3: Multiplication and Division with Units of 0, 1, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
We will begin our first TCI Science Unit: Environments and Living Things.
The students have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We have a music class each Wednesday from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Thank you to Lindsay Jafari for organizing our Halloween party and to the many parents who donated supplies and/or their time to the party. The kids had a lot of fun.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule will run from November 14th through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade. If you need help signing up for Bloomz, please see this flyer.
Picture Make Up Day will be this Tuesday, November 5th. The make-ups are for students who were absent on picture day or for retakes if you are not happy with the first photos.
Library books are due for renewal or return on Thursdays.
No school on Monday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day.
No school during Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will have a Kimochi lesson on using words that help, not hurt.
We will meet with our adorable TK Buddies on Monday morning.
We will finish a novel study for Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as the students complete the chapters of the book, including a story map summary. We will also increase our literature discussions within our language arts centers.
In grammar, we will study concrete and abstract nouns.
Students will take the narrative writing assessment on Friday.
We will continue to practice uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
The students will also take an online Literably reading assessment this week. I will share the results with parents during the Parent/Teacher conferences.
We will also begin a 3rd Grade 30 Book Challenge this week. I am challenging your third grader to read 30 books by the end of the school year. I know they can do it!
Each book must be read by your 3rd grader. Books they read in class count in their 30 book total. For each book read, the students must write down the title of the book on the 30 Book Challenge Chart, which is posted in Google Classroom.
If the chapter book is over 200 pages, it will count as two books.
The purpose of this challenge is to get your 3rd grader to read books they might not normally choose and to increase their love of reading. All students are expected to participate; however, grades are not given for the 30 Book Challenge.
We are getting to the end of Module 2. The students are practicing addition and subtraction. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on most Fridays.
We will learn about Veterans Day with a Nearpod interactive slide lesson.
We will have a STEAM activity on Friday, a mystery build challenge, where partners will need to precisely describe what they have built to their partners who will have to listen carefully and recreate it.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Our music classes will begin this Wednesday and continue weekly from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Thank you to Sarah Keith and Shelley Carella for helping us during our library time. Thank you to Claire Tamborovic for teaching a Project Cornerstone lesson.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule will run from November 14th through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade. If you need help signing up for Bloomz, please see this flyer.
We will not visit the library or have a P.E. class this week because we will be celebrating Halloween instead.
Halloween Parade and Party: Thursday, October 31st.
Students should arrive in costume, and the costumes should not block vision, include any weapons, or be gory. The students can change into more comfortable clothes after the parade or party. Alta Vista will release students at the normal time of 2:40 pm.
Everyone observing the Halloween Parade must sign in for a visitor's pass at the office, with a picture ID, before the parade. You can stop by the office any day between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm to get a visitor's pass in advance. The line on Halloween morning will be very long and it is possible you could miss the parade if you wait until then.
If you plan to volunteer in person during our Halloween Party, be sure to complete the Volunteer Code of Conduct form at least one week in advance (you only need to complete this form once each school year).
Please go to the Bloomz app for information on providing supplies and/or help for our Halloween Party.
No school on Friday, November 1st (Staff Professional Development Day)
No school on Monday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day.
No school on Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will meet with our adorable TK Buddies on Monday morning.
We will continue a novel study for Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as the students complete the chapters of the book.
In writing, the students will finish typing and editing their narrative drafts in Google Docs.
In grammar, we will focus on common and proper nouns.
The students will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
The students will take a Module 2, Topic C quiz on addition and subtraction on Wednesday.
The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. I will send home an Xtra Math progress report this week. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on Friday.
In addition to the parade and party. We will complete Halloween-themed math problems, art, and creative writing this week.
Thank you to Sarah Keith and Shelley Carella for helping us during our library time. Thank you to Kelly Wang for helping with math groups. Thank you to Agnieszka Jaskierny for leading the first Art Vistas lesson of the year, and to Sarah Keith and Ruchi Bhatt for helping with the hands-on art activity. You can look forward to seeing the students' art in the annual Art Vistas Art Show in the spring.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule will run from November 14th through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade. If you need help signing up for Bloomz, please see this flyer.
The Book Fair will run from October 16th - October 25th. Here is a link to information on the Book Fair.
Our class will get exclusive access to the Book Fair on Monday, the 21st, at 11:20. Students can also shop after school on Wednesday through Friday this week.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
Halloween Parade and Party: Thursday, October 31st.
Students should arrive in costume, and the costumes should not block vision, or include any weapons, or be gory. The students can change into more comfortable clothes after the parade or party. Alta Vista will release students at the normal time of 2:40 pm.
Everyone observing the Halloween Parade must sign in for a visitor's pass at the office, with a picture ID, before the parade. You can stop by the office any day between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm, beginning Wednesday, October 23rd, to get your visitor's pass in advance. The line on Halloween morning will be very long and it is possible you could miss the parade if you wait until then.
If you plan to volunteer in person during our Halloween Party, be sure to complete the Volunteer Code of Conduct form at least one week in advance (you only need to complete this form once each school year).
Please go to the Bloomz app for information on providing supplies and/or help for our Halloween Party.
No school on Friday, November 1st (Staff Professional Development Day)
No school on Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will practice using words that help instead of words that hurt.
We will meet with our adorable TK Buddies on Monday morning.
We will continue a novel study for Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as the students complete the chapters of the book. We will also read a current issue of Scholastic News and answer close-reading questions about one or more articles.
In writing, the students will finish typing and editing their narrative drafts in Google Docs.
In grammar, we will focus on common and proper nouns.
The students will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We will continue Module 2; this week we will be adding and subtracting.
The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will continue weekly timed multiplication and division tests on Friday.
Last Friday, the students began a design project based on the book, The Most Magnificent Thing. They are creating their own magnificent things in the Alta Vista Makerspace. They will continue their creations this week, and use the design thinking process to refine their creations.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Our music classes have been on hold as the vendor completes the approval process with our district. We hope to begin weekly classes soon on Wednesdays from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom.
Thank you to Sarah Keith for helping us during our library time. Thank you to Kelly Wang for helping with math groups.
The fall '24 parent/teacher conference schedule will run from November 14th through November 22nd. Students will be released from school at 1:15 on those days. I have posted my schedule on Bloomz. Please click here to sign up for a slot. I look forward to talking with you about your child's progress in third grade.
The Book Fair will run from October 16th - October 25th. Here is a link to information on the Book Fair.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
No school on Friday, November 1st (Staff Professional Development Day)
No school on Thanksgiving Week: November 25th through 29th.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
We will practice using words that help instead of words that hurt.
We will meet with our adorable TK Buddies on Monday morning.
We will continue a novel study for Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as the students complete the chapters of the book.
In writing, the students will add endings to their narrative drafts. They will also begin typing their draft in Google Docs.
In grammar, they will review the last several lessons with a Unit 1 review.
They will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We will continue to study rounding to the nearest ten and the nearest hundred. On Wednesday, the students will take the Module 2 Topic B Quiz. We will also begin to use estimation as we solve addition and subtraction problems.
The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will begin weekly timed multiplication and division tests on Friday.
We will study the 4 geographic regions of California: mountain, coast, central valley, and desert, as we study the physical geography of Truckee, San Diego, Davis, and Palm Springs.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We will begin music classes this week! We will have weekly music classes with a music teacher on Wednesdays from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. Please send calming, peaceful energy to Mr. Gray and me as we listen to the 25 students learning to play the recorder in our classroom.
Thank you to Christopher Carella and Agnieszka Jaskierny for volunteering during our library time. Thank you to Sarah Keith for leading our Clay project and to Shelley Carella, Saket Bhatt, Agnieszka Jaskierny, Lindsay Fischer-Jafari, and Kelly Wang for giving lots of hands-on help on a very hot Thursday afternoon.
The Alta Vista Walkathon will be on Saturday, October 12th. It is a great community event and a large source of funding for our enrichment programs including field trips, and music and art programs. Here is information on the Walkathon.
The Book Fair will run from October 16th - October 25th. Here is a link to information on the Book Fair.
The Fall 2024 Parent/Teacher conferences will take place in November. I will send out a schedule on Bloomz later this week so you can book a time.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
Our Kimochi friends will help us learn how to show relaxed body language.
We will meet with our adorable TK Buddies on Monday morning.
We will begin a novel study for Fudge-A-Mania by Judy Blume. The kids will love this funny story about a family vacation in Maine. We will do a variety of comprehension activities as the students complete the chapters of the book.
In writing, the students will add transitions to their narrative drafts to guide a reader through their story, and they will begin to separate their drafts into paragraphs.
In grammar, they will study irregular plural nouns.
They will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
On Tuesday, the students will take a math quiz on measurement. This will be an online test on the Eureka Great Minds site. Then, we will practice rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and nearest 100, using a visual vertical number line model.
We will also have some fun this week -- we will weigh mini pumpkins on balance scales, using candy corn units of measurement.
The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will begin weekly timed multiplication and division tests later in October. The timed tests have 25 mixed number problems and the students will have 2 minutes to answer them correctly. There are 2 multiplication tests and 2 division tests. Once they pass a test, they move on to the next level. The goal is for the students to pass all four levels by the end of third grade. This week, I will show them the first of the four tests and they will take it untimed, as an introduction.
We will study the physical geography of California.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
We will begin music classes this week! We will have weekly music classes with a music teacher on Wednesdays from 10:00-10:30 in our classroom. Please send calming, peaceful energy to Mr. Gray and me as we listen to the 25 students learning to play the recorder in our classroom.
Week of September 30, 2024
There is no school on Friday, October 4th.
Thank you to Shelley Carella, Sarah Keith, and Agnieszka Jaskierny for volunteering during our library time. Thank you to Claire Tamburovic for leading our first Project Cornerstone lesson of the year. Here is a link to information on the lesson. Thank you to Saket Bhatt for leading a small math group.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
Our Kimochi friends will help us learn how to show relaxed body language.
We will have our first "Buddy Class" with Mrs. Arrieta's T-K students.
The students will complete another 5 Parts grammar/creative writing assignment on Google Classroom.
In writing, the students will begin to add more detail and more interesting sentences to their narrative drafts.
In grammar, they will study plural nouns.
They will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
We have begun Module 2 of Eureka Math: Place Value Concepts Through Metric Measurement. We have been practicing reading scales and measuring the weight of classroom objects in grams and kilograms, and we will begin to measure liquid volume in milliliters and liters. The students will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We will begin weekly timed multiplication and division tests later in October.
We will continue studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state. This week, we will map the location of California landmarks and find the distance and direction from Alta Vista to the landmarks.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Week of September 23, 2024
Thank you to Sarah Keith for reading a story to the students last week during our visit to the Alta Vista library. Thank you to Mr. Nitin for leading a small math group.
This week, I will send home an Xtra Math Report so you can see the progress your child is making on addition/subtraction/multiplication and division fact fluency. In October, we will begin weekly timed multiplication and division tests.
I have some students whose Chromebooks need charging during the school day. Please help your child to set up a nightly routine to charge their Chromebook at home.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays.
Picture Day will be on Tuesday, the 24th. All students will get their photos taken; you will get to see a photo proof before you decide whether to buy anything.
What to Expect This Week:
The students will complete an assignment called 5 Parts. Students will use a photo as an inspiration to identify words from 5 Parts of Speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns). Then, they will write a creative story using some of the words they have identified.
In writing, the students will begin to add dialogue to their narrative drafts.
In grammar, they will study pronouns.
They will also continue to practice writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
On Monday, we will review Module 1. Students will take an assessment on Tuesday. They will also continue to study math fact fluency with Xtra Math.
We will continue studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state. This week, we will map the location of California landmarks and find the distance and direction from Alta Vista to the landmarks.
The students will work in small groups to build tall towers with cups, using strings on rubber bands to move the cups.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Week of September 16, 2024
Recently, we've noticed an increase in cars parked in loading zones or blocking driveways, which can create congestion and safety concerns for both children and other drivers. I’d like to offer a few possible solutions to this issue.
Please avoid parking in loading zones or blocking driveways because these areas need to remain clear for buses, emergency vehicles, and smooth traffic flow.
Consider carpooling with neighbors or friends if possible. Children LOVE it. This reduces the number of cars around the school and makes the drop-off/pick-up process quicker for everyone.
If possible, try walking or biking to school for students who live nearby. This can be a great way to get some fresh air and exercise before class.
Arrive a few minutes earlier to allow for more time to park safely or to find parking a short walk from the school entrance.
By working together, we can make the morning routine smoother, safer, and more efficient for everyone.
Do you love math? I am looking for volunteers who enjoy both math and children to work with small groups of students on mental math number talks and logic puzzles. I have compiled the teaching materials so the volunteers will not need to bring anything. I have posted a volunteer sign-up in Bloomz so people can sign up for individual days -- Fridays from 9:30-10:30.
It is time to order our class t-shirts. Please complete this form to give the proper size for your child's shirt. (Let me know if you have trouble with this link.) Also, please let me know if you are interested in becoming our Room Parent.
Library books are due for return or renewal on Thursdays. Thank you to Sarah Keith for orienting the students to the library last week.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
Our Kimochi friends will help us learn to speak in a talking voice instead of a fighting voice.
We will begin small group centers on Tuesday and Wednesday. This week we will finish the short novel The Ghost at the Grand Inn. Students will find fiction signposts in a chapter and complete a story map after they finish the book.
In grammar, we will study adverbs.
In narrative writing, the students will add a lead to their draft.
They will also continue writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
The students will continue to study multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math and math fact fluency with Xtra Math.
We will continue studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Week of September 9, 2024
Do you love math? I am looking for a volunteer who enjoys math and children to work with small groups of students on mental math number talks and logic puzzles. I have compiled the teaching materials so the volunteer would not need to bring anything. I need the volunteer to come once or twice a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and/or Wednesdays from 9:30-10:25. Please let me know if you are interested. If I am not able to get a regular volunteer, I will post a volunteer sign-up in Bloomz so people can sign up for individual days and times. Please reply to this email if you are interested.
We will visit the Alta Vista Library on Thursday at 10:00. The students will be able to check out one book this week. It will be due for return or renewal next Thursday.
We will attend the virtual Be Seen and Be Heard Assembly via Zoom in our classroom on Thursday from 10:55-11:25.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
Our Kimochi friends will help us learn about kindly getting someone's attention.
I am still finishing up the Literably reading assessments so we will begin small language arts groups the week of September 16th. This week, the students will practice summarizing what they are reading with the Somebody Wanted But So Then strategy (SWBST) with the short novel The Ghost at the Grand Inn. They will also find fiction signposts in the novel.
In Writers' Workshop, the students will write their narrative rough draft. They will revise the draft week after week with focused lessons.
In grammar, they will study adjectives.
They will also continue writing uppercase and lowercase cursive letters.
The students will continue to study multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math and math fact fluency with Xtra Math. We are studying the Commutative and Distributive Properties of Multiplication. We will begin the week with a fun Breaking Apart Arrays project on Google Slides.
We will continue studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
Week of September 2, 2024
Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 2nd
Thank you for attending Back to School Night. I was happy to meet many of you and very happy to see familiar families again! In case you missed it, here are the slides.
I use the communication tool Bloomz to share photos, parent/teacher conference sign-ups, and volunteer sign-ups. Bloomz replaces other sites such as Remind, Shutterfly, and Sign-Up Genius. Click here for information about joining our class on Bloomz (English) (Spanish). I have already posted photos from our first week of school and the Brown Bag Reports.
What to Expect This Week:
Social Emotional Learning:
I will introduce the students to a Quizlet (online flashcards) set about our classroom rules and expectations. Every Friday, we'll have a lively Quizlet Live session reviewing our Happy Classroom flashcards.
The students will take online Literably reading assessments this week. I will use their results to form my first reading groups of the school year. I plan to start small-group instruction the week of September 9th. In Writers' Workshop, the students will write a first draft of their narratives. In grammar, the students will study verbs, and students will continue to practice writing upper and lowercase cursive letters.
The students will continue to study multiplication and division concepts in Module 1 of Eureka Math and math fact fluency with Xtra Math.
We will begin studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.
There will be no school on Friday, August 30th (Professional Development Day for our district staff) nor Monday, September 2nd (Labor Day).
The Brown Bag Report is due on Wednesday, the 28th. The students should rehearse their presentations several times on Monday and Tuesday. They can rehearse in front of family members or caregivers, in front of a mirror, or in front of their stuffed animals. The more they rehearse, the more comfortable they will be presenting their report to their classmates on Wednesday.
Back to School Night will be on Wednesday, August 28th, from 7:00-7:30 pm in classroom 12. I will talk about what you can expect in third grade. Back to School Night is for parents and guardians only. I will post my slides from Back to School Night on this website later this week.
I use the communication tool Bloomz to share photos, parent/teacher conference sign-ups, and volunteer sign-ups. Bloomz replaces other sites such as Remind, Shutterfly, and Sign-Up Genius. Click here for information about joining our class on Bloomz (English) (Spanish). I have already posted photos from our first week of school.
What to Expect This Week:
The students will learn a close-reading activity called Fiction Signposts. Looking for signposts will force the students to slow down and analyze what they are reading instead of breezing through their reading quickly.
The students will also begin our grammar curriculum. This week we will study nouns.
Additionally, the students will begin the personal narrative writing unit. We use a writer's workshop model so the students will begin with a draft and revise the draft over several weeks. This week, they will focus on choosing a topic.
We will also continue to practice writing upper and lower case cursive letters.
We will continue Eureka Math lessons in Module 1. The students are learning multiplication and division concepts. They are also practicing math fact fluency with a program called Xtra Math. They also use the Happy Numbers website to supplement our math curriculum.
We will begin studying geography and where our community fits within the world, our continent, our country, and our state.
The students will have Rhythm and Moves P.E. on Thursdays from 9:00 - 9:45 am. The students will also run a lap around the field most days. Please make sure your child wears shoes suitable for running every day. If they are injured or ill and cannot run, please send me an email or a note to excuse them from P.E.