April 20-24

Odds and Ends

*Open House: It was so great to see so many of your at our Spring Open House. The student's were very proud to show off their hard work! Thank you for visiting!

*Old Gym Shoe Drive: We will be collecting old, worn gym shoes for the Nike Go Place's Program and as part of our Character Counts program. The shoes that are in good condition will be re-used. The other shoes are recycled and made into running track material and other athletic equipment. We will be collecting shoes April 20-May 4th.

*Food Drive: We are still collecting non-perishable food for the Woodridge Food Pantry. We will be collecting food through the 27th.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Fri. 4/17: Movie Night at PV 6:30-8:45: Bedtime Stories (Fast Pass tickets were sent home today with students who signed up to attend.)

*Tues. 4/21:

Math: Test ch 16 and 22

Roller Skating Party: 4:00-6:45

*Fri. 4/24: Math: 7's division

Spelling: Test List 23

Early Dismissal

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be finishing up our biography unit. Your child will be presenting their scrapbook on Wed. 4/22 or Thurs. 4/23. Ask them what day they chose to present. They should dress up like their character and/or bring props to represent their character. I will hand back the graded biography scrapbooks on Monday. Our next unit will be Poetry. The monthly book project will be explained on Monday. It is a poetry unit. It will be due on Fri. 5/8.

*English: We are working on narrative writing and adjectives.

*Spelling: We will be on list 23. There will be a pretest on Monday and test on Friday. The packet will be due on Friday. Please make sure your child does all of their spelling work in cursive. Thanks!

*Science: We will be working on ch 11: Matter.

*Social Studies: We are finishing up our unit on Egypt. The final test will be scheduled for Tues. 4/28. A study guide will be sent home early next week. Our next unit will be

"sweet home" Chicago!

*Math: We have been working on ch 16 (3-D figures, face, edge, corners) and ch 22 (area, perimeter and volume). We will have a combined test on these chapters on Tues. 4/21. The next unit will be ch 18: fractions. We will also work on 7's division next week.

Thank you for checking out our blog this week. Enjoy the WARM weather this weekend!

~Mrs. Olsen

April 13-17

Odds and Ends

*Food Drive: Thank you to those who have sent in non-perishable food for our school food drive. We will be collecting food for the next several weeks, so please continue to send it in! 3rd grade hopes to collect the most food in the school!

*Open House: The Prairieview Open House will be on Thursday, Apruil 16th 6:30-8:00. Stop by to see your child's classroom and visit the rest of the school for this special event!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Fri. 4/10: No School: Happy Easter!

*Thurs. 4/16: Open House

*Fri. 4/17: Spelling Test List 22

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Lanuage Arts:

*Reading: I was very impressed with all of the board games the students created! The students could sell them in stores! We had a great time playing them and they will be on display at open house. We hope to play them again soon in class. We will work on our biography unit. Please make sure your child has completed their chosen biography book by Wed. 4/15. We will work on a "scrapbook" in class and they will eventually do a presentation where they dress up like their person! More info coming soon!

*English: We will work on narrative writing and adjectives.

*Spelling: We will work on List 22 this week, words ending in y. There will be a pretest on Monday and a graded test on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We will begin a new unit on states of matter.

*Social Studies: We are working hard on our Egypt unit. This will be the focus of our open house. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Thurs. 4/16 on the Egypt words (your student received the list and definitions this week).

Math:

*Math: We are working on more geometry skills. We will focus on the following:

3-D shapes

perimeter

area

volume

These is covered in chapter 16 and 22. We will take a combined test on both of these chapters...date TBA. We will also work on 6's division next week. Remember to study fact families and connect division facts to already known multiplication facts!

Happy Easter! Enjoy the long weekend with family and friends!

~Mrs. Olsen

Week of April 6-10

Happy Spring Break!

We will be on break from Monday, March 30th to Friday, April 4th.

Have a great time relaxing and enjoying Spring!

*Food Drive: Prairieview will be having a food drive April 6th -27th. All food will be donated to the Woodridge Food Pantry. In today's economic situation, food pantries are short on donations and food to give to the growing number in need. Please send in any non-perishable foods in with your child. 3rd grade is trying to get the most donations, so please join us in our efforts. Thank you!

*Family Book Club Night: Are you looking for a good book to read? Is your child looking for a way to stay busy over Spring Break? Join us for Family Book Club Night on Wednesday, April 29th @ 6:30 p.m. Simply go to the Center Cass 66 District website, click on "Prairieview", and read more about this great school event! You can then print a registration form and send it in. Please note that registration has been extended.
If you have any questions, contact Lynda Slinger lslinger@ccsd66.org or Jennifer Cerney jcerney@ccsd66.org. Hope to see you there!

*Scholastic Book Club: Orders were sent home this week. Please review and submit your orders in class or online by Fri. April 24th.

*Recycling Club: We collected a lot of plastic and cans this week as part of our "GO GREEN" project. Principal Schultz was very impressed and suggested we take a photo and write an article to submit to the local newspaper. We will be working on this "assignment" and let you know what happens! Hopefully you will be seeing us in the news!

UPCOMING EVENTS

*Mon. 3/30-Fri. 4/4: Spring Break

*Mon. 4/6: Classes Resume

*Tues. 4/7: No School: Teacher Institute

*Thurs. 4/9: Math: Chapter 15 Test

5's division test

*Fri. 4/10: No School: Good Friday

A LOOK AHEAD

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts:

*Reading: The students Ramona skits turned out wonderfully! I taped the skits and will try to put the video onto a DVD. When I am successful, I will have several copies of the DVD to send home and share. Our next unit will be on biographies. Don't forget, your child's book project (make a board game) is due on Wed. 4/8.

*English: We will be working on adjectives and narrative writing.

*Spelling: We will not have spelling the week we return from break due to the shortened week. We will focus on work work in centers instead.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We finished our unit on Space just in time for break. We will take a short break from science while we focus on Egypt. Next unit: Living Things.

*Social Studies: We will continue to work on Ancient Egypt. We will focus on the life and discovery of King Tut.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We began ch. 15 which focuses on congruent, similar, and symmetrical shapes, as well as slides, flips, and turns. This is a quick chapter and review for the students, so we will go through it quickly. We will take a test on the material on Thurs. 4/9. We will also work on 5's division after break. Please study division facts 5-9 over break.

March 23-27

Odds and Ends

*Tivoli: We will be going to see Nanny McPhee on Friday, 3/27 in the afternoon. We will eat lunch at school before we leave. This will be a fun day for all!

*Recycling! The students in my homeroom developed and began their school wide plastic and aluminum recycling program yesterday. We will do this every Tuesday. We were able to collect recyclables from all of the classrooms and fill a big bag and save it from the landfill! Way to GO GREEN!

*Our classroom is in need of disposable cameras! Please send them into school with your child. Thank you!!

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Tues. 3/24: Math: Chapter 14 Test

*Thurs. 3/26: Science: Chapter 10 Space Test

*Fri. 3/27: Spelling List 21 Test

Nanny McPhee Tivoli

*Mon. 3/30- Fri. 4/3: Spring Vacation! Enjoy!

A LOOK AHEAD AT NEXT WEEK

Mrs. Olsen's Language Arts Class:

*Reading: We will be working on writing scripts and presenting our own skits for Ramona Quimby Age 8 readers' theatre. We will begin our next unit, biographies. Don't forget....reading board games are due Wed. 4/8!

*English: We will finish up unit 3 on verbs. We will take the test on Thurs. 3/26. We will begin adjectives and narrative writing when we return from break.

*Spelling: We will work on list 21. There will be a pretest on Monday and a final test on Friday. The packet will be due on Friday.

Mrs. Olsen's Science and Social Studies:

*Science: We are finishing up our space unit (chapter 10). A study guide was sent home this week. The test will be on Thurs. 3/26. You can read and view our science textbook online at www.thinkcentral.com. Our next unit will be living things and ecosystems.

*See below for a link to check out the cool planet comparison website we used in class. What fun!

*Social Studies: We will continue to study Ancient Egypt.

Mrs. Olsen's Math Class:

*Math: We will finish up chapter 14 and take the test on Tuesday 3/24. We will also work on 4's division next week. We will begin chapter 15: congruent and similar shapes and symmetry.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

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