I sent out an email and remind yesterday detailing that all school, district, and non-district sponsored athletics, extra-curricular activities, assemblies, practices, and events are suspended effective immediately until further notice. This means that we will not be able to attend the movie this weekend.  When this situation clears, it is my intent to see another movie or watch this one as a group.  It is my favorite event of the year.

This also means that Table Top Gaming, D&D, and Coding are all suspended as well until we are otherwise instructed.  I don’t know what I am going to do after school 3 nights a week!  I am going to miss this so much!

This morning, I sent another about outside people working in the Stuckey building.  We’ve been instructed that nonessential personnel may not enter the building at this time. This includes district employees and volunteers.  All the information CCSD has released to the general public can be found here:  https://sites.google.com/nv.ccsd.net/covid-19updates/home

Here is the information provided by the Southern Nevada Health District:  http://www.southernnevadahealthdistrict.org/coronavirus

Know that we wipe down area with germ killer multiple times a day.  We have five sanitation stations inside the classroom.  When students leave and renter, we sanitize before sitting at our seats.  We have always been diligent in keeping the room germ free.  This procedure is even more important now.

I’ll update as soon as I get any further clarification on how we will proceed.  Know all of us want to provide the safest and most consistent learning environment we can for our students.  Please reach out with any concerns and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

 

 

I hope everyone enjoyed their 3 day weekend!  We jump right back in tomorrow as we prepare for Friday’s first SBAC ELA computer adaptive test.

Important reminders for this week:

• Testing Friday, March 13
• Movie at AMC Town Center Saturday, March 14
• Students will have no homework on Thursday, March 12
• Please make sure that students get a good night’s sleep on Thursday night
• Please send your letters of encouragement by Wednesday so I can write letters for students who do not receive one

Snacks

If you would like to send in snacks, we’re burning through them as we prepare for SBAC. We could also use the half bottles of water. Thanks for anything you are able to provide!  Thanks to those who have sent us items this week!

Curriculum

Your students may have told you about our SBAC Olympics. We will continue to prepare with the SBAC Olympics through Thursday of this week. On Friday, we will read our parent sent notes and then go in to test immediately thereafter.

Student attendance is incredibly important, and I strongly advocate for regular student attendance.  Please make sure your student is comfortable and on time on Friday.  However, if your student is sick, has a fever, has recently vomited, or is otherwise unwell, please do not send them in on Friday.  Sick students do not test well.  This will mean they will likely have to test with another class on a different day.

Movie

Thanks to everyone who emailed about Onward! I bought tickets on Saturday.  We are scheduled to see the 12:15 p.m. showing.  Again, if you’d prefer to drop off your student, you’re more than welcome to.  There is a stairway up to the AMC box office and I will be inside or outside that area depending on weather.  Run time is 102 minutes, so with previews, we’ll likely get out a little before 2 p.m.  Please be at the theater no later that 1:55 p.m. to pick up your students.  We usually take a picture after the movie.

Spirit Night

The PTA Spirit Night Fundraiser is on March 12, 2020

Testing Calendar

3/13 AM – SBAC ELA CAT
3/26 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 1
3/27 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 2
3/31 – MAPS Spring Math
4/02 – MAPS Spring Science

This week’s homework:  2020-03-10 Homework

 

If you would like to send in snacks, we’re burning through them as we prepare for SBAC.  We could also use the half bottles of water.  Thanks for anything you are able to provide!

Hi parents!  As we prepare for MAPs and SBAC testing, I will open my doors twice a week at 8:30 a.m. before school, so students can hone their skills with ST Math or Lexia.  I will be available to help students as they progress through reviews that will help them better prepare for testing and teach mini lessons as needed.  The days of the week will likely vary because we often have meetings in the morning.  My goal is to offer this at least twice a week through the end of April.

This week I will be at the front door to bring in students at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday.  If you’d like your student to get a little more time with curriculum, I would love to have them.  Please send me an email if you have any questions.

Curriculum

This week we will kick off our SBAC Olympics.  Each of your students will be grouped with two others and form a country.  As we review and learn about ELA topics in preparation for our SBAC testing, they will earn tokens that will allow them to compete for medals at the end of the day.  After each day, the country with the most points wins the gold medal.  Points will be kept for the duration of the preparation.

In reading this week, we will work on literal and nonliteral language while preparing for the SBAC.  In math, we will finish up our unit on elapsed time and start perimeter.  We will continue to write narrative and informational pieces from two sources in writing.

Thanks to everyone who emailed about Onward!  I will secure tickets on Saturday and give you a time at that point.

Upcoming Events

 

• 3/4 Spring Pictures
• 3/6 Unsats go Home
• 3/6 Free Dress Day – Pattern Day
• 3/9 No School for Students and Teachers
• 3/12 PTA Spirit Night Fundraiser

Testing Calendar

• 3/13 AM – SBAC ELA CAT
• 3/26 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 1
• 3/27 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 2
• 3/31 – MAPS Spring Math
• 4/02 – MAPS Spring Science

This week’s homework:  2020-03-02 Homework

 

 

Record Scratch!!  We have five families who will be out of town that weekend, so we are moving this to March 14.  I’ll update times, but hope to find a showing around the same time on that day.

I mentioned that I wanted to see a movie with your students.  I still do!  I’ve been scouting times and availability for Onward! I have cleared my schedule for March 14, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at AMC Town Square. (Please note, sometimes the theater changes times so it may fluctuate by 30 to 45 minutes.  I learned this the hard way!)

You can drop your student off and they can sit with their friends and I at the movie.  I’ll provide a meeting time for pickup and you can meet us outside the theater.  But, I would love for you to join us at the movie.  Last year, we had a bunch of parents show up, and we nearly filled up the theater.  We also wrote about our experience the following week.

I will pre-purchase all of the tickets and if you are able or would like to, you can reimburse me for your tickets.  If you’re not in the position where you can cover a movie ticket right now, please don’t worry.  I’ve got it.  This one is on me.

Please email or send me a remind telling me how many tickets you need.  Use ONWARD in the subject line so I know it is for the movie.  If this date is problematic for many, I will propose another date.  This is one of my favorite activities.  I hope you can join us!!

Here’s the trailer for our epic adventure!

 

Our week of testing is right around the corner! We have studied hard and grown a lot since the start of the school year. I am very proud of the dedication to excellence demonstrated by your children. It is now their time to shine and show what they have learned!

On March 13, students will be start taking our SBAC tests.  I have a SECRET
MISSION that requires your assistance to create a SURPRISE activity for each child! I believe this activity will help motivate your child during the upcoming testing days. My goal is for your child to walk into the classroom on each day of testing to find words of encouragement waiting for them on their desks from the people that mean the most to them… their family and friends!

This is where you come in. Today I sent home five different colored sheets labeled day 1 through day 5. Please write a short note of encouragement to your child on each of the notes. It would be wonderful if you could also involve siblings, friends, or close relatives. Feel free to decorate the notes with stickers or drawings… the more personalized the notes are the better. (Please make sure their first name is on top of each page even if you mention a nickname.)

These notes are meant to help remind your child each day that they have a support team behind them and that you believe in them. Please return completed messages by Wednesday, March 11, in a SEALED envelope. Please remember this is a SURPRISE ACTIVITY and the children do not know what the notes are for.

Thank you for your support throughout this year and on this MISSION! I look forward to
watching each day as your children read notes of heartfelt words from their families and
friends. I know your words of encouragement will mean the world to them.

Happy Sunday!

Curriculum

This week, we will finish up poetry and plays our standard on poems, stories and dramas.  Students will be able to refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza and describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. In writing, we will continue to write from two sources and create informational writing. In math, we’ll jump into time.  This standard can be difficult.  We will do periodic time checks during the day.  If you’d like, you can continue this at home with any analog clock.  By the end of this unit, students will be able to tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes and solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes.

Students are also working within groups on performance tasks in preparation for SBAC and MAPs testing.  Our days will shift during the coming weeks and we may have math in the morning and reading in the afternoon.  This will allow students to get used to working on all subject areas, regardless of the time of day, and helps us better prepare for testing as well.  I am sending home notes for you to fill out for SBAC testing this week.  When you send them back in, please send them in a sealed envelope so your students have that surprise on testing day.

Nevada Reading Week & Dress Days

This is what we have in store for Nevada Reading week:

Testing Calendar

• 3/13 AM – SBAC ELA CAT
• 3/26 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 1
• 3/27 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 2
• 3/31 – MAPS Spring Math
• 4/02 – MAPS Spring Science

Upcoming Events

• 2/24 – 2/28 Reading Week
• 2/28 Donuts with Dads
• 3/4 Spring Pictures
• 3/6 Unsats go Home
• 3/6 Free Dress Day – Pattern Day
• 3/9 No School for Students and Teachers
• 3/12 PTA Spirit Night Fundraiser

This week’s homework:  2019-02-24 Homework

As we prepare for testing, I will send home a bulk set of blank letters on which you can write an encouraging note for your student on testing day.  Please make sure to tell them all the wonderful things they can do and how proud you are of them.

Each day will be on a different color (paper permitting).  Once you’ve filled them out, please put them in a envelop and send them in with your student.  I will put the on their desk the night before testing and we have a letter reading party before we go in to test.  Please make sure to write your student’s name on your note (in case you use nicknames) as I have 24 I’ll be delivering, and I know them well, but I don’t know all of your nicknames for them. If any student does not have a letter, I personally hand write one.

Also, we will have a quick little snack each day for encouragement.  Example – Blow pops and “You’re going to blow this test out of the water!”  or “You’re going to do beary good on this test!” – Gummy Bears.

I’ve created a sign up if you’d like to donate items.  I’ll also create tags for each of the items with the saying and I’ll seek out help assembling them.

Thank you for being awesome parents.  We have under 60 days left of 3rd grade!  How is it going so quickly??

Here’s the sign up:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080448ACAB2AA0FB6-testing

 

I’ve received our tentative testing calendar for March.  We will be testing on the following days:

1. 3/13 AM – SBAC ELA CAT
2. 3/26 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 1
3. 3/27 AM – SBAC ELA Performance Task Part 2
4. 3/31 – MAPS Spring Math
5. 4/02 – MAPS Spring Science