Good-bye 2008...Hello 2009!

Snow Day!

I hope you all enjoyed our snow day! Thank you to everyone for a great first half of the year! I am looking forward to a lot more fun and learning in the new year! I wish each one of you a happy, exciting, and relaxing winter break, full of laughter, love, friends and family. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of students this year! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Upcoming Events:

*Monday, December 22: No School for 2 weeks: Winter Break!

*Mon. Jan. 5th: Welcome back to school and Happy 2009!

*Thurs. Jan. 8th: Social Studies: Culture Day Report

*Friday, Jan. 9th : 4's multiplication timed tests

A LOOK AHEAD:

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will focus on summarizing when we return from school. Also, your child received the rubric and instructions for the book project for Jan/Feb. The genre focus is Animal Fiction or Mystery and the project is to make a book mobile. The due date will be Thursday, Feb. 26th. I handed out the information in case your child wants to get a start on reading the book. Since I might not be able to see their book of choice before the break, please make sure your child is reading a book at the appropriate reading level (not too easy or too difficult). Thanks!

*English: We will focus on friendly letter writing and reviewing grammar and punctuation when we return from break. I will be holding the students accountable for writing in complete sentences in their daily work and applying all of the grammar and punctuation rules we learned into their writing.

*Spelling: We will be on list 14 when we return. There will be a pretest on Monday and the final test on Friday. Tests will be done in cursive from now on. A packet will be sent home Monday to be completed and turned in on Friday. Thanks!

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We have finished our inquiry unit. There will NOT be a final, cumulative test. We will begin a new unit the week of January 12th.

*Social Studies: The students will continue Ch 3 on culture and immigration following break. We will celebrate our cultures on Thurs. Jan. 8th. Your child will be sharing their presentation about their culture this day. Please see the yellow handout for more details and guidelines. We will review and prepare for the chap. 3 test, which is scheduled for Tues. Jan. 13th.

Mrs. Olsen's Math:

*Math: We are finished with our money unit. We will focus on time when we return from break. Please study multiplication facts over break. We will begin the 4's times tables on Mon. 1/5 and the timed test will be on Fri. 1/9. Thank you!

Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year! See you in 2009 =)

Mrs. Olsen

December 15-19

Odds and Ends

*Bowling Field Trip: We will be going bowling on Monday, 12/15 from 9 -11 am. We will be having lunch back at school that day. If you would like your child to get a small treat at the bowling alley, please send them with a few dollars to school that day. Keep in mind it will be early and we will be having lunch when we get back, so please don't have your child bring too much money! Thanks!

*Holiday Celebration: Instead of a classroom holiday party, the school will be viewing Jim Carey in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at the Tivoli Theatre on Fri. 12/19. We will be eating lunch in the classroom that day, but hot lunch will be available. Thank you! What a fun treat for all!

*THANK YOU! Thank you to each of you who donated gifts for our "adopted" family and the family shelter. We were able to collect so many gifts (see blog: Service Project for a complete list of gifts). Your kindness and generosity made the holidays bright for so many people. Thank you!!

* Volunteers Needed: Ms. Stainman needs parent volunteers to help tie roller skates during PE classes for third grade. She needs help the week of January 8-January 22. You can come as many or as few of times as you want and can go into any other class or your child's own. We have gym from 1:35-2:00 everyday. You can email her at tstainman@ccsd66.org if you are interested. Thanks for your help.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 12/15: 9-11 am Bowling Field Trip

1:15: Holiday Concert

*Wed. 12/17: Reading: Non-Fiction Book Report Due (design your own book cover)

*Fri. 12/19: Holiday Field Trip to Tivoli

Social Studies: Culture Day Idea sheet due today. Culture Day will be Thurs. 1/8/09

*12/22-1/5: No School: Winter Break: Happy Holidays! See you back at school on Jan. 5th 2009!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We are working on connections and making text to text, text to self, and text to world connections as we read a variety of stories. We are also working to apply all of the strategies we have learned so far as we work in book groups. Don't forget, the non-fiction book project is due Wed. 12/17. Your child needs to make a book cover for the book they read. Please see the rubric to see the exact requirements. If your child needs paper, please have them see me. Thanks!

*English: We finished our nouns unit. We will be working to finish DOL, which covers Unit 5: Grammar and Punctuation. We will be working on creative writing this week as well.

*Spelling: Due to the shortened week, we will not having spelling this week.

We will focus on word work instead.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: The students are working hard on learning about scientific inquiry and the scientific method. I have decided that I will NOT have a comprehensive test covering this material. We will finish up this chapter next week with an open book review on the scientific method. We will work with the vocab. and concepts next week to prepare.

*Social Studies: We are busy working on Ch. 3. We will work on lesson 3 and lesson 4 before break. We will not be testing BEFORE break, but we will finish the unit and take the test after break. I sent home information regarding Culture Day, which will be on Thurs. Jan 7th. Please review this information with your child. I hope this will be a fun project sharing family stories, history, and tradition!

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: The students are hard at work learning to count back change. I will focus on adding and subtracting money next week. We will have a graded "checkpoint" on Thurs, covering what we learned about money. We will then begin time when we return from break. Although time and money are in the same chapter, I will be testing the concepts separately. We will also work multiplication next week, focusing on the 3's. The timed test on 3's will be on Thurs. 12/18 since we will not have math on Friday due to the field trip. Thank you for all of your hard work practicing these concepts at home!

I appreciate all of your support this year! Thank you for helping your child succeed!

~Mrs. Olsen

Important Intramurals News!

Does your child like to play on scooters, or with a parachute, or sports games? Then intramural games is for them! Intramural games will begin after the winter break for all 3rd grade boys and girls who want to participate. This is a before school activity from 6:45-7:45 a.m. Permission slips are given out by Ms. Stainman and are due to her by Friday 12/12. Mrs. Cushing and Mrs. Csorba will be running this program. If your child signs up, they'll be given a schedule before the winter break.

Dcember 8-12

Odds and Ends

*Holiday Service Project: We are still collecting gifts for our "adopted" family and the children at Family Shelter Services. Please see my previous blog entry (titled Service Project) to see an updated list of what my class and Mr. Trinco's class have collected so far. The last day to turn in gifts is Wed. 12/10. I will be shopping this weekend for this great event!

*Scholastic Book Order: Holiday book orders were due in the classroom today,but its not too late to order online. I will be submitting the order tomorrow in hopes the books can be delivered before winter break. Thank you for ordering...it helps our classroom earn free books!

*Tivoli Theater Field Trip: Replacing classroom holiday parties this year is a school wide field trip to the historic Tivoli movie theater in downtown Downers Grove. We will be seeing Jim Carey in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Please send in $3 and the permission slip asap. Thanks!

*Bowling: Third grade gym classes will be going to the bowling alley on 12/15 as an extension of their bowling unit in class. This is a free trip. Please send back the permission slip to allow your child to attend. On the day of the trip, you can send your child with a few dollars to buy a snack at the bowling alley. We will be going in the morning before lunch, so please do not send them with too much money. Thank you!

*Thank you PTO! The students and teachers enjoyed a great assembly called "The Wheel of Wisdom", which was a game show for the students. We had a lot of fun cheering each other on and answering trivia questions. Thank you to our wonderful PTO for providing this fun event.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Fri. 12/5: No School

*Wed. 12/10: English: Unit 2 Nouns Test

Last day to turn in gifts for Service Project

*Fri. 12/12: Spelling: List 13 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

Thank you to all of the parents who I met with for parent-teacher conferences. It was so great to talk about your child's progress so far this year. If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to call or email me. Thank you for being my "partner in education" and making this a successful year for your child!

*Reading: We will begin to focus on a new strategy next week...making connections. We will be reading The Mysterious Giant of Barletta. We will also begin book groups as we read chapter books to apply all of the strategies we have learned so far. Don't forget...the non-fiction book project of making a book cover is due Wed. 12/17. Thanks!

*English: We will review Unit 2 on nouns Mon. and Tues. The final test will be on Wed. 12/12. Our next unit will be finishing up Unit 5 (which we have been learning through DOL (daily oral language) and narrative writing.

*Spelling: We will be working on List 13 this week. We will have a pretest on Monday and the final test on Friday. This list focuses on the past tense of final y words.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We will continue to work on science inquiry with the scientific method. We have made vocabulary flashcards...please have your child review them at home. Thanks!

*Social Studies: We will continue reading Chapter 3. Our next focus, lesson 3, is on early immigration to America. This is a great chapter to learn more about each other's culture and heritage. We will be having a "culture day" in Social Studies when we return from winter break. Be on the lookout for a culture day project letter coming home soon!

Mrs.Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: The students have been working on counting coins and comparing money amounts. We will begin working on counting back change from $1, $5 and $10. Please reinforce this concept at home in real world situations. Have your child help count back change at the store and look at ads and see how much money they should get back if the paid with a $1, $5, etc. We will also be working on 5's multiplication all week. The 5's test will be on Friday, 12/12. Thank you for helping your child practice with flashcards, practice tests, and more!

**Check out some money games below! Just click on the name and you can play the game! Learning is fun!!**

Thank you for checking out my blog this week. I hope your child enjoys the long weekend and playing in the SNOW!

= ) Mrs. Olsen

Service Project Updated Wed. 12/10

Hello~

Mr. Trinco and I wanted to keep an updated list on our blogs of what items we have received for our adopted family this winter. So far we have the following:

Family:

Gingerbread cookie kit ( no baking required)

family sized popcorn tin (3)

Wal-Mart Gift Card

Game Plan DVD

Night at the Museum DVD

Polar Express DVD

Microwave Popcorn

12 Dogs of Christmas DVD

Fiber One Chewy Bars

Jewel Gift Card

$10 KMart Gift Card

9 year old boy:

Transformer Movie

Monopoly Game

hat and gloves

Matchbox cars

nerf basketball hoop & ball

Bulls Hat

Sorry game

7 year old boy:

Pokemon game

Hat and Gloves

100 piece puzzle

spiderman pen

spiderman add/subtract book

robot coloring/activity book

Pajama's

Magna Bug

Puzzle

Bear Stays Up for Christmas book

11 year old girl:

High School Musical Phone

20 Questions Game

Bath and Body Products

long sleeve shirt

high school musical photo album

Sorry game

Wal Mart gift Card

7 month old boy:

Stackable Ring Toy

bib

blanket sleeper

Snappy Little Christmas Book

Dad:

wallet

dresser organizer

Mom:

photo album

picture frame

Pull over fleece

Candle

Picture Frames

Remember...the last day to turn in items for this fantastic project is Wed. Dec. 10th!

Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

Mrs. Olsen and Mr. Trinco

December 1-5

Odds and Ends

*Conferences: This week will be a time to meet with your child's language arts teacher. Please be on time for your conference...they are scheduled every 15 minutes and time is precious. Thank you!

*Service Project: We are still collecting for our service projects. We will be collecting gifts until Wed. 12/10. So far we have collected gloves and a winter hat. Thank you!

*Scholastic Book Order: Books just in time for the holidays! The book order is due online or at school on Friday, December 5th.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Thurs. 12/4: Spelling: List 12 Test

Reading: Grandma's Record Vocab and Comprehension Test

*Fri. 12/5: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class

*Reading: We will continue the self questioning strategy as we explore author's purpose and read the story Grandma's Records. This book talks about old records and dancing. If you know anyone who professionally dances and would like to show our class some steps, please email me. Thanks!

*English: We will continue nouns (singular and plural possessive nouns). The test on Nouns (unit 2) is tentatively scheduled for Mon. 12/8.

*Spelling: We will be on List 12 this week. Due to the shortened week, there will not be a pretest. The final test will be on Thurs. 12/4. The packet will be due on Thurs. as well.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We are working on scientific inquiry and the scientific method. We will do another bubble experiment in class.

*Social Studies: We will continue to read Ch 3 and talk about immigration and culture.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*We are working with money in math class. We will begin counting back change next week. This is a tricky concept and it is very helpful if your child practices this as much as possible at home. Have them "pretend" to buy things they see in the ads with $5 or $10 and count back the change they should receive. There are also a lot of games online to practice this skill.

Thank you for checking my blog this week. I hope your break was as fun, relaxing, and delicious as mine was! See you in December!

Mrs. Olsen

Scholastic Book Orders

Hello!

Just wanted to let parents know that I have updated the scholastic book orders online. Paper order forms will be sent home with your child tomorrow. I will be taking orders until December 5th. Hopefully the books will make it in time before we break for the holidays. If you would like the books to be kept at school and picked up by you rather than sent home with your child, please email me or send a note and I will keep them hidden in my classroom until you can pick them up. If you want to safely and securely order online, go to www.scholasticbooks.com and use this information to log on:

Class User Name: OlsenBooks

Password: Books

Thank you!

Mrs. Olsen

November 24-28

Odds and End

*Character Counts Gives Back! The Prairiview staff and students have a yearly tradition of giving back to the community at this time of year when we have so much to be thankful for. A note was sent home this week about our service project (on pink paper) As a class, we have "adopted" a family who has a child with cancer. Due to financial struggles and spending the holidays at the hospital, we are going to help to make their holidays special. Here are the ages of our family:

9 year old boy (cancer patient)

11 year old girl

7 year old boy

7 month old boy

Mom

Dad

Please send any new, wrapped items (labeled with a sticky note with the name or age of person the gift is for and what it is). We will then collect the items in the classroom and it will be delivered to the family before the holidays. I will keep items we receive posted so we can see what family member needs what and to avoid doubles.

Also, we are sponsoring a local service called Family Services. This is a safe haven for families of domestic violence. Please send in any new coats, hats, mittens, or toys UNWRAPPED to school. We will then deliver them to the center where the items will be used in the Holiday Shoppe where parents can shop, free of charge, to help make their children's holidays bright.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and kindness with these special projects!

*Operation Crayon: An email notice was sent out and a note was sent home with your child today explaining that Operation Crayon has been cancelled due to the fact that we have 2 other service projects to focus on this month. Thank you for your understanding!

*Don't forget...Yearbook orders are due Monday, December 1st! Get them now before its too late!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 11/24: Scholastic Book Orders Due: order online or send in book order

*Wed. 11/26-11/28: Happy Turkey Day! No school! Enjoy the holidays with friends and family!

Monday 12/1: Welcome back to school =)

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Conferences: Thank you all for replying back about conferences. I look forward to meeting with you the week of Dec. 1st.

*Reading: We will continue to work on self questioning and The Keeping Quilt. If you know anyone who quilts or quilt yourself and would like to share your knowledge and talent with the class, please let me know. We would love to have you in our classroom Monday or Tuesday.

*English: We will work on point of view writing as we write our silly turkey stories. These will be fun to share with family at Thanksgiving!

*Spelling: There will be no spelling next week.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We will continue scientific inquiry. Remember, you can log on at home to view our science textbook. What a great way to review!

*Social Studies: We will continue to work on Ch 3 as we discuss immigration and culture.

Mrs. Olsen's Math:

*Math: We will be working on money problems and addition and subtraction problem solving. Please continue to practice subtraction facts. I will send home some practice sheets for your child. I would like them to all pass the subtraction fast fact before we our Thanksgiving break!

Thank you for reading my blog this week. I wish you and your family a wonderful, relaxing, and safe holiday break. I am so thankful for such wonderful students and great families this year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble, gobble =) Mrs. Olsen

November 17-21

*Odds and Ends*

*Thank you to the following students ( and families!) for bringing in healthy treats for our Health Fest: Angela V., Jake B., Molly M., Kayal S., Grace S., and Alex P. ! The kids enjoyed them very much and found some new snack options for home!

*Thank you for bringing in your gently used books for our Book Worm Angels. The drive ended today and the school collected a huge pile of books that will find new homes in many schools and homes of children. Thank you!

*Announcing Prairieview 2008-2009 Yearbook. Order your yearbook today!!! The cost of the yearbook is $10.00 and make payments to Lifetouch. Order deadline date is December 1, 2008. No orders will be accepted after that date. Parents just a reminder-- Prairieview yearbooks are not paid for at registration. Please place your order now. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 13th and there a few extra envelopes available; please try not to lose them. If your child loses it, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and grade level along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. It is very important that you put the information on the envelope; Lifetouch does not know who your child’s teacher is. There will be a limited supply in June. Order Today!!!

*UPCOMING EVENTS*

*Tues. 11/18: Social Studies: Downers Grove and Chapter 12 Test

*Wed. 11/19: Math: Chapter 4 Test

*Thurs. 11/20: Math: Subtraction Fast Facts count for grade

Math: Coins brought to class for Ch 5 unit

*Fri. 11/21: Reading: The Keeping Quilt Vocab and Comprehension Review

Spelling: Thanksgiving Words Test and "Give me 20" Due

*A LOOK AHEAD AT NEXT WEEK*

Mrs.Olsen's Language Arts Block

*Reading: We began a new strategy of self-questioning as we read. Good readers ask themselves questions before, during, and after they read to better understand and connect with the text. We will first focus on author's view point as we read the story The Keeping Quilt. If you are or know a quilter who would like to come to our classroom and show us the steps of quilting and some of the quilts they made, please email me. We would love a visitor to help make our story come alive!

*English: We are working on nouns. We will continue to work on this as well as descriptive/point of view writing next week. We will be writing a Thanksgiving story from the turkey's point of view.

*Spelling: We will be working with thanksgiving spelling words next week. There will not be a pretest and the final test will be on Friday. This week's spelling packet is a "Give Me 20" sheet. The students choose a variety of activities from the worksheet that each have a different point value. They need to complete 20 points worth of work and it will be due Friday. Thank you and have fun!

*Conferences: I sent home conference confirmation sheets and have heard back from most of you. If you have a conflict, please email me, otherwise I look forward to seeing you the week of December 1st-3rd to discuss your child's progress. Please write down any questions or concerns you have so we can be sure to cover them during our 15 minute conference. Thank you!

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We began a new unit with our new textbook. This book is available to use online and a password and username should have been emailed to you a few weeks ago. We will begin with a unit on science inquiry.

*Social Studies: We are finished with our Downers Grove and Local Government unit (ch 12). We will review on Monday and the final test will be on Tuesday 11/18. A study guide was sent home last week and the students should spend time this weekend preparing. Use any review sheets, packets, or workbook pages in their Social Studies folder to help review. Our next unit will be Ch 3 on immigration and culture.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class

*Math: We are finishing ch 4 on subtraction. We will review on Monday and there will be a test covering this chapter on Wed. 11/19. I sent home a study guide today for your child to use to help prepare. We will also continue subtraction fast facts next week, with the tests "counting" as a grade starting on Thursday 11/20. Please continue to practice these facts nightly with flashcards, computer games, or practice tests. I hope to have all of the students pass subtraction fast facts the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.

Our next unit begins with money. By next Thursday, please send your child to school with the following coins to use in class (We will not be spending this money and it will be returned when the chapter is done): 5 nickels, 5 dimes, 5 pennies, and 5 quarters. You can send the coins in a baggie, film container, or plastic container marked with your child's first and last name. Thank you!

Thank you for reading my blog this week. Have a super weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

November 10-14

Odds and Ends

*Book Worm Angels: Thank you to Nicole and Angela for bringing in gently used books for our school wide book drive. Please look through your book shelves and donate any gently used children's books that will be donated to schools and children in need. The final day to donate is Friday, 11/14.

*Health Fest: We will be celebrating healthy habits on Monday 11/10 in honor of finishing our health unit in Science. To help us celebrate, please send in a healthy snack to share with the rest of the class...cheese cubes, crackers, fruit, veggies, 100% juice boxes. No nuts please! Thank you! Also, your child can bring in a toothbrush and toothpaste (in a baggie with their name clearly marked) and a stuffed animal.

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon 11/10: Science: Health Fest

*Tues 11/11: Veteran's Day: No School

*Wed 11/12: Science: Health Test

Reading: Cliffhanger Vocab Test

*Fri 11/14: Book Drive Ends

Spelling: Test List 11

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Block:

*Reading: We will continue to focus on the strategy cause and effect. Don't forget to study the Cliffhanger vocab words for Wed 11/12 quiz.

New monthly book projects were sent home. The new focus is non-fiction books and the students will be making new book covers for the books. The projects are due Wed, December 17th.

Parent/Teacher conferences for December are being held with the Language Arts teacher this year. Most of you signed up for a conference at Curriculum Night. Next week, I will be sending home a confirmation sheet. Please look over the date and time and confirm your conference with me by filling out the bottom portion and returning it with your child as soon as possible.

*English: We are working on nouns as well as descriptive writing.

*Spelling: We will be on list 11 this week. There will be a pretest on Monday and the final test will be on Friday. The assignment packet will be due on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies Class:

*Science: We are finishing up our health unit. We will celebrate with our Health Fest on Monday 11/10 and play a review game for the test on Wed. 11/12. Please review your study guide, reread the lessons in your textbook, and be sure to know how to make pictograph for the test! Next unit: science inquiry tools.

*Social Studies: We will continue to learn about present day Downers Grove and the local government. The test is tentatively scheduled for Tues. 11/18. More info coming soon.

Mrs.Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We are busy learning about subtraction. We have been practicing our fast facts with a 3 minute mad minute each day. Please study over these 30 problem sheets and we will continue to practice them in class. I will let you know when they count for a grade. We will work with subtracting across zeros next week.

Thank you for checking in this week. Hope you have a great weekend!

Mrs. Olsen