Week of 1/3-1/7

ODDS AND ENDS:

*Welcome Back and Happy 2011! I hope everyone had a wonderful, restful, and happy holiday break. Happy New Year!

* Thank you to everyone for the generous classroom gift of the digital camera! It will be great to take photos of the students so easily as well as use the camera for the new baby! What a thoughtful and generous gift. I was so surprised! Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 1/3: Classes Resume

*Tues. 1/4: No Reading: AIMSWEB Benchmarking tests

* Fri. 1/7: Spelling: List 12 test
Math: 10's multiplication test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Spelling - We are on list 12: words with the vowel sounds plus r. A pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be given Monday and due Friday. The final test will be on Friday.

*Reading - We will start working on the strategy of monitoring and clarifying as we read using the story "Nights of the Pufflings". We will then extend our strategy use while working on a novel study. All the while, we will also be distinguishing fact and opinion. As always, we will continue to utilize strategies from previous weeks.

*English: We will continue to work on narrative writing as we complete our final drafts.

*Social Studies: We will begin our unit on Ancient Egypt! If you have any books, videos, or objects about Egypt your child would like to share with the class, please feel free to send them in at any time.

*Science: We will begin ch. 11: matter.

*Math: We will continue to work on multiplication facts. We will be on 10's this week. The test will be on Friday. We will begin ch. 6: data and graphing.

Thank you for checking out my blog!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 12/13

*Odds and Ends:*

* Bowling Field Trip: We will go on our bowling field trip Wed. 12/15 from 9-11 am. You can send your child with money if they would like to buy one treat at the bowling alley. We will still have lunch when we return.

* Tivoli Field Trip: We will go the How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Fri. 12/17 in lieu of classroom holiday parties. If you have not sent in the permission slip and $3 please do so by Monday, 12/13.

*Don't forget about our Holiday Service Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. All donations are due on Monday, December 13. Thank you for opening up your hearts to help make the holidays a happy one for those who are less fortunate. Thank you to those families who have already sent in a donation. It is very appreciated!

*UPCOMING EVENTS:*

* Tues. 12/14: Social Studies: Culture Day Presentations

*Wed. 12/15: Bowling 9-11 am

Math: Ch. 5 Time Checkpoint

*Thurs. 12/16: Social Studies: Ch. 3 Test

*Fri. 12/17: Spelling: List 11

Science: Ch. 4 Test

Tivoli: Field Trip

*A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: *

* Spelling: We are on list 11: words with the vowel sounds in "clown" and "lawn". A pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be given Monday and due Friday. The final test will be on Friday.

*Reading: We will continue to learn about evaluating text and visualizing as we read. We will continue to use the story Dogzilla as well as other novels and text as we apply these skills. We will also work on strategies from previous weeks.

* English: We will continue to work on narrative writing. We will work on revising and editing our papers and writing final drafts.

*Science: We will be finishing up chapter 4. We will take our final, cumulative chapter test on Fri. 12/17. We will review in class. A study guide was sent home today.

*Social Studies: The students will be finishing ch. 3 this week. We will share our culture day presentations on Tues. 12/14. The final chapter test will be on Thurs. 12/16. A study guide was sent home today.

*Math: We will work on ch. 5 time this week. We will take a graded review on Wed. 12/15 or Thurs. 12/16. I will announce this next week and your child will write the date in their assignment notebook. We will also work on 5's multiplication. The timed test on 5's multiplication will be on Thurs. 12/16. We will not have math on Fri. due to the field trip.

Thank you for checking my blog. Have a great weekend and stay warm!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 12/6-12/10

Odds and Ends:

* Paper Retriever Bins: Please remember there is NO CARDBOARD allowed in this bin. We have to go in and remove any cardboard placed in the bin as the company will not collect the paper and we won't get our fundraising money if cardboard is in the bin. Please help us out and only place PAPER products in the bin. Thank-you!

*Remember to send in any toys, toiletries, and non perishable food items in for our winter holiday drive. We will be collecting items until December 13th. Thank-you for your help this holiday season!

*Fall Conferences: Thank-you to all of the parents for meeting with me to discuss their child's progress at conferences this week. It is always nice to talk about the successes of our children! I am looking forward to meeting with the rest of the parents next week. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns that come up, please do not hesitate to email or call. Thanks!

*Bowling Permission Slips: Please turn in your child's bowling permission slip if you have not already done so. We will be bowling Wed. 12/15. There is no charge, however, if your child wants to purchase one treat at the bowling alley, you may send in money to do so. Keep in mind we go from 9-11 and then have lunch when we return, so we don't want them to fill up on treats at the bowling alley. Thank you!

*Thank you to Mrs. Vanni for coming into school on Wed. and doing a fabulous presentation on quilting for all of the third grade students. Her work is beautiful and she did a fantastic job explaining the history and importance of quilts and how they are made. Thank you so much!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Fri. 12/3: No School

*Mon. 12/6: Math: Ch. 5 Money Checkpoint (changed from Thurs. 12/2

*Fri. 12/10: Miss Galloway's Last Day

Spelling: List 10 Test

Math: 2's multiplication test

Reading: Wordmaster Meet #1

*Wed. 12/15: Bowling 9-11

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will begin a new strategy focus as we learn about evaluating text and visualizing as we read. We will use the story Dogzilla as well as other novels and text as we apply these skills. We will also work on strategies from previous weeks.

Also, Mrs. Olsen's reading class will compete in their first "wordmaster" meet on December 10th.

*Spelling: We are on list 10: words with the vowel sound in "join". A pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be given Monday and due Friday. The final test will be on Friday.

*English: The students will continue to work on narrative writing, focusing on showing, not telling about their feelings, transitions, organization, and word choice. Ask them about their chosen topic!

*Science: We are working on ch 4: animal habitats and ecosystems.

*Social Studies: The students are learning about culture and immigration. A culture day project was given to the students this week. Their idea sheet is due Mon. 12/6. The presentations will be on Tues. 12/14. Please refer to the packet for more information. Please email or call with any questions! This is a great opportunity for students to share their culture with their classmates!

*Math: The students spent an extra day practicing counting back change, so our math checkpoint was moved to Mon. 12/6. We spent Thurs. reviewing for this graded review. We will begin ch. 5 Time on Tues. 12/7. We will also work on 2's multiplication next week. Expect a ch. 5 homework assignment as well as multiplication each night. The graded test for 2's multiplication will be on Fri. 12/10.

Thank you for checking out the blog this week. Stay warm this long weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway