Week of June 2: Last week of 3rd Grade

Dear Parents and Families of 3rd Graders,

It has been a wonderful year with your child and I am so grateful to have shared 3rd grade with them. Thank you for all of the support this year! I have learned so much from your children. I wish you all a relaxing, fun summer full of laughter, family, friends, and good books=)
Keep in touch!

Mrs. Olsen

Odds and Ends:

Yearbooks: Will be handed out to students on June 2nd. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 2nd; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 12, 2009 and orders were due by Tuesday, December 9, 2009.


UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 5/31: No School: Memorial Day

*Tues. 6/1: Field Day
All School Picnic

*Wed. 6/2: Last Day of School: Dismissal at 9:30. Reports cards will be sent home.

*Thurs. 6/3: First Day of Summer: Enjoy!! =)

Week of 5/24-5/28

Odds and Ends:

*Chicago Field Trip: We will be going to Chicago on Friday, May 28th, rain or shine. We have been on the boat in the rain before. It can get quite chilly, so please make sure your child in prepared with a hoodie, rain jacket, and dress in layers-it is always colder downtown than in the suburbs. The following parents will be meeting us at Navy Pier (Thank you!): I will be sending home a packet of information to review before the trip on Monday.

Mrs. Thiel

Mrs. Crandell

Mr. Burne

Mrs. Meyers

Mrs. McCallion

Mrs. Williams

Mrs. Hougaard

Mrs. Lukacik

Mrs. Peloso

*IMC Materials: All IMC materials were due Friday, May 21st. If you have any at home, please return asap! Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 5/24: Lakeview Band Concert

Social Studies: Chicago History Quiz

*Tues. 5/25: Bowling Field Trip Am

Last Day of Math

* Thurs. 5/27: 2nd Grade Pen Pals Visit

*Fri. 5/28: Chicago Field Trip

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Reading: We will continue to work on summarizing and making inferences as we work in literature groups and read mysteries.

*English: We will work on writing personal narratives.

*Spelling: We are done for the year.

*Science: We will work on chapter 5 (how living things depend on each other).

*Social Studies: Sweet home, Chicago! We will take a quiz on the history of Chicago on Monday. We will continue to talk about present day Chicago and discuss some of the neat things we will see on Friday.

*Math: We will have our last day of math on Tues. 5/25. It has been a great year with your students! Remember to keep those math facts sharp over the summer...studying multiplication and division facts to be ready for 4th grade in the fall!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 5/17-5/21

Odds and Ends:

*Chicago Field Trip: Money and permission slips were due on Fri. 5/14. Please send this in if you have not already. The following parents will be meeting us in the city as chaperons (Thanks!):

Mrs. Thiel

Mrs. Hougaard

Mrs. Peloso

Mrs. Williams

Mrs. Crandell

Mrs. McCallion

Mrs. Meyers

Mrs. Lukacik

Mr. Burne

Chaperons, if you have not already sent in $7 for your boat ride, please do so asap.

THANK YOU !

Upcoming Events:

* Mon. 4/17: Choir Students: Field Trip

Woodridge Library Talk

*Thurs. 4/20: LV Band Concert 1-2

* Fri. 4/21: Spelling: List 32 Test

Choir Students: Field Trip

A LOOK AHEAD:

*Reading: We will begin a unit on mysteries. We will focus on summarizing and making inferences. The students will work in literature groups to read and discuss their mystery books. This will be our last reading unit of 3rd grade!

*English: We will work on narrative writing. This will be our last writing unit for the year.

*Spelling: We will work on list 32. There will be a test on Friday. This will be the last spelling test of the year!

* Science: We will begin ch. 5, how living things interact with each other.

*Social Studies: We will continue to learn about Chicago. We will focus on the rebuilding of the city after the fire and modern day Chicago as we prepare for our field trip.

*Math: We will continue to work on multiplication with 2 and 3 digit numbers, as well as division with remainders. The final division timed test will be given on Fri. 5/21. Our last day of math will be Tues. 5/25.

Thanks for checking in!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 5/10-5/14

Odds and Ends:

*Thank you: Thank you to everyone for making Teacher Appreciation Week so wonderful! Each one of you make this the best job in the world! Thanks!

* Chicago Field Trip: A permission slip was sent home this week for our end of the year Chicago field trip, taking place on Friday, May 28th. I already have the following parents as chaperons: Mrs. McCallion, Mrs. Meyers, Mrs. Thiel, Mrs. Hougaard, and Mrs. Crandell. We have room for 5 more. Remember, due to limited space, all chaperons need to provide their own transportation. In the past, parents have carpooled to the city. If you are chosen as a chaperon, please send in $7 to cover the cost of the boat ride. Thanks!


* All this week Prairieview is collecting gym shoes in any shape and all other shoes that still have some life in them. We want to help cut down on the amount going into landfills. The shoes will be either donated to places that help people or will be sent to Nike's recycling center where they recycle gym shoes into a variety of objects including floor mats. Please tie the shoes together or put them in plastic grocery bags so that they do not become separated. Thank you for your support. At Prairieview School – Character Counts!

*Supplies Needed: We are out of glue sticks and we need some more to get us through to the end of the year. Please send in 1-2 glue sticks with your child on Monday. Thank you!


* Thank you: Thank you to the following families for sending in Cinco De Mayo treats at the last minute: Lukacik Family, Peloso Family, Meyers family, and Williams family. Muchos Gracias!

*Summer School: Summer school enrollment is closing on May 10th. Hurry soon to sign up for some fun, summer classes with your friends! I am teaching "Center Cass on Stage" where we will work on acting with puppets, readers theater, and other fun games. We will even preform a play at the end of the three weeks. Hope you can join! See http://www.ccsdd66.org/ for more information.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Tues. 5/11: Bubble Wonder Assembly

*Thurs. 5/13: Spelling Test List 31

*Fri. 5/14: Early Dismissal

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Reading: We are focusing on making inferences and summarizing this week.

We will begin a unit on mysteries!

*English: We are working on persuasive writing in class.

* Spelling: This week we will work on List 31: contractions. Due to early dismissal, the test will be on Thursday.

*Science: The students began studying ecosystems in ch. 4. We will continue to learn about ecosystems this week.

*Social Studies: We will focus on the Great Chicago fire this week.

*Math: Students will be working on ch. 23: extending multiplication. We will work on multiplying by 2 and 3 digit numbers. We will also take a mixed multiplication timed test each day to practice. They will begin counting for a grade on Fri. 5/21.



Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 5/3-5/7

Odds and Ends:

*Students from Project Challenge have started a fundraiser for the ASPCA, a foundation to stop animal cruelty. The kids will be selling Smencils® (scented pencils) for a 1.00 each. The pencils will be sold each morning in the grade level areas. The sales will start Friday April 30th and go through May 28th. We will track our sales on the bulletin board by the multi-purpose room. For every twenty dollars we raise, one food bowl will go up on the bulletin board. So please help save our animals. Buy Smencils.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Fri. 5/7: Math: 10's division timed test
Spelling: List 30 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will focus on making inferences and summarizing. We will finish our poetry unit. We will begin a novel study next.

*English: We will begin a new unit on persuasive writing.

*Spelling: We will be on list 30, words with the prefix re. We will have a graded test on Friday.

*Science: We will begin our next unit (ch 4) on ecosystems this week!

*Social Studies: Sweet home, Chicago! We will begin our Chicago unit. We will begin by focusing on the history of our great city.

*Math: We will work on patterns (ch. 17) and extend our multiplying skills (ch. 23). We will also focus on 10's multiplication-our timed test will be on Friday.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the warm weather!

Go Cubs =)

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/26-4/30

Odds and Ends:

*Meteorology Madness: We will be learning all about weather in our hands-on, in-school field trip on Friday, 4/30. What fun!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Tues. 4/27: Social Studies: Ancient Egypt Test

*Wed. 4/28: Reading: Poetry Vocab. Review

* Fri. 4/30: Meteorology Madness

Math: Ch. 6 Data Test

9's division timed test

Spelling: List 29 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading and English: We will continue to work on monitoring and questioning. We will focus on poetry and Shel Silverstein this week. We will review the vocabulary words for poetry this week and take a short graded review on Wed. We have been discussing these words and using them daily for the last two weeks. We will also be writing our friendly letters to our 2nd grade pen pals this week. They will be coming for a visit the last week in May.

*Spelling: This week we will be on list 29. This list focuses on words with the prefix un. There will be a test on Friday.

*Science: We will take a break from science this week. Our next unit will be Energy.

*Social Studies: We will review Ancient Egypt on Mon. The graded review will be on Tues. Our next unit will be Chicago.

*Math: We are continuing to learn about data and graphing in chapter 6. The students are working in cooperative groups to come up with a survey question, survey the class and make a tally graph, and then turn the information into a bar graph. We will finish these up next week. There will be a short graded review on chapter 6 on Fri. We will also focus on 9's division this week.

Thank you and enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/19-4/23

Odds and Ends:

*Thank you to everyone who attended our Open House! It was a huge success and the students were so proud to so off their classroom and hard work!
It was great to see so many families in our classroom.
Thanks!



UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Thurs. 4/22: Early Dismissal 11:00 am

* Fri. 2/23: Spelling: List 28 Test
Book Orders Due

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:



*Reading: We will focus on monitoring and questioning this week. We are working on a poetry unit where the students are reading and writing poetry. The students will receive a poem on Monday. They are to practice reading the poem each night, focusing on fluency (good pace, expression, and rhythm) as they read. We will be sharing the poems out loud on Friday during our poetry cafe. Your child will receive a fluency grade based on their reading. A rubric will be attached to the poem on Monday. Thanks!

*English: We will be writing poetry this week.

*Spelling: This week we are on list 28: words with silent letters. There will be a test on Fri.

*Science: We will take a brief break from science this week as we focus on Social Studies.

*Social Studies: We will continue to work on Tut's Mummy. We will read, act out, and discuss the discovery of King Tut's tomb by Howard Carter. The final Egypt test is scheduled for Tues. 4/27. A study guide will be sent home.

*Math: We will begin ch. 6: data and graphing this week. We will learn about the different types of graphs and work in groups to collect data and make a bar graph. We will also work on 8's division this week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/12-4/16

Odds and Ends:

*Scholastic Book Order: An April book order will be sent home soon. Please make your orders online so our classroom can earn free books! Thanks!

*School Supplies: Many of the children are running out of necessary school supplies- Please ask them what they are short on-pencils, dry erase markers, glue sticks, or scissors. We still have 2 months left of school and we are low on supplies! Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

* Mon. 4/12: English: Ch. 6 Pronoun Test

Reading: Biography Presentations Begin (see schedule below)
Chicago Baseball Team Spirit Day: Wear your favorite team-Cubs or Sox?

*Tues. 4/13: Reading: Day 2 of Biography Presentations

*Wed. 4/14: Math: Geometry Projects Due (please turn in rubric with project-Thanks!)

*Thurs. 4/15: Science: Ch 11. Test
Open House 6:30-8:00

*Fri. 4/16: Egypt Unwrapped
Math: 7's Division Timed Test
Ch. 7 Probability Review
Spelling: List 26 Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will focus on monitoring and questioning this week as we work on biographies and poetry. The students will present their biography scrapbooks. The scrapbooks are completed and the students will read them to the class. They will need to dress up or bring a prop to represent their biography person. The presentation schedule is listed below: (they will not necessarily present in this order)

Mon. 4/12:

Tommy
Kelcie
Kate
Richie
Frank
Jacob
Esther
Andrew
Elise
Gianna

Tues. 4/13:
Alegria
Nora
Dane
Matthew
Sarah
Bobbi
Hamza
Ranesha
Kristina
Stephanie
Ryan

*English: We will work on a poetry unit. Students will write a variety of different types of poetry.

*Spelling: This week we will work on list 26, a review week. We will review lists 19-25. The review test will be on Friday.

*Science: We are finishing up chapter 11. We will review vocabulary and key concepts in class. The test is schedule for Thurs. 4/15. A study guide (half sheet) was sent home this week. Please study a little each night to prepare for the test.

*Social Studies: The students are learning about King Tut and the discovery of his tomb. Egypt Unwrapped will be a fun in class field trip taking place on Fri. 4/16. We will have many hand's on activities to learn more about Egypt.

*Math: We will begin ch. 7 Probability. This is a quick review of probability. The test will be on Fri. 4/16. We will also work on ch. 6: Data and Graphing. We will also work on 7's division and have a timed test on Friday.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/5 - 4/9

*Odds and Ends:

*Spring Break: Enjoy your spring vacation next week (3/29-4/1). I look forward to seeing you all after a week of rest and relaxation!

*Open House: Mark your calendars for our Spring Open House on Thurs. 4/15.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 3/29-Fri. 4/1: Spring Vacation!

*Thurs. 4/8: Math: Chapter 19 Decimals Test

Social Studies: Egypt Vocabulary Quiz

*Fri. 4/9: Spelling: List 25 Test

Math: 6's division timed test

A LOOK AT THE NEXT SCHOOL WEEK:

*Reading: We will be working on monitoring and questioning as we finish our biography units. We will read about Houdini and learn about magic. The students will sign up for their biography presentations, which will take place the week of 4/12.

*English: The students will continue to learn about pronouns in ch. 6. The test is set for Mon. 4/12. A study guide will be sent home before the test.

*Spelling: We will work on list 25, words spelled with igh. We will take a graded test on Friday.

*Science: The students will continue to learn about matter (ch 11) as we explore mixtures, solutions, physical and chemical change in lesson 3. The final ch. 11 test is tentatively set for Tues. 4/13. A study guide will be sent home the week before the test.

*Social Studies: King Tut discovered! We will continue reading Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found. We will talk about Howard Carter's important discovery. The students will take an Egypt vocabulary quiz on Thurs. 4/8. The words were given to the students this week.

*Math: The students will continue to study decimals (ch. 19). We will take a test on Thurs. 4/8. Our next unit will be chapter 7: Probability. We will work on 6's division. The timed test will be on Friday. 4/9.

Thank you for checking out my blog. Have a great Spring Break! See you in a week!

Mrs. Olsen

Week of 3/22 - 3/26

Odds and Ends:

*Spring Break: Spring Vacation will begin Mon. 3/29 through Fri. 4/1. We will be back in school on Mon. 4/5. Enjoy your vacation!

*School supplies: Please ask your child if they are short on any needed supplies such as pencils, scissors, dry erase markers, etc. This is the time of year when their supplies start to run low. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 3/23: Math: ch 18 Fractions test

*Fri. 3/26: Spelling: List 24 Test

Math: 4's division timed test

Spring Break Begins!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be focusing on visualizing and predicting as we continue our biography project. Your child should be reading a biography that they chose in class each night for 20 minutes. As they read, they should be keeping track of 6 interesting facts about their person on sticky notes or on a graphic organizer (both given to them in class). This will help them as we prepare to make our biography scrapbooks in class next week. They should aim to have their biographies finished by the middle of next week.

*English: We will begin ch. 6 pronouns this week. We will also work on writing biography poems.

*Spelling: We will be on list 24 this week that focuses on words spelled with ear. The graded test will be on Friday.

*Science: We will work on ch. 11 lesson 2, which focuses on the different states of matter.

*Social Studies: We will begin a new Egypt book, Tut's Mummy: Lost and Found. We will explore the life and discovery of King Tut.

*Math: We will finish up ch. 18 on fractions. We will review on Monday and the test will be on Tuesday. We will begin ch. 19 on decimals. We will also focus on 4's division with a timed test on Friday.

Thank you for checking out my blog. Enjoy the sunny (and possibly snowy!) weekend!

Mrs. Olsen