Last Days to Note

Hello Everyone!

Can you believe there are only 8 days of school left?! Where has the time gone! Here are some important dates and information to note for the end of the year:

Thursday, June 1st - Field Day
Grades 3-5 Field Day is TOMORROW! Please have your student WEAR sneakers and an outfit OK for getting wet. Students may wear one-piece swim suits with shorts (girls), swim trunks with a shirt (boys), water-wear tops such as swim/surf shirts, etc.
Please also pack a change of clothes and a towel for your student! We will be ending with water stations, and will need to change after coming in from field day. Don't forget to pack different socks/shoes also, as the ones from the morning WILL be wet!

Friday, June 2nd
- Science test on Energy
- Volunteer Breakfast in Cafeteria
- FLIP open a good book, FLOP down and read: This is an OUTDOOR reading time! Please send your student with a towel or blanket and sunglasses (if they'd like), to read outside!

Wednesday, June 7th
- Class party! If you have not already, please return your child's pizza permission slip and $5. We will have a movie/pizza lunch, recess and yearbook signing time, and a special treat from our room parents!

Friday, June 9th
- Last day of school!
As a note, I will start sending home a few things at a time with your student throughout the last week so they will not need to carry everything home on the last day.

Friday, June 16th
-Last Day to order School Supplies through School Kits! Go to the website: http://www.shopttkits.com/ and enter our school code: 12575 to order your kit for next year!


Happy last days of school!



 

Hello! I hope everyone is doing well and that you are using some of this warm weather to get outside!

A few notes/things I want to share with you. Please see my email as well – there is more important information for Parent Eyes Only in there!

 

SOL Dates Reminder:

Reading SOL – May 9^th & May 10^th

Math SOL – May 18^th & 19^th

**All of our SOL tests are in the Morning, so it is very unlikely that your student will need to stay after school to finish their test!

SOL Vocab List This Week:

You may have noticed your students new word list last night – this list is a compilation of all the frequently missed words on the previous quizzes. There are 12 words. Students are still not expected to spell them on their own; however, they DO need to know what the word means and how to answer a question that uses that word! The quiz will be on Friday.

This will be the last week of SOL Vocab word lists.

 

 

Fidgets: Keep them at home!

As you may or may not know, Fidgets are a new “hot” item for students. These fidgets are meant to be used as tools to help students concentrate if they are unable to focus on tasks, have anxiety, or otherwise need an adaptation to help them successfully navigate the school day.

Fidgets have increasingly become a distraction and are being used as toys in our classroom. As such, Fidgets are no longer allowed unless previously discussed and decided on by parent and teacher communication. Please keep them at home!

*As a note, fidgets are not allowed in the SOL testing environments.  

Classroom Info and SOL Tests

Hello All!

I hope everyone had a wonderful break and that you're all ready for the last nine weeks!
I imagine you're all feeling one of two ways:

  OR


I wanted to touch base about a few things - upcoming dates, classroom procedure update, and SOL tests.

Dates to Note:
4/27 - SOL Vocab list quiz
4/24 - Earth/Moon/Sun Test
4/26 - Report Cards sent home & Fitness Night @ 6:00pm
4/27 - Our class will have a PRACTICE session with TestNav (using the SOL test program, tools, etc.)
5/9 & 5/10 - Reading SOL Test
5/17 - Interims home
5/18 & 5/19 - Math SOL Test
5/24 - Bike Rodeo @ 6:00pm
5/29 - No School, Memorial Day
6/1 - Field Day Grades 3-5
6/2 - Volunteer Breakfast @ 8:30am & Ice Cream Social @ 6:00pm
6/6 - Field Day rain date
6/8 - 5th Grade Ceremony
6/9 - Last Day of School

Classroom Circle:
I have been working closely with our school counselor, Mrs. Ross, to implement aspects of restorative practice into our classroom. Restorative practice works hand-in-hand with PBIS (our school behavior initiative) to create a culture of respect and understanding amongst students, as well as with the adults they work closely with. Mrs. Ross and I have recently introduced one aspect of restorative practice in our room - classroom circles.

Circle talk can often be seen as "silly" or "fluffy" talk. However, I promise it is anything but this! Our students are just getting started using classroom circles, but they have already reported that they feel it is helpful and that they appreciate having this time to talk and share with one another. Circle times provide students with a safe environment to share their concerns, thoughts, and so on with the class and teacher. During circle I may present a questions or issue for the students to respond to, or I may ask the students to bring up anything they think needs to be talked about in the class. This is a great way to start the day and to help students set goals for behavior, friendships, or anything at all, as well as give them times to address things they want to discuss.

We will continue using classroom circle for the remainder of the year, and I will also be attending additional training on this practice. I encourage you to talk about circle at home with your student, and to encourage them to bring anything that comes up at school to our circle each day (such as problems with friends, questions or worries about school, issues they feel the class needs to talk about, etc). If you would like to know more about this, you may contact me or read some more information at these websites:
-http://www.umojacorporation.org/files/5413/5402/9632/Fact_Sheet_RestorativeJustice_PBIS.pdf
-http://www.iirp.edu/what-we-do/what-is-restorative-practices


SOL Tests:
It is that time of year - SOL tests are coming up quickly!

Our SOL tests are in Reading and Math. Both tests will be split into two testing sessions, each on a separate day. Our SOL tests are scheduled for the following dates:

Tuesday, May 9th - Reading SOL Part 
Wednesday, May 10th - Reading SOL Part 2
Thursday, May 18th - Math SOL Part 1
Friday, May 19th - Math SOL Part 2

It is very important that your student be present, and on time, for school on these dates! It is in your child's best interest to take the test with our class during our scheduled time. If an absence is unavoidable,  PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP so we can schedule a testing session for them. If they miss a date due to illness, we will schedule another test time afterward.

Reminder: Your student must finish their SOL Test on the day they begin. It is unlikely, but possible, that your student may need to be picked up from school if they do not finish their test during normal school hours.

Please refer to the packet of information that was sent home concerning the SOL Tests, or email me with any questions you have.

--

I hope everyone is enjoying returning to their normal routines!
Ms. Strong :)


 

Upcoming, and Science Websites

Hello All!

A few things to note:
- NO Sol Vocab list this week
- Science quiz Thursday
- NO School on Friday for students (thru April 14th)

Science Unit/Quiz & Test
Our current Science unit is Earth, Moon, Sun (Earth cycles). We will have a VERY short quiz this Thursday just to sum up what we've discussed the past week, then we will continue after the break with the remainder of the unit. The whole unit test date is April 24th.

Seasons are a tough topic for most 3rd graders - I don't mean naming them, I'm talking about noticing when the earth is tilted toward/away from the sun, and identifying this on a picture. Please see your student's notebook page 116-117 about this: they do need to know how to figure out what season it is from pictures. To help see this more clearly since it is a bit abstract for them, try out some of these websites:

Use to see the revolving/tilt toward the sun/what areas of the eart are getting sunlight:
http://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/animations/seasons_ecliptic.swf

http://extension.illinois.edu/treehouse/seasons.cfm?Slide=2

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/earthsunmoon.html

http://interactivesites.weebly.com/earth-moon-and-sun.html


Career Day
We had an awesome career day last Friday! Check out my twitter feed for some pictures!

Cinderella Play
On Thursday afternoon, the students from John Champe are coming to perform their play, Cinderella for us all to see!


 

Dates, Projects, Etc.

Hello All!

Lot's of dates/things coming up in the next few weeks. Here they are in case you need it all in one place like me!

SOL Information
Third grade's SOL Info Night was last Thursday. If you were not able to attend, I sent home a copy of the information packed with each student in their Home folder today. Please let me know if you have any questions about this information, or if you think of any questions from now until SOL testing time. You can find many good review and practice websites on our third grade Pinebrook page, or click here.

Upcoming Dates/Things to Note:

*PLEASE RETURN your child's Field Trip Permission/Information form! I have all chaperones filled - thank you! They will be the parents of: Adam, Jake, Khayden, and Noah. 

*March 23rd  -- Triple Play at John Champe HS
*March 24th -- Friday SOL Vocab quiz
*March 28th -- Critter Can animal due!
*March 28th -- Spring picture day
*March 29th --  Ms. Strong's (and several other classes) class field trip - PACK a brown bag lunch!
*March 30th -- Ancient Mali Test
*March 31st -- Career Day -- Please consider signing up to share about your career! Contact our school counselors to sign up or ask for more information.
*April 7th -- No school for students / End of 3rd quarter marking period