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

Week of 11/29

Odds and Ends:

* Fall conferences will be held the week of 11/29-12/1. Please be on time for your conference...they are only 15 minutes long and it is very easy to get off schedule! Thank you in advance for your cooperation! I am looking forward to meeting with parents and discussing your child's progress thus far in 3rd grade!

*Paper recycling: Don't forget to take advantage our our Paper Retriever recycling bin in Lakeview's parking lot. This is a great way to recycle and help our schools earn money. Thank you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Wed. 11/24-Fri. 11/26: No School: Happy Turkey Day!

* Mon. 11/29-Wed. 12/1: Conferences after school

* Thurs. 12/2: Spelling: List 9 Test

Reading: The Keeping Quilt vocabulary and comprehension test

Math: Ch. 5 Math Checkpoint

*Fri. 12/3: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be focusing on author's point of view and purpose next week as we read The Keeping Quilt. If you have a quilt at home you can send it in with your child. If you would like to share your knowledge about quilting, please contact me via email. We would love to have someone come talk to the students about quilts. Thank you!

*Spelling: We will work on list 9: long i sound. A pretest will be given Monday. Homework will be sent home Monday as well. The final test and homework is on Thurs.

* English: We will begin a unit on narrative writing.

*Science: We will begin a new unit on ch. 4: ecosystems.

*Social Studies: We will begin a new chapter on culture and immigration (ch. 3).

* Math: We will continue to work on ch. 5 money. We will focus on counting back change ( up to $10) and adding and subtracting money. Please continue to reinforce these skills at home and over break. We will have a money checkpoint for a grade on Thurs. 12/2. We will also go over multiplication this week. A testing schedule for multiplication facts will be sent home on Monday.

Thank you for reading our blog this week. We wish you all a safe, healthy, and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of 11/22

*Odds and Ends*

*Paper Recycling Fundraiser Comes to Prairieview: We are happy to announce we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! You can help us out, too! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (office and school paper, newspaper, magazines and catalogs, and construction paper---no cardboard!) and send it in with your child to school or drop it off at the green and yellow Paper Retriever bin in the Lakeview parking lot (near the fence by the Prairieview playground). The bin is available for drop offs 24/7. The more paper we recycle, the more money we can make! Do something good for our schools AND the environment! Thank you!

*White Envelopes: Please remember to turn in the special white envelopes by Mon. 11/22. Thank you!

*The students of Project Challenge grades 3-5 are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate you will need to bring the donations in by December 13. Remember that some of these families live right here in Darien. So let's help these families have a happy holiday season. PLEASE DONATE!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 11/23: Social Studies: Modern Day Downers Grove Graded Review

Picture Retakes

Report Cards sent home!

*Wed. 11/24-Fri. 11/26: No School: Happy Thanksgiving!

*Mon. 11/29-Wed. 12/1: Conferences After School: Please be on time for your scheduled conference...they only last 15 minutes and we can easily get off schedule. Thank you for your cooperation! I look forward to meeting with each of you!

*Thurs. 12/2: Spelling: List 9 Test

Reading: The Keeping Quilt vocab and comprehension test

Math: ch 5 Money Checkpoint

*Fri. 12/3: No School

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading:We will be doing some reading activities with a Thanksgiving theme. These activities review the different skills and strategies we've been working on this year. We will also be discussing Word Masters, an extra curricular activity that works on building vocabulary through analogies. Please look over the note and word list coming home. Please email with any questions!

*Spelling: There will be no spelling this week. The week we return we will work on list 9: words with the long I sound. There will be a pretest Monday and a final test Thursday. Homework will be sent home Monday and due Thursday.

*English: We will work on writing a point of view story. We will write about Thanksgiving through the eyes of a turkey! Next unit....narrative writing.

*Social Studies: We are wrapping up our Downers Grove unit. We will take a graded review on modern day Downers Grove on Tues. 11/23. A study guide was sent home this week.

*Science: We are finishing up ch. 10: Space. We will work on some more planet activities in the upcoming days. Next unit...ch 4: ecosystems and animal habitats.

*Math: We are working on ch. 5: Money and Time. We will focus on money for the next few weeks. One of the hardest concepts in this chapter is counting back change. Please practice this at home as much as possible! We will take a money graded review (checkpoint) on Thurs. 12/1 if all goes as planned!

We will also begin our multiplication unit. We will work on this at the same time as ch. 5, so each night there will be two homework assignments: one on money/time and one on multiplication. Please study multiplication flashcards each night...a testing schedule will be sent home Mon. 11/29. Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Nov. 15-19

Odds and Ends:

*Scholastic Book Order: Remember our November book order is due Friday, Nov. 19th. If you place your order online, you can help our classroom earn free classroom books. Thanks!

*Thank you to the following chaperons for coming along on our Downers Grove Field trip: Mrs. Singh, Mrs. Topp, Mrs. Vanni, Mrs. Edwards, and Mrs. Kling. We all had a great time and learned so much about Downers Grove history! It was fantastic to see our history lessons come alive!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 11/15: PBIS Assembly 1:45pm

*Tues. 11/16: Math: Problem Solving Graded Review

English: DOL #5 graded review

*Thurs. 11/18: Book Check Out

* Fri. 11/19: Synonym/Antonym Analogies Review

English: Unit 3 Verb Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to focus on our reading strategies as we apply them to our reading. We will focus on making inferences, summarizing, predicting, using background knowledge, and applying our knowledge about synonyms and antonyms. We will also continue to work on identifying character traits, setting, and problem/solution.

*Spelling: We will continue to focus on synonyms and antonyms and analogies this week. There will be a graded review on Friday.

*English: The students are busy working on verbs in unit 3. We will finish up this unit on Friday, 11/19. A study guide will be sent home next week. The test will be on Fri. 11/19. Please refer to the pretest in your child's English folder to focus on what your child needs to focus on.

*Science: The students are learning about the planets and solar system in ch. 10 lesson 3.

*Social Studies: We had a great time on our Downers Grove field trip. We will continue to learn about modern day Downers Grove.

*Math: We are finishing up our problem solving unit. We will discuss t-charts this week and take a graded review on problem solving on Tues. We will begin ch. 5 (time and money) this week.

Thank you for checking our our blog this week. Enjoy your weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Nov. 8-12

Odds and Ends:

*Picture Retakes: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 will be picture retake day. Any student that did not have their picture taken prior to this date may do so. They will be required to have a picture envelope with money to have a picture taken. Any student wishing to have a picture retaken will have to return the original picture packet for a retake.

*Field Trip: We will be taking our Downers Grove field trip on Tues. 11/9. If your child did not order pizza, please remember to send them with a sack lunch. Also, please check the weather the night before...we do walk around downtown and students will need to be dressed appropriately. Wear comfortable walking shoes! If you were not chosen as a chaperon but would like to meet us for lunch at Giordano's Pizza on Main St. in downtown Downers Grove, please meet us there around 12:15pm. We should be arriving there at that time or shortly after. All students will need to take the bus back to school. Thank you for your understanding.

*Roller Skating Party: Students attending the roller skating party on Monday, November 8th will need to report to school at 3:45 p.m. to check in and have their hands stamped before boarding the buses. Students should bring their fast pass with them at check in which will go home with them on Monday. Please remember to not park in the bus lanes when dropping your student off and for pick up. Thank you

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Mon. 11/8: Roller Skating Party: After School

*Tues. 11/9: Downers Grove Field Trip

*Wed. 11/10: PE Net Games Test

*Thurs. 11/11: No School: Veteran's Day

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue with our novel study while focusing on character traits, problem/resolution, and setting as well as predicting, summarizing, and making inferences as we read!

*Spelling: We will continue our study of analogies. This week and next, we will focus on synonym and antonym analogies. Therefore, we will not have a spelling test this week nor next week. We will have a graded assessment on analogies the following week.

*English: We are working on ch. 3: Verbs. You can find your child's pretest and learning contract for this chapter in his/her English folder. Please keep this packet in their English folder since we refer to it each day in class. This pretest can be used as a reference on what to study and focus on for the end of the unit test.

*Science: Chapter 10 is OUT OF THIS WORLD! We are continuing to study the moon phases (lesson 2) and will start to learn about the planets (lesson 3) next week.

*Social Studies: We are gearing up for our Downers Grove field trip on Tues. 11/9. We are learning about local government (ch. 12) and we will continue to learn about modern day Downers Grove.

*Math: We are going to take a short break from the textbook as we focus on problem solving skills. We will focus on word problems where students have to make a table to solve the problem. We will also be introducing the concepts of t-charts. Look for a pink packet of information explaining t-charts coming home Monday.

Thank you and enjoy the weekend~

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Nov. 1-Nov. 5

Happy Halloween!

*Thank you to Mrs. Leatherwood, Mrs. Burrows, Mrs. Stanley, Mrs. Singh, and Mrs. Wagner for making our Halloween classroom celebration SPOOK-tacular! The students and teachers had a great time!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 11/2:No School: Teacher Institute

*Thurs. 11/4: Math: Ch. 4 Subtraction Test

*Fri. 11/5: Spelling: Analogies: Part/whole graded review

Math: Subtraction Fast Facts 0-18 Graded Review

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will be focusing on the following skills and strategies as we read novels this week: identifying character traits, setting, and problem/solution, summarizing, predicting, and making inferences.

*Spelling: This week the students will focus on solving part/whole analogies. We will work on this skill every day. A packet will be given to the students on Monday. We will work on the packet in class and some pages will be homework. This packet can be studied and reviewed for Friday's graded review on part/whole analogies.

*English: We will begin Verbs (ch. 3) on Monday. We will pretest the chapter to determine student's prior knowledge.

*Science: We will continue to work on ch. 10 space.

*Social Studies: The students will continue to work on Downers Grove, focusing on modern day Downers Grove as well as local government. We will use the social studies textbook ch. 12 to learn about local government. Our field trip to visit the places we have learned about in class will take place Tues. 11/9.

*Math: We are finishing up ch. 4: subtraction. The test is scheduled for Thurs. 11/4. Please review subtracting with borrowing and subtracting across zeros (example 5,001- 398) with your child. Remember the "Triple B" saying: Is the Bottom number Bigger? Borrow! We will also continue to practice our 0-18 subtraction fast facts all week. They will begin to count as a grade on Fri. 11/5.

Have a safe, fun, and spooky Halloween weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 25-29

Odds and Ends:

* Halloween Classroom Party: Our classroom Halloween parties will take place on Friday, October 29th in the afternoon. The all school parade will be at 1pm and the classroom parties will take place from 1:30-2:20pm. If your child would like to dress up for this holiday, please send their costume to school with them on Friday. We will give the students time to get into their costume before the parade. They should be able to get ready and dressed in their costume on their own.

* Maps Testing: The students have been doing a great job during Maps testing. Our last Maps test will take place on Monday, 10/25.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 10/26: Social Studies: History of Downers Grove Graded Review

*Fri. 10/29: Halloween Parade and Classroom Celebration

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

* Reading: We will be focusing on predicting, making inferences, and cause and effect as we continue to work with Cliffhanger and other stories. The students will be applying the above comprehension strategies as they read.

*Spelling: This week we will work on Halloween words. There will be a homework packet given to the students on Monday. The homework packet is due Friday. There will be no pretest or final test this week.

*English: The students will continue to work on descriptive writing. They will work on applying all they have learned about descriptive writing as they write a haunted house story.

* Science: We will start ch. 10 lesson 2: The Moon.

*Social Studies: We will be finishing up learning about the history of Downers Grove. We are gaining background knowledge to prepare us for our upcoming field trip. We will move to learn about modern day Downers Grove as well as local government, using ch. 12 in our textbooks. The DG history graded review will be on Tues. 10/26.

*Math: The students will continue to work on ch. 4: subtraction. They are working hard to subtract greater numbers with borrowing. They are also going to be working with subtracting across zeros. Please practice these skills at home. Also, keep practicing subtraction fast facts 0-18. Thank you for your help!

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway

Week of Oct. 18-22

UPCOMING EVENTS:

*Tues. 10/19: MAPS Testing #2

*Wed. 10/20: Early Dismissal 11 am

*Fri. 10/22: Spelling: List 8 Test

Bus Driver Appreciation Day!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK:

*Reading: We will continue to work on cause and effect, as well as making predictions and inferences as we read Cliffhanger.

*Spelling: We will work on list 8 this week. The rule for the week is three-letter clusters and unexpected consonant patterns. The pretest will be Monday and the graded test will be Friday.

*English: We will continue descriptive writing focusing on sensory words, similes, and color words.

* Social Studies: We are busy learning about the history of Downers Grove. We will learn about some important places and people in Downers Grove history to prepare us for our November field trip.

*Science: The students will continue to learn about space this week.

* Math: The students are working on ch. 4. We will be focusing on subtracting greater numbers with borrowing and subtracting across zeros. Please review these concepts at home. Also, we are working on subtraction fast facts. Please practice subtraction facts 0-18 at home whenever possible..flashcards and computer games are a great, fun way to practice these facts!

Thank you and have a great fall weekend!

Mrs. Olsen and Miss Galloway