Quick Reminders

Here are just a few quick reminders:

* Please have your child turn in his/her forms for the field trip on Friday.  The main form to return is the one verifying that your child will be here between 7:20-7:40 on Friday and will be picked up by 3:45 that afternoon.  The other form would need to be returned on FRIDAY and that would be if your child needs to bring medication on the day of the field trip.
* Please see that your child is bringing a sack lunch for Friday.  School will NOT be providing lunch that day.
* Your child is taking a short social studies test tomorrow.  I mentioned this to them on Friday and gave them the OPTION to take the book home and study the "big ideas" from our unit.  Your child may also take the book home tonight or study using the social studies link on our blog.

That's all!  Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks!

Busy, Busy!!!l

Hello everyone!  We are slowly dwindling our days away for the school year.  It should be a fairly normal week with little interruptions, and will be our last normal week for the 2012-2013 school year.  Wow!

Book Clubs will be ending this week.  Our last day for Book Clubs will be Friday, May 24th.  Your child will have his or her last assignment today.  Your child will finish his/her Book Club book by Friday, May 24th.  However, if any groups finished his/her books on Monday, those students will not receive new books for Book Clubs and will NOT have any new assignments.  I appreciate your help with Book Clubs throughout the last quarter, such as listening to your child read, helping your child monitor his/her comprehension, or making sure the assignments have been completed.  Your child's success with Book Clubs is an indication of help from you at home.  Thank you!

Our May field trip is just next week.  We are planning our last field trip on Friday, May 31st.  We are planning on traveling to the National Eagle Center and Lark Toys.  The National Eagle Center is located in Wabasha, Minnesota and Lark Toys is located in Kellogg, Minnesota.  We plan on leaving early that morning (around 7:45 AM) and returning around 3:45 PM.  Last week I stated I would send the field trip forms home.  However, once talking to the other 3rd grade teachers, we decided to wait until this week to send the forms home.  THERE WILL BE FORMS THAT WILL NEED TO BE FILLED OUT AND RETURNED LATER THIS WEEK!  Thanks!

For those students that read all of the calendars for the Pizza Hut Book It program, they will be rewarded on Friday!  Woot, woot!  In years past, we have had a classroom pizza party.  Due to the changes to our food program, we are unable to have a pizza party.  However, we will celebrate with a "Dinner and a Movie."   Your child will eat lunch in the classroom with me as we watch a short movie during that time.  I will supply a dessert that would follow the guidelines of our food program.   Thanks!

For the remainder of the year in math, your child is going to be working on mastering the multiplication fact families from 0-10.  My suggestion is to practice each of these fact families at home.  My suggestion to help your child learn the facts would be starting with fact families in the following order: 1, 2, 10, 5, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  Last week, your child started testing over the multiplication facts.  We have several students who are starting on their 5s already this week!  Once your child masters each fact family with 100% accuracy, he/she will move onto the next fact family.  Your child only has 2 minutes to complete 25 math facts.  Your child will need to practice the facts to do well.  He/she only has about 5 seconds to answer each problem, so practicing is a MUST!  Thanks for the help!  Please contact me with any questions.

Lastly, tomorrow your child will be bringing home several print-outs of different tests that he/she has taken.  Your child will be receiving results from Iowa Testing (formerly known as Iowa Tests of Basic Skills), MISIC/MAPS, and DIBELS.  PLEASE LOOK IN YOUR CHILD'S FOLDER FOR THESE  SHEETS.  THEY WILL BE STAPLED IN A PACKET.  I will be going over the information with your child before sending the packet home, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  Thank you!

Have a fabulous week!  Please contact me with any questions or concern!

Thanks,
Mrs. McCarville

A May Warm-up

Hello all!  It appears that summer is trying to work its way into our week!  I have been impressed at how the students don't appear to have too much "spring fever," but that may change this week!  Part of me feels the same way....I am looking forward to the warmer weather too!

Book Clubs have been fairly constant for the past two months.  Our last day for Book Clubs will be Friday, May 24th.  Your child will continue to have assignments today, May 17th, and May 24th.  Your child will finish his/her Book Club book by Friday, May 24th.  I appreciate your help with Book Clubs, such as listening to your child read, helping your child monitor his/her comprehension, or making sure the assignments have been completed.  Your child's success with Book Clubs is an indication of help from you at home.  Thank you!

Our May field trip is just around the corner.  We are planning our last field trip on Friday, May 31st.  We are planning on traveling to the National Eagle Center and Lark Toys.  The National Eagle Center is located in Wabasha, Minnesota and Lark Toys is located in Kellogg, Minnesota.  We plan on leaving early that morning (around 7:45 AM) and returning around 3:45 PM.  I will contact you, or inform your child, if you will be needed as a chaperone for the field trip.  I will send more information about the field trip this week, so ask your child about it.  THERE WILL BE FORMS THAT WILL NEED TO BE FILLED OUT AND RETURNED!  Thanks!

For those students that read all of the calendars for the Pizza Hut Book It program, they will be rewarded next week!  Woot, woot!  In years past, we have had a classroom pizza party.  Due to the changes to our food program, we are unable to have a pizza party.  However, we will celebrate with a "Dinner and a Movie."   Your child will eat lunch in the classroom with me as we watch a short movie during that time.  I will supply a dessert that would follow the guidelines of our food program.  I will choose a day next week where we will have "Dinner and Movie" and let you know when it will be.  Thanks!

Your will bring home his/her geometry test at the end of this week.  Once you see his/her test, please sign and return your child's math test.  For the remainder of the year in math, your child is going to be working on mastering the multiplication fact families from 0-10.  My suggestion is to practice each of these fact families at home.  My suggestion to help your child learn the facts would be starting with fact families in the following order: 1, 2, 10, 5, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  Beginning on Wednesday, your child will take daily timed tests on the fact family he/she is on.  Once your child masters the 1s, he/she will move onto the 2s, then 10s, and so on.  We have a small incentive at school to help motivate the students to begin memorizing their facts.  Ask your child about it!  Keep in mind that the students cannot use their fingers and need to have their facts memorized to fully master a fact family.  Thanks for the help!  Please contact me with any questions.

Have a fabulous week!  Thanks!

Mrs. McCarville

Welcome, May!

May has finally arrived!  It may not have seemed like it last Thursday or Friday, but the warm weather is here to stay!  (Hopefully!)  Today's message will be short and sweet with a fairly calm week ahead of us!

Today your child is bringing home a homework assignment that needs to be completed with you.  This homework assignment is a letter discussing how your child displays character inside and outside the classroom.  We discuss the pillars of character at school and how the students are to display each pillar.  Many of our 3rd graders have had difficulties with modeling the pillars of character, so that explains the assignment that you will discuss with your child.  I remind the students that they are very close to becoming 4th graders, so modeling respect and responsibility is necessary.  If you have any questions about the assignment, feel free to contact me.  Thanks!

Your child will be finishing up our unit in math on Geometry.  Hopefully, your child studied his/her "Geometry Dictionary" to help him/her prepare for the test.  Your will bring home his/her math test at the end of this week or the beginning of next week, so you can see the results of the test.  Once you see his/her test, please sign and return your child's math test.  Please contact me with any questions.  

I will not send home any more paper book orders for the year.  However, if you would like to order any book orders online, feel free to order!  You just need to go to www.scholastic.com/bookclubs (or click on the link at the top of the blog) and start the ordering process.  Our class code that you need when you order is: GQLKG.  If you plan on ordering books, please order by Friday, May 10^th, so that I can place the order and get the books delivered by the next two weeks.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask me about it!  Thank you!

Lastly, there will be a 3-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, May 8^th, due to teacher in-service.  Students will be dismissed at 12:25PM that day, so please plan accordingly.

Have a great week!  If you have any questions, please contact me.

Mrs. McCarville