Ms. B. in Class

Parents,

Students will take their first SBAC test tomorrow and their second on Thursday.  We also have announcements this week. Please have your students line up at the stage as soon as the music starts in the morning.

On Friday, we talked about using great strategies.  We also discussed all the things they do well each and every day, in so many ways.

Nightly homework will be light because we have multiple testing days this week.  I’ll ask students to read for 20 minutes which they should log, and to complete 20 minutes of ST Math, Socrates Math, Prodigy, or Freckle.

Weekly Digital Classwork Log

Today students tried to make a flotation device that would keep an action figure afloat for 1 minute. Some designs made the cut and others saw bubbles. It was a great lesson on learning about design flaws and successes.

We graphed our favorite apples after a science lesson about growing Apple trees. Honeycrisp is a clear favorite right now.

Parents,

Spring Carnival

Reminder:  Friday is our School Carnival.  The PTA still needs volunteers.  If you can help, please contact Stephanie Jaynes or any other PTA member.  They need a lot of volunteers for booths and stands.  Thank you!

Welcome Back

I hope you had a wonderful Spring Break!  I am looking forward to seeing your students’ smiling faces again.  I’ve definitely missed them.

Morning Announcements

Our class has a lot on our plate in the coming weeks.  We’ll wrap up any standards we’ve not covered completely throughout the year, and take our Nevada Grade 3 SBAC tests.  Our class has announcements next week, and students will choose which job they prefer on Monday.  I’ll send an email home tomorrow detailing which day the students have chosen to participate individually.

Take Your Child to Work Day

Thursday is Take Your Child to Work Day.  If you are taking your student to work, please let me know.  If you’d, I can provide classwork for your student to complete while they are at work with you.  This is not required, but will help retention as students have their first ELA CAT test on Monday, April 29.

Curriculum

This week, students will review language standards learned throughout the year.  Additionally, students will revisit the reading standards learned in October and November.  In math, students will work on plotting, graphing, and measuring.  Students will demonstrate the ability to measure lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. They will represent data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters.  Students will complete a summative assessment on responding to questions completely using the RACES strategy.

Missing Work

I’ve provided students a missing assignment report roughly every two weeks this year.  I will give them a complete report of missing assignments on Monday.  It is their responsibility to complete those assignments and get them turned in as we turn the corner on finishing out the year.  I have unfinished work time built into our daily schedule, and students can always come into my classroom before or after school, or at lunch.

JUMP START

Students can come into my classroom on Wednesday and Thursday this week for Jump Start in math and reading.  I’ll provide additional review and remediation of standards we’ve learned throughout the year.

Next Week

Next week, students will lead morning announcements.  If students are presenting or holding the flag, they are expected to be on the stage when the music starts playing in the morning (8:50).  I would like all students ready to present on the stage at 8:55.  I will have an alternate for students who do not arrive on time.

I will also allow students to go up early and put up their backpacks because we have our first test next Monday morning immediately after school starts.

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 4/25: Take Your Child to Work Day
• 4/26:  Spring Carnival/Free Dress Day – Hawaiian Day
• 4/26:  Pizza Fundraiser Lunch
• 4/29:  SBAC ELA CAT
• 5/02:  SBAC ELA Part 1
• 5/07: SBAC ELA Part 2
• 5/10: SBAC Math CAT
• 5/15: SBAC Math Performance Task

Homework

Students can complete paper or digital math homework this week, but digital homework must be logged and be completed on ST Math, Zearn, or Prodigy.  Students must complete paper reading homework this week.

2019-04-22 Homework

Here’s this year’s flyer for Free Comic Book Day!

More information will come as the date draws closer.

2019 Free Comic Book Day

We were informed that students can wear shorts, including appropriate length basketball shorts, on Field Day, Thursday, 4/11/2019.  Additionally, as many parents volunteer and then take their students home following Field Day completion, I will have a sign out sheet outside with me should you want your student to go home with you.

SBAC Paper Packs

I will send these home tomorrow so they are not mixed in with end of week work or Field Day fun.  I’ve included complete CAT tests for ELA and Math.  I am working with all students to summarize or identify the main idea in each paragraph during their initial reading of all passages and articles.  Some prefer annotation, while others like post-its, and sketch noting is becoming a staple as well.  Regardless, ask your student the meaning of a paragraph after they read each section.

If you need anything from me before we head into spring break, please reach out!  Students have enjoyed eating the snacks you’ve provided during peak concentration times, and it really helps.  Thanks so much to everyone for their contribution.  🙂

Upcoming Items

On the first weekend in May, I always volunteer at a comic book store.  It is a mom and pop shop.  They partner with me to offer all Stuckey students a free gift when they come, as well as a free comic.  This year Free Comic Book Day coincides with May the 4th.  It’ll be fun.  I hope to see you out there.  I’ll make sure to send out details as the date gets closer.

Thanks for being awesome!

As you know, this Thursday is Field Day.  Traditionally, we’ve had field day on a Friday.  This year, our 3-5 field day is on Thursday.  Because many parents come to volunteer, we have sign-outs for students outside following our field day rotations for those parents who wish to take their students home with them.  Field Day shirts will come home this week.

If you would like to volunteer for Field Day, you do not have to be badged!  Please help out if you can.

I will do morning jump start this week on Monday and Wednesday.  This means I’ll be in my classroom to help students better prepare for the end of year testing.  One day is dedicated to math and another to ELA.  Students can come up at 8:30.  I’ve also aligned ST Math to a time review.  Ask your students elapsed time questions all week for extra fun!

We will continue our Jumanji Board Game fun this week.  Golden tickets earn students the right to participate in the day’s event.  Ask them how many they earned each night.  The overall winners will get a prize at the end of our contest.  🙂

Here is this week’s homework!

2019-04-08 Homework

Students did a great job preparing for and taking their final MAPs tests.  Students also worked hard on mastering new content in math and writing.

Dates to Remember:

• 04/09:  National Librarian’s Day/Kona Ice on Campus
• 4/11:  Grade 3 Field Day
• 4/11:  Best Buddies Selling Donuts
• 4/13-4/21:  Spring Break
• 04/26:  Free Dress Day/Hawaiian Day/Carnival
• 4/29:  SBAC ELA CAT
• 5/02:  SBAC ELA Part 1
• 5/07: SBAC ELA Part 2
• 5/10: SBAC Math CAT
• 5/15: SBAC Math Performance Task

Curriculum

Students finished their fractions unit and started a unit on mass and capacity.  In science, we built a house that could withstand a windstorm.  In reading, students worked on RACES strategies for asking questions.  In writing, students worked on citing evidence from multiple sources when answering questions about informational text.  In grammar, students worked with subject/verb agreement and added to our homophone dictionary.

Next week, students will continue to work through weight and capacity and units of measure.  Students will revisit time and strategies for solving elapsed time questions.  In reading, students demonstrate the ability read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts independently and proficiently.  In writing, students will produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

Thank You!

Thank you for all of the snack donations!  These really help out when students are working hard and preparing for their standardized tests.  Have a great weekend!

Hi parents!  Your students did a great job today on their MAPs test!  Remember we have one more this week on Thursday.

Today is World Autism Awareness day.  Our class has a better understanding of autism acceptance not only because we have a great group of students who are true friends to all students in our school, despite their difference, but because we interact with friends who happen to have autism each and every day.  Everything is possible when our students walk in the door.  Give your students a hug tonight, and reaffirm how amazing they are.  This class truly is an example of the word acceptance!

First I’d like to remind you that we will be testing on Tuesday and Thursday of this week.  We will start our test as soon as we enter the classroom.  On Tuesday, students will take an ELA test and Thursday they will take a math test.

Students will only have homework on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. I will not assign homework on the nights before the test.  Please make sure that students get a good night’s sleep and have a good breakfast before coming to school.

• 4/02:  MAPs Math Test
• 4/03:  STEM Night
• 4/04:  MAPs ELA
• 4/13-4/21:  Spring Break
• 4/29:  SBAC ELA CAT
• 5/02:  SBAC ELA Part 1
• 5/07: SBAC ELA Part 2
• 5/10: SBAC Math CAT
• 5/15: SBAC Math Performance Task

This week, we will continue work on review strategies in Reading.  In math, we will close fractions and move into measurement.  In writing, we will work on informational text responses from multiple sources.  Should you have any questions, please reach out.  Here’s to our last MAPs tests of the year!

Thanks for all of your help.  I am grateful!