Week of 2/24

Odds and Ends: 

*ISAT Testing: We will begin ISAT testing on Tues. 3/4. We will take one test a day Tues-Thurs both the week of 3/3 and 3/10.  Research shows that healthy snacks help boost brain power. I am looking for parent volunteers to send in donations of healthy snacks or juice boxes to share with the students on the day of the tests. We have 18 students in the class, so please send in enough for each child. We have nut and gluten allergies, so please consider those when selecting a snack. You can begin sending the snacks in as early as next week. Thank you for your help!

*Prize Box: Donations always welcome to our classroom prize box! Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Tues. 2/25: Math: Ch. 10 Fractions Test
English: Friendly Letter Graded Review

*Thurs. 2/27: Spelling: List 18 test
Social Studies: Chicago Quiz I: Open book review

*Fri. 2/28: No School: Teacher Institute

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will wrap up our work on our winter novels. We will begin a study of biographies.

* English: We will begin a unit on narrative writing. The students wrote a final letter to the celebrity of their choice. The friendly letter graded review will be on Tues. The students will need to know the 5 parts of a friendly letter and proofread a letter containing many mistakes.

* Spelling: We will work on list 18 this week. Due to no school on Friday, the test will be on Thurs.

* Social Studies: We are learning about sweet home Chicago! We are studying the flag and looking back through history at the early days of Chicago. We will take an open book review on Thurs. A study guide will be sent home Monday, but the students will be able to use their Chicago books for the quiz.

*Science: We will begin our next unit on Space in the upcoming weeks.

*Math: We completed ch. 10 on Fractions. A study packet was sent home today. The test will be on Tues. 2/25. We will work on ch.11 next week: measurement.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 2/18

Odds and Ends:

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Enjoy the weekend with the ones you love! 

Here's the littlest swashbuckler who stole my heart! 

* Thank you to all of the families who made our Valentine's Party LOVEly!  The students had a great time! Thank you to Mrs. Bende, Mrs. Townsend, Mrs. Selig, and Mrs. Colip for runnning the party and the fun games. Thank you to Mrs. Lafin, Mrs. Padavic, Mrs. Stanley, and Mrs. Jaikovski for sending in treats and paper goods. I apologize if I forgot to mention anyone who sent in items. Thank you!

* Spring Pictures: We will be taking our pictures on Thurs. 2/20. Please send in your form by Thurs. 2/20.

* Baby Olsen #2 will be arriving in just about 5 weeks or so! My last day with the students will be Fri. March 21st. The sub plans are being finalized and I will be working closely with the new sub so the transition is smooth and she will carry on the curriculum where I left of. I will keep you updated as the plan is finalized.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 2/17: No School: President's Day

*Wed. 2/19: English: 2 postage stamps due

* Thurs. 2/20: Picture Day

*Fri. 2/21: Spelling: List 17 Test
Science: Ch. 12 Energy Test
Spirit Day: Boys wear Red and Girls Wear Blue

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be wrapping up our winter novels. We have been focusing on summarizing, locating main ideas and details, learning new vocabulary, and writing extended responses. We also connected our friendly letter writing unit to reading as we wrote friendly letters pretending to be characters from our book. We will begin our unit on biographies, as well as work on extended responses.

*English: We will be working on writing friendly letters. Please send 2 postage stamps to school with your child by Wed. 2/19. The test on the letter parts and proof reading a friendly letter will be on Tues. 2/25.

*Spelling: We will be on list 17 next week. There will be one homework assignment due Thurs. The test will be on Friday.

*Social Studies: We will begin our study of Chicago next week. We will begin with the early settlers and Native Americans who called this area home.

*Science: We are wrapping up our unit on ch.12 Energy. The students received a study guide today. The final test is on Fri. 2/21.

*Math: We will be doing some spiral review for the next few weeks as we prepare for ISAT testing. We will be covering and reviewing a variety of topics, which will all be covered again as review and taught more in depth later in the school year. Next week we will focus on ch. 10 fractions, and will be testing on this chapter the following week. Look for a study guide coming home next week. We are going to take a break from multiplication and division fluency tests as the students have been working so hard, they deserve it! Please continue to reinforce and practice all facts at home, but we will finish our 8's, 9's, 11's, and 12's in a few weeks.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Mrs.Olsen

Week of 2/10

Odds and Ends:

*Valentine's Day Party: We will celebrate Valentine's Day on Fri. 2/14 with a classroom party. The party will be from 1:30-2:20. Your child received a note about the Cardboard Challenge in which they will be working to create a container to be used as their Valentine collection "mailbox". We watched a video on a boy named Caine who created arcade games using cardboard and every day objects as inspiration.

You can view the video here:
http://cainesarcade.com/

Please feel free to email me with any questions. Your child should bring their container on Fri. 2/14.
Also, if they would like to pass out Valentine's to their classmates, we ask that they have enough for everyone in our class. We have 18 students: 9 boys and 9 girls. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 2/10: PBIS Assembly at 10: 00
English: Ch. 4 adjectives test
Scholastic Book Order Due

* Thurs. 2/13: 100th day of school!

*Fri. 2/14: Happy Valentine's Day!
Cardboard Challenge Due
Spelling: List 16 test
Math: 7's multiplication and division test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue our literature groups as we read our winter themed novels. We will look at the facts included in this fiction stories. We will also work on fact and opinion and compare and contrast.

*English: We will be wrapping up our ch. 4 unit with our final test on Mon. 2/10. A study guide and practice test was sent home this week.  We had a blast at our adjective fashion show! What a fun way to review!  Our next unit will be friendly letter writing and how to writing.

* Spelling: We will work on list 16 this week.

*Social Studies: We will begin our next unit on Chicago soon!

* Science: We will continue to work on ch. 12 Energy. This week we linked matter and energy together as we made our own ice cream. Ask your child about states of matter, what type of change took place (physical or chemical) and what kind of energy was needed to create our cold, yummy treat! Thank you to the Cimbalista family for providing our class with a gallon of milk to do the project.

*Math: We will continue to work on ch. 8 with a focus on multiplying and dividing by 7's and 8's this week. The focus will be on 7's. The fluency test on 7's multiplication and division will be on Fri. 2/14. It is very important that your child studies their math facts each night, especially now that we are working with more difficult numbers. They are doing a great job!

Enjoy the weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 2/3

Odds and Ends: 

*Scholastic Book Order: New orders will be sent home soon. You can access them online. I am asking all orders be completed by Mon. 2/10. Please consider ordering online...both you and the classroom earn free books every time you order online. A coupon for this month's order will be attached to the orders your child takes home.

*Shoe Drive: Please consider donating your used shoes to Girl Scout Troop 457 who will be collecting shoes until 2/7. The shoes will be donated to people in need.

* Spelling Bee: Congratulations to Bradley P. and Amanda C. for being the top 2 spellers from the 3rd grade spelling bee! We are so proud of our classmates! They will advance to the district spelling bee which will take place on Thurs. 2/6. Good luck to both of them!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 2/3: Six Flags Read to Succeed Program Ends: Please turn in reading logs
Reading: January calendars due

*Tues. 2/4: Early Dismissal

* Thurs. 2/6: Social Studies: Ch. 3 Test: Culture and Immigration
District Level Spelling Bee
Dental Hygienist Visit for Dental Hygiene Month

*Fri. 2/7: Math: 6's division and multiplication test
Reading: Word of the Week : Week 7 review
Spelling: List 15 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will be working on close reading of non fiction text and literature circles. We will also be comparing and contrasting stories and articles written on the same topic.

*English: We will be wrapping up our unit on adjectives and adverbs. The ch. 4 test will be on Mon. 2/10. A study guide will be sent home next week.  The next unit will be Friendly Letter Writing.

*Spelling: We will work on list 15 this week. The homework will be due Thurs. and the final test will be on Fri.

*Social Studies: Culture Day Presentations have been a huge success! Thank you to all of your hard work at home in preparing for these awesome presentations. The students have enjoyed learning more about each other. We will be taking our ch. 3 test on Thurs. 2/6. A study guide was sent home this week.  Our next unit will be Chicago.

*Science: We will work on ch. 12 Energy.

*Math: We will be working on ch. 8 as we focus on more division and multiplication patterns with 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12. We will focus on 6's next week. The timed test will be on Fri. 2/7.

Enjoy the SNOW this weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 1/27

Odds and Ends: 

*Spelling Bee: We will have our final classroom spelling bee on Tues. 1/28. The top 2 spellers will advance to the grade level bee on Thurs. 1/30. We had a practice round this week so students are familiar with the set up. Good luck to all of the students!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Tues. 1/28: Classroom Spelling Bee
Math: Ch. 7 Test
Reading: Night of the Pufflings Vocab. review

*Wed. 1/29: Culture Day Presentations

*Thurs. 1/30: Culture Day Presentations
Grade Level Spelling Bee

*Fri. 1/31: Spelling: List 15
Spirit Day: College Day: Wear your favorite college shirt

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK :

*Reading: We will work on novel studies as we learn about authors purpose, point of view, and fact and opinion. We will also work on Night of the Pufflings. 

Also, I made an error when assigning the due date of the January reading calendar. They will be due on Mon. 2/3. Thanks!

*English: We will continue to work on ch. 4 adjectives and adverbs. We will be taking the final test on Wed. 2/5.

*Spelling: We will work on list 15 this week. The homework will be due Thurs. and the final test will be on Friday.

*Social Studies: We will be wrapping up our unit on ch. 3 culture and immigration in the upcoming weeks. We are looking forward to learning more about each others cultures and family traditions during our culture presentations this week. The ch. 3 test is tentatively scheduled for Tues. 2/4. More information coming soon.

*Science: We will begin our unit on Energy next week. We will begin with kinetic and potential energy in lesson 1.

*Math: We will wrap up ch. 7 this week and review Mon. The test will be Tues. 1/28. The test will cover multiplication and division facts for 3's, 4's, 0's, and 1's, as well as understanding the vocabulary decompose and known fact. Students will also be tested on problem solving with problems that have extra or missing information. A study guide was sent home with your child this week. We will also work on 6's multiplication and division facts this week as we begin ch. 8.

Enjoy the weekend and try to stay warm!

Mrs.Olsen  

Week of 1/20

Odds and Ends: 

*Matter Activity:  Before break, the students and I were going to do a matter activity, but we never had the chance. I thought we could try to attempt making ice cream next week. We are looking for volunteers to donate the following items:  1 gallon of whole milk, 1 bag of sugar, 20 spoons, and 20 plastic cups. If you are able to donate any of those items, please email me and/or send them in with your child by Wed. 1/22 of next week. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 1/20: No School: Martin Luther King, Jr

*Fri. 1/24: Spelling: Test on Number Words
Math: 4's mult/div timed test

Spirit Day: Wear your favorite vacation destination shirt.

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will work on comparing and contrasting stories and essays written on similar topics. We will model this activity by reading The Night of the Pufflings. We will continue to work on close reading of non fiction articles.

*English: We will work on ch. 4 adjectives.

*Spelling: We will focus on how to spell number words this week. There will be homework due Thurs. The final test will be Fri.

*Social Studies: We will continue our study of culture and immigration. Your child should be working on their culture day projects at home. They are due either Wed. 1/29 or Thurs. 1/30 (your child chose a presentation date). Please feel free to email me with any questions. If your child chooses to bring in a food item, please send in a list of ingredients on the day of the presentation (for food allergy purposes). Thank you!

*Science: We will begin our unit on energy.

*Math: We will focus on 4's mult. and division this week. Ask your child about our vocab. and concept focus for the week: DECOMPOSE. The graded test for 4's multiplication and division will be Fri. We will also work with problem solving with multiplication and division.

Have a great long weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 1/13

Happy New Year and Welcome Back!

*Thank you all for the generous gifts! I was sad to miss the last days before break, but thank you for all of the well wishes for me and the baby. We are both doing fine, just a little shaken up from the fall and now I walk extra slowly and carefully on the snow and ice! I hope you all had a restful, fun, and memorable break and holiday season surrounded by family and friends.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Tues. 1/14: MAPs reading test: rescheduled due to the cold days off last week

*Wed. 1/15: Early Dismissal

*Thurs. 1/16: MAPs math test: rescheduled due to the cold days off last week

*Fri. 1/17: Spirit Day: Wear Green
Spelling: List 14 Test
Reading: Word of the day Review for week 7 words

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We will focus on authors point of view and purpose as we read The Keeping Quilt. This is a great tie in to our study of traditions and culture in Social Studies. We will also read some non fiction stories about immigration and culture. We will focus on close reading the articles as we determine importance, find main ideas and details, and discuss how the authors point of view changes the writing.

* English: We will work on ch. 4 adjectives. We will be taking a pretest next week to determine our previous knowledge and help with planning out the lessons to best fit the needs of the class.

* Spelling: We will be working on list 14. The pretest will be Monday. Homework will be due Thurs. The final test will be Fri.

* Social Studies: We began ch. 3 on immigration and culture. A culture day project was assigned to your child this week. Please spend some time over the weekend discussing the project. Ideas are due on Monday.  The final projects will be due the week of Jan. 27th when your child will have the chance to present their culture to the class. Your child chose either Wed. 1/29 or Thurs. 1/30 for their presentation.

* Science: We will begin our next unit on energy in the near future. The graded matter test was sent home this week. Ask your child to see their grade if you have not already. We are also finishing up typing and revising our explanatory papers on weather this week.

*Math: We will work on ch. 7 as we focus on multiplication and division for the 3's and 4's. We will have our 3's test on Fri. 1/17 and 4's test on Fri. 1/24.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen