Mrs. Maraldo's 3rd Grade Class

Oct. 24-28, 2011

2011-10-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful fall weather! This will be my last blog until I return from maternity leave. Miss Terry will notify you all by email and/or letter when she begins the week of Oct. 31. It has been wonderful working with your children and will be nice to see all of the progress they make by the time I return in the Spring.

Here are some updates for the week. The homework packet for Dancing Rainbows will go home tomorrow and is due on Friday. We kicked off multiplication last week and will continue learning/practicing the facts over the next month or so. Please be sure to practice at home as the 1-10s need to be memorized by the end of 3rd grade. Many students were very excited to finally dive into multiplication.

This Tuesday we are going on a field trip to the Aptos Museum. Our tour is from 10:15-11:15, so if you are driving, please show up at 9:55 so we can load up the cars and head over. It is located at the Visitor Center across the street from the Best Western on State Park Dr.

Also, lice has been going around our school once again. If notice any itchy heads, our school nurse can check your child for nits.

Our Halloween Party is planned for Oct. 31 from 10-11:00. Contact Mrs. Star if you are volunteering or have any questions.

Happy Sunday!

Wish List: Please send in wipes and tissues as the flu season approaches. Sharpened #2 pencils are also welcome.

Oct. 17-21, 2011

2011-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

It was great meeting with you all during conferences. I hope the feedback you received about your child was helpful and will help them to succeed this school year. Miss Terry was excited to sit in and work with your children this past week. It should be a smooth transition for everyone.

The homework packet for this week is for The Talking Cloth. We just finished up subtraction and will move on to multiplication. You will find an attached multiplication fact sheet for the remainder of the school year. Please help your child learn these facts as they are crucial for 4th grade.

Our Halloween party is underway for Oct. 31. If you would like to help, please email Mrs. Star.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Oct. 10-14 Conference Week

2011-10-08T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying the sun. What a bizarre week we just had with the rain!

This week students will have a homework packet for Born to Rope due on Friday. Again, please complete the reading log every night. We will continue to work on subtracting greater numbers. Check your child's homework to be sure they are getting all of the steps. This can be a confusing concept for 3rd graders especially when subtracting across zeros.

Students were given their first lit circle job last wednesday. We did most of the reading in class, but whatever is not complete will need to be done at home and turned in by Wednesday or earlier.

Mrs. Star and I will be working out the details for the Halloween party on Oct. 31st. Keep your eyes out for an email. That will also be my last day with your kids for a while. Mrs. Terry will transition in that day and be with your children full time beginning November 1.

Have a great weekend and I'll see many of you this week at conferences.

Wish list: sharpened pencils

Oct. 3-7, 2011

2011-10-01T14:56:00.001-07:00

Hope you are enjoying the first days of October. Can't believe how quickly time is flying. On Monday I am sending home a reminder for Conference Week (Oct 10-14). If you signed up then please be sure your calendars are marked. If for some reason you can not make the time you signed up for, please let me know ASAP so we can change it. Also, there are a few who did not sign up. Please pick 2 times on the signup sheet and I will do my best to accommodate you. Mrs. Terry will join me during conferences to meet you.

The spelling packet for this week is back to normal. It consists of a spelling list for The Keeping Quilt,a practice book page, math subtraction, and a reading log. Be sure to sign the reading log each night.

Students will also be assigned their first Lit Circle book this week on Wednesday. Most of this will be done in class, but whatever is not complete by Friday will become homework. Students will not get into their groups until next week, so volunteers please begin coming then. I will call or email my Lit. Circle volunteers this week.

If you have not sent in the permission form or $1.00 for our field trip to the Aptos Museum on October 24, please do so this week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sept. 26-30, 2011

2011-09-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates for the week. Spelling packet will consist of 25 Review words from Theme 1 and a reading log. There will be no additional math page attached, just the nightly HM math homework.

A field trip form went home last week for the Aptos Museum scheduled for the end of October. If you are interested in driving, please sign the driver form and be sure your insurance is updated in the office. Each child will need to send in $1.00 to cover the cost of this field trip.

Also, if you haven't signed up for a conference for the week of October 10, please contact me so we can schedule a time for you. This will be a great opportunity to meet Mrs. Terry and discuss your child's goals for the year.

Hope you are staying dry today and have a great week!

Sept. 19-23, 2011

2011-09-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the sun has finally made it's appearance nearly a month into school. Hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! I am happy to announce that Rebecca Terry will be my long term sub while I am on maternity leave. Many of you may know her from 2nd grade. She took over for Mrs. Sandman's class when she was on leave last year. If you don't, rest assured, your children are in great hands. She will do a wonderful job. Students already know her from rotations in 2nd grade and she has already been into our class to see the children.

For this week a homework packet will go home Monday for The Waterfall and is due on Friday. Attached is a subtraction facts practice page along with the reading log. We have moved into chapter 2 with rounding (a challenging skill) and will continue with that this week before going to greater addition in Chapter 3.

THANK YOU to ALL the chaperones and drivers who came along to the County Fair. Kids had a wonderful time, and once again no one got lost:)

If you were unable to attend Back to School Night, please send in your email so I can forward it to Mrs. Star. She is putting together a list for parents in our class. Also, please contact me so we can set up a conference in October. I can meet you in person or have a meeting over the phone at your convenience. Miss Terry has also offered to come to conferences as a chance to meet you all.

Have a great week!

Sept. 12-16, 2011

2011-09-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful seeing you all at Back to School Night. I hope all of your questions were answered. If you were unable to attend, Mrs. Star is collecting email addresses for a class roster. Please send me your email so I can forward it to her. Also if you were unable to sign up for a conference I have a few time slots available. I can also do a phone conference for those of you with busy schedules.

This week your child will receive a spelling packet for the Ballad of Mulan due on Friday. We are going to finish up place value in math with a chapter 1 test on Tuesday and move into chapter 2 mid week.

Our field trip to the county fair is coming up this Thursday. If you are driving, please show up by 8:30. Doors to the fair open at 9:00. We will be gone most of the school day so a sack lunch is necessary. Please do not send your child with money because we won't allow them to shop there.

Have a great weekend!

Sept. 6-9, 2011

2011-09-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all enjoying the Labor Day weekend. It's nice having an extra day to catch up on things.

Homework packet for this week will consist of a subtraction math page and reading page only. There will be no spelling due to the short week and Back to School Night this Thursday. Nightly math will be the same. Please be sure your child is completing his/her reading log each night with a simple summary. Some of the reading logs are coming back with no summary,genre, parent signature, or missing a complete day. If something comes up and the log can not be filled out for a night, please let me know.

Thank you to those who have donated items to the classroom. Pencils and sanitizing wipes are always needed.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you Thursday evening. A volunteer sheet as well as a conference schedule will be out for you to sign up. I welcome phone interviews and will have a day aside for those who have busy schedules.

Aug. 29- Sept. 2, 2011

2011-08-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Here are a few updates for the week.

Weekly homework packet will consist of spelling from the Lost and Found. Please have your child study the words and sentences on the back. There will be a spelling test on Friday. Be sure ALL pages in the packet are complete and turned in by Friday. The reading log must have a short 1-2 sentence summary for each night even if the same book is read. For math we are finishing up graphing and going to probability. There was some confusion on last weeks homework. Unfortunately the district has us beginning at chapters 22-23, and some of the skills have not been introduced. Hang in there, we will begin chapter 1 next week.

Also being sent home Monday is a field trip form to the Santa Cruz County Fair on Thursday, September 15 and a Highlights Magazine paper. If you are interested in driving please fill out the top page and insurance information in the office. For the Highlights magazine, this does not need to be ordered but please sign and return if you are NOT interested. Our class can receive free prizes even for NO responses.

Thanks for all who have donated to the classroom. Have a great day!

August 22-27, 2011

2011-08-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Whew! Made it through the first week of school. It was wonderful seeing so many happy faces on Wednesday morning. Kids were overall very excited to see their friends and begin 3rd grade. It was great meeting parents too! Thank you for all of the wipes, pencils, and other supplies you donated. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

A weekly homework packet will go home on Monday and is due on Friday, AUGUST 27. This packet includes a weekly reading log as well as an attached subtraction fact page. Don't worry about the AR level on the reading log just yet. Students will take the STAR computer test either this week or next to determine their reading level. I also began assessing students on comprehension and fluency. I will send home a printed copy of their score once all students have taken the test. If you have not signed the computer authorization form, please do so this week. It was sent home with the emergency cards on Wednesday in the green newsprint packet. If you overlooked the form I can send a copy with your child. Students will not be allowed to use the computer until this form is signed.

Most of you have probably seen the nightly Houghton Mifflin math homework. Kids are required to complete the front and choose at least 3 leveled word problems on the back. As you have noticed, some are harder than others. If your child attempts the problems but can not get through, just write a note on the math page. Homework should not take more than 45 minutes to complete.

That's all for now. Have a GREAT weekend!

Welcome Back!

2011-08-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to 3rd grade! I'm looking forward to meeting many smiley, and probably tired faces this Wednesday morning.

Here are a list of supplies I would like each child to bring in:

1) several sharpened #2 pencils (Ticonderoga work the best)
2) An EXPO white board marker labeled with name, any color
3) Homework folder. Inside right pocket should be labeled homework, left side should
be labeled teacher/parent notes and completed work
4) Weekly planner to write assignments for each day
5) Anti bacterial WIPES to share with the class. I already have gel
6) Small head phones/headset to use in class and in the computer lab. Please send in
a ziplock bag with student name and room number

Your child will not need a pencil box as they take up too much space on the desks. I have plenty of markers, crayons, scissors, and glue for students to share, so no need to buy those either.

Here are some optional items to bring along:
*a flash drive
*a copy of Charlotte's Web if you have one. We will begin reading on the first day of school.

Wish List:
Staples/Kaleidescope gift card
Ticonderoga #2 pencils, sharpened
Bag of gummy bears or starbursts
Roll of red tickets(found at Staples)
Items for the prize box
Dixie cups

I am looking for a volunteer to take pictures of students the first week of school. If you are interested please email me at athena_maraldo@pvusd.net. I am also looking for a few helpers to tear out pages in our math homework book. This can be done at home.

On another note, as many of you may or may not know, I am expecting a child due in November, another boy! I know this probably isn't the most ideal situation for some, but Mrs. Dorney and I are working on finding a wonderful, experienced interim teacher to cover my maternity leave. If you have any concerns, please contact her. I am excited to start the year off with your children. See you Wednesday morning at 7:55!

Last week of school, June 2011

2011-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

A big THANKYOU to all of the parents who have helped volunteer in one way or another to our class this year. You have been a huge help and I can't express how much I appreciate all you do. As the year comes to a closing, I hope your child has built on his/her foundation and have grown both academically and socially. Keep practicing those times tables, reading, and writing this summer. But, have FUN too!

Here are a few reminders for this week. The field trip to Seacliff beach is in on Wednesday, June 1.We will leave school at 9:30. Chaperones can come around 9:20. I still need permission forms and $5.00 from the following students: Abby, Kylie, and Dylan. I also need only $5:00 from the following: Ethan, Emily, Tess, and Aiden.

The librarian has also send home notes to Maya, Ethan, John, and Kylie about books that need to be either turned in or paid for. Students will not receive their report cards if they have an overdue book that is not turned in or accounted for.

Yearbooks will also go home this week. I will pass them out on Thursday.

Have a great long weekend and wonderful summer! It's been a pleasure teaching your children!

May 23-27, 2011

2011-05-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

This week students should be prepping for their famous American speeches that will begin on Friday. A schedule was sent home a few days ago with the day your child will be presenting. Please help them practice every night until they are well prepared. Our last Lit Circle will be due this Wednesday. PLEASE look around your house for any books that belong to either me or the school. I am still missing many leveled books. I will try to send home a list of missing books soon.

Math homework will continue this week only. The last week of school there will be no homework. Our end of the year party is underway. If you haven't sent in the permission form and $5.00 please so so ASAP. I'd like to get the money to the organizers or the party ahead of time.

Thanks for ALL of your help and support this year. I hope your child has had a wonderful year! I will do one more post next week. Have a great weekend!

May 16-20, 2011

2011-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Great to see all of the families who made it to Open House.

This week students will have their last spelling packet due Friday. We will continue daily math homework through next week. Lit circles will end on May 25. I am missing several lit circle books, so a list will be sent home this week. Please check your house for any books that look like they belong to the school.

By now, most students should be done with taking notes on their famous Americans. A letter was sent home last week describing the project. Most of the speeches will be held on Friday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 31. A few can sign up for Thursday, june 2. It is very important that your child practice in front of you several times.

Our end of the year party will be on Wednesday, June 1 at Seacliff Beach. Please save the date if you plan on driving. We are asking all students to contribute $5.00 towards the cost of food. A big thank you to the parents who were able up drive on our last field trip. Without your help, we couldn't have gone.

3 more weeks to go!

May 9-13, 2011

2011-05-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are having a special and relaxing day today.

The count down is officially on until the end of the year. CST testing is done, phew, and we are back to a somewhat normal schedule. A new spelling packet will be sent home Monday due on Friday. We are done reading out of the HM anthology so the spelling lists are good review of 3rd grade words. Attached to the packet is the multiplication timed sheet we have been working on weekly. Normal daily math homework will resume. Students will need to complete 3 word problems on the back.

We began working on notetakong for the Famous America speeches. Students who did not finish paragraphs 1,2, & 3 were required to finish at home. This MUST be done and turned in by tomorrow. We will continue working on paragraphs 4,5, & 6 this week. Once the notes are finished, we will then write a draft in the first person.( For example: Hello, my name is George Washington and I was the first president of the US. I was born on... in...) Once the notes are written in paragraph form, students will take it home, edit and either type or write a final version to practice for their speech. Speeches will be done in class beginning on Friday, May 27. A sign up sheet will be sent around. I am looking for 1-2 parents who would like to come and video tape the children doing their speeches. Last year a parent was able to give a copy of the video to each child.

Our field trip to the Agricultural History Museum is scheduled for this Thursday, however, we are in need of 2 more drivers in order to go. If we don't have enough drivers then I will have to cancel the trip. We need to find cars for 9 more students. If you have already confirmed driving, then I will let you know on Wednesday if we can go or not. We are having our end of the year party on Wednesday, June 1st. We are asking for $5.00 per student and drivers to the beach as well.

Hope you can make it to Open House this Thursday, May 12. See you then!

May 2-6, 2011

2011-05-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break. This week we will finish off testing with the English Language Arts section of the CST. Testing will resume on Tuesday, May 3 and finish on Thursday, May 5. Please be sure your child had an ample breakfast and snack. Testing will happen at 9:30 each day. Homework again will be minimal. Math will be sent home nightly, but students only need to do 1 word problem on the back.

Students will begin working on their famous american reports today. Most students picked their person before Spring Break and already gathered an article of research from the computer lab. We will begin paragraph 1 today and continue with a paragraph each day. If your child is unable to finish in class, it will be sent home for homework.

Lit Circles will also continue this week. We will go until the end if the school year. I will not need any other classroom volunteers(besides lit circles) this week due to testing.

Next week on May 12 we are going on a field trip to the Ag History Museum in Watsonville. If you signed up to drive I will send a reminder next week. Please send in $3:00 to cover the cost. Our end of the year party is also coming up on Wednesday, June 1. All classes are asking for $5:00 to cover the cost of food. Permission forms will be sent home soon.

Have a great week!

April 18-21, 2011

2011-04-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Students did a wonderful job on their animal reports and dioramas. I am very proud of the work that was turned in! I will send home a grade for the dioramas next week and return the reports after Spring break. The next project we'll be working on in class is the famous American biography. Students should know who they want to learn about by Monday, April 18. On Tuesday, our class will go to the computer lab to print out research articles (if they didn't get one last week). Their job over break is to read about their famous American and come back after Spring Break prepared to begin note taking. A letter expaining this will be sent home early May.

CST testing will also begin this Tuesday, April 19. 3rd grade classes will be testing around 9:30 for the math portion of the test. There are 3 parts, so we will do one each day; Part 1 on Tuesday, Part 2 on Wednesday, and part 3 on Thursday. Please be sure your child has a sufficient breakfast and snack to help them through. Sugar free gum will be allowed ONLY during testing time. Students are to bring gum for themselves or to share with the class. If any student is inappropriate with the gum, it will be taken away. Gum will then be collected in the trash cans after testing is complete.

Homework for the week will be minimal. There will be no spelling packet, but some math. Students will continue with Lit. Circles and can read their books in class after testing.

Have a wonderful weekend and Spring Break!

April 11-15, 2011

2011-04-08T14:59:00.000-07:00

This Friday, April 15, animal reports and dioramas are due. Reports are to be typed or neatly written in 5 paragraphs. They may be turned in early if you like. Since this project is due on Friday, there will be no spelling packet sent home this week, just the daily math.

CST testing will begin on Tuesday April 19. We will begin with the math section and then finish up ELA when we return from break. If you will miss any testing, let me know ahead of time so we can have your child take a make up test.

As you may know from your child, I spoke to them about the famous American project coming up next month. I would like all students to choose a person by Monday, April 18. This does not mean they will begin rresearch on that day, I just want them to have a person in mind to read and learn about over Spring Break. We will then begin taking notes IN CLASS beginning May 2. A letter will be sent home explaining more about this project in a few weeks.

Have a great weekend!

Wipes and pencils are greatly appreciated

April 4-8, 2011

2011-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

A letter was sent home today explaining the directions for the animal reports. If you have any questions about it, feel free to email and let me know. Otherwise, the final report and dioramas are due on Friday, April 15. Don't be obligated to buy any materials for the project. Look for things around the house that can be used to construct the mammal and its habitat.

A spelling packet will go home for Ramona Quimby. This packet will be due on Friday, April 8. The following week there will be no spelling packet because we want students to complete the animal project.

I wanted to give you all a heads up that California Standards Testing will begin the week of April 18 (before Spring Break). If your child will be out for any reason, please let me know so we can have them do a make up test. Testing will begin on Tuesday, April 19-Thursday April 21 in the morning. We also have a field trip coming up on May 12 to the Agricultural History museum in Watsonville. Permission forms will be sent out soon.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sun!

March 25, 2011

2011-03-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

This weeks spelling packet for Poppa's New Pants will be sent home Monday and due on Friday. A note explaining the animal dioramas will also be sent home on Monday. Students are working on the reports in class and will finish up paragraph 5. I will then send their rough draft home for you to edit, probably on Tuesday. Please sit with your child and look over what they have written. Many have done a great job and others still may need to find a few specifics. The final draft of their report should be typed at home. If this is an issue, please talk to me and we can work something out. The final report will be due on April 15 (tax day, I know!) along with the diorama.

On a side note, I am still missing several Literature Circle books. Please check around the house for any books that either say Maraldo on the front or have a Lexile sticker on the back. I will have students take an AR Star test in the computer lab on Tuesday and will send home their current reading level shortly after.

Thank you for some of the wipes and Kleenex that came in this week. I can always use pencils too. It's amazing how fast they go.

Have a great weekend!

March 21-25, 2011

2011-03-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

This weeks spelling packet will go home for Pepita Talks Twice due on Friday. Please be sure your child is studying the sentences on the back. It is clear that some have them down every week and others make several mistakes.

We began taking notes for our animal reports. This week we will continue with note taking and then write into paragraph form. Students are excited about their research and are having a fun time with it. I may send home a rough draft for you to edit either later this week or next.

If you haven't sent in $5.00 to Mrs. Lee for the auction project, please send it in with your child this week. The umbrella and towels turned out very nice. The kids enjoyed putting their handprints on.

Wipes, wipes, wipes please. So many students have runny noses these days including myself. If you have any extra, our class could really use them. Thanks!

Feb. 14-18, 2011

2011-03-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

The spelling packet for this week will consist of Theme 5 Review words and the usual multiplication practice. I'm seeing a big improvement
for students finishing their timed test. Our class record this week was 2 minutes 55 seconds. Way to go Kidasi! Our runner ups have been Abed and Barbara. Keep up the good work everyone!

On Monday we will begin our animal reports in class. We will begin by taking notes for paragraph 1. This report will consist of 5 total paragraphs, mostly done in class with the research students have gathered in the computer lab. Once the report is complete students will then construct a diorama at home. As I mentioned earlier, a letter from the 3rd grade team will go home soon explaining this project.

Jenni Ward from Spectra Arts will also be joining us every Monday for the next 4 weeks for ceramics. She has some great projects and the kids love her. Without fundraisers and our yearly Rio auction, we would not be able to have Spectra Artists come to our school. On that note, our class project is underway. If you have not yet sent in $5.00 to Wendy Lee, please do so this week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

March 7-11, 2011

2011-03-06T14:23:00.001-08:00

This week report cards will be sent home on Tuesday for our 2nd trimester. Can't believe we only have a few months to go until summer break. Please be sure to sign and return the report card envelope with your child the next day.

The spelling packet will go home for Trapped by the Ice. This is based on a true story. If anyone has a copy of The Endurance, please send it in. It is a documentary of Shackleton's journey to Antarctica. The packet is due Friday. We will continue to work on fractions this week. We will be adding and subtracting fractions. Lit Circles are due Wednesday as usual. Please check around your house for any Lit Circle books that have not been turned in. I am missing several copies of books that belong to the school. If a book has been lost or damaged, please replace it or let me know so I can purchase it.

This week students have to decide which animal they would like to do for the mammal report. I'll be asking each child for additional resources about their mammal either with a book or another internet article. The 3rd grade team will get a letter to send home explaining the project. We will begin in class either the end of this week or next week. Most of the writing will be done in class. Students will follow a note taking guide each day. Some support will be needed at home if work is not done in class. This project isn't due until sometime in April. Date is TBD.

Hope you are having a great weekend! Please continue to send in pencils, they are very much appreciated. Thank you to Mrs. Thrasher for giving me a new printer for the classroom. This will come in handy when students need to print in color.

Feb 28- Mar 4, 2011

2011-02-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

This week a new spelling packet will go home for Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip. This packet is due on Friday. Please be sure your child is practicing his or her multiplication facts. We will have a timed test every Thursday. We have moved onto fractions, but will continue to review multiplication and division. Lit circles are due on Wednesday as usual. I will be printing out an AR quiz report soon to send home with report cards as well as current reading levels.

Wish list : pencils and goodies for the prize box.
Have a great week!

Feb. 21-25, 2011

2011-02-21T13:51:00.001-08:00

Hope you are all enjoying yet another 3 day weekend. This is it for a while until Spring Break, so hopefully students are well rested. The spelling packet for Across the Wide Dark Sea was sent home last week and is due this Friday, February 25th. Students had 2 weeks to complete so EVERYONE should turn this in on time. We are wrapping up division in class (for now) and moving onto fractions and decimals. Please be sure your child continues to practice the multiplication facts for the test we have every Thursday. A big THANK YOU to Alison McKenna for correcting these for the class. I hope that as these tests come home weekly, you and your child can reflect on improvements and obstacles. The 2nd trimester report cards will be sent home in early March and these will reflect their current grades for geometry, multiplication, division, and fractions.

In March, all 3rd grade classes will begin working on a mammal report. Tomorrow in the computer lab, I will introduce students to a website where they will review a list of mammals and decide which one they would like to research. If a mammal not on the list is chosen, students will need pre-approval from me in order to proceed. The 3rd grade team thought it was important to have a website already in place that students could get their information from. Otherwise, students come with internet articles that are too advanced that they can not read or understand. This type of research will be a nice lead in to our Famous American reports that we'll be working on in May. A letter will go home shortly explaining the mammal project.

Wish list: pencils, antibacterial wipes

Thanks and Happy Presidents Day!

Feb. 15-18, 2011

2011-02-11T15:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Due to the next 2 short weeks, the spelling packet fot Across the Wide Dark Sea will not be due until Friday, February 25. We will have a spelling test for these words on that day. Please be sure to check that your child's name is on his/her packet and that ALL pages are complete. I also encourage you and your child to practice the multiplication page on the back of the packet. Every Thursday your child will have a test on these facts. By 3rd grade the facts to the 10s should be memorized. We are still working on division and long division will be introduced this week.

That's it for now. Please send in sharpened pencils with your child. I am down to only 2 packs. Have a great weekend and stay healthy!

Feb. 7-11, 2011

2011-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

What beautiful weather we are having. I hope you and your families are enjoying the outdoors. I sure am!

This weeks spelling packet will consist of 25 review words from Theme 4, Animal Habitats. Attached you will find a multiplication page with facts to the 12s. As I mentioned in last weeks blog, we will have a test on this page every Thursday. Please hold on to these tests as they come home, so you and your child can keep track of their progress. We are also continuing with division and will begin some long division as well.

This Friday we will have a low key Valentine exchange. We have 28 students in the class. Please have your child bring a Valentine for everyone if they'd like to participate. Here are the student names: Abby, Abed, Anwar, Aiden, Barbara, Dylan, Ian F, Ian H, John, Kidasi, Kylie, Lily, Emily , Estelle, Maya, Monira, Sebastian, Owen, Ethan , Taye, Tess, Victoria,Maggie, Sam , Zack , Bryeanna, Noah and Nathan.

Have a wonderful day! Happy Superbowl.

Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2011

2011-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

This weeks spelling packet will go home for Two Days in May. This is due on Friday. Attached you will find a page of multiplication facts to the 12s. If these facts are not memorized, it's time to practice each night until they become automatic. Unfortunately there is no easy way besides practicing on a daily basis. The standard for 3rd grade is to have the facts to the 10s memorized. I added the 11s and 12a for those who like the extra challenge. Each week (probably on Thursdays) students will have a 10 minute timed quiz on this homework page. As we do these quizzes each week the overall time and performance should increase. If you would like extra copies to practice at home please let me know and I can send them with your child.

Mrs. Ortiz and I talked about having a Valentine exchange on Friday, February 11th. We will pass out Valentines and do a craft after lunch around 12:15. It will be a low key party. Be sure your child has a valentine for everyone if they would like to participate. If anyone has the Charlie Brown Valentine's video, please send it in.

Thank you to all the drivers to our field trip to the MAH. Kids had a great time. Our last field trip to the Agricultural History Museum won't be until May.

Wish list: pencils and antibacterial wipes. Thanks!

Jan. 24-Jan. 28, 2011

2011-01-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful weekend we are having. It's hard to believe that it's winter. This is our first full week back to school. The spelling packet for Seal Surfer will go home monday and is due on Friday. We will end chapter 11 in math covering area, perimeter, and volume this week. Lit circles are due on Wednesday as always. I'd like to reiterate the importance of coming prepared for lit circles. This means that books should be read, jobs done, and all students are ready for discussion.

Last week we began Spectra Art with cartooning. We will have 5 full art lessons for the next month. So far kids are loving it! We also have a field trip coming up to the Museum of Art History in Downtown Santa Cruz this Thursday the 27th. We will leave school around 8:30 and arrive back before lunch around 11:30. There is no need to pack a sack lunch since we'll be eating back at school. We are asking each child for $2.00 to cover the admission. Be sure to send that in with the permission form.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their long winter break. I sure did and found that we all needed some time to rejuvenate ourselves. This Wednesday we return to a full day of school. We will begin the day with Lit circles. I hope everyone read their book over vacation? Also a new spelling packet will go home for Nights of the Pufflings. This packet will be due the following Friday on January 21. Attached are multiplication facts for 6s and 7s. If your child does not have the facts memorized to the 5s by now, they must study every night from here on out. Knowing these facts is crucial for 4th grade.

We have a field trip coming up this month to the MAH. Permission forms will go home on Wednesday. Please keep an eye out for this. More info to follow.

Let's have a great year!

Dec. 12-17, 2010

2010-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

This week the homework packet for Raising Dragons will go home tomorrow due on Friday. The spelling list will focus on homophones. Please practice these words with your child as they can be quite confusing. In math we'll continue with Geometry. A Chapter 9 test will be given later this week as well as a multiplication quiz of 3s, 4,s and 5,s.

Our field trip is this Tuesday to the Museum of Natural History. We will be leaving from the computer lab at 11:00. You can meet us either at the lab at 11:00 or in the quad near the office. Our tour at the museum will begin at 11:30, so 30 minutes should be plenty of time to drive to Santa Cruz. I will have students eat their lunches before we go around 10:15. If you are a chaperone, please be sure your insurance information is updated.

Also, the holiday party will be Wednesday after lunch from 12:15-1:15 on Wednesday, December 22. If you would like to help or have any ideas please contact Eve Ortiz.

See you soon!

Dec. 5-9, 2010

2010-12-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

This week the homework packet for Raising Dragons will be due on Friday. Please be sure to sign and/or initial each page in the packet. We finished up chapter 8 (measurement) on Friday and will begin Geometry on Monday. Please continue to review multiplication facts with your child, especially the 6s through 9s. Students are expected to learn and know these after Winter Break.

The new reading log was sent home for both December and January. Several students forget to bring them in on Friday for me to check, so if you can remind them that would be great!

Our field trip to the Museum of Natural History is coming up on December 14. Mrs. Colassa has contacted you if the driver insurance needs to be updated. Also, if you would like to chaperone and drive with another parent, let me know. We have a lot of drivers and can double up if you like. The cost of this field trip is $2.00 per student (parents are free).

I also spoke to Mrs. Ortiz about organizing the holiday party. We were thinking about Wednesday, December 22 from 12:15 to 1:15. Parents can set up while the students are at lunch. An email should be coming your way soon. Let us know if you are free to help or have a nice art project.

Thanks for all the pencils that have come in this week. Please continue to send them our way. If you have Dixon pencils, even better. I've noticed that they work the best.

Nov 29-Dec 3, 2010

2010-11-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

This week the spelling howework packet for The Giant of Barletta will be due on Friday. Please be sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts daily. We will have another timed test before Winter Break. Lit. Circles are also due this Wednesday. Students should have this turned in on time and be prepared to discuss the book with their fellow peers. In math we are beginning measurement. Daily homework for Chapter 8 will be sent home.

The field trip to the Museum of Natural History is coming up on Tuesday, December 14. If you have not turned in the permission form, please do so this week. We have plenty of drivers, so I may have a few parents carpool together.

We are going through pencils quickly these days, so if you have some to share with the class, feel free to send them in with your child. Also, with the cold weather, wipes and tissues will be needed soon. Thank you!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Looks like the rain is here! I hope it tapers off so you can all travel safely this week.

Due to the short week, again, there will be no spelling homework packet. Students will get homework Monday night for math only. Students took the Unit 3 multiplication test on Friday and will bring that home on Monday as well. I mentioned that we would begin division in the last blog, but realized that we take a break with measurement and geometry. However, we will continue practicing multiplication facts throughout the month of December. Lit Circles will be due the Wednesday we return. ALL students should be able to turn this in on time. I sent a Lit Circle packet home the other day that read "Important Keep" at the top. I hope that you were all able to take a look at it. It's important to check your child's work before they turn it in to me. Some kids are putting little effort into their job and it shows when there are several mistakes and low quiz scores. If the books are too challenging for your child, please let me know so I can adjust their level.

I made a mistake with the date of the field trip to the Museum of Natural History. We are going TUESDAY, December 14. Please be sure to send in the permission form with $2.00. Also, if I haven't received your child's report card envelope, you can send it in this week.

WISH LIST: Pencils

Have a WONDERFUL, RELAXING THANKSGIVING this week! On that note, A big THANK YOU to all of my parent helpers this year. All of the little things you do from correcting papers, pulling pages from practice books, photocopying, ... save me so much time and allow me to enjoy my family in the evenings. I am very thankful to have such wonderful volunteers.

Novermber 15-19, 2010

2010-11-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

This Monday some of the students from our class will be holding the Monday morning assembly with Mrs. Dorney. Six students (Barbara, Ian F., Kidasi, Monira, Sebastian, and Bryeanna) will recite a poem to honor Veteran's Day and 2 students (Abby and Kylie) will sing a song. If your child is participating, please try to see their performance.

The spelling homework packet for Dogzilla will go be sent home on Monday due Friday. Please check and INITIAL EVERY PAGE. We will continue with multiplication facts and move onto division later in the week. A unit test for chapters 5-7 (multiplication) will be given mid week. By now, ALL students should have the 2s through 5s memorized. If they are not learned, it is necessary they practice on a daily basis.

I did not stamp reading logs this past week. When I check on Friday, 8 boxes should be filled up. Lit. Circles are due every Wednesday. I expect this to be turned in on time with the books. I am getting excuses such as "I didn't have time to do Lit Circles" from about 2-3 kids per week. Students have ample time to complete their assignment. I am also having students take AR quizzes on these books. I attached a notice to the report card to show how your child is progressing in AR. Students who are reading longer chapter books only have a few quizzes while others have 5-7. If nothing is attached, then your child either hasn't taken a quiz or completed one.

Report cards will go home on Monday. Since we just had conferences in October, the comment box is written as "Discussed at Conferences." I added comments to the reading, writing and math sections. Also, since the 3rd grade team does rotations, there is only an effort grade for Social Studies, PE, Science, and Art. ALL 3rd grade teachers have an effort grade for this area only. Please sign the report card envelope (be sure you keep the report card) and return it with your child on Tuesday. I will be giving pencils to those students who bring the envelope back to me.

A reminder that the field trip to the Museum of Natural History is on Thursday, December 14. We are asking $2.00 per student to cover the cost of the admission. Parent Chaperones DO NOT need to pay.

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend! If your child is going to be missing school early for Thanksgiving, please shoot me an email this week so I can get any work together for them.

WISH LIST: Sharpened pencils, wipes

November 8-12, 2010

2010-11-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the parents who drove on the field trip to the Aptos Museum on Thursday. Kids had a great time and learned some valuable local history. We have another field trip coming up in December to teh Museum of Natural History in Santa Cruz (across the street from Seabright Beach). Permission forms will be sent home on Monday. We are asking $2.00 per student for the cost of this field trip. You will need to resubmit driver insurance information because the new trimester begins this week.

Due to the Veteran's holiday, there will be no weekly spelling homework packet sent home. Nightly math homework from the Houghton Mifflin program will continue as well as Lit Circles. When your child completes his/her Lit Circle book, he/she should take an AR quiz at school. I will be sending home an individual list of each child and the quizzes they have taken so for. Quizzes are 10 points and should be passed with at least 70%. If the quiz was not passed, then either the book was too hard or not read completely. Students are to keep track of their own progress in their reading logs at school. However, when I printed out a class list, I noticed that some kids had taken 6-7 quizzes while others had taken zero. Students who are reading easier books should be able to take 1 quiz per week. The more advanced readers will take less quizzes but will have accumulated more points. Third grade is a trial year for students to become familiar with the Accelerated Reader program. The points are really counted in 4th grade.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend. Enjoy!

November 1-5, 2010

2010-10-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Hope you are all having a great weekend with your little ones on one of their favorite days. THANK YOU to all who were able to help with our class party. What a success! Everything ran smooth and students had a great time. Hopefully the kids won't be too hyped up on candy Monday morning!

On Monday a new reading log for November will go home as well as the homework packet for Dancing Rainbows. Attached will be a multiplication facts packet to practice as well. We had our 3s, 4s, and 5,s quiz on Friday, so those will go home sometime this week for your review. Our trimester is coming to an end soon and it is really important for every 3rd grader to have these facts down. We just finished Chapter 5 and will begin Chapter 6 in Houghton Mifflin Math. I will give a unit test on Chapters 5-7 (multiplication through the 10s) in a couple of weeks. We will continue to work on borrowing as well as it can be tricky for many kids.

Lit Circles are due Wednesday. Be sure your child has the completed job and book by Wednesday. I may adjust a couple of groups depending on your child's reading level. Every student took a STAR reading test in the computer lab last week, and I will compare their level to what was scored in late August.

This Thursday we have a field trip to the Aptos History Museum. Our tour begins at 9:00, so we should leave by 8:45 to get their on time. We will return back to school around 10:15-10:30. We are asking for $1.00 per student to cover the cost. If you are a driver, make sure the office has all of your necessary insurance information.

Wish list: sharpened pencils, items for the prize box

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

October 24-29, 2010

2010-10-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Where did our nice Fall weather go? Hopefully the rain will taper off this week as we approach our school wide Halloween parade this Friday at 8:15. Mrs. Ortiz is organizing our Halloween party and is looking for volunteers to help out. We'll probably begin after recess around 9:30 and go for an hour or so. Also, if anyone has the movie Monsters Inc. we could borrow, that would be great. I will be giving the regular spelling test this Friday as well as a timed test for the 3s, 4s, and 5s. So although we will be having fun, there will still be some academics.

Spelling/math homework packets will go home Monday and are due on Friday. Please be sure to sign EVERY page of your child's packet. Many packets turned in do not have the student's name on every page or parent signature. Also, be sure your child completes his/her Lit Circle assignment. They need to read the assigned pages or chapters written in the upper right hand corner of the job. Your child's job should only cover this assigned section of the book. HINT: It may be helpful to write a draft and then transfer the content to the final paper. Be sure your child brings the BOOK AND JOB to school every Wednesday. Students give their reports at 8:05 AM. Be sure to have your child practice reading his/her report, so he/she can read it aloud on 10/27.

On Thursday, November 4th, we are scheduled to go to the Aptos Museum from 9:30-10:30. Permission forms will be sent home this week. If you are interested in chaperoning, let me know. Driver paperwork should be submitted to the office ASAP. If you drove to the County fair, we still have your insurance info in the office.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

October 18-22, 2010

2010-10-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

It was great getting to chat with everyone during conferences. Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to meet and talk about your child. It was also nice seeing so many families at the Harvest Festival. I have to say, the pumpkins and jump house were a big hit for my son.

I am relieved to be back to a normal schedule this week. The regular homework/spelling packet will go home for the story Anthony Reynoso-Born to Rope including the multiplication facts for 3s, 4s, and 5s. We will have a quiz on these facts again next week. We are getting through Chapter 4 of subtracting greater numbers. Be sure your child understands how to borrow. Many have gotten the concept, but it is a hard one and needs a lot of reinforcement. Lit Circles are also underway. Every Wednesday your child will get a new job and book they need to read. Be sure your child is reading ALL of the assigned pages. I will be asking students to take AR quizzes on the computer covering these books. These books can also be used for the weekly reading log that is checked off every Friday.

Mrs. Ortiz is beginning to organize the Halloween party that will be held on Friday, October 29 in Room 21. If you are interested in helping please let her know. We are not sure of the exact time, but it will probably be in the morning after the Halloween parade.

Wish list: pencils. It's amazing how quickly we go through them. If you could send some in that would be great!

Have a great weekend!

October 11-15, 2010

2010-10-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Conference week begins this Monday. THERE WILL BE NO HOMEWORK CLUB. Everyday will be restructured with students getting out at 12:20. I look forward to speaking with all of you about your child's progress so far this year.

Instead of a spelling packet this week, there will be a comprehension page with main idea and details attached to multiplication of the 3's, 4's, and 5's. This packet will be due on Friday. Landform projects are due this Tuesday. Please be sure that every part is labeled and the dimensions are no more than 12x18 inches.

Literature Circle Job is due this Wednesday, October 13th. Please be sure your child reads ALL of the assigned pages or chapters written on the upper right or left hand corner of the job. Your child's job should only cover this assigned section of the book. HINT: It may be helpful to write a draft and then transfer the content to the final paper. On Wednesday, be sure your child brings the BOOK AND JOB to school. Students give their reports around 8:05 AM. Be sure to have your child practice reading his/her report, so he/she can read it aloud on 10/13. It's important that the book be turned in on time so that they do not get lost.

In math we are beginning subtraction up to the thousands with borrowing. Some students need to practice borrowing of 2 digit numbers before going further to larger numbers. Your child may need support with his/her homework. I will slow down a bit through this chapter, so math homework will vary this week and next.

We began the pig projects last week and need some more paper towel/toilet paper rolls on Monday so we can finish this week. I have had some wonderful help with this project and am very thankful to those who have come in to this gluey, messy project. They will be cute when finished, but it has not been an easy task.

Have a wonderful weekend!

October 4-8, 2010

2010-10-02T19:57:00.000-07:00

This week we begin a new Theme in our reading curriculum called Celebrating Traditions. A spelling/homework packet for The Keeping Quilt will go home Monday due Friday. We will continue with Chapter 3 in HM Math on adding greater numbers. Your child should be able to add multiple 3 and 4 digit numbers. A timed test for the 2s, 3s, and 4s was given on Friday. Most kids did really well. For the next 4 weeks, we will focus on the 3s, 4s and 5s. I will show you how they did during conferences. A reminder for conferences was sent home on Thursday with your time and date. If you did not receive this please check your child's backpack or contact me.

This Wednesday the Rotary Club will donate free dictionaries to all 3rd grade classes at 8:00 a.m. These dictionaries are a great resource for home and school. We will not begin Lit Circles on that day, probably next week. We just finished Charlotte's Web on Friday. I was hoping to begin AR quizzes in the computer lab, but the lab has been on the brink. So, hopefully kids can begin soon. Since we are not doing Lit Circles this Wednesday, if parents would like to help later in the day with an art project, please let me know. Students will make a pig out of paper mache. This project takes about 3 steps and is VERY messy. I am collecting newspaper and paper towel/toilet paper cylinders for the project. Also, if you have any aluminum foil to donate that would be greatly appreciated. This is used to place the wet pigs on to dry. If volunteers would like to come Wednesday at 11:00, they can begin setting up and blowing balloons. We can set up the picnic tables and work on this project during PE time from 11:35-12:10.

I think that's all for now. Have a great weekend and see you soon!

Sept. 27-Oct.1, 2010

2010-09-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe October is just around the corner! We have already completed Theme 1 in our Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. A Theme test will be given this week covering grammar and reading skills from the stories The Lost and Found, The Ballad of Mulan, and The Waterfall. Be sure your child knows the difference between subject/predicate in a sentence as well as what a statement, command, exclamation, and question are. A Theme 1 Review Spelling list will go home Monday and is due Friday, Oct. 1. This packet will include a page for ABC order, practice book pages, and multiplication facts 2-4. A timed quiz will be given later in the week for these facts only. Also, a math test for Chapter 2 will be given on Tuesday. I have cut and paste a bit to make a test covering greater than, less than, rounding, and place value review. Math homework for Monday night will consist of a Chapter 2 practice test. Be sure your child understands rounding. It is a concept that is hard for many students and needs reinforcement. On Friday, October 1 I will collect the September reading log and a new one for October will be sent home on October 4. Also, we will begin Lit. Circles in a few weeks. Thanks to all who signed up to help. I will contact you soon.

Conferences are also coming up for the week of October 11-15. The whole week are restructured days, so students go home at 12:20. I am working on the master schedule and will send home a copy to you sometime this week. I tried my best to accommodate your time and a few parents still haven't signed up. If you have not signed up for a time, please send in 2-3 choices and I can fit you in. As mentioned at Back to School Night, a phone conference is perfectly fine and we can set that up in lieu of you coming in during the day.

Have a great weekend!

Sept. 20-25, 2010

2010-09-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

It was great meeting you all at Back to School Night. I hope all of your questions were answered, and feel free to email me when needed. I forgot to mention that this blog is updated weekly, so be sure to check regularly to see what is going on. Also, if you didn't get a chance to sign up for conferences, I can email you available times.

A spelling/homework packet for The Waterfall will be sent home Monday due on Friday. Attached are practice pages for 2s-4s. Students will be tested on these facts next week. We are having a place value test (Chapter 1) on Monday and beginning Chapter 2 in Houghton Mifflin Math.

Picture day is coming up this Thursday. If you haven't sent in an envelope to order pictures, please due so before Sept. 24. I will then distribute envelopes to the photographers at the time of your child's photo. Speaking of photographers, our class is still looking for someone who would like to be OUR photographer. This person can take pictures on field trips, parties, and other events. If you are interested please contact me or parent alliance.

Thank you to the drivers who came along to the County Fair. Students had a wonderful time and we always appreciate your help.

Have a great weekend!

Sept. 13-17, 2010

2010-09-11T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying the lovely weekend. Here are the upcoming events for the week:

Homework packet for the Ballad of Mulan will be sent home on Monday, due Friday, along with 3 pages of multiplication facts 2-4. We will have a test on these facts in 2 weeks. Be sure you and your child review these facts continually throughout the year. It's crucial to learn them in 3rd grade. Also, there were several packets turned in without names written on the pages. Please be sure to check your child's work, initial each page, and be sure their name is written on ALL pages. We finished Graphing and Probability in math last week and have come back to Chapter 1 with Place Value. I was impressed with how well most students performed on the test.

On Friday a Volunteer Sign Up sheet was sent home with your child. Please choose how you would like to volunteer and I will do my best to acommodate your time. I have spots for volunteers in the classroom, as well as help that can be done at home. Please return this by Monday so I can get the schedule together by Back to School Night this Thursday at 6:00. Hope to see you all there.

Our first field trip is this Thursday to the SC County Fair. This will last most of the day so be sure to pack a sack lunch, water, and sunscreen. Students will not be allowed to buy food or other items at the fair, so please NO MONEY. All students are free and I have tickets to cover most if not all parents. You will just need to pay for parking.

Have a great weekend and see you soon!

Sept. 7-10, 2010

2010-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all enjoying the 3 day weekend. Students have been in school for 2 weeks by now and are beginning to get the procedures and routines of class. Most students are doing a wonderful job, but some need to be reminded to raise their hands as well as work quietly. I expect ALL students to be respectful of others learning and remind them that they can talk to their friends during recess. I have cracked down on going to the bathroom as well. I know we have a long stretch (2 hours) between 9:30 and 11:35, so if your child has an issue, please let me know ASAP. The rule is that students must go during their break time (as I do) and will miss 5 minutes of recess if class time is interrupted.

Since Monday is a holiday, a new homework/spelling packet will go home on Tuesday. The packet contains a Spelling List with ABC Order, sentences on the back to study for dictation, spelling practice page(s), and multiplication table practice due Friday, September 10. Please be sure that your child completes ALL PAGES NEATLY (All letters sitting on lines, mistakes erased completely & rewritten nicely). I stress the importance of nice handwriting too. By 3rd grade, this should not be an issue. FOR THE MATH SECTION OF THE PACKET, be sure to follow all of the directions on the sheets. It's very important that your child SAY and WRITE the answers aloud. The spelling test will be this Friday and the Math Fact Test on 2, 3, & 4's will be in 3 weeks. We will also have a math test (chapters 22 & 23) this Wednesday. This will cover Graphing and Probability. On Thursday we will begin with Chapter 1, so hopefully the review at the bottom will be more accurate.

A September reading log went home last week. Each student must be completing this on a daily basis. Every afternoon/evening, Monday-Thursday, your child is required to read ALOUD (not silently) to you for 15 minutes. You are required to sign EVERY box after he/she reads. Contracts are due every week on Friday with 8 boxes filled in. so that I can check progress. When Literature Circle Books are assigned, I want your child to read that book to you, but in the mean time NO PICTURE BOOKS. Your child should be reading books at his/her reading level to increase fluency (105 words per minute is the goal for 3rd grade.) Several students forgot to turn in their reading log last week. Please be sure your child turns in homework on time. EACH STUDENT should have ample time to complete assignments. If you would like to receive the weekly spelling homework on Friday, please let me know. I can accommodate your child if needed. Thank you for supporting your child with this very important task :-)

I'm looking for a volunteer who would like to do Scholastic Book Orders for the class. If you are interested, I have several pamphlets that can be sent home. Scholastic is offering extra bonus points for ordering this time of year. Let me know if you would like to help with this.

It looks like we are all set for the field trip on September 16. We have plenty of chaperones for the County Fair. I may double up a few parents to save on the cost of parking. Be sure to get in your driver information to the office.

That's all for now! I usually update my blog on the weekends, so be sure to check every week to see what's going on in Room 21. I would like to thank, again, the parents who have helped with getting homework packets stapled, papers corrected, pages pulled out of practice books and photocopying. I truly APPRECIATE your help and support.

Aug 30-Sept 3, 2010

2010-08-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

Happy first week of school! We made it despite the soaring temperatures on Monday and Tuesday. I have to say I was glad to see the fog roll in mid week. The students and I are getting to know each other and settling in. We've gone over school and class rules as well as procedures and expectations this week. Students brought home, in their own handwriting, the consequence chart as well as positive incentive chart. I will review this again at Back to School Night on September 16. All students were very excited to be back at school and beginning the 2nd week, we will really begin to dive into the curriculum.

I know last week an abundance of papers went home for you to sign. Most students brought in the yellow emergency card and internet agreement form. Both of these forms need to be turned in ASAP.

On Monday students will bring home a spelling list of the months and days of the week to study. This is due on Friday, but may be turned in sooner. Please be sure to check the homework. All homework must have the student's name and be done neatly in pencil only. A reading log for September will also be sent home on Monday. Children are to read OUT LOUD for 15 minutes each day and return the log to be stamped on Friday. This is an ORAL reading contract and doesn't include the hours of silent reading your child may do each week. Please sign the log each day, but your kid can fill out the rest.

As you probably noticed last week, the math homework can be quite challenging. We began with chapters 22 and 23 and will go back to the beginning with chapter 1 in a week or so. Since we skipped ahead, a lot of the review problems at the bottom have not been taught. Your child may attempt these problems, otherwise don't worry about them. I will try to cross off the problems that we haven't covered. I appreciate the support that you've given your kids. Please remember that homework needs to be turned in on time. We review the math in class every day and if a child has not done the homework, they are missing instructional time. I will accept late homework if there is a note sent to me. I know things come up, but prefer kids to keep up and develop the habits that they'll need throughout their school and work life. A few students also need to bring in their Mystery Bags, which were due on Friday.

On Monday students will be bringing home a permission slip for our first field trip, to the SC County Fair. Please return these slips immediately, especially if you are volunteering to drive. The district is requiring us to hand in the Driver Forms well in advance of the actual field trip, on the 16th of September. The first six volunteers to return their slips will get free admission to the fair; all others will have to pay their own admission. Students get in free.

A big thank you to all who were able to give donations to our classroom. Any contribution is greatly appreciated! Also, there have been many parents who have already helped out with putting together homework packets, pulling out math pages, photocopying, and correcting work. I can not thank you enough for this help. I know many of you are eager to help in the classroom, so a schedule will be passed around during Back to School Night.

I'm looking forward to a great year. Hope to meet all of you very soon!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Maraldo

August 23-27, 2010

2010-08-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to 3rd grade! It was great meeting some of you on Friday and also seeing familiar faces. A big thank you to those who came by to pick up practice books. ALL help this year will be greatly appreciated.

We will begin reading Charlotte's Web tomorrow in class, so if you have a copy please bring it in. An assignment called "Mystery Bags" will be sent home and due on Friday(I will explain this in class). Also, beginning on Tuesday, HM math homework will be sent home. Math homework is assigned Monday through Thursday and due the very next day. There will be a small note attached to the first math assignment which explains what the expectations are.

Remember to check my post every weekend. It will list upcoming events and homework assignments. Have a great last day of summer vacation. See you tomorrow!

Volunteers

2010-08-18T20:57:00.001-07:00

Hello again! I won't be setting up an official volunteer schedule until Back to School Night, but I am looking for 2 volunteers who would be willing to tear out pages in both the math and language arts practice books during the first week of school. If you would like to help with this, let me know. You can drop by on Friday to pick them up or I can send practice books home with your child a little bit at a time.

Again, I look forward to meeting all of you very soon!

Welcome Back!

2010-08-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a relaxing, wonderful summer. As sad as we are for it to end, we should also be excited and geared up to begin a new school year. I'm looking forward to all of your smiling faces on Monday, August 23. Here are some important changes for the year:

New start time is 7:55
End time 2:10
Restructured days are on Wednesday with a dismissal time of 12:10
Our class is now in Room 21 directly across from Mrs. Terribilini's class

Please take a look at the supply list on the right. I know many students enjoy pencil boxes, but please do not bring them in. They are too bulky and take up space. A small pouch is fine. Due to lack of funds, additional pencils, white copy paper, and wide ruled binder paper are always greatly appreciated.

My blog is updated weekly (usually every Sunday). It contains upcoming events and basic information about our class regarding homework, field trips, and projects. Please be sure to check on a regular basis. For the first week of school, I am looking for a volunteer who would like to take pictures of each student. If you are interested pleas email me: athena_maraldo@pvusd.net

Last Week! June 1-4, 2010

2010-05-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Can't believe this is it, our last week of school. Where did the year go!?

Being the final week of 3rd grade, there's not much as far as academics go. On Tuesday, students will have their last Spanish class in the morning, turn in their Literature Circle job and book (we are still missing a few books, please look around your house this weekend),and have a GATE test. All 3rd graders will be tested unless you sent in a form stating that your child NOT take the test. Yearbooks will also be given out on Tuesday.

On a side note, a few students need to turn in their library books. You will be notified if your child has a book out. The book needs to be turned in by Thursday or paid if lost.

As you all know, Wednesday is the end of the year party at Seacliff Beach. Due to an incident with the jumpy house last year, we have decided to enjoy a day at the beach instead. I was a bit disappointed when students complained about having to go to the beach again. Some students do not want to go and therefore have decided to miss school. Please remember that each day a child is out of school, the district loses money. This will be a fun day to enjoy with friends, even if they can't go in the water. We are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place. How many students in the world can say that they are able go to the beach during a school day? If you haven't turned in the field trip form and $5.00, please do so by Tuesday. Mrs. Nigh is collecting money for all 3rd grade classes by June 1. The $5.00 covers the cost of food for the day.

On Thursday, students will clean up the classroom and take home any work or books that they would like to keep. Mrs. Maraldo will say goodbye to the kids then. Students will finish the last day with Mrs. Sandman. Final report cards will go home.

We would like to thank ALL of the families who helped and supported us this year. We couldn't do it without your dedication. Have a wonderful and restful summer!

May 24-28, 2010

2010-05-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Can't believe this is our last full week! We will try to keep the routines going this week so the students don't go completely wacky with summer on the rise.

The last spelling packet will go home on Monday due Friday. Students will read one more week of Lit. Circle books. We are still missing a few Catwings and other books, so please be sure to check your house for these. We'll finish off Chapter 27 in math covering capacity and volume. This would be a good time to cook with your child at home to reinforce these types of measurements.

The end of the year beach party is coming up next Wednesday, June 2. A permission form was sent home a few weeks ago about this. If you did not receive one, please send a note so I can get you another form. We are asking $5.00 for this trip to cover the cost of food. I will let the students know who needs to bring it in and the parents who are chaperoning. Thanks in advance for those who can join us for the party.

GATE testing for all 3rd grade students will be held on Tuesday, June 2. All students will be tested unless you send in the form not giving permission. If your child is identified, you'll get notice after testing is complete and scored.

That's all for now! Enjoy your weekend.

May 17-21, 2010

2010-05-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hello parents! Thank you all for coming to Open House. The kids seemed excited to show you around and share their work as well as their classmates dioramas.

This week we are somewhat back to normal. A short spelling packet will go home on Monday and will be due on Friday. No sentences are required for homework this week. We have been practicing long division in math and are moving to 3 digit numbers. Some kids really get the process, while others are struggling but want to learn. This is great practice for 4th grade. Lit Circles will go until June 1. That means students will receive only 2 more jobs. Please be sure to check your house for any books that may belong to the school. We are missing a few Catwings (Catwings Returns and Alexander and Catwings) books and one e-search book.

Also, this Thursday all 1-3 grade classes will be attending The Princess and the Pea at the Mello Center in Watsonville. If you haven't submitted the permission form and $7.00 for admission (I know we've been asking for a lot these days), please do so before Thursday. If you are having a hardship and can not pay, just let us know. The end of the year party at Seacliff Beach is also coming up. Students need to turn in permission forms and $5.00 for this. We still need a few more drivers.

Hope you all have a restful, nice weekend. It was great seeing you on Thursday!

May 10-14, 2010

2010-05-08T11:31:00.000-07:00

A HUGE thank you to the parents who pitched in with tickets for us to go to the auction. It's wonderful seeing people donate and give to our school.

Our class is officially done with STAR testing. Students were eager to complete the test and many actually enjoyed it. Surprise, surprise! That's a great sign, because most students tried hard and felt confident. Hopefully the test scores will reflect what they learned this year.

With our dioramas and mammal reports due on Tuesday, there will be no spelling packet this week. On Monday, students should complete their covers and final drafts in class (if they didn't finish on Friday) to be turned in this Tuesday. For those who do not complete their final draft on Monday, they will need to bring it home to finish. Lit Circle jobs and books are also due on Tuesday, so please be sure both are brought to school. We continue to hear excuses as to why Lit. Circles are not done. Students have a whole week to complete their assignment, so please make this a priority. We know that school is coming to an end quickly, but still want to enforce the importance of turning in work on time.

A reminder that this Thursday is Open House from 6:30-8:00. Students will have their dioramas displayed on their desks and a video from the Biography speeches will be available to view. Mrs. Feldbrugge is putting the video together. There will be a sign up sheet to request a CD. Hope you all can make it!

See you soon!

May 3-7, 2010

2010-05-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's already May!

STAR testing began on Friday for Math. We will continue to test beginning again on Monday and hopefully will finish by Friday. Be sure that your child gets a good nights rest and a filling breakfast this week. Any students who are absent will have to do a make up test when they return back to school. They will be pulled from class to do this.

Homework will be fairly light this week. A short spelling packet will be sent home on Monday. Sentences will not be required this week. The usual HM Math will be sent home, but students will not need to do the leveled problems on the back, only the front of the math page. We are working on the rough draft of the animal reports this week. Paragraph #1 was started on Friday and hopefully students can finish this week. The rough draft will probably be sent home for parents to help edit. The final draft will be hand written in class (for early finishers), and at home (for those who need additional time). A speech is not required for this project, only the report and diorama. Dioramas are due on Tuesday, May 11. Late projects will not be accepted. Everyone should be able to turn in this assignment on time.

This Thursday we have another field trip to the Agricultural History Museum at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Please be sure to send your child with a sack lunch. We will leave school at 9:15 and arrive back at approximately 12:30. The cost of this trip is $4.00 per student. We have another trip to see The Princess and the Pea at the Mello Center in Watsonville on May 20. We can only bring 3 chaperones per class. !st-3rd grade students will go on the school bus, while parents carpool with each other. The first 3 parents to send in their chaperone form will be able to go. The cost of this one is a little pricy, $7.00 per student. If you have a hardship, please let us know.

Our class started Spectra Art 2 weeks ago with drawing and painting. Student art work will be displayed at Open House for you to view. You will be very impressed with what your child has created. If you have any wipes to send in please do so as our desks get very messy from the paints.

Thank you SO MUCH to all of the volunteers and chaperones that have helped us out this year. You have been such a great support. Enjoy the sunshine this weekend!

April 26-30, 2010

2010-04-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

A new spelling packet for Ramona Quimby will be due on Friday, April 30. Mammal reports were under way last week in class. All students should have completed the notes to paragraph 3 by last Friday. Tomorrow, we will continue on with paragraph 4, so if your child was absent or did not get the notes done in class, they will have to complete it for homework during the week. A letter was sent home describing the diorama that students should construct at home. These are due on Tuesday, May 11. The dioramas should be turned in on time, so plan accordingly. We are hearing several excuses from students about why their homework is not done or turned in. Most kids turn homework in on time, but there are a few that consistently forget to bring it, or simply tell us they didn't have time to finish. The nightly math should not take more than 30 minutes, tops. Spelling packets are simple and should take maybe 30-45 minutes per week. Reading logs are due every Friday for Mrs. Sandman to check. Lit circles may take some time to complete, but if the reading is spread out through the week, it can be done. As the year is coming to an end, we are stressing the importance of homework and responsibility, because there will be a lot more work in 4th grade. We want your child to be successful.

STAR Testing begins this week as well. Please be sure your child gets a good nights rest and solid breakfast this week and next. We have a field trip on Thursday to the MAH, so STAR testing will resume on Friday. We also have another field trip scheduled for Thursday, May 6th to the Agricultural History Museum in Watsonville. The cost is $4.00 per child. I believe chaperones are free, but will double check. If you would like to drive, please write a note on the field trip form with the number of students that can fit in your car. For the trip this week to the MAH, ALL students need to bring a sack lunch. We won't return back to school until noon, and they will miss the chance for hot lunch. We are not allowed to eat at the museum, so students may need to eat in the car or when they return back to school.

Thanks again for all of your help and support this year.

Wish list: wipes, sharpened pencils

April 19-23, 2010

2010-04-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see a lot of smiling faces when students returned this week after an eventful Spring Break. Hope it was restful for parents as well!

Students were asked last week to decide on a mammal they would like to research for the upcoming animal report. A sign up sheet was sent around on Wednesday and most students seemed pretty eager about what they wanted to study. They were taught the attributes of a mammal in science last week, and should have selected an animal with those characteristics. Over the weekend, please help your child find either a book or internet article (at their reading level) to bring in on Monday. I asked that all students read their article and/or begin reading their book so that Monday we could begin this project. It is very important that they come to school prepared. Otherwise, it is hard for them to get started. It was very difficult during Biographies to get to everyone when students did not know the information. A letter will be sent home this week describing the project more in detail. We would like to have this project due by Tuesday, May 11. That should give ample time to present to each other and display during open house.

The spelling packet for Poppa's New Pants will go home Monday, due Friday. Students will continue in their Houghton Mifflin (HM) math books. We wrapped up probability and will work on 2-3 digit multiplication. Students may have additional Excel review pages for homework as well. A reminder that Lit Circles are due every Tuesday. We are still missing many leveled books, so if you find one at home, please send it in.

Looks like we have just enough drivers for our field trip to the MAH on Thursday, April 29. We have another field trip to the Agricultural History Museum on Thursday, April 6. Permission forms have not been sent home yet, hopefully this week we'll get them out.

We'll also begin drawing this Wednesday with the Spectra Arts teacher. She will be with us for the next 5 weeks. I'm sure your child will have some nice pieces to display.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wish List: wipes and pencils

April 12-16, 2010

2010-04-09T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring Break. It couldn't have come at a perfect time! As we return from break, with only 8 weeks of school to go, there's a lot of upcoming events.

This week a spelling packet will go home for Pepita Talks Twice, due on Friday. For math, we will continue with probability and begin reviewing past concepts for the upcoming CST. We only have 2 weeks until the testing window begins, so we have a lot of work to do. If you haven't turned in your parent education level form, please do so this week. We will let students know if we haven't received it yet.

The next big project will be a mammal report due sometime before Open House in May. The 3rd grade team will come up with a time line and directions for this project. A letter will be sent home either this week or next about the project. Students were asked before Spring Break to THINK of a mammal they are interested in. It was made clear that they are not supposed to do a report over break. We will begin shortly in class.

We have 2 upcoming field trips. The first is to the MAH in Santa Cruz on Thursday, April 29 from 8:30-11:30. We still need 1-2 more drivers. Please let us know if you are available. The cost of this field trip is $2.00 per child. Also, we have another trip scheduled for Thursday, May 6 to the Agricultural History Project at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. Permission slips for this field trip will go home later this week.

Thanks again to Mrs. Feldbrugge and Mr. Esche for taking time to video the biographies. They were wonderful!

Have a nice weekend and see you soon!

March 29-April 1

2010-03-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Your children have done such an amazing job on their speeches. We are very impressed with what we have seen so far and look forward to hearing more biographies this week. Speech grades will probably go home this week, but we'll need Spring Break to review their reports. On Tuesday, we will be going to the 1st grade play from 8:20-8:50 and will resume speeches when we return to class. Sorry about the time change, but we made the speech schedule before we knew the time of the play. If you plan on observing your child that day, please come in around 8:50. We will start right away when we return to class.

Due to the short week (no school on Friday), there will be no spelling packet going home. Students will continue with math homework and Lit Circles. Also, please send in the field trip form to the Museum of Art History (MAH) along with $2.00. This field trip is on Thursday, April 29 from 8:45-11:45.

That's all for now! Have a nice weekend!

March 22-26, 2010

2010-03-20T18:19:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful break from the rain! Hope you are all enjoying the gorgeous weekend.

The spelling packet that was passed out for Trapped by the Ice last week is due this Friday. A reminder that Lit. Circles need to be completed every Tuesday. Sometimes students will read a few chapters one week and a few the next, so please check the page numbers written on their job. Also it is important that books are turned in on time. It's unfortunate when book sets are not complete because students fail to turn in the book.

This Thursday students will begin Biography speeches. A schedule was sent home last week with the day each student needs to present. Attached to the schedule was a 4 point scoring rubric that will be used to determine their grade for the presentation. Mrs. Feldbrugge and Mr. Esche have kindly offered to video students who would like to be on video. Parents are welcome to come in and watch their child. We're excited to see the enthusiasm of the students.

A field trip form to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art History (MAH) was also sent home last week for April 29th. If you are interested in chaperoning, please fill out the attached chaperone form. The cost for this field trip is $2.00 per student.

Thanks again for all your support this year!

Spelling Packet Error

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I made a mistake with the spelling packet that is due next week. The words are for the story Trapped by the Ice. We already did Across the Wide Dark Sea. Sorry for the mistake.

March 15-19, 2010

2010-03-12T11:31:00.000-08:00

A big THANK YOU to all who contributed to Mr. Harris' gift for Kaleidescope. He has done a wonderful job with the students and will be missed very much. It was nice having an extra teacher in the classroom for the past 2 months.

Biographies have come along nicely. All students should have their completed report turned in by Monday, March 15. Since we really want students to focus on their speeches over the next week and a half, the spelling packet for Across the Wide Dark Sea will be due in 2 weeks on March 26th. Speeches will begin on Thursday, March 25. We will have about 6 speeches a day, ending on Wednesday, March 31. Mrs. Feldbrugge has kindly offered to video tape on Monday the 29th and Tuesday the 30th. A sign up sheet will go around on this week for students to sign up the day they would like to present. Once all students have signed up, a copy of the schedule will be sent home along with a Speech Scoring Rubric. We hope this has been an enjoyable learning experience for your child.

On a side note, erasers and pencil squishies/grippers have become a hit in our classroom. Students are coming with several(10 or more), of these items. They are causing a distraction during class time and we are asking that these items stay at home. We are fine with 1-2 erasers at the most, but when kids begin trading, it breaks school rules. If we continue to see an abundance of these in/on a child's desk, they be collected. We had a problem with this earlier in the school year and now it has become a problem again. We don't want to punish students for these items, so it would be better for them to just stay at home. Thanks for your support on this.

Also, Jogging for the Arts raised almost $7500. Thank you for all of the donations!

March 8-12, 2010

2010-03-05T10:09:00.000-08:00

Mr. Harris' first week of his solo went very well. Students continued to work on their biographies and made a lot of progress. We will continue working on completing the report in class. Our goal is to have the final typed or hand written report due on Thursday, March 11. This should include a cover page with the title of their report and at least 1 picture. Most students have already started this in class. For those who need additional time, reports will be accepted until Monday, March 15 at the latest. Once the reports are turned in, students will have about 2 weeks to practice their speech and gather up either a costume or props for their project. In the past we have required students to memorize their speech, in first person (for example: I am Benjamin Franklin. I was born on ...), or use note cards. We don't want the students to simply read their report word for word in front of the class. We would like everyone to be prepared and ready by Thursday, March 25. We will begin that day for those who are ready and will go into the week before Spring Break. We will listen to 4-5 speeches per day. ALL speeches will be completed before Spring Break vacation. Mrs. Feldbrugge has offered to video tape those who would like to be video taped.

We apologize if the deadlines for this project have not been clear. You never know how long something like this will take a class to complete, especially with so many more students this year. It's been a challenge supporting everyone, and we appreciate the help you have done at home.

Since we are completing the biographies, there will be no spelling packet this week, only math homework and reading logs. Also, on Tuesday we are having a GATE icon lesson presented to our class and will hold Lit. Circles from 9:00-9:25. If you are a volunteer, please come at this time if you can. Again, some students are consistently forgetting to bring in their Lit. Circle job and book to class on Tuesdays. When their assignment and book is not turned in it can affect the whole group. Someone even turned in one of the books to the Aptos Branch Public Library. If you notice a book that is unfamiliar, please check to see if the book belongs to our classroom first.

Thank you again for all of your support this year! Have a nice, hopefully dry, weekend.

March 1-5, 2010

2010-02-27T10:18:00.001-08:00

This week Mr. Harris will begin his solo teaching assignment with the class. Over the past 6 weeks he has made a connection with the students and looks forward to having them for the next 2 weeks. Mrs. Sandman and I will pop in to help, but he will be teaching all lessons from the beginning of the day to the end. We will be available on campus, so if you have any questions, you will be able to reach us at school.

A new spelling packet for Yunmi and Halmoni's Trip will go home Monday (due on Friday). We will continue to practice long division, but have started a new chapter on fractions. Equivalent fractions are always tough, so students may need extra time and support to complete math homework this week. Also, a March reading log will be sent home on Monday as well. Can't believe it's March already.

A reminder that Lit. Circles are due on Tuesday. Several students forgot to bring their job and book last week, so please try to finish over the weekend and bring to school on Monday so they're ready to go. Most of the Lit. Circle books are from the leveled book room, and when they are not turned in, we lose out on the sets. If you find any at home, please send them in with your child.

Biographies are under way. Most students finished their outline last week and began writing their rough draft. Our goal was to have the first 2 paragraphs written out. Students will continue to write on Monday. Again, we will keep you posted on when they are due and when the speeches will be held. We're thinking if the rough draft can be finished this week in class, then next week they can begin their final copy either hand written or typed. Once the final draft is complete, then students can focus on their speech at home.

Again, if you have any questions don't hesitate to email: athena_maraldo@pvusd.net or mary_sandman@pvusd.net

Enjoy your weekend!

Feb. 22-26, 2010

2010-02-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

Good morning! The blog is usually updated over the weekend, but I caught that nasty bug that has been going around. I apologize!

Spelling packets for Across the Wide Dark Sea will go home today and are due this Friday. We are wrapping up division in math this week and moving onto fractions. Chapter 14 math test will be given today. Our weekly timed tests are improving and many students are beating their time. Congrats to those who continue to work hard on memorizing their multiplication facts.

Students will begin writing their biography report in CLASS today. There seems to be a lot of confusion around the directions of this project. We would like students to begin and hopefully finish the written part in class. They have the option of typing out the final report or having a nicely written copy. We will also make a cover page as well as a poster for those who finish their writing. After the report is written, students will practice their speech at home. Students are to pretend THEY are the famous American and present to the class either in a costume or with props. Before we begin the speeches, a sign up sheet will be passed around for students to pick a day and time. Parents are welcome to come in at this time to watch their child. A list of times will be sent home a week prior to the presentations. We won't begin presentations for a few weeks, so students have plenty of time to finish their report and practice. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us.

Feb. 16-20, 2010

2010-02-13T14:53:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day and thank you for the yummy chocolates. Our favorite! Plus another 3 day weekend to enjoy with beautiful weather to top it off.

When we return on Tuesday, Literature Circles are due. Some students are neglecting to read the assigned pages and fudging through their job. Since this assignment will be done mainly as homework from this point on, please be sure your child is reading ALL of the assigned pages as well as completing their job. Assignments turned is sloppily will be sent home to correct. Again, Lit. Circles are assigned every Tuesday and due the following Tuesday.

In lieu of a spelling packet, students are to find a book about a famous American as well as a kid friendly internet article. Each student must turn in the Bibliography homework by Friday, February 20 and bring in their 2 resources to class. It is important to have the information readily available. Mr. Harris will give a lesson on note-taking and tell the students what information needs to be included in the report. Once their report is completed in class (typed or written), students will then prepare their speech at home. We know students are eager to begin, but for now, please just have your child read the book and internet article about their chosen American. As we move forward another letter will be sent home with the due date. We'll keep you posted.

Thank you for the handi wipes. If you have any more, please send them in.

Feb. 9-12, 2010

2010-02-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful 3 day weekend!

We will begin Tuesday morning with Literature Circles. As I mentioned in last weeks post, this assignment is assigned every Tuesday and due the following Tuesday. Students are given only a short amount of time to work on this in class now, so most should finish as homework. If you have not seen this come home, inquire with your child. Please edit your child's work and be sure that they are writing in complete sentences. The reading from this assignment can be used for the reading log too.

We are taking a 2 week break from the usual spelling homework packet. Instead, students will be assigned to look for a book on a famous American and a grade appropriate internet article. A letter will be sent home on Tuesday to give more information about this project. Mr. Harris will begin teaching students about biographies over the next 2 weeks. Most of the written work will be completed in class (this is not a homework assignment). We'll begin with note taking and then transfer into a report. So again, NO spelling packet for the next 2 weeks.

On a side note, if anyone has any handy wipes to donate to the class, it would be much appreciated. Since we have clay once a week, we are using them more often to clean our desks and hands.

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Feb. 1-5, 2010

2010-01-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow the day will begin with the Monday morning assembly in the upper grade playground. If your child is late to school, please remind them to look for the class there. It will be a nice way to kick off the week and beginning of February. Where has the time gone? We really only have 4 months of school to go until summer break.

The spelling packet for Two Days in May will go home tomorrow and will be due on Friday. A new reading log for February will also go home. You may begin to see Literature Circles come home for homework. Students get most of the work done in class, but will be given less time during the school day as we need to focus on writing. Lit. Circles are assigned every Tuesday and due the following Tuesday. Each child receives a book to read with a specific job to do (summarizer, discussion director, illustrator, passage picker, connector, and word watcher). If your child completes their job at home, please check and edit for them to correct. It should be neatly done and free of errors. It is important for each child to complete this assignment as it can impact their group when it is not complete.

In math, we began Chapter 12 (division) last week and will continue practicing this skill for the next 2 weeks. Please be sure to work on multiplication facts at home. As we know, there needs to be a strong understanding this year because it gets more complex in 4th grade.

Last, but not least, a big THANK YOU to the drivers who came on the field trip to the Aptos Museum on Friday. Remember that the next two Mondays (Feb. 8 and 15) are holidays, so we will not have school.

Jan. 25-29, 2010

2010-01-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

What a week! Lots and lots of rain and a power outage on Tuesday. Kudos to the parents who helped in the classroom and brought in light for us to see. We had flashlights, lanterns, headlamps... When situations like this arise, it reminds us of what a wonderful community of families we have at Rio del Mar. THANK YOU!

We're back to our regular homework schedule this week. A new spelling packet for Seal Surfer will go home Monday and is due Friday. We are finishing off Chapter 11 in math (solid figures and volume) and will have the test Monday. Chapter 12 will focus on division. Field trip permission forms are due this week with our field trip on Friday. We're still waiting for a few more and need 1-2 more drivers. The Aptos Museum asks for a $1.00 donation per student.

The Spectra Art teacher, Jenni Ward, will begin ceramics on Tuesday. She planned on beginning last Tuesday, but postponed her start time due to the weather. Mr. Harris also stepped into an unusual start to his student teaching assignment. I told him that as a teacher, you have to stay flexible because sometimes unexpected things like this happen. He is enjoying the students and learning their names and personalities. He will observe for 1 more week, then begin teaching a few lessons. In a few weeks, he will launch the 3rd grade Biography project. This is our Famous American project where the students are required to write a report and give an oral presentation. A letter explaining this project will go out in the next 2-3 weeks.

That's all for now! Enjoy the dry weekend.

January 19-22, 2010

2010-01-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

What a great way to ease back into school with a 3 day weekend. It was nice to see many cheery faces this past week as school resumed. We have a few changes beginning this Tuesday. We will have a student teacher named Mr. Harris in our class for the next 9 weeks. He is working on his credential through CSUMB and will help in our class everyday, all day. It will be nice to have the extra help and students will surely benefit from another adult in the room. Also, Jenni Ward(the Spectra Arts teacher)will begin ceramics with our class for the next 4 weeks. Students will work on a few different pieces which will be painted and glazed.

A reminder that our field trip to the Aptos Museum is scheduled for Friday, January 29th. Each child needs to bring in $1.00 to contribute towards the cost. We forgot to mention this on the permission form. So far, we only have a few drivers. If anyone else is able to drive, please let us know. It's a fairly short field trip, and will be done by 11:30, if not earlier.

The spelling packet for Nights of the Pufflings will be due this Friday. Some students already turned it in. Be sure to study the words as the test will be on Friday. A one- minute timed multiplication test(40 problems, 38 to pass) was given the other day and only 1 student passed. Please take the time each day to quiz your child on their facts. It is necessary that students learn the facts THIS year.

Have a great weekend and thank you to those whose donated pencils!

January 12-15, 2010

2010-01-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2010! Thank you all for the wonderful Christmas gifts, especially the certificate to Caress Day Spa. Just what we needed, some relaxation. We hope you all had a fantastic break and look forward to seeing some smiling (yet tired) faces Tuesday morning. Since we have 2 short weeks back to back, the spelling packet for Nights of the Pufflings won't be due until Friday, January 22. Math will resume as usual with a new chapter in 3 dimensional figures. Field Trip permission forms to the Aptos Museum will go home on Tuesday. If you are interested in driving, mark your calendars for Friday, January 29.

Thank you all for your help and support in and out of the classroom. We are lucky to have such a supportive parent community. See you soon!

WISH LIST- We are running low on the following items:

Antibacterial wipes
pencils
prizes for the reward box
raffle tickets (does anyone have a roll they aren't using?)

Dec. 14-18, 2009

2009-12-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

The last week of school for 2009! We have an eventful week ahead. No spelling packet will go home this week, just daily math homework.

Thursday is our holiday party that will be from 12:15-1:15. Mrs. Weeland and Mrs. Star have been organizing this. Thank you ladies!

Friday is our field trip to the Museum of Natural History. If you are a driver, please update your insurance information. Paperwork needs to be updated every trimester (it's a district policy). Thanks for sending in the $1.00 to cover the cost. I'm just waiting for 2 more permission forms from Joselle and Athena. Chaperones, please be on time at 9:30 (the tour is from 10:00-11:00). If it is raining you may want to come a few minutes to allow for traffic from Aptos to Santa Cruz.

Thanks again for all of your support and help this year. We really appreciate it. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful break! We'll update again in January.

Dec. 7-11, 2009

2009-12-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow spelling packets for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi will go home.

We received most of the field trip forms to the Museum of Natural History last week. If your child hasn't turned it in yet with $1.00, please do so this week. We also have a field trip when we come back from break on Friday, January 29, to the Aptos Museum. Permission slips won't go home until January, but if you are interested in going, mark your calenders. This trip is fairly short from around 10-11:30.

Mrs. Star and Mrs. Weeland are organizing the holiday party for Thursday, December 17. Also, a reminder that next Tuesday, the 15th, is NOT a restructured day.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Nov. 30-Dec. 4

2009-11-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Can't believe we have only 3 weeks until winter break.

We will begin Monday morning with the AM Assembly singing "This Land is Your Land." Spelling packets for Raising Dragons will go home Monday as well as a field trip form to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. This field trip will be on Friday, December 18 (the last day before vacation) from 9:30-11:30. If you are interested in driving, let us know. We'll need enough parents to drive 31 students. The cost of this field trip is $30 per class, so please send in $1.00 to cover the cost of the museum.

That's about all for now. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Nov. 16-20

2009-11-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

This week the spelling packet for The Giant of Barletta will go home on Monday. Book orders are also due this Monday to Mrs. Koenig. There are many books to order at inexpensive prices, great for Christmas gifts! The kids really seem to enjoy Mad Libs. We've been doing a few in class and they're a great way to reinforce Grammar skills(verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc.) and give your child a good laugh. We appreciate all of the bonus points you earn for the class by ordering through Scholastic.

Please send report card envelopes back to school with your child on Monday. We will use these again throughout the school year. Since the 3rd grade team is doing rotations for Social Studies, Science, and Music/Art, we have decided to give only an effort grade. That is why the achievement grade was left blank.

Enjoy your weekend!

Nov. 9-13, 2009

2009-11-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hope you are enjoying the nice fall weekend. This Wednesday our school will be closed due to the Veteran's holiday. Since our week is a bit shorter, we are giving a smaller spelling list of 12 words from Trickster Tales. Students are to write sentence for ALL words this week. We are also taking a little break from multiplication and moving into measurement. We will continue giving a timed multiplication test every Thursday. Each week many students are getting better and better at learning their facts. We can really see an improvement. Nice job!

Report cards will go home this Friday. Please sign and send back the envelope so we can reuse it for the next 2 trimesters.

Have a nice weekend!

Nov. 2-6, 2009

2009-11-01T16:35:00.001-08:00

We hope your children had a safe and fun Halloween. What a treat to celebrate on a Saturday this year. Hopefully the energy will subside Monday morning and the candy has worn off a bit from the weekend.

The spelling packet for Dogzilla will go home tomorrow as well as the November reading log. Be sure to turn these in the end of every month.

Tomorrow our school will hold its Monday morning assembly with the flag salute and song. It was a success last week and students did a wonderful job. If your child is late to school, please be sure they meet the class at the upper playground. Last week there was a student waiting by the classroom as we returned back to class. Since there is no supervision at that time, they need find the class during the assembly.

Thanks for all of your help and support during the Halloween party. Students looked great in their costumes and were having fun.

Oct. 26 AM Assembly

2009-10-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

A change in plans for the Monday morning assembly. Students are to line up in their regular spot on the primary playground. We will walk down as a class to the upper playground for the assembly.

2009-10-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

Monday morning Rio del Mar will begin school with its first A.M. Assembly. Students are to report to the upper grade playground at 7:49 to be greeted by Mrs. Dorney and Mr. Coffin. This will be a quick assembly including a welcome message, flag salute, and singing to "You're a Grand Old Flag." These 5 minute assemblies will be held every Monday morning if the weather permits. If your child is late to school, have them check the classroom first and then head to the upper playground where our class will be lined up. We've been practicing the song in class so the students should be ready to sing!

The new spelling packet will go home for Dancing Rainbows on Monday. In math, we are still practicing multiplication and will have the Chapter 5 test this week. Please continue to practice the facts at home. When I gave the timed test on Thursday, so many kids had improved. It was wonderful to see growth in such a short time.

This Friday is the Halloween party at 9:40. If you haven't given Mrs. Star $3-5, you can still send that in this week.

Have a great weekend!

October 19-23, 2009

2009-10-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

What a crazy week with the power outage on Tuesday and no school on Wednesday. I enjoyed the several conferences we had in the dark. It's nice to mix things up a bit. Thank you for all of your patience and flexibility.

On Monday we are back to the regular schedule. The spelling packet for The Talking Cloth will go home and is due on Friday. The book fair is extended 2 more days (Monday and Tuesday). Many thanks to all of the families who purchased books for the class. It's nice to have a new selection for students to choose from.

The landform projects were turned in on time, despite the rain, and turned out wonderful. Students were excited to see what others did and were excited to share with the class. We are both very proud of all the kids hard work. NICE JOB!

We would also like to thank Mrs. Star and Mrs. Weeland for organizing the Halloween party on Friday, October 30. The party will begin at 9:40, right after the morning recess. Look forward to seeing you then.

Oct. 12-16

2009-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Conferences begin this Monday, so if you didn't receive your time or are not sure of your conference, please contact us. If for some reason you can not make your assigned time, let us know ASAP so we can reschedule. Since we have 31 students this year, conferences are 20 minutes back to back. Please be on time.

The spelling packet this week is from Theme 2. It consists of 2 practice book pages back to back. Students will not be required to write sentences or do ABC order. Instead, students should do the finishing touches to their Landform Project that is due this Wednesday, October 14. I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from parents about the project and am happy to hear that students are really enjoying it.

Last week we wrapped up subtraction and began multiplication. From now until the end of the school year, multiplication should be a focus at home. Weekly timed tests will be given and sent home for parents to see. If students can memorize the facts this year, it makes a world of difference for the upcoming grades. It helps with multiplication of larger numbers, division, and fractions.

Also, this week we'll begin Lit Circles. Every Tuesday, each student will be assigned a new book/chapter and job. Students will do most or all of the work in class. My hope is for each child to finish in class so they don't have additional homework. After Winter Break, Lit Circles will be done at home. If you signed up to volunteer for Lit Circles, please come this Tuesday at 8:00. We'll begin then.

As always, thanks again for all of your support and help this year. We'll see you this week!

Oct. 5-9

2009-10-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow students will receive a new spelling packet for the week from the story Anthony Reynoso-Born to Rope. If you did not receive a monthly reading log for October, please let us know. Since there is a bit of an overlap from the past week, students will need to make 4 additional boxes on the back of the October reading log. This week we will wrap up subtraction and begin multiplication. Students are excited, but will need some support in practicing at home. It takes a lot of patience and memorization to learn multiplication facts 1-10s.

The Landform project is under way and will be due on Wednesday, October 14. Projects will not be accepted after this date. If you have any questions about the project don't hesitate to email us.

We just scheduled a field trip to the Museum of Natural History on Friday, December 18 (the last day before winter break). Paperwork won't go home until next month, but for those of you who are interested, I wanted to give you a heads up.

Again, thank you for all of your support and we look forward to seeing you at conferences.

Sept. 28-Oct. 2

2009-09-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hope you are all enjoying the wonderful weather this weekend. Here are the latest updates for the week. Spelling packet for The Keeping Quilt will go home Monday due on Friday. Please check your child's work before it is turned in to be sure that sentences begin with a capital and end with the correct punctuation. Mrs. Sandman has been correcting the homework and has found numerous mistakes throughout the spelling packet. Also, as mentioned at Back to School Night, students should write sentences neatly on binder paper. We agreed that parents would attach binder paper from home.

We began subtraction of 3-4 digit numbers last week. This seems to be an area of weakness for many 3rd graders, so students may need additional support at home. I have parent volunteers coming in for math and will have some students pulled into small groups to receive help and additional instruction. Subtraction will be an area that we will revisit throughout the year.

That's about all for now. Looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks for conferences.

Sept. 21-25

2009-09-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to the parents who chaperoned on our trip to the fair. We had a wonderful time looking at the different animals and other exhibits.

This week a new spelling packet will be sent home for The Waterfall. The packet will be due this Friday. In math we will finish addition and move to subtraction of 4 digit numbers. Subtraction, especially borrowing, can be a challenge for many 3rd graders. I encourage you to help at home by giving a few problems a night to solve. I will begin with a quick subtraction fact quiz to see where everyone is at and we'll go from there.

Scholastic Book orders will be due this Friday as well. It's a great opportunity to purchase books at a reasonable price and earn bonus points for the class. Mrs. Koenig has volunteered to take on this job, so feel free to contact her if you have any questions regarding your order.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Sept. 14-18

2009-09-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

A reminder that spelling packets for The Ballad of Mulan will be due this Friday the 18th. Students will also be given their spelling test for the words on Friday. Please be sure to write the words down at home before your child turns in the completed packet.

The field trip to the County Fair is also this week on Wednesday. If you are driving, make sure you have your insurance info on file with the office. Due to the economic recession, the fair has only given our class 7 paid tickets this year. Additional tickets and parking are $5.00. Please let us know if this will be a hardship and we will come up with a way to cover the cost. In the past, students are not allowed to buy food at the fair, so be sure to pack a sack lunch and plenty of water.

Look forward to seeing you very soon and thank you again for your help and support!

Sept. 8-11

2009-09-06T10:58:00.001-07:00

I hope you are all having a fabulous Labor Day weekend! It's great having an extra day off. On Tuesday the new spelling packet will go home for the Ballad of Mulan. This spelling list will be for the next 2 weeks, due on Friday September 18. With the shortened 4 day week and field trip next week, we need to make it through all of the grammar skills for this story in the Houghton Mifflin anthology. I'm sure the students will be relieved to have a break in homework.

I have received many chaperone forms for the upcoming field trip to the SC County Fair. I may buddy up a few parents if we have too many drivers. The cost of parking is $5.00 per car (it was last year). Please be sure to pack a lunch and plenty of water for the fair. We discourage purchasing food from the vendors as this is an educational field trip. A big thanks to all who can make it that day!

See you soon!

August 31-Sept 4

2009-08-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

It was great meeting you all at Back to School Night. I hope all of your questions were answered. Remember, feel free to email us if you have any further questions. Those of you who signed up to volunteer, you can begin this week. The volunteers who will not begin will be those of you who are helping with Lit Circles on Tuesday morning. We'll let you know when to come in a few weeks.

Chapter 1 math tests (Place Value) were corrected over the weekend and will be sent home Monday or Tuesday. Most of the students did pretty well. Half of the class received a score of 90% and above. These tests will be reviewed by the students and then sent home for your review.

If you are interested in chaperoning for the upcoming County Fair field trip, be sure to get the driver paperwork signed in the office. Permission slips will go home soon.

Thanks again for all of your help and support this year. We REALLY appreciate!

August 24-28

2009-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hello again! I tend to update the blog once a week, so please check for up coming events. As you all know, Back to School Night will be this Thursday at 6:15. Please arrive on time so we can begin promptly at 6:15. We will have a packet for you outlining this year in 3rd grade. A volunteer sign up sheet will also be passed around at that time. We'll need help in the classroom for Literature Circles (Tuesday morning), computer lab (Wednesday before lunch), and during math time a couple days a week. It looks like we'll have a student teacher who will be in the classroom twice a week as well. We will also need volunteers to pull out pages from the Math and Language Arts practice books, staple spelling packets for homework, and photo copying. We would like to have a parent in charge of scholastic book orders (usually 4 times during the year). As you can see, there are many opportunities to get involved. We appreciate all the help this year.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

August 17-21

2009-08-16T14:55:00.000-07:00

Hello! The first week of school was a great success. Students seemed happy to see their friends and get back into the swing of things. It was great to meet many of you on the first day of school. I'll have a sign up sheet at Back to School Night next week for parent volunteers. I know many of you are eager to get into the classroom, so we'll look forward to your help soon.

This week we'll send home our first spelling packet including words for months of the year and days of the week. Students will need to write sentences and study the words for the spelling test on Friday. Also, we will begin using the Houghton Mifflin math program this week. Chapter 1 includes place value and homework will be sent home Monday through Thursday. The front page of math is computation and the back includes word problems. Students can choose 3 of the 6 word problems to do. Please be sure to check your child's work and make sure it is turned in on time. Also, reading logs will be checked every Friday by Mrs. Sandman.

Thanks for all of your support and donations this past week. They are greatly appreciated. I look forward to a great year ahead!

Welcome Back!

2009-08-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hello Rio Parents and welcome to 3rd grade! After nearly 6 months of maternity leave, Mrs. Sandman and I are back this year. Having a baby has been a whirlwind with many fun, exciting, and challenging developments. Our little boys are growing so fast. I don't know where the time has gone. We will both be at school on Wednesday to welcome both the students and parents into our class. At back to School Night we will have a sign up sheet for volunteers, but if you are eager to help out before then, let us know. I'd like to get weekly homework packets assembled ahead of time.

Due to budget cuts this year, we will have larger classes in 3rd grade (30 students) and are requesting many supplies. Please see the supply list posted to the right. If for any reason you are unable to purchase all of the items, please let us know.

Homework assignment for the first day of school: please have your child bring in a family photo taken this summer (if you have one). Also, as an effort to communicate and save paper this year, I will be updating this blog weekly to inform you of homework assignments and upcoming events.

If you need to contact me ahead of time my email address is athena_maraldo@pvusd.net. I know the students will be eager to see us, but please refrain from stopping by on the 11th as we will be busy with meetings and setting up the classroom.

See you bright and early at 7:49 on Wednesday!

Updates

2009-02-08T19:03:00.000-08:00

Due to the back to back 3 day weekends, students will have the spelling homework packet for 2 weeks due on February 20. With Valentine's Day coming up, we will pass out cards on Friday the 13th. I will try to send home a list of student names with your child early this week. Be sure that your child does not exclude anyone from receiving a Valentine.

On Friday, most students gave me the name of the famous American they would like to research for the Biography project. Due to the limited computers in my classroom and only 30 minutes per week in the computer lab, I encourage you to help find and print out kid friendly research for your child. Most of the written portion will be done in class. When kids don't have information they can refer to, it makes the project very difficult to do. Students can also check out books from the library to pull information from.

I'd like to applaud many students for learning their multiplication facts. As you know, a timed test is given every week in class. I have seen incredible growth and confidence as students are passing and beating their goal. Keep up the good work and continue practicing throughout the year.

One last note, Ms. Landmann has been working on a blog to post when I am off on maternity leave. She would like to put pictures on her site only with your permission. If you haven't sent in the form, please do ASAP. If you would not like your child's picture on her site, send the form back regardless and just write a note stating that you do not want their picture on the blog.

Thanks again for all your support and I will miss the kids when I am gone!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

2009-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you are all relaxing and enjoying this beautiful day in February. I sure am! Last week was pretty eventful with a full week and 2 field trips in a row. Mrs. Landman joined the class at the MAH and is really excited to take over the class soon. She was happy to have met some of the parents along the way.

This week we're back to business as usual. Spelling packets go home tomorrow and will be due on Friday. A new reading log for February will go home as well. Please be sure to turn in the log from Dec/Jan. Yearbook sales will continue until the end of the month. If you are interested you can send in a check for $15 with your child. The price usually goes up if you wait until June. Scholastic Book orders are due by Friday. There are some nice deals this month on Biographies. Make sure your child has been thinking about who they would like to research. We will begin this project soon.

Have a great week!

Thank You!

2009-01-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Mrs. Spinelli and Mrs. Gaeckle for organizing a baby shower on Friday with the class. They had a wonderful time and I have to say, this has been a special group of kids. I appreciate the Ergo Baby Carrier you all pitched in for. Once our little boy is ready to venture out, I'll stop by the school to show him off.

Here are a few reminders for the upcoming week:

Monday, we'll begin talking about Famous American Biographies. Students should start THINKING about who they would like to research. They have to choose a famous American (whom is no longer alive) that has contributed to our country as a whole. All 3rd grade classes will complete this project. The final project will include: a research report (typed), a poster, and an oral presentation. Most of the work will be done in class using an outline generated by the 3rd grade teachers. The speech, however, will need to be practiced at home. Many students last year memorized their speech and/or used note cards. A letter will be sent home outlining the requirements of this project within the next few weeks.

Tuesday, all 1st-3rd grade classes are going to see a play at the Mello Center in Watsonville. If you haven't sent in $7.75 for this trip, please do so ASAP so I can give the money to Parent Alliance.

Thursday our class is going to the MAH in Downtown Santa Cruz. We will leave Rio by 8:30 sharp and arrive back at school by 11:30.

Spelling packets this week will consist of 12 frequently misspelled words due by Friday. Also due on Friday is the December/January reading log. If you've misplaced it, please have your child ask me for a new one or just use a piece of binder paper to log the books they have read.

Weekly reports were sent home on Friday. I don't include the Excel math pages because most of this is done and corrected in class. If it isn't, then your child should bring it home for your review. Also, if you would like to see your child's math or spelling tests, ask your child to bring them home. I pass them out each week to every student.

That's all for now! Have a great week!

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!

2009-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to thank you for the generous gifts you gave me for Christmas. I truly appreciate it.

As much as I enjoyed my time off to relax, it was nice to see the smiling faces of your children on Tuesday morning. The week went well and students seemed excited to get back into the groove of learning. We were off to slow start, but now that we're back, we have a lot to do.

Spelling packets were sent home but aren't due until Friday, January 23. I have made a few changes to the Houghton Mifflin math homework. On Tuesday/Thursday when I send this home, the students are to choose 3 problems on the back for them to do. These problems begin easy and get very hard as you have noticed. A few parents commented on the difficulty and frustration, so I have made adjustments based on your child's math level. Everyone needs to continue memorizing their times tables. This is a 3rd grade standard and if kids don't learn them this year, it makes 4th grade even harder. Most of the students are on their way, but now that we have begun division, it's apparent that most of the kids don't have these facts memorized yet. I'll continue giving timed tests once a week.

As you are well aware, we have 2 field trips in the same week coming up. The first is to the Mello Center on Tuesday, January 27. All classes 1st-3rd will be attending and taking the school bus to Watsonville. Parent chaperones are encouraged to carpool since the parking is limited. This field trip costs $7.75. We are allowing 3 parents per class to chaperone and their admission is free.

The next trip is to the MAH (Museum of Art History) in Downtown Santa Cruz on Thursday, January 29. When we collected $11.00 earlier this year, that covered the cost of this trip(not the Mello Center). So there is no need to send in money. Ms. Landman will accompany our class as well. This will be a nice opportunity for her to meet the kids and parents who attend.

I hope you are enjoying this lovely 3 day weekend. I can't believe it's the middle of winter. What a way to begin the school year!

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hello RM 23 parents! Our last week of school for 2008 is already here and the excitement is in the air with your children. We have a busy, but fun week ahead of us. The beginning of the week will be pretty routine. Regular homework packets will go out tomorrow, math will be given, and Lit Circles will meet on Thursday. Most groups will be assigned chapter books to read over the holiday vacation. Remember, students can count these books on their reading log.

After school program ends on Tuesday and Wednesday is NOT a restructured day. On Thursday from 12:20-1:15 we'll have our class party consisting of 4 different center activities. Then on Friday, we're off to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History for a field trip.

I have really enjoyed your children this year and am sad to take a leave come February when my baby arrives. THANK YOU to all that help me in the classroom in one way or another. Without your help, I would be elbow deep in things to do. If I don't see you before Friday, have a wonderful, relaxing vacation!

So much to do, so little time...

2008-12-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

The kids were back to school this week energized and ready to learn. Some extra days off really does a body good! This past week was work as usual, but with only 2 weeks to go until Winter Break, we have a lot to do. Due to our field trip to the Museum of Natural History on Friday, December 19, our class will be having a holiday party on Thursday the 18th. Mrs. Gaeckle and Mrs. Spinelli are already on board and planning on a few center activities. There will be no food involved this time, just a few art activities. If you would like to volunteer to run a center or help set up, please let us know. Have a nice weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm sure we are all anxious to get some time off to enjoy with our families. The next 2 days should be fairly low key as some kids will be out due to early departure of vacation. There will be no spelling packet this week, only math homework (Monday) and Lit circles from last Thursday. The November reading logs are due on Tuesday, but your child can turn it in when we return to school on Monday, December 1.

Tomorrow, students will say farewell to Jenni, the Spectra Arts teacher. They have enjoyed ceramics with her and will bring home some of their finished pieces. She will be on campus the rest of the year, but working with other classes.

We have a field trip scheduled to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History in Seabright scheduled for Friday, December 19. I will send home permission slips after the break.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels where ever you may go!

Is it summer again?

2008-11-15T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hello parents! I hope you're all enjoying this lovely Fall weekend. It's a great way to end the short week. This time of year always seems to fly by with all of the upcoming holidays and time off from school. If you have planned a trip during Thanksgiving week, please send a note to let me know. The district changed the calendar after many families anticipated the week off. It's only 2 days, so your child won't miss too much.

Things should be back to normal beginning Monday. We'll have a full week with spelling packets due on Friday and nightly math. We dove into multiplication the past 2 weeks, so I will be giving weekly multiplication tests to monitor student progress. Please work with your child at home on the facts if you see that they are struggling. Also, I have noticed that some students are still forgetting to write their names on the homework. If you can take some time to check homework frequently, this would be helpful.

Thanks to those of you who were able to chaperone on the past 2 field trips. We have one more coming up to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. This trip is scheduled for Friday, December 19 (the last day before winter break). Permission slips will be sent home soon, so mark your calendars if you'd like to attend.

That's all the news for now. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to Jen and Kelly for organizing the Halloween party. It was a huge success! Also, thank you to all the parents who were able to donate items for the party and their time setting up. I hope your children had a fun time trick or treating in the rain last night. I'm sure your sifting through all the candy this weekend and trying to have some down time. Just think, 365 more days until next Halloween! Please limit the candy in your child's lunch this week.

This Thursday, we'll be going on our field trip to Nisene Marks. If you haven't turned in the permission slip, do so ASAP. Children will not be allowed to go if their permission slip is not on file with me. We will leave school at 9:15 and return at approximately 11:30 (lunch time). Students will be eating lunch back at school because we have rotations beginning at 12:20, and I need some time to get settled. I recommend packing a hearty snack to eat in the car before the hike. Last year it was a bit tiring, so it's good to fuel up before we go. There will be no food allowed on the trail. If any one is able to bring a few extra snacks, that would be great.

Also, Lit Circle groups will not meet on Thursday. The assignment is still due, so I will collect it and hand out their new job and book. I may have the groups check in on Friday to discuss their books.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend. I'm looking forward to the extra hour. How about you!?

Field Trip Correction

2008-10-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hello again. The date of the field trip is THURSDAY, November 6. I had the date right, but wrote down the wrong day. Sorry about that!

Field Trip Coming Up

2008-10-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you are enjoying the calming weekend before Halloween comes. The energy levels will be high this week, so please remind your children that they we will be working hard until Thursday. Then we can celebrate this fun tradition. Thank you to Kelly and Jen for organizing the party.

I wanted to give you a heads up about an upcoming field trip on Friday, November 6. Our class will be going for a hike in Nisene Marks. We will have a docent taking us along a trail teaching about Aptos History. I believe the hike is from 9:30-11:30. So, we'll need parent drivers from 9:00 until 12:00. If you are interested in coming along, be sure to sign the parent driver form. I will send home permission slips this week.(Sorry for the late notice)

Have a great week!