Whats Up? *Finishing up 3 rd grade! and … * Rules/Respect *Rights/Responsibilities

1. Our Class NewsNo.35 5/20-5/23 Spelling Words Enjoy your summer vacation! Whats Up? *Finishing up 3rd grade! and… *Rules/Respect *Rights/Responsibilities *Listening/Following Directions *Procedures/Routines *Problem Solving Skills *Manners/Courtesy *Teambuilding/Class-building *Bucket Fillers/Dippers *Cooperative Learning *Personal Narratives *Cause/ Effect *Expository writing *Expository non-fiction *Summarizing *Adjectives/Adverbs *Compare/Contrast *Author’s Purpose *Main idea/details *Contractions *Plural possessive nouns *Predicting/Inferencing *Fact/Opinion *Sequencing *Fractions *Problem Solving/Logical thinking *Mathematical Combinations/Discrete Math *Timed Math Facts *Cursive *Rocks and Fossils *Amazon Rainforest Vocabulary Words Be safe! What’s coming! 5/20…..Rainforest animals and projects due today 5/21…..PTA Meeting 6:30, MC ……Summer Birthday party celebration today 5/22…..CLEAN OUT DESK DAY! All students should bring a large, heavy paper bag or cloth shopping bag to empty the contents of their desk. (No plastic, please!) ……Pizza Party lunch …….Class Talent Show (no auditions necessary!) 5/23…..Last Day of Class---no backpacks today; final year end report cards come home …..End of year breakfast party 8/5…….”Meet the Teacher” --4:00-6:00pm 8/7…… . First Day of School! 2013-2014 school year begins ! Keep Reading!

2. A note from me… Well, where has the year gone? This is our last newsletter for the year, and I hope they have been beneficial in keeping you and your family aware of what has been going on in our class. Thanks to all of you who have been so faithful to read them each week! I know who you are and appreciate you.  We had a great talent show last week and our class really shined. We had a great time preparing and performing our skit, and we still cannot get the words out of our head! Also to be congratulated on a job well done from our class include Kacy Towne (song/dance), Rysa Milan (harmonica solo), and Brayden Grantham (song). We had some amazing animals from the rainforest come to class today! The creativity demonstrated in the creation of these animals was incredible----we love hearing how they were made. The children presented their reports and their animals today and were so full of information. The projects also displayed a variety of presentations and content and were very well done. We have had games, posters, books, and informational trading cards all turned in. We will have a “rainforest station” tomorrow where each child will participate in the various projects that were turned in. If your child does not want to keep either their animal or project, I would love to hang on to them for a few excellent examples to show my future students. Tomorrow is our “no ticket” celebration for the quarter, and I am proud to say that all of our students will be in attendance. WOW! Way to go room 32.  This Wednesday each child needs to bring in a large paper or cloth shopping bag to empty the contents of their desk and take home. No plastic please…..they are not strong enough. Please remember that no backpacks are allowed at school on Thursday. Everything will come home on Wednesday, with the exception of report cards. those will come home in a “summer packet” on Thursday, which they will carry. Some of us are still finishing up testing, so Friday Folders will also come home on Wed. with all completed and graded work. We are all looking forward to summertime-----the pool, visits to the beach, the long awaited family vacation, sleeping in, the list goes on. As a mother, you know that despite the excitement of school being over, the signs of boredom often creep in after the first few weeks in June. “There’s nothing to do!” “What can I do now?” “I’m BORED!” Summer vacation is the mystery word. Some startling statistics show that up to 60% of a child’s learning can be lost during the summer months if a regular and daily study program is not implemented. Each year I send home a “summer packet” with my students on the last day which contains a list of ideas and activities to do when the boredom hits. There are suggested activities to do throughout the summer in addition to a few practice pages of reading, language, math, and writing. It would be wise now to set aside a certain amount of time each day (30-45 min) for your child during the summer to spend polishing up their skills and getting ready for next year. As many of you with older children know, there is a HUGE jump from third to fourth grade. Expectations will be much higher, the work load is heavier, and the content more difficult. An independent worker and thinker is required for a successful school year. Does your child have their own library card? One of the best things to do with your child is to make a weekly visit to the public library and participate in their summer reading incentive program. Make sure there is plenty to read, read, read! Get your child a journal and have them write about their daily activities, keep a trip diary, share their feelings, or write stories. Write a play and invite the neighbors to the performance. Going on a trip? Give them the map or GPS and let them be the navigator…..figure out how many miles to go or how many traveled; calculate the gas mileage; keep track of expenses. Check out our website links on our class “computer” page for good resources to use for online skill practice as well. It’s been a great year and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and your child. It will be hard to see them go on Thursday. Thank you again for sharing them with me each day. I look forward to hearing great things about them in the future, so please stay in touch. My best wishes to each of you and our families for a wonderful, fun, and safe summer. “Great achievements begin with small opportunties.”” ~~~~ Anonymous