September 19, 2014

Dear Parents,

Another busy week has passed and your kids worked very hard this week. I think we are all ready for a nice weekend.

Reminders:

No School on Monday, September 22. Elementary Professional Development Day/Assessment Day

Field Trip- Tuesday, September 30- Please be sure to return the permission slip and $5 fee if you haven’t already done so.

Literacy:

We continue to work on Personal Narratives. This week we finished our first draft and next week we will continue to revise, edit and publish our first narrative.

Spelling- We have reviewed short and long vowel rules and this week we learned the spelling patterns for long i. They are igh, i-e, ind, y, and i at the end of a syllable. We will also continue to work on the Must Write words for 3rd graders. Students are responsible for spelling these words correctly in their everyday writing.

Reading- All students have taken the Diagnostic test on the computer. I have also had a chance to read with several students for some additional information for me as I put students into reading groups. Next week, students will begin working with me in their reading groups as well as working independently in the classroom to complete lessons. This is a big jump for third graders as they learn to budget their time and meet deadlines- a skill they will need for the rest of their lives. So far, they are working very hard and diligently to learn this new skill.

Math:

We continue to learn our multiplication and division facts in math. We have now completed 2s, 5s, 9s, and 10s. You can help your child by quizzing them daily on those facts. We will also be doing weekly math dashes to help them check their own progress towards learning their facts. All third graders are expected to know all multiplications and divisions through 10s by the end of third grade in order to be prepared for 4th grade. Next week we will introduce 3s and 4s if you want to start practicing those to get ahead.

Social Studies:

In our unit on communities, this week we learned about public and private services and how taxes help to pay for public services in our communities. Next week, we will talk about local government and the different roles people play in that area of the community. This unit will be completed the following week.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Broomfield Days and the parade. The class with the highest attendance wins a prize. I hope that you all have fun. I will not be a the parade but I am hoping to make it later in the day so maybe I will see some of you there.

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend with your family. See you all on Tuesday.

Toni Gaddis

Third Grade News 9-12-14

Dear Parents,

We had a very productive week in class. The kids worked hard writing personal narratives, working on multiplication and division facts for 5s and 2s, and reading a lot.

Homework:

I was very impressed with how well the students did with remembering to do their homework and get it returned. For the few students who were unable to return homework for one reason or another, we discussed as a class how important it is to learn the responsibility of homework, both doing and returning it. We really talked a lot about how learning this now will help them in all their years to come in school- especially middle and high school.

Weather:

It is definitely fall in Colorado, and as they say, “If you don’t like the weather- wait a minute!” Please be sure to send your child to school with clothes appropriate for any weather. We will go out for recess as long as the temperature is above 20 degrees and it isn’t too wet or snowy. I have been encouraging the kids to watch the news in the morning before school for the weather report so they have an idea of how to dress as well. Layers are always best this time of year. Thanks for your help with this.

Snacks:

We have snack each day at 9:30. Please only send healthy snacks- no candy please. Also, another reminder that we cannot have nuts in the classroom. Thanks.

Broomfield Days Parade- Saturday, September 20 at 10 am. The class with the highest attendance marching in the parade will win a prize. Let me know if you have any questions.

Field Trip- Tuesday, September 30. If you haven’t sent in your permission slip and $5 fee, please do so as soon as you can. If you need assistance with the fee, please contact me.

Family Movie Night – Join the Kohl Student Council on Wednesday, September 17^th form 4:00- 6:00 p.m.  They will be watching The Muppets.  Snacks will be available to purchase.  Your child may bring pillows and blankets for sitting on the gym floor.  *All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.  

Finally, please help your child study their 5s and 2s multiplication and division facts daily. Other classrooms have been using a tool in class called a Learning Wrap Up (http://learningwrapups.com/index.php/wrap-ups/math-wrap-ups/individual-sets.html) You can buy them for $8.99. It’s a fun way for kids to practice their facts by themselves and they are self checking!

Have a great weekend!   

Ms Toni Gaddis

September 5th, 2014

September 5, 2014  

Dear Parents,

Here are a few highlights of our week and reminders of things to come.

Reminders:

Reading Logs: Please be sure to sign your child’s reading log each week and read over it with your child, keeping the Writer’s Checklist at the top of the page in mind. Your child should be writing 2-3 well written sentences using correct capitalization, punctuation, and appropriate spelling on this assignment each night.  Remind them to circle words that they think are misspelled.  We will be adding a copy of the BVSD Third Grade Must Write Words to homework folders.  Students should do their best to spell these words correctly on their reading log.

Mrs. Gaddis’s email changed! Her address is toni.gaddis@bvsd.org

She will be spending the day with us on Wednesday, September 10^th to familiarize herself with our daily routines and expectations.

Website:  Please take some time to visit our classroom website.  There are updates about upcoming events and many helpful educational links. mrsgalt.blogspot.com

FIeld Trip:

Our first field trip will be at the end of this month. You will find a permission slip in the Friday folder. Please sign this and return it along with the $5 fee. If you have difficulty with the fee, please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you.

Classroom Highlights:

Literacy:

We are beginning our unit on personal narratives. For the next several weeks students will be writing personal narratives.  Students will write true stories about things, people, and important events in their lives. You can help your child by talking about what they might be interested in writing about and asking them to remember details of small moments from their lives so they can write powerful narratives in class. During this unit we will also be working on writing complete sentences and using correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling for the final published piece.

We completed our BVSD Must Write Word List assessment this week. Your child will be coming home with a word list in their Friday folder of spelling words to work on throughout the year at home. The checked words are the words they know at this time.  Students will study personal word lists each month in class to learn the words they have not mastered yet.  Our goals if for third graders to have learned to spell the words on this list by the end of the year.

Math:

This week we started our unit on Multiplication and Division. We are currently working on 5s and next week will study 2s. Some ideas to talk about regarding this unit- multiplication is equal groups and repeated addition. Math homework will begin coming home next week. There is a parent letter in the Friday folder from the math program with a brief explanation of the homework and ways you can help your child learn their multiplication tables.

Social Studies:

Our current unit in Social Studies is “What Makes Our Community Diverse?” We have been talking a lot about how we are the same and different in our classroom community, our community of Broomfield, and the world community. We will also continue to work on our RIDE values here at school and work on connecting those values to the way we act outside of school as well. 

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt