August 22nd, 2014

August 22, 2014

            

Dear Parents,

We had a great first two days together in third grade!! This is a wonderful group of kids who seem ready and eager to learn.  It was fun to learn about each other through the sharing of the All About Me bags.  Building community is an important part of these first few weeks of school.  This sharing assignment allows us to realize some of our similarities and differences. 

I will be writing newsletters to update you on what’s happening in our classroom, give reminders about upcoming events, and to share any news we might have.  I plan to email the newsletters as well as post them on my website so you will be able to access them at any time during the year if needed.  www.mrsgalt.blogspot.com

Reminders:

If you have not filled out the paperwork in the blue Friday folder and returned it, please do so as soon as possible. Thank you to those who have already sent them back.

Snacks:

Students will have snack everyday in the morning. I do not provide snack so please be sure to send a healthy snack with your child.

Volunteers:

Thank you to the volunteers who signed up at Open House. Your help is greatly appreciated.  Please make sure you have been cleared by BVSD to volunteer before joining us in the classroom.   If you signed up for Book Box reading time, you can start coming the week of September 8^th.   Book box time runs from 12:00-12:30.  We still need a room parent.  This job can be shared!  Please email me if you are willing to take this job.  Thank you!

Homework:

Next week, students will be responsible for completing a mystery state assignment for homework.  This assignment will be given on Monday and is due on Friday.  We will complete a weekly reading log in class next week, so that students have a good model for what is expected on the reading log.  During the week of September 2^nd, students will be assigned a reading log and mystery state for homework.  We will add math homework the week of September 8^th.  Math assignments are given Monday-Thursday and are due the next day. 

Important Dates for Your Calendar:

Monday, September 1- NO SCHOOL- Labor Day

Thursday, September 4- Picture Day

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. The best way to contact me is by email (aisha.galt-theis@bvsd.org).

Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Welcome to Third Grade

Dear Parents,

Please join us during the Open House on Wednesday, August 20th from 4:00-6:00.  You will have a chance to meet your new teacher and drop off your school supplies before our first day of school on Thursday, August 21st.

Friday, May 9th

Friday, May 9th

Dear Parents,

Wow! I have been blown away by your generosity and kindness this week.  First, with Teacher Appreciation Gifts and then with a surprise baby shower.  The Third Grade Baby Advice book is priceless! I will treasure it for years to come.  The sweet onesies and little diapers reminded of the little baby that will be joining our family in the fall.  It is such an amazing and transformative time. I am truly grateful for your support!  

It is hard to believe that we only have 14 days of school remaining. Over the past few weeks, students have written and published many poems.  We would like to invite you to our poetry reading on Wednesday, May 14th at 9:00 am.  Each student will share two poems aloud.  

We had our third meeting with our 7th grade writing buddies this week.  Students have been very engaged and excited about this project.  On May 21st  at 10:00 am, we will meet our 7th grade writing buddies at Miramonte Park for our Author Celebration.  They will be bringing their books home at the end of that week.

Curriculum Update

• Students will continue to practice spelling, cursive, and writing skills.

• We completed our new math program last week.  We will spend the next few weeks reviewing math concepts that we have studied throughout the year.  Students are now receiving math homework focused on review: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  May 19th will be our last week for homework. Please continue to support your child with regular math fact practice.  

• We are almost done with our unit on Earth’s Materials. Students learned that rocks are made of minerals and how to use different tools to test for a variety of properties. They also learned about the rock cycle. Next week, we will start a unit about historical fact vs. fiction.

Important Dates to Remember

May 19-May 21 Kohl Spring Book Fair in the Library 7:45-3:30

Tuesday, May 20th 3rd Grade Field Daze 12:30-2:15

• Please have your child remember sunscreen, a water bottle, athletic shoes, and proper clothing for the weather.

Friday, May 22nd Talent Show 1:15-2:30

Monday, May 26th Memorial Day-No School

Friday, May 30th  Last Day of School

• Report cards come home.

Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother's Day!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Tuesday, March 18th

Tuesday, March 18^th

Dear Parents,

We completed our geometry unit last week and are excited to embark on a final geometry assignment that will be completed at home.  This project provides your child with a creative way to share what they have learned about geometry over the last few months.  Your child is coming home with the geometry project assignment today.  We have gone over the directions in class, and I showed students an example of a completed project.  Students should be familiar with the 26 grade level terms.  I am attaching a glossary of terms as a reference. Projects are due on Monday, April 14^th and will be displayed during the Kohl Learning Fair on Thursday, April 17^th.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

The third grade music program is scheduled for this Thursday, March 20^th from 6:30 to 7:00.  Please have your child ready on the stage by 6:15.  If you have any questions please contact Mr. Owens at antwon.owens@bvsd.org.

Kohl Elementary has been randomly selected to field test the new PARCC test that will take the place of TCAP beginning next year. When we return from spring break, our third graders will take these tests on April 1^st through the 3^rd from 8:30 to 10:00. The tests will cover Reading, Writing, and Math and will give us an opportunity to experience the new test format. 

Here is an excerpt from the PARCC website that explains the purpose of field testing:

In spring 2014, the PARCC Field Test will be administered to over one million students across PARCC states. The PARCC Field Test represents a critical milestone in PARCC’s work toward building assessments for the 2014-15 school year and will give students and local educators the opportunity to experience the administration of PARCC assessments. The Field Test will be conducted in a random selection of schools across PARCC states. The sample of students in the selected schools will represent the demographics of each state and PARCC as a whole. 

On another note, after spring break, our third graders will begin a writing project with BHMS seventh graders in Mrs. Eaman’s language arts classes.  Each seventh grade student will be partnered with a third grader.  The seventh graders will write, illustrate, and publish a book especially for their third grade partner.  Central to the project is the importance of the writing process:  prewriting, writing, revising, editing, publishing, and celebrating.  Our students have thoroughly enjoyed this project in the past, and we are excited to be part of it again.  Participation is an essential element of this project, so please do your best to ensure that your child is at school for our meetings on April 7^th, April 17^th, and April 24^th from 9:00 to 9:30.  There will be a culminating celebration day on May 14^th at 10:00.  This will be a walking field trip to the Miramonte Park.  No parent volunteers are needed.  Permission slips will be sent out at a later date.

Thank you for your continued support. 

I hope that you have a wonderful spring break.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Friday, March 14th

Friday, March 14^th

Dear Parents,

TCAP is officially done!! We completed the writing test yesterday and today.  The kids worked very hard, as they did on all of the tests. We will have results of the Reading portion in the beginning of May, and the Writing and Math results will come home next August/September in your child's Friday folder. Regardless of their scores, I want to say how proud I am of the efforts put forth by all of the kids. They worked so hard, and I could see them thinking through all they have learned and using the strategies and skills they have acquired.   It was great to see such hard working kids!

Math:

We completed the unit on Geometry with the unit test this week. It will be coming home in Friday folders next week. The kids worked hard and made corrections to their tests. It was a challenging assessment and once again, they all rose to the challenge. Next week, I will send home a packet about a geometry project the kids are required to complete for the Learning Fair.  Our next unit in Math is about problem solving using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It will begin on Monday.

Literacy:

Students have written many writing pieces over the last few weeks.  We are going to focus on publishing a few self-selected pieces next week.  Students are also going to work on a Reader’s Theater production in small groups.  We will focus on reading fluency, vocabulary development, and summarizing.

Science:

In science we have been learning about the States of Matter (Solids, Liquids and Gases) and Metric Measurement. We will continue working on this unit after spring break.

It looks like we are going to have nice weather this weekend.  I hope your family is able to get out and enjoy a little sunshine and fun.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Friday, February 21st

Friday, February 21st

Dear Parents,

Report cards went home today in Friday Folders. Please send the signed envelope back on Monday.  Thank you! 

Our field trip to Celestial Seasonings/Leaning Tree Museum is next Thursday. I have permission slips from everyone!  If you are not sure if you sent the $5 donation in, send me an email and I can let you know for sure. I have several parents who indicated they wanted to go. (Julie O'Malley, Leila Hayes, Kimiko Egy, Alisha Blackburn, Heather Fite, Jen Kaiser, Elizabeth Butler, Debra Kirk, and Heidi Siguaw) I am excited to have you join us. Please be here on Thursday morning by 8:50.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. 

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Monday, February 3rd

Monday, February 3rd

Dear Parents,

Our class has earned another compliment celebration!  They voted to have another game hour, which will be on Wednesday, February 5th.  I was pleasantly surprised by how well our electronic game time went last time.  Everyone was very kind and interactive.  Students are allowed to bring games from home that they would like to play together. They can bring electronics.  These games will stay in students' backpacks at all times outside of our game hour.

Our Valentine party is this Friday, February 7th from 1:30 to 2:30.  If your child chooses to bring Valentine cards to school, they need to have one for each child in our class.  Valentines should be brought to school on February 7^h.  Students will be making a container to hold their Valentines during our class party.  Handmade cards are encouraged.  Here is a list of student names to help with this task.  Thank you for your continued support.

Johnnie, Tara, Bailee, Jack, Isaiah, Kamryn, Ryan, Emily, Braeden, Autumn, Brooke, Keira, Anthony, Riley, Isabella, Serena, Caleb, Spencer, Marcus, Madison, Nik, Adilyn, Olivia, and Kalena

Students will be completing the reading TCAP on Monday, February 10^th and Tuesday, February 11^th.   It is very important that your child be on time for school on these days.  Our testing session runs from 8:15 to 9:50.  This includes time for test preparation; students take the assessment from 8:30 to 9:30.  A healthy breakfast and a good night’s sleep will help your child do their best. 

Thank you to everyone who has had a chance to sign up for parent teacher conferences.  I look forward to meeting with each of you next week.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt