March 16-20

Odds and Ends

*Conferences: It was so great to meet and talk with so many parents for conferences. I enjoyed discussing your child's progress in 3rd grade. If you have any more questions or comments, please feel free to email (eolsen@ccsd66.org) or call (630-783-5090) as always!

*Scholastic Book orders are due Friday 3/20. Thank you for ordering!

*GOING GREEN: We will begin our school wide plan to recycle plastic and aluminum next week on Tuesday. This was an idea that started in our classroom by the students. What a great idea to make Prairieview greener! Please wear green for our first day of our program and in honor of St. Patrick's day on Tuesday, 3/17.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Wed. 3/18: Jump Rope Assembly

*Thurs. 3/19: Egypt Unwrapped

*Fri. 3/20: Spelling: Test List 20

Book orders due

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will do some end of the book activities with Ramona Quimby Age 8. Our next unit will be on biographies.

*English: We are going to finish up the verbs unit 3. The test is scheduled for Thurs. 3/26. A study guide will be sent home.

*Spelling: We are back in the book. We will be on list 20. There will be pretest on Monday and a final test on Friday. A packet will be due on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are still busy working on ch. 10: Space. We are learning about the planets. Ask your child about "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos!"

*Social Studies: The students are learning about Egypt and mummies. Egypt Unwrapped is on Thursday and will be a great extension to what we have been doing in class.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We are going to start chapter 14, focusing on lines, angles, and plane figures. This is a quick chapter, so the test is scheduled for Tues. 2/24. We will also take the 2 division test on Monday and begin 3's division with the test on Friday.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ~Mrs.Olsen

March 9 -13

Odds and Ends

*Scholastic Book Order: March orders are due Fri. 3/20. Please send them into the classroom or order online. Thanks!

*Tivoli Movie: A permission slip was sent home today with your child to go see "Nanny McPhee" at the Tivoli theatre. This movie is to replace "The Grinch" from our snow day. We will go on Fri. 3/27, the last day before spring vacation.

*Spring Conferences: Parent-teacher conferences will be held Mon-Wed of next week. They are scheduled every 15 minutes, so please be on time! Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 3/9 and Tues. 3/10: ISAT Testing

*Mon. 3/9-Wed. 3/11: Parent Teacher Conferences (please refer to specific time and date previously set up with your child's math or homeroom teacher)

*Thurs. 3/12: Early Dismissal: 11 am

*Fri. 3/13: No School

*Thurs. 3/19: In school "field trip" Egypt Unwrapped

*Fri. 3/20: Book Orders Due

*Fri. 3/27: "Nanny McPhee" at the Tivoli

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts:

*Reading: We will be finishing up Ramona books next week. We will not meet for reading most of next week due to the ISAT schedule and early dismissal.

*English: We will work on expository writing and continue to work on verbs.

*Spelling: Due the shortened week and testing schedule, we will not have spelling this week.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are working on chapter 10: Space.

What we have learned so far:

-Earth's revolution, rotation, axis

-phases of the moon

-lunar eclipse

-solar eclipse

Up next: The Solar System and planets!

*Social Studies: We are studying Ancient Egypt.

We are exploring the Nile River, pyramids, and the afterlife.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We will begin division next week. We will begin with 2's. We will also begin ch 14, lines and plane figures.

Enjoy your weekend! I am a new aunt to twin baby boys,

so I will be in St. Louis visiting the newest members of my family!

I hope your weekend is filled with as much happiness and laughter as mine!

~Mrs. Olsen

March 2-6

Odds and Ends

* Scholastic Book Order: A new order for March was sent home this week. If you are interested in ordering, please do so online or send an order into the classroom no later than FRIDAY 3/2o. Thanks!

*ISAT Testing: We will begin ISAT testing on Tuesday, 3/3. An ISAT information packet was sent home earlier this week with our testing schedule and some sample questions. Please use this reference as you see fit. Also, you can look on http://www.isbe.com/ for more information about these state tests. We will begin the testing in the morning, so please have your child get a good night's rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and be at school on time. Thank you!

*ISAT Healthy Snacks: If any parents are interested in sending in healthy snacks or drinks (enough for 20 students) for the weeks of ISAT (this week and next week), please send them to school with your child. Thank you in advance!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 3/2: No School: Casmir Pulaski Day

*Tues. 3/3: Tues. 3/10: ISAT Testing

*Wed. 3/4: Monday Schedule: IMC

*Mon. 3.9-Wed. 3/11: Spring Parent Teacher Conferences

*Tues. 3/10: Report Cards Sent Home

*Thurs. 3/12: Early Dismissal

*Fri. 3/13: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class

*Reading: We will continue to work on inferences as we read Ramona Quimby Age 8.

*English: We will continue to work on unit 3 Verbs.

We will also be working on completing final drafts of our expository papers in the computer lab.

*Spelling: Due to ISATs, there will be no spelling list this week.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are working on Ch 10 Space!

We will cover the following in lesson 2:

-phases of the moon

-lunar cycle

-lunar eclipse

-solar eclipse

*Social Studies: We started our unit on Ancient Egypt...

we will learn about the importance of the Nile River this week.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We will work on t-charts this week. A pink packet was sent home with your child explaining more about t-charts. We will begin division. Please refer to the division schedule sent home with your child. 2's will be tested the week of 3/11.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

February 23-27

Odds and Ends

*Thursday, February 26, 2009: Spring Picture Day - All students will be photographed. Please notify your student's teacher if you do not want an individual portrait taken of your child. Look Before You Buy: Send no money now - View your portraits before you buy.Your finished portrait package will be sent home for review. Simply return any un-used portrait sheets with your payment.

*ISAT Testing: ISAT Testing will begin on March 3-11th. To help make your child comfortable, confident, and successful, please make sure they get a good night's rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and send a healthy snack to school each day. They have worked hard all year and will do a fantastic job!

*Classroom Party: We made a classroom budget for behavior for an extension of Ch. 9 in Social Studies. The students did a great job and "earned" a party. We will be celebrating with a pizza (provided by me) and movie on Tues. 2/24 during lunch. If your child does not eat pizza, you can send in a sack lunch or they can get hot lunch. I am looking for volunteers to donate a healthy side (carrots, apple slices, etc.) and juice boxes. If you can do this, please email me at eolsen@ccsd66.org. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 2/23: Math: Chapter 21 Test

*Wed. 2/25: Character Counts Assembly

*Thurs. 2/26: Reading: Book Mobiles Due

Spring Pictures

*Fri. 2/27: Spelling: Prefix/Suffix test

PTO: Ladies Night Out: Eye 4 Design: 7-9 pm

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We are continuing to work on making inferences. We will continue to infer and apply other strategies as we read Ramona Quimby Age 8.

*English: We are working on expository writing. We have visited the computer lab several times as we "publish" our work.

*Spelling: We will work on prefixes and suffixes this week instead of a spelling list. A packet will be sent home Monday. We will work on some of the packet in class and some will be sent home each night for homework. Please look in your child's assignment notebook for each night's assignment. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: 3...2...1...Blast off! We are off into our space unit (ch 10).

First stop: The reasons for the seasons!

*Social Studies: We will be traveling back into time as we study ancient Egyptian civilization.

Mrs. Olsen's Math:

*Math: We are finishing up metric measurement (ch 21). We will take the test on Mon. 2/23. We will be working in centers next week covering a wide range of concepts as we prepare for the ISAT's.

Thank you for checking in and enjoy the snowy weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

February 16-20

Odds and Ends

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thank you to all of the parents who made our Valentine's Party a huge success.

Thank you to Mrs. Scheiblein, Mrs. David, Mrs. Schmidt, Ms. Schulthorpe, Mrs. Duza, Mrs. Mendoza, Ms. Divis, and Mrs. Veverka. Thank you for your time, and energy to make our party FUN!

*Scholastic Book Order: February orders due in the class or online Fri. 2/20.

*Six Flags Read to Succeed: If your child is participating in this reading program to earn a free Six Flags ticket, please turn in your reading log sheet by Fri. 2/20. Thanks!

*Thank you to the PV PTO for providing a great concert by Mer last week. We enjoyed the music and his powerful message!

*Gym test: Students will be taking a written test on dance next week, either Wed. or Thurs. They were given a pink study guide last week. The test will be announced on Tues.

*Spring Conferences: A note will be sent home on Tuesday to from your child's homeroom teacher about conferences. These conferences will be scheduled with your homeroom or math teacher only. If you feel a conference is necessary, please fill out the form and return it by Fri. 2/20. Conferences will be held Mon. 3/9 after school, Tues. 3/10 after school, and Wed. 3/11 in the evening. A specific date and time will be sent back to you in you are interested in a conference. The conference will last 15 minutes. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 2/16: No School: President's Day

*Tues. 2/17: Social Studies: Ch 9 Study Guide Due

*Fri. 2/20: Book Orders Due

Spelling: List 19 Test

Social Studies: Ch 9 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We are working on inferences. We will be reading Ramona Quimby, Age 8.

*English: We are working on expository paragraphs. We will also begin our unit on Verbs.

*Spelling: This week: List 19: words spelled with "er". No pretest.

Final test Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We will begin ch 10 on space next week. First up: seasons and why we have them!

*Social Studies: We are close to finishing up ch 9. We will review this week. Study guides are due Tues. 2/17, so we can go over them in class. The test is on Fri. 2/20.

Next unit...Ancient Egypt!

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We are working on metric measurement (ch 21). We will also be doing math centers throughout the week, covering a few lessons at a time. Look for homework that will review these concepts taught in class. We will work on mixed multiplication reviews next week until Friday.

Next will be division facts.

Thank you for the warm birthday wishes!

Have a nice, long weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

February 9-13

Odds and Ends

*Valentine's Day Party: We will be celebrating Valentine's Day on Fri. 2/13. A note was sent home this week with the names of all of the students in my class. It is optional to pass out Valentine's...however, if you choose to do so, your child must have a valentine for each student in the class. We have 20 students.

*Read to Succeed! The Six Flags reading program ends on Feb. 20th. Don't forget to turn in the reading log (once you have read for at total of 6 hours) to receive a free Six Flags pass for this summer.

* Scholastic Books: A book order form will be coming home soon! I have put the orders online, so you can access them anytime. The orders are due on Fri. 2/20.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Mon. 2/9: Mrs. Olsen's Birthday =)

*Wed. 2/11: Prairieview School Spelling Bee 1 pm

*Fri. 2/13: Classroom Valentine's Party

Spelling: Analogy Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will be working on making inferences. We will read a variety of different texts to practice this skill. Also...don't forget...the monthly book project is due Thurs. 2/26. Your child should be reading a mystery or animal fiction book and then follow the direction sheet to make a mobile.

*English: We are working on the different parts of an expository paper.

*Spelling: This week we will focus on synonyms and antonym analogies. There will be a packet of activities we will work on in class and at home. The test will be on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We are taking a break from science for a week or two while we focus on social studies. When we get back to science, we will be going "out of this world" as we study space!

*Social Studies: We are working on Chapter 9: Making Choices and the Economy. Ask your child about our "classroom budget" and how they can earn and spend money as a classroom community!

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We finished up customary measurement (ch 20) and now will focus on metric measurement (ch 21) . The chapter 21 test is tentatively planned for 2/19. We will also work on 10's multiplication. This is an easier week for multiplication, so I will begin "testing" and passing students on Monday (if they are ready). We will test each day as needed until Friday.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs.Olsen

February 2-6

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Thurs. 2/5: Science: Chapter 9 Test

*Fri. 2/6: Math: 9's Multiplication Timed Test

Spelling: List 17 Review Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We finished the novel Stone Fox. We will finish up this novel study next week. Our next focus will be on making inferences.

*English: We are working on expository writing and focusing on good "hooks" (opening sentences) and use of transition words. We have been working in the computer lab to publish some of our writing. We will continue to work on expository writing next week.

*Spelling: Next week will be List 17, which is a review week. We will be looking back at our spelling rules from lessons 10-16. There will not be a pretest. The students will be assigned workbook pages on Monday and the pages will be due Friday. The test will also be on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are finishing up chapter 9 on the water cycle and weather. A study guide was sent home this week. The test will be on Thurs. 2/5. Next unit...space!

*Social Studies: We will begin ch. 9 on money and the economy this week.

Mrs. Olsen's Math:

*Math: We are busy working with customary measurement (ch 20) . We will continue working on this next week. Ch 20 test will be soon...possibly next week. More information will be sent home with your child, so please check their assignment notebook. We will work on 9's multiplication next week...ask your child to show you the finger trick we learned

to help us remember the 9's!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs.Olsen

January 26-30

Odds and Ends

*Thank you PTO for providing the students with end of IOWA testing snacks. The students enjoyed the yummy treat for their hard work all week!

*Congratulations to Cece and Declan, who were our top 2 spellers in our classroom spelling bee! They will compete with the other top 2 spellers from each 3rd grade classroom the week of Feb. 2nd. More details coming soon!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 1/26: Reading: Stone Fox ch 1-4 vocab. quiz

* Fri. 1/30: Math: 8's multiplication test

Spelling: List 16 test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will continue to read Stone Fox as we practice summarizing. There will be a vocabulary quiz on ch 1-4 on Monday.

*English: We are beginning expository writing. We will learn what is needed for each paragraph next week.

*Spelling: We are on list 16. There will be a pretest on Monday and the final test on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are currently working on chapter 9. We are studying the water cycle and weather. The test is scheduled for Thurs. 2/5. A study guide will be sent home next week.

*Social Studies: Coming soon...ch 9 on the economy!

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We finished up our time unit. Next we will focus on customary measurement (chapter 20). We will also work on t-charts. We are on 8's multiplication! We are almost done with multiplication!

Week of January 19-23

Odds and Ends

*There is no school on Monday, 1/19 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Ask your child to tell you about what a inspiration he was to the world.

*Tues. 1/20: Red, White, and Blue Day: In honor of Barack Obama's Inauguration, we are having a patriotic spirit day. We will also spend the day learning about this historic and important event.

*Scholastic Book Order: January's order is due Friday, 1/23 (online or paper order form). Thanks for ordering this month and helping our classroom earn FREE books!

*Go Green! We have been discussing the earth, water, and global warming as it relates to glaciers, the water cycle, and weather in science. This has opened up a lot of discussion and great questions from the students. We decided to try some simple things to make a difference in our world! We are going to try to all bring in waste free lunches ( or reduce our waste as much as possible!). Some students said they already do this! =) We are also going to try to reduce our use of paper and recycle plastic water bottles. They are full of great energy saving ideas! they might want to try some out at home!

Upcoming Events

*Mon. 1/19: No School

*Tues. 1/20: Inauguration Spirit Day: Wear Red, White, and Blue

*Thurs. 1/22: Math: Chapter 5 Test: Time

*Fri. 1/23: Spelling: List 15 Test

Math: 7's multiplication test

Mrs. Olsen's Homeroom Final Spelling Bee

A Look At Next Week:

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will begin a novel called Stone Fox. We will focus on summarizing and writing extended responses to the novel. We will also review self questioning and monitoring as we read.

*English: We will finish up friendly letter writing. We have also been reviewing unit 5 on grammar and punctuation. We will take a open book review on this material on Wed. 1/21.

*Spelling: This week we will focus on List 15. There will not be a pretest due to a shortened week. A packet will go home Tuesday. The test and packet will be on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We began chapter 9 in the textbook: The Water Cycle. We will work on lesson 1 (types of water) and 2 (the water cycle) this week.

*Social Studies: We will take a short break from social studies as we focus on science.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We will finish up chapter 5 on time this week. The chapter 5 time test will be on Thursday, 1/22. It will cover telling time, am/pm, elapsed time, using a calendar, sequenced events, and simple time conversions. We will also work on 7's multiplication. The 7's multiplication test will be on Friday, 1/23. The next unit will be customary measurement.

Stay warm and have a super weekend!

Mrs.Olsen

Week of January 12-16

Welcome Back and Happy 2009!

Thank you all for the very thoughtful and generous holiday gifts! It was such a special treat to have Mrs. David and Mrs. Scheiblein come deliver the surprise! I will enjoy using my gift cards!

I am so lucky to have such a great class! Thank you!

*IOWA Testing: We will begin IOWA Basic Skills Test on Monday, 1/12 through Thurs. 1/15. We will be testing in the morning for reading and language arts Mon. -Wed. (with our homeroom students) and in the afternoon Mon. and Thurs. for math with our math students. Please be sure to eat a healthy breakfast, have #2 pencils ready, a calculator (we can use it for one of the math tests), and a good nights rest to be prepared. Don't forget to remind your child to relax and try their best!

*Scholastic Book Order: A January book order was sent home this week. If you are interested, please send a check and the order in OR order online by Friday, 1/23. Thanks!

*Six Flags Read to Succeed Program: Don't forget to be logging in the time you spend reading onto your Six Flags Great America reading log sheet. You can get a ticket to Six Flags for reading a total of 6 hours. This is due by 2/20/09.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 1/12-Thurs. 1/15: IOWA Basic Skills Tests

*Tues. 1/13: Science is Fun: In School Assembly

*Wed. 1/14: Social Studies: Ch. 3 Test

*Fri. 1/16: Math: 6's multiplication timed test

*Mon. 1/19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will not be meeting as a class Mon. -Wed. due to IOWA testing. We will continue with summarizing and sequencing when we meet at the end of the week. We will also discuss different types of genre and point of view.

*English: Be on the look out for a special delivery in the mail! =) We have been working on writing friendly letters. We are now writing to a friend, family member, or a celebrity. It will be fun to see who we get responses from! We will also work to review Unit 5 (grammar and punctuation) and begin Expository writing.

*Spelling: There will not be a spelling list due to IOWA testing.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We will begin our next unit on water, the water cycle, and weather the week of 1/20. We will have an in school assembly on Tues. 1/13 called Science is Fun! This will be a great way to review the scientific method and how to conduct an experiment.

*Social Studies: Culture Day was a blast! We had a great time sampling food from around the world, seeing objects from other countries, and learning more about each other. Everyone was very well prepared and worked hard to make their presentation fantastic! Thank you for the hard work and effort!

We are almost done with ch. 3 on immigration and culture. A study guide was sent home for the ch. 3 test on Wed. 1/13. We will review next week as well. Please try the following to help your child prepare:

*Reread ch. 3 and answer any questions in the textbook after the lessons

*Look over Lesson 1-4 in-class notes and review worksheets

*Look over any completed ch 3 workbook pages

*Use the study guide to see what your child knows and what they need to polish up on!

Thanks!

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We are working on time in ch. 5. So far your child has covered: telling time to the exact minute, am and pm, and we are currently working on elapsed time. Elapsed time is a hard concept...please find times with your child that they can practice this skill! For example, if they have practice at 4:15 and it lasts 45 minutes, what time will practice end? We will also work on 6's multiplication next week.

Thanks for checking in this week. Enjoy the snow!

Mrs. Olsen