Classroom Issue #23

Odds and Ends

*ISAT Testing: We will be taking the ISAT tests during the week of March 10th-13th. A yellow packet explaining some portions of this test was sent home with your child today. Please review this packet with your child and try out the sample problems. In the packet there is a written example of the extended response for the Pig story. We write our responses a little differently, using the "cheeseburger" model found in your child's reading folder. I will be sending home another sample of this response and how we would write it in our class for you to review with your child. Thank you for all of your help and cooperation!

*Testing Snacks: Once again, we would appreciate any healthy snacks or drinks you would like to volunteer to bring in for the class! This is a nice treat during testing week. We would appreciate any treats brought in during the week of testing, 3/10-3/13. Thank you!

*Spring Conferences: Thank you to those of you who sent back the conference request form. I will be making the schedule this weekend and send home your time and date with your child on Tuesday. If the time/date does not work, please return the form and I will reschedule it for you. If I did not get a request form back, I will schedule you a conference. Thank you and I look forward to meeting with many of you the week of 3/10-3/12.

Upcoming Events:

*Mon. 3/3: No School: Casmir Pulaski Day

*Fri. 3/7: Spelling: List 21 Test

SPIRIT DAY: Character Counts Day: Join me and wear orange for Fairness.

A Look at Next Week:

*Math: We have completed all of the lessons in chapter 10 for Geometry. However, we will not take the chapter test until after ISAT tests. We will continue to review the concepts in class next week. We will also be working on coordinate grids, probability/fractions, and review problem solving and t-charts. We have finished up practicing the multiplication test in class. If your child has not passed, please continue to practice at home. We will be doing retakes next week. Thank you for all of your cooperation at home!

*Reading: The students have enjoyed reading Stone Fox. We will being continuing working on that book as well as extended responses. I will be sending a story home for your child to read and answer questions on. There will be an extended response section. Please have them refer to samples and the cheeseburger paper in their reading folder to help them. I will be taking a story for a grade by the end of the week. They are doing a FANTASTIC job on writing these responses!

*English: We will continue to work on adjectives this week.

*Science: The students did an awesome job on the animal unit. Next week they will be picking an animal to do a research paper on and eventually make a habitat diorama about. We will be researching the animal in the computer lab and starting the rough draft in class. The next unit we will work on is ecosystems.

*Social Studies: Map making sure is fun in 3rd grade! The students are full of wonderful, creative ideas for the imaginary islands and towns. We will continue to work in cooperative groups as we finish our maps next week.

*Spelling: Next week we will work on list 21. The list is nouns with "er". There will be no pretest due to the shortened week. The final test will be on Friday 3/7.

Thank you for checking out our newsletter. I hope you have a fun and healthy LONG weekend!

~Miss Carlstrom

Classroom Issue 22

Odds and Ends

*Spring Pictures: We will have our spring pictures taken on Thursday, Feb. 28th. No order forms are needed and each child will have their picture taken. In a few weeks, the actual pictures and an order form will be sent home for ordering. Thank you!

*Independent Reading Project: The book mobiles are due Wed. 2/27. The mobile should be made about the book your child chose in January (either Animal Fiction or Mystery). We are looking forward to sharing and seeing each others mobiles. If your child needs paper or string, please let me know. Thanks!

*Spring Conferences: A note was sent home today with your child regarding spring conferences. The spring conferences are held on an as needed basis, so I will not be meeting with all parents. You can request a conference (in school or phone) or I may request the conference. Please return the note with your preference by Wed. 2/27. I will be sending home your scheduled conference time later in the week. Conferences will be held Mon 3/10-Wed. 3/12. Thanks for your cooperation!

Upcoming Events:

*Wed. 2/27: Book Mobiles are Due!

*Thurs. 2/28: Spring Picture Day: SMILE =)

*Fri. 2/29: Spelling: Prefix/Suffix Test

Science: Animal Test

SPIRIT DAY: Backwards Shirt Day

A LOOK AT OUR WEEK!

* Math: We are continuing to work on geometry concepts. We will cover area, perimeter, volume, and space figures this week. We will also be working on problem solving and t-charts. The students are doing a great job with mixed multiplication! The students will have a practice multiplication timed test Mon.-Thurs. I will be taking them for a grade on Friday 2/29.

*Reading: The students are doing a great job on their "hamburger" extended responses. What smart thinkers and writers! We will continue to practice our extended response as we prepare for the ISAT test (the week of March 10th). We are also starting a new novel, Stone Fox.

*English: We will continue adjectives this week.

*Science: Our animal unit is coming to an end. Students received a study guide this week with an attribute chart attached. We will go over the chart and review for the test on Thurs. 2/28. The test will be on Fri. 2/29. Students will be writing a report on their animal of choice the following week, so please help your child to decide on what animal they would like to research and eventually make a habitat diorama for.

*Social Studies: We started our map unit this week. This is a fun unit that the students LOVE! As they learn about scales, keys, and coordinates, they will be making their very own towns. This is a fun way to apply all that we are learning about maps!

*Spelling: We will take a break from the traditional spelling list as we focus on prefixes, suffixes, and root words. We will be doing a variety of practice sheets and activities in class, so please use those sheets to study each night. Your child will be storing them in the spelling section of their binder. There will be a graded review covering this material on Friday. This unit will be in place of the regular spelling unit this week.

Thank you for checking out this week's newsletter. Have a great weekend and

THINK SPRING =)

~Miss Carlstrom

Classroom Issue 21

Odds and Ends =)

Thank you to all of the parents who made our Valentine's Party fantastic! The students had a great time! Thank you to Mrs. Kuhn, Mrs. Burton, Mrs. Patera, Mrs. Seelander, Mrs. Gonzalez, and Mrs. Laban. Your hard work and generosity helped to make the party wonderful!

Also, thank you to Mrs. Imgruet, Mrs. Burton, and Mrs. Kuhn for helping in the computer lab this week as the students work on their frog power points. It helped us A LOT!

Spring pictures are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 28th. All students will have their picture taken. At a later date a packet, including the photo, will be sent home and you can decide to order or not.

Way to Go! The students did a fantastic job on IOWA's this week. They worked very hard and were outstanding students. Thanks for a job well done!

SUPPLIES NEEDED:
It’s that time of year again...the school supplies are running low and disappearing! Please ask your child if they are in need of any of the following supplies: #2 pencils, dry erase markers, scissors...anything else they may need to get us through the rest of the year! Thanks!

Roller Skating Party: If you want to go, please turn your permission slips in as soon as possible. They are limiting it to the first 150 students!

Friendly Reminder: In an effort to reduce waste and not waste uneaten food at lunch time, please pay attention to your child's lunch and what you're packing. There is so much food that students are throwing away. Please encourage your child to bring food that is uneaten home and not to throw it away. Thank you.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 2/18: No School: President's Day

*Fri. 2/22: Spelling: List 20 test

Reading: IL Workbook Lesson 5 Graded Review

Spirit Day: Clash Day: Join me and wear a silly, mis-matched outfit!

Six Flags Reading Program sheet due Fri. 2/22.

*Wed. 2/27: Book Mobile Due

*Fri. 2/29: End of First Trimester

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Math: We are busy working on geometry concepts. The students are enjoying all of the hands on activities, songs, and movements we can do as we learn about geometry. We will start our mixed multiplication facts next week. The students will be responsible for knowing all of the facts from 1-10 and be able to do 40 various problems in 3 1/2 minutes. They will be given a practice test all of this week and next week Mon-Thurs. The actual test will be on Friday 2/29. If they pass the test any time before Friday, 2/29 they will pass and receive the full 10 points. Please practice with the practice pages I will be sending home and flashcards. The Internet is a great source to "Google" multiplication games as another fun way to practice math facts.

* Reading: The students will be working on Lesson 5 in their Illinois workbooks. We are focusing on elements of a story and genre this week. There will be a graded review of the material on Friday, 2/22. We will be doing a review guide in class on Thursday to help prepare and study. We are also working on another extended response using the cheeseburger model (ask your child what that is! )

*English: We began Unit 4: adjectives this week. The students got to describe my silly outfit using as many adjectives as possible! We will continue adjectives next week.

*Science: The students are learning a lot about animals. They were incredibly quick learners using power point and made their very own power point presentations about the life cycle of a frog this week. I am so proud of their hard work! We will begin reptiles next week.

*Social Studies: We are starting our new unit in Social Studies: map skills. Students will be studying maps, legends, map scales, and coordinates. They will eventually apply these skills as they create their own cities.

*Spelling: We are back to the spelling lists this week. We are on List 20, words that are spelled with er. There will be no pretest due to the shortened week. The final test will be on Friday, 2/22.

I am thankful for such great students and parents~ Have a great long weekend and see you on Tuesday!

~Miss Carlstrom

Classroom Issue #20

Odds and Ends

*Valentine's Day Party: Our classroom Valentine's Party will be on Thursday, 2/14 from 1:30 until 2:20. We will be passing out Valentine's immediately before the party starts. If your child is interested, they can bring a valentine for each student in the classroom. A class list was sent home last week. A new student will be joining our room on Monday, making our class total 23 student. I will be sharing the name of the new student with the class on Monday, so they can write it down and add a Valentine for their new friend.

* IOWA Week: IOWA testing will take place in our classrooms next week The tests will on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday To help your child prepare that week, please make sure they get plenty of rest and eat a healthy breakfast each morning. We will do GREAT!

*Parent Helpers: The students will be working on a power point presentation in the computer lab on Wed. 2/13. I am looking for 2-3 parent helpers to help "float" around the computer lab to help the students as they work. There will be on the site training in power point =) Please email me if you are able to help out on Wed. 2/13 from 12:45-1:35. Thanks!

*Disposable Cameras/Film Needed: I have been able to take a lot of great photos of the students as they learn and explore in 3rd grade. We are almost out of film/cameras, so if you would like to donate one to our classroom, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you in advance for your generousity and help!

*Friendly Reminder: When sending notes to school for the teacher or office, please remember to write the following on the envelope:
1. Student Name
2. Teacher Name
3. What it is for
Thanks for your help!

UPCOMING EVENTS!

*IOWA Testing: Mon. -Thurs.

*Mon. 2/11: January Reading Party: I will be accepting reading folders Monday morning to attend the reading party.

*Thurs. 2/14: Happy Valentine's Day!

Party: 1:30-2:20 pm

*Friday: Spelling: Analogies Test

Math: 9's Multiplication Timed Test

Spirit Day: Wear Red in honor of Valentine's Day!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Math: This week we started Geometry (Chapter 10) and we have learned about plane figures (polygons), angles, and different types of lines. We will continue to work on geometry as well as problem solving and t-charts in the upcoming weeks. We are going to be on 9's multiplication. Please continue to review EACH night with flashcards or some other form of practice. The facts are becoming more challenging and mixed tests are just around the corner!

*Science: We have been busy learning about mammals, birds, and fish. We have learned about what traits those animals share. We will begin learning more about fish and amphibians next week.

*Reading: We are continuing to read various texts, explore authors purpose,setting, plot, and character development, as well as learn about different genres. We will continue to practice writing our extended responses as well.

*English: We are finishing writing our friendly letters. Your child has chosen a new person to write to: perhaps a friend, family member, or celebrity. This letter will be done in class and taken for a grade. I will be looking for the proper structure (5 parts of a letter), capital letters, and the 4 commas needed when writing a letter. Our next unit will probably be Unit 4, adjectives.

*Spelling: We will be working on an analogy review next week. We will be studying antonym and synonym analogies. There will be no pretest, but a test will be given on Friday over the analogies. Look for the packets in your child's spelling folder to see what we are learning in class. There will be no list to study next week.

Happy February! Have a great weekend!

~Miss Carlstrom

Classroom Issue 19

Odds and Ends

*Snow Day...those 2 words are music to a child's ear. I hope you enjoyed the snow and the surprise long weekend. We will pick up with any missed tests or work scheduled for Friday, on Monday, 2/4. This includes the spelling bee, which will take place at the same time (12 pm) on Monday.

*IOWA Testing: This years IOWA Basic Skills test will take place the week of Feb. 11-15th. A more specific schedule will be posted next week.

*Looking for Volunteers: Can anyone take a roll of film in for me to be developed? The pictures are of the students and will be used for an end of the year project. Send me a note or email and I'll send the roll home with your child. Thanks in advance.

Upcoming Events:

*Mon. 2/4: Spelling: Test for Review List 17

Social Studies: Chapter 3 Test

Math: 7's multiplication timed test

*Tues. 2/5: No School: Teacher Institute Date

*Thurs. 2/7: Early Dismissal: 11 am

*Fri. 2/8: District Spelling Bee: 1:15 pm

Spelling: List 19 Test

Math: 8's mulitplication timed test

Please join me in showing school spirit for Friday's Prairieview Spirit Day!

A Look At Next Week:

*Math: We will be finishing up chapter 4 measurement this week. There will be a comprehensive test covering both customary and metric measurement on Wed. 2/6. We will also be working in 8's multiplication. Our next unit will be chapter 10: Geometry.

*Science: We are continuing to work on animals, studying mammals and birds this week.

*Social Studies: The students did a fantastic job on their culture day presentations. It was so fun and interesting to learn more about each other and our diverse cultures. The treats shared by many students were delicious. Thank you for making the presentations a success! The chapter 3 test will be on Monday, 2/4. We will take a break from social studies as we focus on science for the next week or so. Our next unit will be map skills.

*Reading: We finished our unit on summarizing. The students did a great job either writing a summary or drawing a cartoon series that summarized the stories they read. We will work in our Illinois workbook lesson 5 next week.

* English: The students are doing a great job writing their friendly letters. Some of the letters are already in the mail and the rest will go out on Monday. Next the students will pick a famous person to write to. Last year we even got mail back from our favorite celebrities!

*Spelling: This week is list 19: words spelled with "or". There will be no pretest this week and the final test will be on Friday.

Thank you for checking our our classroom website. I hope you have fun playing in the snow!!

~Miss Carlstrom