Friday, September 18^th

Dear Parents,

We have had a productive week. Here are a few highlights of our week and reminders of things to come.

I am looking forward to seeing students during their assessment time on Monday, September 21^st.  You will drop your child off and pick them up at the front of the school.  They will complete the assessment in our classroom. Please plan for them to be here for the full hour. The assigned assessments times are below.

Session 1-8:30-9:30: Brooklin, Calvin, Zoe, Aidan, Blaes, Corwyn, Maya, Madison, Mollie, Sofia, Nathan

Session 2-9:45-10:45: Katie, Shane, Graeme, Julia, Drew, Tyler, Isaiah, Ayden, Kaleb, Zach, Olivia, Logan, Atreyu, Maggie

Homework:

I am impressed with how well the students are doing with their home.  Most of them are completing their work and returning it on time. We discussed as a class how important it is to learn the responsibility of homework, both doing and returning it. 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.  They should have a copy of the BVSD Third Grade Must Write Words in their homework folders. 

Literacy:

We continued working on Personal Narratives. Most students have written a few small moment personal narratives.  Next week, students will revise, edit, and publish one of their narratives.

Spelling- We reviewed short and long vowel rules. We will 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.

Math:

We continue to learn our multiplication and division facts in math. We have now completed 2s, 5s, 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.

Social Studies:

We learned about public and private services and how taxes help to pay for public services in our communities. We are talking about local government and the different roles people play in that area of the community.

Tomorrow is Broomfield Days and the parade. The class with the highest attendance wins a prize!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Friday, September 4^th

Dear Parents,

Important Calendar Dates:

Monday, September 7- NO SCHOOL- Labor Day

Monday, September 21- Assessment Day- Please see details below

Literacy:

This week we worked on identifying and writing complete sentences. We also started working on the Third Grade Must Write spelling word list. We have practiced about half the list and will finish next week. These are words that all third graders must be able to spell correctly consistently by the end of third grade. I will give students a copy of this list for their homework folder next week. 

All students were tested on iReady reading this week. This assessment will help me plan for your child's reading instruction for the year. It is a snapshot of how they are reading right now and does not take the place of actual instruction in the classroom.

Math:

Our unit on Multiplication and Division has begun! I am sure you have seen homework come home to practice what we are learning. The kids have been great about getting homework back on time, and I am already seeing the results of that in how comfortable they are with this new material. I have heard many students say, "Multiplication isn't so hard!" and "This is easy and fun!" I love that they are excited about learning math. Please keep working with them on their facts and skip counting. A few minutes a day makes a world of difference in their skills.

Social Studies:

We started our first Social Studies unit on Diverse Communities this week. It was fun to think about our own families and the cultures we come from and then see how our classroom culture and community is created. Our unit will continue with learning about public services in the community and how local government works. We will finish the unit by building an understanding of how we can make improvements in our communities. 

ASSESSMENT DAY- SEPTEMBER 21

Third grade will be using the assessment day on September 21st to complete the beginning of the year writing assessment. Please be sure to have your child here the Friday before (Sept. 18) and that Monday for the assessment. This is critical time for us to be able to see your child's writing development so far and to plan instruction for the year. We will be offering two time periods for your child to come on September 21st. You will drop your child off and pick them up at the front of the school.  Please plan for them to be here for the full hour. Thank you!

Please choose one and let me know which session your child will attend. 

Session 1- 8:30-9:30

Session 2- 9:45-10:45

I hope you all have a great three day weekend. See you on Tuesday.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Picture Day

Wednesday, September 2nd

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow is Individual Picture Day at Kohl.  Please send your order form in with your child, if you would like to order pictures.  

Also, just as a reminder, students have mystery state, reading log, and math homework this week.  Please be sure to check in with them about their work.  You will need to sign their reading log before they turn it in on Friday.  Take the time to read over it with them and encourage them to use the Writer's Checklist, which is on the reading log, to ensure it is their best third grade work.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Friday, August 28th

QUICK REMINDERS:

1. Individual Picture Day-Thursday, September 3^rd  Don’t forget to turn in your order form, if you would like pictures.

2. NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7^th - LABOR DAY

Dear Parents,

We completed our first full week of third grade! Your children worked hard and did a great job keeping up with the new expectations. Here is a recap of our week and a look at what is coming up in our classroom.

Literacy:

Next week, I will start assessing spelling skills by testing the first 25 words on the BVSD 3rd grade Must Write word list. The list contains 100 words third graders must master by the end of the year. Your child will create a personal spelling list to study at school from the words they misspell on the assessment. I put a link on my website with all 100 words so you can help your child practice these words at home. Next week, we will also begin a unit on narrative writing.

On Monday, Mrs. Sbrocca will be giving students a reading assessment using i-Ready. We started using this reading assessment last year at Kohl, so your child should be familiar with the format. After the testing is complete I will have an assessment report, which shows me how your child is reading, their strengths, and areas to work on.

Math:

This week, I was able to complete a math screener for almost every child. I have a few more to finish on Monday.  This information gives me a snapshot of where your child is in math.  On Monday, we will start our first math unit on Multiplication and Division. Students will begin nightly math homework on Tuesday, September 1^st. Each student will bring a Homework and Remembering book home with pages to complete on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Math homework will always be due the following day. If your child has trouble with the homework, please write a note on the page and let me know what they need help with so that I can work with them in the classroom.

Social Studies:

We will begin our first unit in Social Studies on Monday. This first unit is about Diverse Communities and Local Government.

Homework Policy:

Your children did a great job with their first homework assignment, the mystery state. All students returned it completed and were able to have Friday Fun this week. As the homework load increases, I wanted to share with you my policy about homework completion.

Third grade students should be spending no more than 45 minutes total each night on homework. As a general rule, if your child has worked diligently for this amount of time and is not done and you feel they are beginning to get tired or frustrated, please write a note to me on the homework stating this. It should not become a power struggle or a nightmare experience. Please keep the lines of communication open with me if you are experiencing any issues with homework. I am here to help.

Reading Logs:

This week we completed the Reading log in class so that your child would understand the requirements. Here they are in a nutshell:

       · Each third grader is expected to read a Just Right book of their choice for 25 minutes per night (total of 100 minutes per week)

      · After reading, they are to write 2-3 complete sentences about what they are reading as well as marking their reading time.

      · Reading logs will come home on Mondays with the Mystery State and are due on Friday morning.

      · Short weeks -reading times with be adjusted and students will note that on their logs.

      · Each child has an example reading log in their Homework folder, and they will bring it home next week.

      Thank you for hanging in there with me for this rather long update. As the year goes on, I will try to make these shorter.

I hope you all have a safe and relaxing weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Aisha Galt

Welcome Update

August 21, 2015

            

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:

Snacks:

Students will have snack each day 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 August 31st.   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  August 31st, students will be assigned a reading log, mystery state, and math for homework.  Short math assignments are given on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and are due the next day. 

Important Dates for Your Calendar:

Thursday, September 3- Picture Day

Monday, September 7- NO SCHOOL- Labor 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!

I hope to see you at our Kohl Open House tomorrow, August 19th from 4:00 to 6:00.