Well
it appears Mother Nature keeps messing up our days at school! We keep hoping that it will soon turn nice
and we can be past all of this mess!
Last
Wednesday, we celebrated World Read Aloud Day where we spent much of the day
celebrating the love of reading. We had
several guest speakers in person and through Skype. The readers were a variety of people
including Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Suckow, Governor Branstad, children authors
Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, storyteller “Mrs. P,” Cresco Chief Police, and
even Ryan and Braelyn! The class loved closing
the day with some “Seuss Soup” and listening to Braelyn read Brown Bear,
Brown Bear, What Do You See? It was
great fun!
Starting
this week and going through March 22nd, your child will be taking the “Iowa
Tests,” also known as the ITBS (Iowa Tests of Basic Skills). Please discuss with your child taking his/her
time and trying his/her best on these tests.
We have talked about those things in class, but please let your child
know the importance of these tests coming from you. I am sending a copy of the 3rd grade's testing schedule so you can see when we are testing and what we will be
testing for that day. Because the tests
will begin this week, I am suggesting a few things to help your child prepare
for a successful testing experience:
*
Go to bed on time the night(s) before the tests
*
Eat a good breakfast the morning of the tests
*
Talk with your child about any concerns he/she may have
*
Emphasize the importance of the tests and trying his/her best (this is an area
we have talked about in class, but please talk with your child about the
importance of trying his/her best on the tests)
Literacy
and Technology Night will take place on Thursday, March 14th, from 5-7 PM. If you would like to come into our classroom
and have your child show you around and teach you how we have used technology
this year, come on down! I am sure your
child would love to show you how we have used technology. Plus, you can also fill your tummies with
some soup. Yum! Your child will also have the opportunity to
win an I-pad mini! How cool is that?
Last
week, I sent home a letter informing you about “Character Counts Communiqué” sheets. To build and encourage good character, I will
be using those sheets the remainder of the year when a child breaks a pillar of
character. Students will complete this
sheet and it will be sent home for parents to sign when a student has
demonstrated difficulty with one of the pillars. This way, a student is assuming
responsibility for his/her actions as well as working towards demonstrating
character. We have discussed what types
of situations lead to having one of these sheets sent home. Examples would be homework not completed on
time, troubles on the playground that were handled by pushing or shoving, or not
listening or following directions in class.
If your child receives a slip, he or she stays in from recess for 2
minutes. The students appear to have a
good understanding of how they will be used (and they don’t want to get
one). If you have any questions about
these slips, please contact me. Thank
you!
Your
child will continue to receive homework several days a week so please continue
to ask your child about homework every night.
Some assignments will be online assignments and others will be something
that they will bring from school such as a sheet to complete or a reading
assignment. Beginning in a couple of weeks, your child is going to begin completing
Book Clubs inside AND outside of school.
The reading assignments and their thoughts will be completed at home
while their thoughts will be discussed at school with their Book Club group at
the end of the week. I will send
information about Book Clubs later NEXT week, as your child will be bringing
home his or her book in a couple weeks. Please
look for the information next week. Thank you!
Finally,
we have a 3-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, March 12th. Students will be dismissed at 12:25 PM, so
please plan accordingly. Have a
wonderful week!
Mrs.
McCarville
I think I may have lost my mind! I mentioned in the previous post (that you all received a copy of) that I was going to send book orders home. Well, I forgot to send them! Whoops! Your child will be 
We
have completed the first week of testing for Iowa Testing. We will complete the tests by Friday, March 22nd. Please remind your child about taking his/her
time and trying his/her best on these tests.
We have talked about those things in class, but please let your child
know the importance of these tests coming from you. Your child is also working on earning effort
points for effort displayed on the Iowa Tests.
He or she receives the maximum effort points if he or she is taking his
or her time, rereading the tests when it is completed, and trying his or her
best. As a review of the same tips I
sent last week, I am (AGAIN!) suggesting a few things to help your child finish
these tests with a successful testing experience:
Beginning on Friday, your child is going to
begin completing Book Clubs inside AND outside of school. The reading assignments and their thoughts
will be recorded and completed at home, while their recorded thoughts will be
discussed at school with their Book Club group on Mondays and Fridays. Last week I stated I was sending home Book
Clubs information. Unfortunately, with
the weather interruptions along with Iowa Testing, we did not have many
opportunities for Book Clubs to be discussed or practiced. I will send information about Book Clubs ON FRIDAY, as your child will be
bringing home his or her book ON
FRIDAY. Please look for the
information ON FRIDAY. Your child will be bringing home a plastic
baggy that contains the following: Book Clubs information sheet, “Monitoring
Comprehension” sheet, assignment recording sheet, book, and post-it notes. The baggy will be used for transporting the
Book Club materials to and from school. Thank
you!
