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Monday, December 19, 2016

December 19-23

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!” Dr. Seuss

We began our festive week with a third grade movie in the cafeteria.  Students enjoyed watching "Snow Buddies" together.  Mrs. Stone also came for a visit and read a holiday story to the class.  :)

We will be completing a STEM project on Thursday relating to the expansion of the Andriski Tribe's canoe fleet.  Please ask your child about the design challenge process and whether his or her canoe passed the floating and size test.  

Our learning objectives in math this week both focus on finding the area and perimeter of rectangles and other shapes.  Students will need to write number sentences that relate to area.  There will be Home Links sent home for Monday and Tuesday evenings.  

Our spelling rule this week involves more words with Short u.  Students will have a spelling assignment Monday through Wednesday evenings.  

Have a wonderful holiday break!  See you next year!  :) 

Monday, December 12, 2016

December 12-16

“December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come.” 
- Fennel Hudson

We had a very short day due to the two hour delay.  Kids worked on classifying quadrilaterals in math this morning.  They compared and contrasted polygons with four sides.  Other lessons this week include identifying and measuring perimeters of rectangles and other polygons.  Students will also distinguish between perimeter and area, play Name that Number and find the area of rectangles by using composite units.  The class will have a Home Link each night for homework.

Our spelling rule this week involves a review of Units 7-11.  Students will have a spelling assignment Monday through Wednesday for homework.  Please help your child study for his/her test on Thursday evening.  

Our school is collecting for the Exeter Children's Fund this month.  Please consider donating to this worthy cause if you haven't had the opportunity to do so yet.  Thank you!

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Monday, December 5, 2016

December 5-9


“December's wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer's memory...” 
― John Geddes
We enjoyed this beautiful, snowy day despite late buses and indoor recess. Students worked hard in math class this morning.  They cut out a set of rulers to use for a measurement activity.  We worked on measuring line segments to the nearest half inch and centimeter.  Other lessons this week include generating measurement data and representing the data on a line plot, measuring distances around objects to the nearest 1/2 inch and reviewing characteristics of polygons. Students will have a Home Link each night for homework.
Our spelling rule involves Contractions this week.  Students will have a one sided assignment Monday through Wednesday.  Please help your child study for his or her test on Thursday evening.  
We will study the Native Americans of the Plains this week.  Students will be introduced to new vocabulary and fun activities surrounding this theme.  
We will do an Inquiry Task this week.  We will practice using the Scientific Method to hypothesize, collect data, answer questions, find results and make conclusions.  
We have an Early Release on Wednesday.  
Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, November 28, 2016

November 28-December 2

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."
-  Elizabeth Coatsworth


We began the week by welcoming our new student Charles to our classroom.  He has moved to Exeter from Atlanta, Georgia and we are all doing our best to make him feel welcome.  

We will finish Unit 3 in math this week.  Today we developed the adding-a-group strategy for solving unknown multiplication facts.  Tomorrow we will practice the subtracting-a-group strategy.  On Wednesday we will use all four operations to generate equivalent names for numbers.  We will review for the test on Thursday and the assessment will be given the following day.  Students will have a Home Link on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with a Review packet for Thursday night's assignment. Please look for the Family Letter to come home this week to prepare parents for our upcoming Unit on Measurement and Geometry.  

We began our new read aloud today.  Please ask your child about The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

We will be studying the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands this week.  Students will build a deeper understanding of the connection between the biome they lived in and how it affected their way of life.  

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Monday, November 21, 2016

November 21st and 22nd

"What if, today, we were grateful for everything?" Charlie Brown

Happy Thanksgiving to my wonderful class and their families!!!  :)

Monday, November 14, 2016

November 14-18

"When the trees their summer splendor
Change to raiment red and gold,
When the summer moon turns mellow,
And the nights are getting cold;
When the squirrels hide their acorns,
And the woodchucks disappear;
Then we know that it is autumn,
Loveliest season of the year."
-   Carol L. Riser, Autumn

We had a fabulous start to our week.  We began our day by welcoming a new student to our class.
His name is Jacob and we are thrilled to have him join our caring community.  :)

Students used scaled bar graphs to represent data today in math.  We will create scaled picture graphs, discover multiplication squares and learn about the Commutative Property of multiplication later this week.  Students will have a Home Link each night for homework.

Our spelling rule this week involves more words with long e.  Students will have a spelling assignment on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night for homework.  Please help your child study for his or her test on Thursday.

Scholastic book orders are due back by November 28th.  Please use our classroom code HB244 when ordering online.

We will continue to work on our Native American and Biome Units this week.  Students will learn about the various characteristics of invertebrates while using two different sources of information to compare and contrast.  We will further our studies of the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands as well.

We will complete a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) challenge this week. Students will work cooperatively in small groups to create the tallest towers possible using only two pieces of newspaper and 12 inches of tape.  They will have twenty minutes to complete this task.  I'm looking forward to seeing my students' ingenuity.

Have a wonderful week!

Monday, November 7, 2016

November 7-10

"November's sky is chill and drear,
November's leaf is red and sear."
-   Sir Walter Scott


We will have a very short week due to parent conferences and Veteran's Day. Students will not have a spelling test or homework this week.

Our learning objectives in math this week involve using both the counting up and expand and trade methods of subtraction. Students will have a Home Link on Monday and Wednesday evenings for homework.  

Students wrote Fall Acrostic Poems today.  They will create crayon resist water color paintings to accompany their poems on Thursday.  

Book orders will go home this week.  Our classroom code for online ordering is HB244.  Feel free to send in the order form with a check if that's easiest for you. They will be due on November 28th.

I'm looking forward to meeting with parents over the next couple of weeks. Please let me know if you'd like to meet with me but haven't set up a conference time yet.  I am very flexible and will try to meet your needs as far as time and day are concerned.

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, October 31, 2016

October 31-November 4

When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
‘tis near Halloween.
~Author unknown


I can't believe it's the last day of October!  This year is flying by as fast as a witch on her broomstick.  :)  We had a wonderful Halloween together.  Students worked hard all day despite the excitement of the holiday.

We began Unit 3 in math this week.  Students found missing numbers and rules while solving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.  We will also work on estimating costs using mental math, solving partial sums addition problems with 2 and 3 digit numbers and column addition.  Students will have a Home Link for homework each night.

Our spelling rule this week involves words with long e this week.  Students will have a one sided spelling assignment each night for homework.

Thank you to my wonderful room moms and all of the other parents who helped with our Halloween party on Friday.  Thank you to the parents that chaperoned our field trip to the high school as well. 

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Monday, October 24, 2016

October 24-28

“What could be more exciting than an October day? It's your birthday, Fourth of July and Christmas all rolled into one.” 
― Peggy Toney Horton

We will finish Unit 2 in math this week.  Students worked on Frames and Arrows problems using all four operations this morning.  Tomorrow we will explore fraction circles, area measures, and liquid volume in liters.  We will review for the test on Wednesday and the assessment will be given the following day.  Students will have a Home Link on Monday and Tuesday evening for homework.  A review packet will be sent home for Wednesday's assignment.  Students will have a challenge activity on Thursday.

Our spelling rule this week involves more words with short e.  Students will have a one sided spelling assignment each night for homework.

Students are enjoying reading Food Chain Frenzy and learning about life cycles.  We will study photosynthesis, producers, consumers and food chains this week.

Our class is looking forward to Thursday's field trip to the high school.  We can't wait to see the Drama Club's performance of "James and the Giant Peach."

Our Cornfield Character celebration will happen on Friday morning here on the LSS front lawn.  I am so excited to see my students' creations!  Our class was the only third grade class chosen to perform for visitors at a musical assembly on Friday afternoon.  I am so proud of them!

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, October 17, 2016

October 17-21

“October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles.” 
― Sarah GuilloryReclaimed

We began our week by creating mathematical representations for solving division problems.  Students used pictures, diagrams, number models and units to find answers to challenging word problems. Tomorrow we will play Hot Potato to practice our multiplication facts.  Please ask your child about this fun, cooperative game.  Other math lessons this week include solving division number stories with remainders and exploring even and odd number patterns.  Students will have a Home Link each night.

Our spelling words this week are a review of all the words from Lessons 1-5.  Students will have a one-sided spelling assignment each night for homework.  25 words can feel daunting for students so please let me know if your child is struggling with homework or studying for the test.

We began reading Food Chain Frenzy this week.  This chapter book is a great introduction to our Biome and Life Science Units.

Scholastic book orders are due on October 27th.

Thank you and have a fantastic week!  :)

Thursday, October 13, 2016

October 11-14

“the fallen leaves in the forest seemed to make even the ground glow and burn with light” 
― Malcolm LowryOctober Ferry To Gabriola

We have had a fabulous start to our short week.  Students solved number stories using two operations in math.  They learned two new games called Roll to 1,000 and Array Bingo.  They enjoy playing math games cooperatively when their work is completed.  They also solved problems involving multiples of equal groups and practiced array problems.  Students have a Home Link to complete each night.

Our spelling rule this week involves plural words.  Students have a one-sided spelling assignment each night for homework.

Scholastic book orders are due back on the 27th of this month.  Our classroom code is HB244.

Have a fantastic week!  :)


Monday, October 3, 2016

October 3-7

“The crickets still sing in October. And lilly, she's trying to bloom. Tho she's resting her head on the shoulder of death, she still shines by the light of the moon.” 
― Kevin Dalton

We began Unit 2 in math this morning.  Students used basic addition and subtraction facts to solve problems with larger numbers.  This week we will use diagrams or pictures to solve number stories and tackle two-step word problems with situation diagrams and other representations.  Students will have a Home Link each night for homework.

Our spelling rule this week involves words with short e pattern.  Students will have a one-sided spelling activity each night for homework.

Scholastic book orders will go home this week.  Please feel free to order online using our classroom code - HB244.  Or return order forms and checks to me by 10/27.

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

September 26-30

"When the goldenrod is yellow,
And leaves are turning brown -
Reluctantly the summer goes
In a cloud of thistledown.
When squirrels are harvesting
And birds in flight appear -
By these autumn signs we know
September days are here."
-   Beverly Ashour, September

We will finish Unit 1 in math this week.  Students will review for the test in class on Thursday.  They will have a review packet to work on at home on Thursday night.  The assessment will be given on Friday.  Students will have one sided Home Links on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.  

Our spelling rule involves words with long a again this week.  Students will have a one sided spelling assignment on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for homework.  Please help your child study for his or her spelling test on Thursday.  

Students responded to literature this week by answering comprehension questions in small groups. We are working on supporting our answers using evidence from the story.  I'm very proud of my students' hard work in literacy. 

We will finish our Maps and Globes this week and next.  We will begin our Biome and Life Science Unit in the near future.  

Have a wonderful week!  :)


Tuesday, September 20, 2016

September 19-23

"The goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down."
-
  Childrens song


Students are working hard on Unit 1 in math.  This week, children are asked to represent and interpret data on scaled bar graphs, use drawings and number models to solve multiplication number stories, and develop strategies for 2s, 5s, and 10s facts.  They will also be introduced to division through division number stories.  Students will have a one sided Home Link each night for homework. 

Our spelling rule this week involves words with the long a pattern.  Students will have a one sided spelling assignment on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night.  They need to study for their spelling test on Thursday night.  Please let me know if you would like your child to have a Thursday night activity to help him/her study at home.  

We are working diligently on our Maps and Globes Unit in Social Studies.  Students are learning about the continents, major bodies of water, the hemispheres, map legends and the compass rose.  

Thank you all for your support with our Scholastic News curriculum.  I really appreciate your willingness to participate in this awesome program!  

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

September 12-16

"By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer’s best of weather
And autumn’s best of cheer."
-   Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

Welcome to Mrs. Andriski's classroom blog!  I look forward to a wonderful school year with your children.  I will update this page weekly on Monday afternoons.  Please look here for classroom information regarding homework, special events and curriculum beginning next week.  

I look forward to seeing parents at Open House on Thursday evening!  Thank you!  :)

Monday, June 13, 2016

June 13-17

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go." Dr. Seuss

I can't believe we've reached the end of the school year.  It is so bittersweet!  I am eternally grateful to my students and parents who made this such an unforgettable year.  I will miss each of you and hope that you'll stay in touch over the summer and in the future.


Have a wonderful summer! 

Monday, June 6, 2016

June 6-10

"Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy'd the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved,
To have thought,
To have done..."
-  Matthew Arnold


We spent the morning practicing for our upcoming performance of "Spaced Out."  I can't wait for parents to see the show next Wednesday morning, the 15th, at 9am. It's such fun!  

We solved number stories involving multiples of 10 today.  Students used a map showing the masses of adult North American birds to solve word problems.  Other math lessons this week include using mental math to multiply problems involving larger factors, exploring elapsed time and practicing partial products using partitioned rectangles.  Students will be given a Home Link each night. 

Our spelling rule this week involves adding more than one suffix to a word.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.

Our class has won the Box Top challenge!!!  Thank you to all that participated this year.  We will see a movie with popcorn one day before school ends.  :)

Have a wonderful week! 

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

May 31-June 3

"If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." 
-  Audra Foveo


We have a fun week ahead of us!  We have our Lego Land field trip tomorrow.  Parents please be here by 8:35am if you plan on taking the bus with us.  It should be a fantastic experience!

We have our Wax Museum on Friday afternoon from 1-1:45.  Please help your child with appropriate clothes or props to represent his or her character.  

We only have seven lessons left in our math program.  Students will have a Home Link on Tuesday and Thursday night for homework. 

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, May 23, 2016

May 23-27

"Among the changing months, May stands confest
The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed."
-  James Thomson, On May


We began our day by attending the fifth grade band and chorus concert.  They did a wonderful job and we all enjoyed the performances!  We missed math this morning due to the concert so students will not have math homework tonight.  Tomorrow they will be given the last Homelink in Unit 8 which relates to 3-D shapes.  They will have a Unit 8 Review on Wednesday night for homework and then the test will be given on Thursday.  Students will have a one sided assignment on Thursday evening for homework.  

Our spelling rule this week involves the sounds of ti, ci, tu, and ture.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe assignment each night for homework.  Students who received a 100% on the pretest will not be given homework this week because there is only one spelling list.  :)

Scholastic book orders are due by June 2nd.  

Have a wonderful week! 



Monday, May 16, 2016

May 16-20


"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
a cloud come over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March."
-  Robert Frost  

We began our week by modeling equal sharing situations using $10 and $1 bills.  Students practiced breaking $1 bills into coins as well.  Other lessons this week include comparing fractions on a number line, generating equivalent fractions and exploring the areas of rectangles.  Children will also explore the shared attributes of prisms.  We fill finish Unit 8 this week and review for the test on Monday.  Unit 9 is the last unit so we are in good shape for the end of the year!  Students will have a Home Link each night for homework this week.

We are reading Food Chain Frenzy as a class.  Students are learning about energy created from the sun, producers, consumers, decomposers, food chains and webs.  They are also being introduced to photosynthesis, chlorophyll and molecules.  

Our spelling rule this week involves the sounds of -ch and -que.  Students only have one spelling list each week for the rest of the year.  If a child receives a 100% on the pretest, he or she will not need to take the test on Friday.  He or she will also receive the week off of spelling homework.   

Scholastic book orders went home today.  Please feel free to order books online using our classroom code HB244.  Orders are due by June 2nd.  

Our class is doing awesome in the Miles in May competition!  I am truly impressed with their dedication and desire to run each recess!  

Have a wonderful week!  :) 

Monday, May 9, 2016

May 9-13


"The young May moon is beaming, love.
The glow-worm's lamp is gleaming, love.
How sweet to rove,
Through Morna's grove,
When the drowsy world is dreaming, love!
Then awake! -- the heavens look bright, my dear,
'Tis never too late for delight, my dear,
And the best of all ways
To lengthen our days
Is to steal a few hours from the night, my dear!"
-  Thomas Moore, The Young May Moon  

Our PEA Reading Buddies visited us for the last time this year.  We celebrated their final visit with delicious Popsicles and the book Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall.  

Our spelling rule this week involves the v-c-e exceptions.  In these words, the silent e does not make the vowel long.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.

We developed strategies for solving extended multiplication and division facts today.  Later this week, students will find factors of counting numbers and learn to play Factor Bingo. Students will have a Home Link each night for homework.

We will have computer lab for the next five Tuesdays.  Tomorrow, students will work more on coding.  Next week, they will learn to use the research tool in Google Docs.   

Information went home today about Integrated Arts Night on May 19th and our upcoming Career Week.  Please see your child's folder for more information about both these exciting events.   

Have a fantastic week!  :) 

Monday, May 2, 2016

May 2-6

"The world's favorite season is the spring.  All things seem possible in May." Edwin Way Teale

We enjoyed our first Monday in May together.  Our Reading Buddies visited from PEA.  Students read the African American folktale, The Black Snowman, by Phil Mendez in small groups.  Each student also chose the famous Black American that he/she will be studying in preparation for our Wax Museum.  More information on this fun experience will be forthcoming. 

We reviewed for our Unit 7 math test today.  I decided that the class needs one more day of review after a long week off from school, so the test will be given on Wednesday morning.  Students will not have math homework tonight or tomorrow, other than to review for their upcoming test.  A one sided assignment will be sent home on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings for homework. 

Our spelling rule this week involves split vowels.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework. 

Miles in May begins this week in honor of National Fitness Month.  Classes will have the opportunity to jog or walk the line outside on the playground during regular school hours.  The class or classes in each grade with the highest amount of laps at the end of May will earn a free PE time! 

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, April 18, 2016

April 18-22

"April is a promise that May is bound to keep." Hal Borland

We were lucky to have author and illustrator Maris Wicks visit our third grade classes this afternoon.  She is on a promotional book tour and spoke about her newest book, Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean.  Students enjoyed the presentation very much. 

Our spelling rule this week involves the -igh and -eigh patterns.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework. 

We will continue working with fractions this week.  Students partitioned distances to locate fractions on number lines today.  They will make and justify fraction comparisons and solve fraction number stories later this week.  Students will have a Home Link each night for homework. 

Have a wonderful week and a fabulous vacation!  :)

Monday, April 11, 2016

April 11-15

"There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by."  William Bryant

Students enjoyed reading The Patchwork Path - A Quilt Map to Freedom with their Reading Buddies this morning. This book by Bettye Stroud is based on a story given to Jacqueline Tobin by African American quilter Ozella McDaniel Williams.  It describes how slaves used quilts to communicate on the Underground Railroad and was passed down orally from grandmother to mother to daughter.

Our spelling rule this week involves sounds of ie and ei.  It is a tough rule for students to master.  I encourage students to practice their words regularly at home.  They will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.

We will continue working with fractions in math this week.  Students will represent fractions on number lines and identify fractions that are greater then, less than and equal to one on a number line.  They will also compare fractions using visual models.  Students will have a Home Link each night for homework.

Please sign and return your child's gold report card envelope at your earliest convenience.  Thank you to those who have already passed it in.  Thank you to my parent volunteers as well!

Have a fantastic week!  :)
There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html"
There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html

Monday, April 4, 2016

April 4-8

"Sweet April showers do spring May flowers." Thomas Tusser
                                               <snow> :)


We had a wonderful start to our week with a visit from our PEA Reading Buddies.  Students read Martin Luther King, Jr's I Have a Dream book based on his famous speech.  We also worked on Food Alliterations and a health quiz.  Students enjoyed using different size beakers to measure water as part of our volume lesson.  Other math lessons this week include identifying equal shares, number stories involving time, mass volume and length and comparing fractions.  Students will have a one-sided Home Link each night for homework.

Our spelling rule this week involves changing the y to i when adding a suffix.  With the exception being a word that has a vowel before the y.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe assignment each night for homework. 

Thank you to parents who have already returned their child's Lego Land field trip permission form and $20.  I really appreciate your prompt response.  Permission slips and money are due by April 18th.  Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.  

Have a fantastic week!
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html
Sweet April showers do spring May flowers. Thomas Tusser
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/april.html

Monday, March 28, 2016

March 28-April 1


It is the first mild day of March:
Each minute sweeter than before...
There is a blessing in the air,
Which seems a sense of joy to yield
To the bare trees, and mountains bare,
And grass in the green field...
We from to-day, my Friend, will date
The opening of the year.
Love, now an universal birth,
From heart to heart is stealing,
From earth to man, from man to earth:
—It is the hour of feeling.
~William Wordsworth


We will finish Unit 6 in math tomorrow.  Students will study for the test on Wednesday and a review packet will go home for homework that night.  The test will be given the following day.  Please look for the Unit 7 Family Letter in your child's folder this week.  Our next unit involves fractions.

Our spelling rule this week focuses on the sounds of y.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework. 

Thank you to all my parent volunteers this week as well as to those who have donated to Operation Lesvos.  I really appreciate the support and generosity of everyone involved.  Thank you to Erin Pastore for her help with this special project as well.  

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, March 21, 2016

March 21-25

"March, when days are getting long,
Let thy growing hours be strong
To set right some wintry wrong."
~Caroline May


We had an exciting morning due to the spring snowstorm.  The class did an excellent job settling down after all the buses had arrived safely.  Students learned the rule of PEMDAS or Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally this morning.  They practiced using parentheses in number sentences.  We will continue to work on the Order of Operations this week.  All homework will be done in class due to Smarter Balanced Testing.

No spelling this week.  We will continue with our regular spelling program next week when the testing is complete.

Have a wonderful week! :)

Monday, March 7, 2016

March 7-11

March, when days are getting long,
Let thy growing hours be strong
To set right some wintry wrong.
~Caroline May, 1887


We had a busy start to our week.  Students participated in a dress rehearsal to practice for tonight's music concert.  They worked on an inferencing activity that asked them to make predictions about various images.  We also watched a Bill Nye video about nutrition.  

I did not give math homework today because of the concert.  However, students will have a Home Link each night for the rest of the week.  We will be working on multiplication and division diagrams as well as geometry.

Our spelling rule this week involves silent letters.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.  

Thank you to my parent volunteers this week!  I look forward to seeing everyone tonight at the concert!

:)

Monday, February 29, 2016

February 29-March 4

"February is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March." ~J.R. Stockton

Students enjoyed this beautiful extra day of February!  It was great to get back into our routine.  We will begin our Nutrition Unit this week.  We will focus our studies on living a healthy lifestyle filled with activity, variety, proportionality and moderation.

We began Unit 6 in math today.  Students solved subtraction problems using the trade-first method.  We will be playing Baseball Multiplication tomorrow.  Other activities this week include known fact strategies and Beat the Calculator.   Students will have a Home Link each night.

Our spelling rule this week involves the -tion and -sion pattern.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.

Thank you to all of my parent volunteers this week!

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Monday, February 15, 2016

February 15-19

"In the coldest February, as in every other month in every other year, the best thing to hold on to in this world is each other." ~Linda Ellerbee

We visited with our PEA Reading Buddies for the last time until spring today.  Students shared a book with them about the Statue of Liberty.  We will look forward to seeing them again in April.  

We will finish Unit 5 in math this week.  Students will focus on problem solving strategies and the Break Apart Strategy over the next couple of days.  We will review for the test on Wednesday.  Students will complete a Review Packet for homework that night and the test will be given the following day.  Students will have one sided assignment on the other nights for homework.  

Our spelling rule this week involves the -tch and -ph pattern.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.

We will begin our Nutrition Unit when we return from vacation.  Please encourage your child to bring a healthy snack each day for our Fruit and Vegetable Challenge.  

Thank you to all of my parent volunteers!  I am so appreciative of all of you!

Have a fantastic week!  :)

Monday, February 1, 2016

February 1-5

"The February sunshine steeps your boughs 
and tints the buds 
and swells the leaves within."
William C. Bryant

What a beautiful, warm start to our week!  The kids were very excited and happy about the weather.  We even opened the window for a few hours to get some fresh air.  Our Reading Buddies came to visit and shared the book Meet Kirsten with small groups.  The story tells about Kirsten and her family, who decide to immigrate from Sweden to Minnesota in the summer of 1854.  

We will be spending a lot of time on immigration this week.  Students will make passports, birth certificates and work in their immigration journals throughout the week.  Our Ellis Island simulation will take place on Wednesday, February 10th in the cafeteria.  Please remember to send in $2.00 to help with the purchasing of items for the snack bar.  Please sign and return the green form if you'd like to volunteer at "Ellis Island."

Our math lessons this week include the doubling facts strategy, patterns in products, and finding missing factors.  Students will have a one-sided assignment each night for homework.  

Our spelling rule this week involves words with the -ce, -ge and -dge pattern.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.  

Scholastic book orders are due on February 11th.  Our classroom code is HB244 if you'd like to order online.  

Have a fabulous week!  :)

Monday, January 25, 2016

January 25-29

"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow." 
-  Robert Frost

We had a great start to our week.  We began our new math unit and our PEA Reading Buddies came for a visit.  Students took a spelling pretest and we began our new read aloud Fish in a Tree.  The entire school will be reading the book together to enhance upon the experience.  This great opportunity is called One Book One School.  

Our spelling rule this week involves the Hard and Soft Sounds of c and g.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework. 

We will be exploring equal parts, fractions of different wholes and area in math this week.  Students will also represent fractions using standard notation, words and drawings.  Children will recognize equivalent fractions using a visual fraction model.  There will be a one-sided assignment each night for homework. 

Scholastic book orders are due back on February 11th.

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

January 19-22

The leaves hop, scraping on the ground.
It is deep January. The sky is hard.
The stalks are firmly rooted in ice.
It is in this solitude, a syllable,
Out of these gawky flitterings,
Intones its single emptiness,
The savagest hollow of winter-sound.
~Wallace Stevens


We had a great start to our four day school week.  Students reviewed for the Unit 4 math test this morning.  The test will be given on Thursday.  They will have a review packet to do for homework tonight.  We will go over it tomorrow and then they will study for their test using both Reviews on Wednesday night.  Thursday's night homework will be a one sided assignment.

Our Spelling Rule this week involves the double vowel syllable groups -eu, -ew and -ui.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.  Please remind students to study extra hard this week since we have one less day of homework to practice our words.

Scholastic book orders will go home this week.  They'll be due back by February 11th.  Please remember you can order books online using our classroom code as well.  HB244

Have a wonderful week!   :)

Monday, January 11, 2016

January 11-15

January brings the snow,
Makes our feet and fingers glow.
~Sara Coleridge


We started our day with a chilly morning.  Please help your child to remember to bring appropriate gear for these cold days.  PEA students came for Reading Buddies.  They read an immigration story in small groups.  I love watching my class interact with the older students.  It is such a great experience for all.

We will finish Unit 4 in math this week.  Students worked hard on finding the area of rectangles given the length and width of the sides today.  We will continue working on perimeter and area for the remainder of the week.  The Unit 5 Family Letter will go home on Thursday so parents will know what to expect in the coming weeks.  Students will review for the test early next week.  Students will have a one sided assignment each night for homework.  

Our Spelling Rule this week involves the three sounds of the double vowel syllable group -ea.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework.    

Have a wonderful week!  :)

Monday, January 4, 2016

January 4-8

"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right." Oprah Winfrey

Happy New Year!  I was so happy to see my wonderful class this morning.  Students wrote about their vacation, read an Italian immigration story and worked on reading assignments.  It was a great start to our day.

We learned about special quadrilaterals today.  Students compared and contrasted different four sided shapes.  Other topics this week include perimeter, area and composite units.  Students will have a one sided assignment each night for homework.

Our spelling rule this week involves the double vowel syllable groups of -ou, -ow and -oo.  Students will have a Spelling Cafe choice each night for homework. 

Have a fantastic week!  :)