Report Cards and Halloween

We have quite a busy week ahead of us.  Report cards, high school volleyball and football games, and Halloween!  Sounds like a highly energetic week!  Yikes!

If you have not scheduled a parent teacher conference time, please do so as soon as possible.  If you are unable to schedule online, please call the elementary office and set up a time that works for you.  If something does not work, please let me know so I can rearrange/reschedule a time that best fits your schedule as conferences are next week.  Your child's report card is going to be sent home on Wednesday, October 30th.  If you have any questions regarding your child’s grades, we can discuss the questions at conferences time.  Thanks!


Your child’s October reading calendar is due on Friday (or Monday if your child forgets to bring it on Friday).  I will be sending home your child’s November reading calendar on Friday.  The calendar includes a reading goal of 250 minutes that your child will be asked to complete by the end of the month.  If your child reads 20 minutes or more a night, he/she is to color in the icon for that night.  If he/she brings the calendar back at the end of the month and read the amount of minutes his/her goal requires, he/she will get a pizza certificate to Pizza Hut.  If your child brings back all the calendars through April, he/she will get rewarded for a school year of reading! J  This is an OPTIONAL program for students.  Each student will get a calendar every month, but I am not requiring him or her to complete it if they choose not to.  However, if they do not complete the calendars, they will not get the opportunity to eat and celebrate with those who complete it.  If you have any questions about the program, please ask!

We have been talking about author's purpose, or the reason an author writes, in literacy.  I have been reading different picture books to the students to see if they can decide whether the author's purpose is to entertain, inform, or persuade.  I read a book called The Man Who Walked Between the Towers written by Mordicai Gerstein.  We decided that the book was written to inform because it is a true story of Philippe Petit walking on a wire between the World Trade Centers, but also to entertain as it wrote the story of his journey.  I found a "You Tube" video that included pictures of the actual event taking place.  Ask your 3C child about it and enjoy!

Lastly, picture retakes will take place on Tuesday, October 29th.  If your child is planning on retakes, please plan for this accordingly.  Thank you!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  Have a wonderful week!
Mrs. McCarville

Character Counts Week

Welcome to the 2nd quarter!  We are in a great routine and things are running smoothly in the classroom.  Yah!

“Tomas and the Library Lady" was a great play on Tuesday.  The students were all very well behaved and displayed Cadet Pride in a theatre of at least 1,000 students.  Way to go 3^rd graders!  Hopefully they shared what they liked about the play with you!

This week is “Character Counts” week.  To celebrate “Character Counts” at the elementary, we are having our own colored themed “dress up days.”  The days are as follows:

Monday, October 21st – Respect Ourselves and Others and being Drug Free!

* It is also Red Ribbon week, so what better way to start off Character Counts week by celebrating being drug free and respecting ourselves and others!  Students are encouraged to wear yellow this day to show support for a drug free school and community where people respect each other!

Tuesday October 22nd – We Care About Each Other!

* Come to school in your favorite shade of red!  We will celebrate the pillar of Caring and being kind to one another.

Wednesday, October 23rd – Responsible Rocks!

* Show us your inner green by wearing as much green as you can on this day, and rock out to how responsible we are at Howard-Winneshiek Schools! 

Thursday, October 24th – Citizens Unite!

* We will be celebrating being a good citizen who contributes to our school and community!  Come to school dressed in your best purple to show we are global learners and active citizens in our world!

Friday, October 25th– Give me a "T" for Trustworthy and an "F" for Fairness - Show your school spirit by wearing your Cadet gear!  We will celebrate the pillar of Fairness and Trustworthiness for good sportsmanship and true blue trustworthiness! 

Along with the colored themed dress-up days, there will be a "Character Counts Citizenship Project" that Mrs. McCabe, the guidance counselor, will be organizing.  This year's "Character Counts Citizenship Project" is a winter wear donation box.  Please help students donate NEW winter items including socks, mittens, hats, or gloves.  These items will be dispersed throughout the Howard-Winneshiek School District.  Thanks for your support!

The Chip Shoppe Fundraiser is due on Tuesday, October 22nd.  Please see that your child returns his/her envelope with the money and order form by that date.  Thank you!

On Friday, you were given a note from the school explaining Parent Teacher Conferences and online scheduling.  You may begin signing up for conferences on Wednesday, October 23rd.  If you have any questions about Parent Teacher Conferences scheduling, please contact Linda at the office or myself.  Thanks!

Lastly, there will be a 3-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, October 23rd.  We are dismissing at 12:25PM, so please plan accordingly.  Please contact me with any questions.

Have a great week!
Mrs. McCarville

Unfortunate Behaviors

Dear Parents,

Your child will be bringing home a letter that he/she has written about his/her behavior during dismissal time yesterday.  I was not here during dismissal and another teacher came into the classroom to dismiss 3C.  Unfortunately, I was informed that the class was loud and disrespectful at dismissal time, so the class is doing a little work for me today.  Each student is writing apology letters to Mrs. Watt and writing a letter to YOU about his/her behavior.  I would like for you to discuss your child's behavior and sign this sheet indicating you and your child discussed his/her behavior, and return it to me tomorrow.  I would appreciate your help in this matter.  Thanks and let me know if you have any questions!

Mrs. McCarville

Cadet Nation

I left early today for an appointment so I never was able to relay a message to the students.  If possible, lease have your child wear his/her Cadet Nation T-shirt to school tomorrow.  We are representing Crestwood Elementary School when we go to the play at UNI and would like to wear our new shirts.  Thanks!

End of the First Quarter

Can you believe on Friday it is the end of the first quarter?  CrAzY!  Time has truly flown by this quarter!

To begin with, we have our first field trip TOMORROW.  Woot!  Woot!  The class is excited to go to Cedar Falls, (maybe because we get to ride in a Hawkeye Stages bus!!!), and watch the play of "Tomas and the Library Lady."  The play is based on the book Tomas and the Library Lady, by Pat Mora.  We plan on listening to the story online to find out what the book is about.  I have included 2 links that you can click on below.  The first link is a book trailer of the story and the second is a promo video of the story. 

Tomas' and the Library Lady Book Trailer 

Tomas' and the Library Lady Promo Video

Your child WILL need to bring his/her own school lunch for that day UNLESS he/she informed me of having a sack lunch from the school.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you!

Today, I will be sending your child's Unit 1 assessment in math.  Please look over the test with your child and discuss the test with him/her.  Look over the questions that were missed and ask your child to solve the missed questions.  Please sign the sheet attached to the test to indicate that you have looked over the test and discussed the missed problems.  Finally, please have your child return the sheet to me.  Some of the students may also receive a note attached to a review packet.  If your child receives a review packet, he/she needs to review skills in the unit.  Your child is expected to complete the packet at home with help from you.  Your child does NOT need to return the packet, but your child DOES need to complete it.  If you would like for your child to turn it into me, I would be more than willing to check it over and let your child know how he/she did.  If you have any questions when the tests go home today, please contact me.  Thank you!

Lastly, picture retakes will take place on Tuesday, October 29th.  If your child is planning on retakes, please plan for this accordingly.  Thank you!

Please contact me with any questions/concerns.  Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. McCarville

The ONE

Today, we had great discussions and activities dealing with bullying.  We read the book One by Kathryn Otoshi and learned that it only takes one to stand up to bullying.  We also watched some videos that you can click below on bullying.  After reading the book and watching the videos I posted below, we all made a commitment saying that we will be "The ONE" to stand up against bullying.   Please check out the students' blog pages as they posted pic collages on bullying and shared what they would do to help stand up to bullying.   Check out the videos below and some of the pictures that were taken today.  Remember, it just takes ONE!  Enjoy!

Going Full Force

Well, we are only two weeks out and it is already the end of the 1st quarter!  Where did that time go?  In the classroom, we have been drilling routines and making sure our classroom is running smoothly.  This week, we will begin the normal routine during literacy as we have practiced, practiced, and PRACTICED Daily Five and what it will look like and sound like.  We are also to the point that if any student has difficulty with any component with Daily Five, he or she will practice at a recess time.  Our goal is for everyone to find success in our classroom.  In order to find success, each individual must be responsible for his/her behavior.  Ask your child how he/she is responsible in the classroom.  Is he/she working to be successful by being a respectful listener, by following directions, and by working independently?  Class Dojo points and Cadet Pride tickets earned give students an idea of how he/she is doing in this area.  We will continue to use both of these inside and outside of our classroom to reward students for their positive behaviors.  Ask your child how he/she is being respectful in the classroom.

Homecoming Week has come and gone....kind of!  The game was rescheduled for tonight but we sure had fun dressing up last week.  Take a peek at Miss Haley dressing up for our mismatched day last week.  (I dressed up for it, or at least I thought I did, but the class thought it looked pretty good!  Whoops!  I missed out on that one!)

Today we are going to celebrate "International Stand Up to Bullying Day."  Your child was to wear his/her new Cadet Nation T-shirt to help dress for our "Blue Out" day.  I will post later tonight some pictures and video links to share what our class did to stand up to bullying.  Your child will also post on their blog pages for bullying day, so check them out!

We are going to partake in our first field trip for the year.  The third graders will be traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Tuesday, October 15th. There will be a note being sent home later this week explaining what your child should bring with him or her for this bus trip.  PLEASE SEE THE NOTE LATER THIS WEEK!  We are leaving school around 10:30 AM and returning in time for dismissal around 3:15 PM.  Your child WILL need to bring his/her own school lunch for that day.  PLEASE READ THE NOTE REGARDING WHAT YOUR CHILD CAN AND CANNOT BRING LATER THIS WEEK.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you!

Some of the students in our class have been bringing different things to play with at recess such as cars, dolls, small toys, etc.  Your child knows he/she is responsible for the toys and knows that there is a possibility that the toy(s) could break or get lost.  While I have no problem with the students bringing those things for recess, I do have a problem with those toys coming inside the classroom.  Please discuss this with your child and explain that the toys belong in his/her locker and can be used at recess and no place else.  Thank you!

Lastly, there will be a 3-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, October 9th.  We are dismissing at 12:25PM, so please plan accordingly.  Please contact me with any questions.

Have a great week!
Mrs. McCarville