Final Fotos

Here are the photos I had taken.

Have a fabulous year!

Blessed and Goodbyes

Words cannot describe the flood of emotions I am feeling. Today is the last day.

Before today, we calculated that I would be in the classroom until mid-October. However, after "trying" to be in the classroom and "co-teach" yesterday and even trying to sit in the back of the classroom, the kids have helped me decide my presence is not a good thing. There was tons of energy and lots of confusion. Mrs. Cariveau and I decided together that it was best for the students for me to be finished earlier than expected. Please keep an eye on our blog for a little while longer as I will post all the pictures that I have taken throughout the school year and you can pull them off for your keeping.

I want to THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your child with me. They will all hold such a special place in my heart as being my "last class" (insert the tears here).

I LOVE Dr. Seuss quotes and I think this one is very appropriate to end on...

                                     "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Welcome our New teacher!!

We are welcoming our new teacher this week. Mrs. Cariveau! I am so excited for her to begin. I am gone this week through Wednesday so the kids will have lots of time to get to know her. When I return, we will be working together and then I will fade out the end of this week/early next week.

I have enjoyed working with all of your children and I am so sad to leave them. However, I am so excited for my new role in our district. This has been a personal goal of mine and the doors finally opened in the right direction, so I had to step through.




Coming home this week are usernames and passwords for xtramath.org and our typing website. Feel free to let the kids practice their math facts and practice their typing. As they master each of the typing "rows" they can move into prescriptive typing and practice until their hearts are content.


Also, our first math test is this week on Tuesday. The kids should be brining home their study guide on Monday so you can look it over and review skills with them. The study guides are set up VERY similar to the tests so if your child struggles in an area on the study guide, please spend a few extra minutes on it.


Fundraiser... is over. If you happen to have ANY coupon books left over, they need to be sent to school asap. I think we did SUPER and sold a ton. Thanks to Jordan who made it his personal goal to sell the most in the school, we are WAY above 100 books so our class will be getting a pizza party sometime soon once all results are calculated.

If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to email me as I will have access while I am gone.

Mrs. Farkas

Up and Running

Reading groups are up and running, so watch for books to be coming home. At this time, there is not a parent signing sheet, however students are still expected to read at home. They should be encouraged to read the book twice, however if they only get through once, that is fine. They need to read aloud to "someone". We talked that it could be a big/little brother/sister, parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent or even the dog/cat. As long as we are reading aloud.

Update on my departure:

My third grade position was posted online and they are currently in the interview process. If everything continues to run smoothly, my last day in the classroom would be October 4th. Then I will continue to be involved and co-teach with my replacement. This also allows me to practice "coaching" for my new role. I would be completely out of the classroom by Friday, October 11th. I WILL be doing conferences the following week, alongside my replacement.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I plan to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.


Other classroom updates:

*  Fundraiser booklets ARE DUE NOW. :-) We have done an amazing job selling as a class and I look forward to coming back and celebrating our success.

* Math homelinks will come home on a more consistent basis as we are moving along in our curriculum.

* "Stuff" needs to be left home. Some students are bringing jewelry, action figures, perfumes, lipsticks, bouncy balls, stuffed animals, etc.. However, all these items need to be left at home.

Friday the 13th... not in our classroom though

We had a great day! I was so proud of all of the students today. They worked so hard. Our clipchart is up and running so please watch for your child's "day" at the bottom of their agenda. Everyone starts on Ready to Learn and can either move up or down according to their behavior.

Going up: Ready to Learn, Good Job, Great Job, Outstanding, Top of the Chart, Off the Chart (also known as Onto Mrs. Farkas)

Going Down: Ready to Learn, Slow down (time to think about their behavior), Think about it (they fill out a reflection sheet), Parent Contact (you will hear from me)

Now, we all have different types of days and can sometimes start out crabby and then turn it around, so our students can move up and down the chart all day. They will record the behavior that they landed on at the end of the day.



Other notes:

We are doing such an awesome job fundraising. Keep selling those books.

Book orders went home today. If you order online, our classroom gets  a free book and you do as well on your next order (as long the special is the same as last year). The kids only took home 2 book orders, but online, you will have more choices. Our online code is GX24P.

Remember to read and follow our blog so you can stay up to date. On our last prize word, I think only 3 kids have gotten a prize so far.

Homelinks will start coming home next week on a regular basis. The point of our homelinks is for your child to share what they are learning and show you what they know. Please do not make it stressful "homework". If they get them done, great, if not, make a note on what is tough or causing struggle and send it back.  DO NOT WORRY!!!! They are another learning tool.

Gone: I will be gone Monday and Tuesday at a coaching training. The students will have a sub. If you email me and I do not respond right away, that is why.

Conferences: If you haven't signed up, watch for a time to be emailed to you.



As always, you know how to contact me. Let me know if I can help or answer any questions.

Forgot a Prize Word

I forgot!!!!

In my last post I meant to put a prize word. So... only after you have read the previous two posts from tonight please write the word BUBBLE in your child's agenda.

Just some clarification... you only need to write it once on the day you read the post (or when you remember) and as they come in, your child gets a prize from my bucket. Thank you so much for those that did it with PORCUPINE. I was a little worried after the first day and I only had 1. Yikes! However, I had several the next day so it made me smile or maybe it was the kid who kept saying, "Yea, and what is WITH the porcupine in my agenda!" Ha!

Thank you and I promise this is it for tonight (until I think of something else).

Mrs. Farkas

Clip On Up

As we are moving passed the "honeymoon" period of getting to know everyone and students being still a little shy, we move into the completely comfortable stage of learning and behavior. So starting tomorrow we will be using a Clip Chart to monitor our behavior.

The focus of the clip chart is on the good. The object is to find those around others that are using good skills such as listening and following directions and allowing them to "clip up" for their awesome behavior. There are different levels and students can even clip off the chart and onto Mrs. Farkas. Having students clip up has high hopes that others around them will change their negative behavior into a positive in order to also clip up.

However, there are times when students will clip down and need to reflect on their behavior. Our lowest level on our clip chart is parent contact in which you will hear from me and from your child in order to create responsibility for their behavior and actions in the classroom. I look forward to your support at home if you do receive a call or email from me and a letter from your students. Please discuss their behaviors and what might be done differently next time, however, clipping down and the steps that are involved are consequence enough, so do not feel like you would need to also punish your child at home. It is a time of communication, reflection and learning. Now, if you are getting a call from me every day, we might have to set up something different. :-)

This also works the same in the opposite direction. Your child will record in their agenda the type of day they had, so if they end on a positive note, please praise them like crazy and celebrate their positive behavior. The clip chart really works the best when both parents and the teacher are SUPER excited about those showing positive behavior. I'm ready, are you?

Have an awesome night!

Mrs. Farkas

(more information will come home soon about our clip chart, so watch closely for it, and if you have any questions, you know how to contact me)

Time for Time

During unit 1 in our math series, we are reviewing and perfecting a lot of our skills from second grade. This is laying the foundation for our "big kid" third grade skills. With that being said, we have lots to practice in order to be ready. So... please begin working on telling time (on an analog clock, the one with hands) and counting money (mixed coins and dollars up to $10). Your work at home will help SO much with our work in the classroom. We tell time to the nearest 5 minute working up to the minute and elapsed time. We should be able to fluently count money up to $5 and will work up to counting mixed coins and bills up to $100 or more, plus change.

You could see some practice pages coming home to help some students practice at home. We also are going to begin working more on fact fluency. Not speed and memorization, but building the foundation again. So we will review doubles facts and then move onto doubles plus one, plus two and making a ten. We will be using a program on the computer to help practice those skills once we have them down in the classroom. Watch for more information on this, as the kids can practice at home as well if they have access and are allowed to use the computer at home.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email or call. Have a great night.

Mrs. Farkas

New News

It is with excitement and sadness that I am writing to inform you of my leave from my third grade position. I have accepted a different position within our district and will be an instructional coach. My new role will allow me to support teachers who are new to teaching, new to the district or others along the way.

 

I am very sad to leave my students, but assure you they will be in good hands. I will work with my replacement to help with the transition for the students.  My transition will be a slow, steady one and will be finalized mid-October. 

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call or email me. Thank you so much for sharing your child with me. I have truly enjoyed every moment of getting to know them personally and academically.

Updates

We have had such an awesome time. We are starting to move passed procedures and are starting to dive into curriculum. As my own daughter is getting into her first full week of kindergarten, it helps me to realize what it takes to be a parent. Wow! There is a lot to remember, so I will do my best to send out as many reminders as possible, still keeping in mind though we are trying to build independence with our third graders.

1.  All Fridays are wear your Westside (or Bison) gear.

2.  Fundraising starts today. Books will be coming home with the kids. They are $20 each. If your child will not sell any, please feel free to send the whole packet back asap. However, if you do sell, they are due on the 24th. If you need more books, the kids need to bring their money in and Penny will get them more books. Please consider selling as many as you can. This is our only fundraiser and last year it was a huge success that allowed our PTA to purchase new playground equipment.

**One more thing, if our class sells 100 or more books we GET A PIZZA PARTY!!!!

3. Please make sure you are reading and signing your child's agenda each night.

Finally, if you have read this, will you please write the word PORCUPINE at the bottom of your child's agenda. When they show me, they will get a prize. Thanks!

Mrs. Farkas

The FIRST day of school

Wow! What a great day! The kids were awesome today and I am looking forward to such an amazing year. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Here are a few housekeeping things to take care of:

1.  Please follow our blog via email. This is my best way of communicating and I post pictures (if you filled out the online permission slip telling me I can).

2.  Make sure you reply to my test email I sent out earlier. If you did not receive one, I either do not have the correct email address or any email address for you, so please feel free to contact me with a correct one. jfarkas@west-fargo.k12.nd.us

3.  An email was sent out asking you to sign up for fall conferences. Please sign up as soon as possible. If you do not sign up, I will assign a time for you. Please watch for an additional email coming early next week with times for spring conferences as well.

4.  CALLING ALL SNACKS!!! We have the fruit and vegetable cart Tuesday through Friday. However, there are many times when there might snacks that your child does not care for (i/e cold green beans), so if you are able... please send a box (25) of snacks so we can store them in our cupboard. This will cover us on days when we choose to not have the fruit or veggie and on Mondays if a student forgets to bring a snack.

5.  Please watch your child's home folder tomorrow as there will be several forms that need a signature and sent back.


Have a fabulous night and as always, my door is open if you have any questions, comments or concerns. However, if you would like a speedy reply, email is best. :-)

Thank you so much for sharing your child with me. I can't wait to get to know them more.

Mrs. Farkas

Owl Pellets

Ask your child about them tonight! (more pictures to come later)

Smelly Situation

As the weather gets hotter, and third graders get older... please sit down and teach your child the importance of deodorant. We have quite the stinky classroom. :-)

Thanks for the help.

Huge Thank You

Thank you so much to everyone who donated items or money for our silent auction baskets. What an awesome gift! Our baskets were so great. Our toddler basket valued at over $100 and our dog baskets valued at over $65 each. Our beach basket valued at $35. Wow! So amazing!

The carnival had such an amazing crowd. We figured we had about 500 people. Such awesome support we have shown. So again...

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Mrs. Farkas

No More Mrs. Michelsen

Today was Mrs. Michelsen's last day. We celebrated/mourned her last day by creating personalized picture frames and enjoying chocolate cake (it might have been fat free, or at least that it what I'm telling myself). We also surprised her with a personalized gift and some great teacher things.

We are all going to miss her SO much. We also wish her the best of luck as she moves to Ohio.

A New Challenge

Today we discussed screen time and other options. After learning A LOT about the students, we have two challenges that we are going to try.

Screen Time Challenge
           ** choice 1: set a timer for 30 minutes and then turn it off as soon as the timer goes off
            ** choice 2: track the amount of minutes they are spending in front of a screen


Family Dinner Challenge
           ** Have dinner with whoever is home one night this week with NO TV. Bonus*** talk about your day with the people who are involved in the dinner.


Everyone is going to try both challenges. Some students are already doing these challenges, so they are good to go. We are keeping an open mind and with some, trying something new. :-) Thank you for supporting our challenges.

Mrs. Farkas

Minecraft... Is it overtaking your third grader?

This is taken directly from minecraft.net.

Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

What a great game! However, is it overtaking your child? After listening to many conversations in our classroom, for some of the kids, the answer is "yes". I do believe this is an amazing game that teaches kids to make a plan, work together, problem solve and use their creativity. But yet again, too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing.

 

Many students are bragging about the number of hours they are spending on the computer or playing video games. I just wanted to share some research with you on screen time. And point out that there might be an unawareness going on of how much time our children are actually "online".

 

Here is some information on screen time taken directly from www.mayoclinic.com.

 

The effects of too much screen time

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting a child's use of TV, movies, video and computer games to no more than one or two hours a day. Too much screen time has been linked to:

• Obesity. Children who watch more than two hours of TV a day are more likely to be overweight.
• Irregular sleep. The more TV children watch, the more likely they are to resist going to bed and to have trouble falling asleep.
• Behavioral problems. Elementary students who spend more than two hours a day watching TV or using a computer are more likely to have emotional, social and attention problems. Exposure to video games also increases the risk of attention problems in children. Children who watch excessive amounts of TV are more likely to bully than children who don't.
• Impaired academic performance. Elementary students who have TVs in their bedrooms tend to perform worse on tests than those who don't.
• Violence. Too much exposure to violence on TV and in movies, music videos, and video and computer games can desensitize children to violence. As a result, children may learn to accept violent behavior as a normal part of life and a way to solve problems.
• Less time for play. Excessive screen time leaves less time for active, creative play.

 

How to limit screen time

Your child's total daily screen time may be greater than you realize. Start monitoring it. In the meantime, you can take simple steps to reduce the amount of time your child spends watching TV, movies and videos or playing video or computer games:

• Eliminate background TV. If the TV is turned on — even if it's just in the background — it's likely to draw your child's attention. If you're not actively watching a show, turn off the TV.
• Keep TVs and computers out of the bedroom. Children who have TVs in their bedrooms watch more TV and videos than children who don't. Monitor your child's screen time and the websites he or she is visiting by keeping computers in a common area in your house.
• Don't eat in front of the TV. Allowing your child to eat or snack in front of the TV increases his or her screen time. The habit also encourages mindless munching, which can lead to weight gain.
• Set school day rules. Most children have limited free time during the school week. Don't let your child spend all of it in front of a screen. Avoid using TV and video or computer games as a reward for finishing homework and chores.
• Talk to your child's caregivers. Encourage other adults in your child's life to limit your child's screen time, too.
• Suggest other activities. Rather than relying on screen time for entertainment, help your child find other things to do. Consider classic activities, such as reading, playing a sport or trying a new board game.
• Set a good example. Be a good role model by limiting your own screen time.
• Unplug it. If screen time is becoming a source of tension in your family, unplug the TV, turn off the computer or put away the video games for a while. You might designate one day a week a screen-free day. To prevent unauthorized TV viewing, put a lock on your TV's electrical plug.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this. If you would like the link to the whole article from Mayo Clinic click http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/children-and-tv/MY00522


Please help me to encourage everyone to "UNPLUG" and be active together.

Mrs. Farkas

My girls

A few personal photos. My girls love their "mastics". 

Language Arts Map Test

Our first of 3 tests!

I am so proud of everyone. We did about 15 minutes of cardio before our test and took a few breaks during the test to improve our focus and it paid off. I am so impressed with everyone's scores. Some students grew 10 or more points. Wow!

We take our next round on Monday (math). I will be sending home Map reports at the end of the year, or sooner if available. They do not officially become available until the Map window closes, plus a few days.

One other note... midterms go home on Friday so keep a watch for those. Have a great night.

Mrs. Farkas

Junior Achievement Photos

MAP Test 1

Tomorrow we begin our first MAP test (language arts). We will be doing 15 minutes of cardio before we test to get our minds and bodies ready so please help your child remember to wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes.

 

Also, please plan to serve a Big, HEALTHY breakfast that will help them focus. Sugary breakfasts might be more fun, but do not give kids the sustained energy they need to make it through a big test.

 

Thank you and have a safe day. J Hopefully the snow does not stick around for too long.

Silent Auction

Silent Auction Help!

The Westside Carnival is coming up on May 2^nd. This year, we are doing something a little different. All proceeds from the carnival will be donated to a Westside family dealing with growing medical bills. This family is very near and dear to our classroom especially because one of our classmates is part of this family.

During the carnival there will be a Silent Auction with gift baskets people can bid on. The school is pulling together to create baskets. Our class will be putting together 3 baskets to put on the Silent Auction. We came up with 3 different basket ideas and brainstormed items to include in the basket.

 Please see the lists below and if you are able to, help us fill our baskets. You may either purchase and send NEW items to go with the basket theme, or you can send money and I will purchase the items to include in the basket. All items can be sent to our classroom with your child starting now through April 19^th. At that time, I will finish the baskets and prepare them for the auction.

The kids are super excited for the carnival and that they are able to help out not only a classmate, but a whole family. Thank you so much for helping us help others. What a great lesson we are teaching. J Mrs. Farkas

Beach Basket	Dog Basket	Toddler Basket
beach towel sand bucket and toys goggles squirt gun snacks sunscreen sunglasses beach ball/inner tube/ floaties diving rings/sticks/water toys noodle	leash collar chew toys regular toys treats bed smell good spray dog shampoo brush dog toothbrush bone bowl poop bags with holder J	Toys (ages 2-5) Sippy cup Blanket Movie Snacks: yogurt melts, goldfish, cherrios, squeeze fruits Stuffed animal

** You do not have to follow the list, if you have other items in mind please feel free to purchase those as well. Thanks.

Box Tops

Box tops for Education Contest!  This continues all April long! Last week we had an awesome response...let's do it again this week!!

 

All April long we will be in a competition with the other classrooms at Westside to see who can collect the most BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION to raise money for our school. Please send them with your child any day in April! Ask your neighbors, family members, co-workers—whoever you might think would purchase items with box tops on them!

 

Thanks!

April Showers

Oh my goodness, is it really already April? Do I post a comment like that each month?! :) We have been working SO hard this week and have accomplished so much in our learning, not only that but everyone has really BEEN GREAT at cooperatively learning and being part of our classroom community. I sure hope that's a sign that winter doldrums have passed and the fresh energy of spring has arrived!

A few quick notes:

§ Fargo Force and Redhawks Reading minutes MUST have been turned in today to receive prizes!!!

§ Our reading incentive programs have come to an end, but continuing to read nightly has night! We are having our own little contest in April so the kids can still in prizes out of my "Junk Box". They need to continue to read 200 minutes a week. Go reading!

§ Tomorrow we will travel to  Concordia College, to take in the percussion ensemble concert for our Learning Bank Experience. I absolutely LOVE this concert and can't wait for the students to hear the amazing music! In anticipation of some of the kiddos coming home and asking to play drums, please make sure that if you pursue percussion in band that your son or daughter begins piano lessons ASAP. Percussion students are required to have 2 years of piano! (according to my sources...)

§ The students are buzzing with the news that Westside will once again have a spring carnival! The event will be Thursday, May 2nd, and all funds raised will go to benefit the Schaeffer family and help to offset medical expenses. Please see the Westside Newsletter for event details. Our silent auction basket letter went home yesterday.

§ Mid-term reports for Trimester 3 will be sent home next Friday (April 12th).

More information and photos of recent learning and projects to follow soon!!!

Reading Notes

§ Return the February calendar for Fargo Force minutes! March will be our last month, and we want to finish strong!!!

§ March is also REDHAWKS READING month. Students can "double dip" with their minutes for both reading incentive programs. For Redhawks, students will earn a different prize each week. Weekly prizes are completed by reading 200 minutes. Each week that students meet their goal they earn a base

§ 1st = Pizza Hut personal pan pizza

§ 2nd = Subway 6 inch sub

§ 3rd = Redhawks poster

§ 4th = Free DQ Blizzard & a free ticket to a Redhawks Game

§ As in baseball, you can't get to second if you haven't gone to first. So students need to be sure to be tracking their reading daily and bringing in their tracking sheets every MONDAY!

§ March is reading month:

§ Friday - Cozy up with a good book! Wear your pjs to school!

Dr. Seuss

We are celebrating Dr. Seuss this week. We started our week by reading Dr. Seuss books during our read aloud time. We have a week full of Seuss activities...

Tuesday: Dress like your favorite Dr. Seuss character
Wednesday: Wear your fav/silliest hat
Friday: Wear your pjs

Please help your child remember to participate each day. :-)

Math and Catch-up

So apparently we have been so busy that I took a break from our blog without even realizing it.

So, there will be lots of posts within the next week to catch everyone up. :-)

First a little about math...

When you were learning multiplication facts, did you have trouble remembering some of the bigger facts, like 6 x 7?  Back in the 'old days', facts were learned through drill and kill. There was very little understanding involved. Thankfully, things have changed. Students are now encouraged to use strategies to learn their facts.

What exactly does that mean? It means that students use facts they know to help them understand facts they don't. 
Students usually master their 2s facts fairly easily, because they are closely connected to addition. That is, 2 x 4 is the same as 4 + 4. The 4s facts are double the 2s facts. So if students know that 2 x 4 = 8, they can double that to find 4 x 4= 16. Extending it even further, the 8s facts are double the 4s facts, so 8 x 4 is double 16, or 32.

This is the way it is taught in our classroom, so if you are working at home on facts and are wondering why we are not just "memorizing", think about giving your child  piece of paper in order for them to use their strategies and eventually, fluency and the memory piece will come.

(Also, everyone had a set of fact triangles go home about 2 weeks ago that help practice our facts. Students should be practicing at LEAST 3-4 times a week)

Until next time...
Mrs. Farkas

Half-Way There

Sending home mid-terms yesterday means that we are half through the school year already. Yikes! Where did the time go?! We have accomplished so many things already, yet we still have SO much more to learn and experience together. Looking ahead to the coming months brings many exciting opportunities, too!

This past week was our mid-year benchmarking, which interrupted many of our normal activities and lessons. I am looking forward to studying the data more in depth this week with our collaboration team to celebrate successes of our students and evaluate different options for further improving instruction. Every year I teach I continue to learn more and more!!!

Quick note on the mid-terms --- Please disregard the "Spring" label on top. I must have been dreaming of warmer weather when I typed that heading, because it's clearly cold and blustery outside as I'm typing this post. Does anyone else have that problem?

On Friday we started working on two classroom goals: 1 - clean room, and 2 - be ready. Every week we will start with a certain number of points for everyday of the weekA nytime I clean up unnecessary items or we aren't ready when expected we lose a point, and anytime students are going above and beyond we gain a point. At the end of the week if we have remaining points we've earned class reward time. We started Friday morning and the class was all-in! Students were working together well, encouraging one another, and paying attention to time management as we transitioned throughout the day. It was great!

I encouraged everyone to find some creative ways to be active INdoors over the weekend due to the cold temperatures. I promised to post a link to a Zumba class that I found online. I haven't watched it all the way through, but the video is from Hull College and appears to be led by a college student. The man who leads it is quite the dancer, and it's a great workout! Here's the link to YouTube!

Math, Math and More Math

Just want to give everyone a heads up for our math homework tonight. We struggled a little with our study guide today as we have learned ALL new concepts this chapter. There is a practice packet coming home tonight to help. Here is how it can work.

 

The kids have been told they can do a few problems from each section and if they are getting them all correct without any help, they do not have to do the whole packet. However, if they complete 5 whole pages (front and back) correctly, they will get ‘something’ from me. J

 

So… as a parent, if they do not finish the whole thing, it is not a big deal. It is about finding the area of struggle and practicing. J

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

Adventures in PowerPoint

Today  we started a new adventure with technology and learning. We are doing a technique known as Jigsaw when we break off into groups and are in charge of becoming "experts" and then teaching others.

Today we broke off into groups of 5 and separated our Social Studies unit into sections. We started reading and recording our information. We also had a preview of what our final product could look like. Yes indeed... we are doing PowerPoints. It might take us awhile, but what motivation it creates. The kids are so excited to start their final projects and know it is going to take some hard work to get the information ready to go but with a final project like a PowerPoint, they have all the motivation they need.


Other important notes:

We have a math test coming up on Friday. Watch for the study guide to come home tomorrow so you can go over things with your child.

Library is tomorrow (Thursday).

Conference slips went home today. They are due back on the 18th (I believe) or sooner.


Upcoming event:

Parents in the classroom.

Have you ever wondered what goes on in your child's classroom? Ever thought of volunteering an hour or two? Now is the time. The months of February and March are "Bring your parent to school" months in our classroom. Let's set up a time to get you into our classroom to work with kids, read a book, correct papers, help with recess, assist during teaching, etc. What a great way for you to show your child how much you care about their education and a neat way to give you an idea of how things happen in our room. More information will be coming soon, but if you are interested right away, please let me know so I can start the schedule.

Back in the swing...

Welcome back!

Wow what a great vacation, but am I the only one who thinks it went by way too fast? We shared some of our favorites (and not-so-favorites) from our vacation and it sounds like next year Santa needs to stay away from clothes. :-)

It was so great to see everyone back. Yesterday was a little crazy with all the excitement of seeing our friends... today, not so much. We are all pretty sleepy. But we are right back into our regular routine. Here is what we are working on...

Math: Decimals! Yikes! Although, we are seeing the light turn on for many and are really getting a great grasp on things.

Writing: Building the paragraph. This is a huge skill for 3rd graders that works on taking our current stories and "beefing" them up a little.

Science: Magnets with Mrs. Clarey

Social Studies: Moving on to Unit 3 and learning about how people affect a community. We have had some VERY interesting conversations in only 1 day.

Reading: We have started small groups with myself. Our skill this week is author's purpose and irregular verbs.

Quick reminders:

Fargo Force reading calendars were due.

Snow gear needs to come to school every day. :-) It's cold out!