What’s Up? *Rules/Respect *Rights/Responsibilities *Listening/Following Directions

1. Our Class NewsNo.1 8/12-8/16 Spelling Words sat felt last send next best went hand stand past grand stamp belt lend checked BONUS WORDS: obeys noticed department accident expression What’s Up? *Rules/Respect *Rights/Responsibilities *Listening/Following Directions *Procedures/Routines *Friendship *Manners/Courtesy *”Getting To Know You” *Teambuilding *Classbuilding/Cooperation *Narrative Elements *Types of Sentences *Writing complete sentences *Elements of non-fiction *Numeration *Graphing (bar and line graphs) *Creating and reading data charts *Multiplication *Reading and writing four digit numbers *Handwriting *Bucket Fillers/Dippers *Attitudes/Characteristics Vocabulary Words obeys noticed audience department expression accident commands What’s coming! 8/16….NED Show (1:15-2:00, all students) 8/22…..Fall Picture Day  8/23….PTA Pool Party @ Fremont 6:00-8:00pm 8/26-8/30….Acuity Testing (Reading, Math) 8/29…..Curriculum Night 6:30-7:25 for all parents/guardians 8/29…..Annual Parent Title 1 Meeting 7:30-8:00pm 9/2…..LABOR DAY…..no school! ! Keep Reading!

2. A note from me… • Welcome to our class newsletter! This will appear online each Monday evening (after 8:00pm)to help keep you informed of what is happening in our class during the coming week. You will find spelling and vocabulary words for the week, a list of coming events in “What’s Coming?” and a list of what we are currently studying/working on in the “What’s Up?” section. The second page will always be this portion entitled “A Note From Me……”which will contain pertinent parent information. You will also find a mystery word each week located somewhere in this newsletter, which will change weekly. Please write the mystery word in your child’s agenda in the “homelink” section of each day when you have read the newsletter that week, and they will earn some extra bonus Bear Bucks!(parents must write the mystery word, not the student) Third grade is a big transition from second grade and an important milestone for your child. Our curriculum is “meatier” and more will be expected. Students will have more homework than in the past which will result in increased independence and responsibility. Please encourage your child, but don’t do anything for them that they can do for themselves. Please be sure to check out our “Homework” section on our class website for homework expectations and specific suggestions, hints, and homework policies. As part of our class and team building activities, we are learning how to be “bucket fillers.” Please check the “Bucket Filler” page of our website that explains what a bucket filler is, and ask your child about it. Have YOU filled a bucket today? This week begins our formal spelling program. A practice test of the weekly spelling list is given each Monday morning. Students who miss only one word or score 100% on the practice test receive a “challenge list” for the week. The final spelling test of the week is given each Friday, and students either test on the regular list or the challenge list, depending on their Monday scores. You should have noticed your child’s practice test come home today, with the appropriate weekly list attached. • Your child’s agenda is an important communication tool between home and school, and needs to be at school each day. Thank you for checking your child’s agenda each night and remembering to initial in two areas---the clip chart and also on the back of the chart in the “Thinkmark” section. The “clip chart” page is colored by your child at the end of each school day, indicating where their behavior was at the end of the day. Thinkmark is your child’s nightly reading log. Students are expected to read a minimum of 20 min. each night, and then write a short summary (Reflection) of the book/chapter they read. I remind students that it is THEIR responsbility to bring all materials to you requiring signatures…..it’s not your job to go hunting them down. The agenda also serves as a great place for a quick note or question from parent/teacher. Students are expected to have signed agendas and completed homework assignments here each morning. All students should take pride in their work, and each child is expected to do their very best each day. Written work should be completed neatly and carefully, whereas sloppy, careless work will not be accepted but returned to be redone. • If you have not yet sent me an e-mail (dahurst@mpsaz.org) with your current e-mail address, please do so as soon as possible. This address will be used to communicate with you throughout the year, and is necessary to create my 2013-14 parent group. In the subject line you can just put “address”. Thank you so much for your help in getting this established, and a BIG thank you to those who have already done it. “Friday Folders” will begin on Friday, 8/16. These folders will come home each week filled with corrected work, tests, etc. from the previous week, along with a brief progress report. Please go over the contents with your child, sign, and return to school on Monday. Sometimes you may find a page that requires correcting, or in some cases, completing. These should be completed/corrected and returned in the folder on Monday morning. All other work is yours to keep------only those that say “Oops……Correct and Return” need to come back for a second look. The mystery word this week is Bucket Fillers. As we begin our second week of school, the routine is becoming a little more familiar for most of the children. Hopefully you have established a regular routine at home as well which include daily chores, a regular homework time and an established bedtime. When children have responsibilities and routines they are much more comfortable, confident, and know what to expect. Along with responsibilities come the rewards/consequences for our choices. We have talked at length in class about making good choices and the results that come with both good choices and those that are not. Learning to make proper and appropriate choices requires a cooperative effort between students, parents, and teachers. As we work together, we can ensure that your child comes to a sound and well disciplined learning environment. All children are responsible for their own learning and their own behavior. Rewarding positive behavior helps reduce behavior that may interfere with classroom learning. Good school and classroom discipline, along with student self-discipline is the foundation for success in school. It’s a pleasure working with your children , and I am looking forward to a great year together! “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” -------Chinese Proverb