Just a quick reminder that your conferences are scheduled for Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25. If you don't recall your scheduled time, don't hesitate to email me! I look forward to meeting with you. Your children have done some wonderful work this trimester!
Here's what will be happening for Trimester 2:
The Bulletin BoardUpcoming Events
11/26 Animal Reports due
11/26 Northeastern States/Capitals test
11/26 Early Release
11/27,11/28 Thanksgiving
12/5 Habitat boxes due
12/10 Early Release
12/22 Class Party
12/23 Animal Presentations
@ 2:00 pm
12/24-1/4 Winter Break
]]>
Our visit to the Brick Store Museum yesterday was fantastic! The children got to see a collection of doll houses and they learned about the big fire of 1947. The museum is a great place for the whole family to visit.
Your children will be bringing their endangered animal research packets home today in order to finish taking notes over the weekend. All children should include lots of detailed information for each of the five guiding questions. The completed packets are to be returned on Monday, November 10.
Here's what will be going on in the coming week!
Monday:
1. New spelling words for the week: with, were, picture
2. Home Link 3.8
3. Study for Government test on Friday. (Study sheets went home today!)
4. Work on Endangered Animal Habitat Box: Due December 5
Tuesday:
No School- Veteran's Day
Wednesday:
Early Release Day
1. Work on Endangered Animal Habitat Box: Due December 5
2. Study for Government test on Thursday
3. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday:
1. Work on Endangered Animal Habitat Box: Due December 5
2. Bring music, recorder, mosaics.
3. Study for spelling test.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
]]>On Thursday, November 6, our class will be taking a trip to the Brick Store Museum. The children will learn about the various collections stored at the museum, and see the latest displays.
We've been hard at work doing research about endangered animals. Tonight as homework, your children should finish taking notes about the description of their animal, and its habitat. Tomorrow night's homework will be to finish taking notes about the diet and life cycle of their animal.
Have fun with Home Link 3.6 tonight, calculating area. Your children did a good job with perimeter earlier in the week.
Last, a reminder that Tuesday, November 11, there is no school in observance of Veteran's Day.
More later!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
]]>I hope you had a terrific long weekend. The weather sure was nice for this time of the year!
I will be sending November book orders home with your children on Thursday. I will be sending in your orders shortly so that you will get them in time for the holidays. If you would like to place the order and have them delivered to you rather than given to your children, just drop me a note with your order, letting me know to save them aside to give to you at conference time.
Speaking of conferences, I will be setting up conferences for Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25. I will be sending home the sign up sheets with your children on Thursday, so please look for them, fill them out, and return them to me as soon as possible. I will be providing morning, afternoon, and evening conferences on both those days.
On Monday, October 20th, our class will have a guest speaker, Dave Carpenter, in the classroom to teach the children about maps and map-making.
Finally, I am blogging the homework for 2 weeks. I will not be in school from Friday, October 17 through Tuesday, October 21. Because I won't be checking emails during that time, I will ask you to contact the office at 985-2383 with any changes in your child's schedule.
Homework
Monday 10/13 No School
Spelling Words of the Week: four, waste, something
1. Return library books and clipboard games.
Tuesday 10/14
1. Home Link 2.7
2. Bring recorder to try out for recorder belt.
Wednesday 10/15 Early Release
1. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday 10/15
1. Home Link 2.8
2. Bring recorder, music and mosaic challenge.
Monday 10/20
Spelling Words this Week: where, when, different
1. Home Link 2.9
2. Return library books and clipboard games.
Tuesday 10/21
1. Math Practice Worksheet
2. Bring recorder to try out for recorder belt.
Wednesday 10/22 Early Release
1. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday 10/23
1. Bring recorder, music, and mosaic challenge
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
]]>
The air is getting crisp. It's jacket weather again! It might even be time to think about pulling out the mittens and hats for your children.
Our parent volunteer won't be able to make it in on Friday, October 10, for prize box. Encourage your children to keep reading and playing board games, and recording their times. Prize box will resume on Friday, October 17.
If your children are still having trouble telling time, have them log onto Internet Workshop. There are several fun games there, centered around the concept of telling time.
Just a reminder that we are taking the NWEA tests on Monday and Wednesday at 8:30 am. Please be sure your child eats a good breakfast before arriving at school.
Spelling Words this week: want, mother, father
Homework:
Monday:
1. Home Link 2.4
2. Return library books, clipboards
Tuesday
1. Home Link 2.5
2. Early release on Wed.
Wednesday
1. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday
1. Home Link 2.6
2. No prize box Friday.
3. Bring recorder/music.
Remember that Monday, October 13 is a holiday and there is no school. Have an excellent week!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
KES Grade 3
Wow, we are headed into the first week of October! Your children are doing a good job of settling into third grade routines. They are trying hard to be good role models for the younger children at KES. This Friday, each student from my classroom will be paired with a child in Mrs. Hayes' kindergarten class as a book buddy. It will be a terrific learning experience for all parties involved!
In our classroom this week, we will be learning similes and metaphors through our study of poetry. We'll be writing our own fall poems, complete with descriptive adjectives, and a simile or metaphor added for good measure. In science, we have learned about the deciduous forest, taiga, and tundra biomes. This week we will add grasslands to our list. Addition and subtraction will be our focus for Unit 2 in Everyday Math.
The three "must know" spelling words for this week are: friend, because, September.
Just a reminder that Wednesday, October 1 is Early Release Day and Friday, October 3 is Picture Day. Your gift wrap fundraising materials are due Monday, October 6. Next week, the NWEA tests will be administered to your children. Students will take them on the computers in the school lab. We are scheduled to take the Reading test at 8:30 on Monday, October 6. The Math portion of the test will be administered at 8:30 on Wednesday, October 8. Please make sure your children arrive at school on time. Also, please make sure they get a good night's sleep and that they have a filling breakfast before they leave the house. We want everyone to be in tip-top test-taking condition!
Homework
Monday:
1. Home Link 2.1
2. Return library books, clipboards.
Tuesday:
1. Home Link 2.2
2. Bring recorder to try out for White Belt.
Wednesday:
1. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday:
1. Home Link 2.3
2. Study for spelling test
3. Bring recorder/music, mosaic challenge.
Enjoy your last few days of September!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
"The best thing you can give children are good memories."
]]>Wow, have we learned a lot this week! Our power plans and paragraphs about fire safety turned out great and are now in published form, complete with remarkable illustrations. We have become experts about Native Americans and our tipi village is taking shape.
Today your children are going to bring home their booklets of hopes and dreams. Please add how you will help your child achieve his/her hopes and dreams, and return the booklet to school on Monday. We will be revisiting these goals frequently to mark our progress.
Next week we will be continuing our study of biomes and habitats, and writing about the deciduous forest. On Tuesday we will be taking a closer look at some owl pellets. We are moving ahead on our timeline and taking a look at life in the Colonial Era, while reading a biography about Squanto.
Monday
1. Home Link 1.10
2. Return library books and clipboard games.
Tuesday
1. Home Link 1.11
Wednesday
1. Home Link 1.12
2. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday
1. Bring a favorite poem.
2. Bring recorder, mosaic board.
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
We've had an unbelievably busy week and next week looks just as exciting! Our field trip to Maine Wildlife Park was a huge success. Many thanks to our parent volunteers.
For literacy next week, we will be concentrating on setting goals for literacy and math, plus a goal of a personal nature. Shortly, you'll be receiving the booklet containing your child's hopes and dreams for the year. You'll be asked for your input as to how you can help your child achieve his/her goals.
We are fully immersed in Step Up to Writing. Children learned to make "Power Plans" or organize their thoughts before they write. Each child has a power plan for the topic "Fire Drills". We learned how to write a good topic sentence that includes "who, when, where, and a number statement". Each student will be writing an essay on fire drills in the classroom in the coming week. A writing assignment may be given during the week to finish writing a paragraph, to revise or to edit.
In science, we are learning about habitats and biomes. Our concentration this week is on the deciduous forest. The homework assignment for Monday night is to look for leaves, acorns and other "fallish" nature items. We will be using these for some leaf rubbings and to decorate a fall picture.
For social studies, we will have a brief review of early Native American life, and will be making a tipi village for our classroom.
Mrs. Glynn will be in our classroom each Wednesday from 9:00-9:30 to teach study skills and to help prepare children for the MEA tests that take place in the spring.
All for now.
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
Monday Evening:
1. Home Link 1.6
2. Bring leaves, acorns, etc for fall picture.
3. Return library books, clipboard games.
Tuesday Evening
1. Home Link 1.7
2. Read 15 minutes.
Wednesday Evening
1. Home Link 1.8
2. Read 15 minutes.
3. Bring gym shoes.
Thursday Evening
1. Home Link 1.9
2. Read 15 minutes.
3. Bring mosaic challenges, recorder money.
]]>Just a reminder that tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9, is our first early release day. Your children will eat lunch before being dismissed at noon. Please make sure that your child knows where he/she will go after school. Drop me an email or a note if he/she is to go somewhere other than the normal place.
Additionally, Thursday is our trip to Maine Wildlife Park. Please be sure to pack a lunch from home. When choosing a beverage, please do not send a glass container. When your child leaves the house, please be sure he/she is equipped with clothing appropriate for the day.
Please continue to encourage your children to read at least 15 minutes each night!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
]]>We have had a great first week. Your children have had a chance to get to know each other a little better through the glamorous posters that they made about themselves. We have talked extensively about the traits that make a good student, and they are staying focused on following the rules that will govern our classroom for the year.
It’s not too late to volunteer for our field trip to Maine Wildlife Park. Drop me an email if you’d like to join us.
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
Homework Week of 9/8/08
Monday Evening:
Tuesday Evening:
Wednesday Evening
Thursday Evening:
Each week I will be blogging your child's assignments for the week. Children write their assignments in their homework planners each afternoon, but I will be sending assignments to you in advance in this format so that you know what to expect for the week. Please note that I am asking children to share their assignment planners with you each day, and to obtain a parent signature showing that they've done so. This is a great time for your children to be able to have a few minutes with you each day to talk about school and how their day went.
Before school begins, establish a consistent place and time for your child to complete homework. Also, help your child to organize a routine of getting the completed homework into the home folder, and then into the backpack. Homework should take between 15-30 minutes to complete. If your child is having difficulty completing homework in a timely manner, please email me so that we can put together a plan to help him/her out.
Your children and I will also be having a conversation about getting outside each day to play, and to spend at least 15 minutes each day curled up with a good book. Many parents find that reading is a good activity to end the day, just before bedtime.
Tuesday Evening:
Wednesday Evening
Thursday Evening:
Enjoy your long weekend!
Thank you for attending Parent Orientation last evening. It was great to meet you and I look forward to welcoming your children to their third grade experience next Tuesday.
I am thrilled that many of you are able to volunteer both in and out of the classroom. If you are still looking for an opportunity to volunteer, we could still use Math Volunteers to play math games with the children on Fridays from 1:00-1:45. In the next few weeks I will contact all volunteers to confirm a starting date.
I had the chance today to look through all the goodies you donated to our classroom and to our science program. Your generosity is very much appreciated! We are already well on our way to a great school year.
Again, thank you for stepping forward to help make this a memorable year for your children.
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
PS to my students.... I will meet you in the gym on Tuesday morning when you get off the bus. See you then!
]]>
Hello again! I wanted to give you a heads up about the volunteer opportunities that will be available to you during the upcoming school year. Look over your schedules and see if any are a good fit for you. If nothing works right now, don't fret. More opportunities will be available later and you can volunteer then. I'll keep you updated via this blog. Sign-up sheets for each of these opportunities will be in the classroom during Parent Orientation on August 26th.
Party Planners
Plan food and entertainment for class parties. Call parents for food and paper goods donations.
Donate Food/Paper Goods for Class Parties
Make Phone Calls
Make phone calls to all parents of children in Ms. Todd's classroom as the need arises.
Book Order Coordinator
Tally orders for Scholastic book orders. Call in order or order the books online. Make sure money totals are accurate, handle all money transactions, mail payment to Scholastic.
Library, Tuesdays 11:00-12:00
List to children read, help children select approopriate books, assist librarian.
Math, Fridays 1:00-1:45
Help children learn their math facts, teach math games to children, play math games with children.
Clipboard Games & Treasure Chest Coordinators, Fridays 12:30-1:00
Check contents of clipboards, change contents of clipboards, and issue clipboards to children. Help children pick prizes from the Treasure Chest.
Chaperones, Field Trip to Maine Wildlife Park in Gray, Maine, Thursday, September 11, 2008 8:15-2:00
Enjoy a day with 21 inquisitive children and lots of animals! You will need to drive you own vehicle, pay your own admission fee, bring your own lunch.
If you have any questions about any of these opportunities, drop me an email or bring them up at Parent Orientation. I will be on vacation from August 15-25 and won't be checking emails, but I'll respond when I return.
Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine.
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
Hello! By now you all should have received a letter from me about the upcoming parent orientation meeting to be held on Tuesday, August 26 at 5:00 pm. I am looking forward to meeting you, and learning more about you and your children.
As you learned from Mrs. Zito, our class size has grown. We are a large group this year... (the more the merrier!), and our goal will be to develop a tight-knit, kind and respectful community. To that end, our initial focus will be on getting to know each other, and to practice patience and good manners so that all needs can be met in a positive learning environment. Each of your children has special gifts, and my goal is to bring out the personal best in each child. As we head into the school year, I will be speaking with each child individually about the literacy, math, and personal goals they would like to achieve while in third grade. They will brainstorm ways that they can meet those goals, and I will add how I promise to provide help. You will be asked to add how you, as parents, will help your child to learn and grow in each of those areas.
I recently met with the other third grade teachers in the district to work on our new science curriculum. We are in need of some supplies. Following is a list of the things we hope to have donated. If you can help out, we would appreciate it!
resealable plastic bags (all sizes), electrical tape, brad fasteners, bobby pins, brown paper lunch bags, old silverware, post-its, oreo cookies, clean styrofoam meat trays, "D" alkaline batteries, index cards, business size envelopes, sandpaper
Other science materials will be needed during the school year. If you are able to donate a WalMart gift card (in any amount) in order for us to purchase those items as we need them, we would appreciate that, as well!
Welcome to the wonderful world of your child's third grade school year. I will see you on August 26th! In the meantime, please be sure you subscribe to this blog so the entries are emailed to you automatically!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
I hope that you and your children are having a delightful summer. I have had a chance to do some reading for fun. Please let your children know that Andrew Clements (author of Frindle, School Story and The Landry News) has two relatively new books out... Room One and No Talking. Both are perfect books to read this summer. Check them out!
I am preparing for the arrival of my new class, and will be blogging information shortly to the parents of my new students. I wanted to remind you to "unsubscribe" to remove your name from my list.
Enjoy the remaining days of summer. Please let your children know that I send them a warm hello and will be thinking about them on their first day of school at Sea Road!
Sincerely,
Pru Todd
]]>