June 9, 2017

     The countdown to the last day of school has begun.  We're using every moment to finish up final projects and activities.  We've also enjoyed watching the 1st grade play and Beginner Band concert.
     Thank you to the many chaperones that were able to join us last week on our field trip to Echo.  It was a great trip that included a good balance of structured time and explore time.  The beautiful weather also allowed us the opportunity to have a picnic lunch outside.
     For our final week of school we have several fun events planned:
Tuesday:  Planting in the school garden (Join us if you can!)
Wednesday:  Move up day
Thursday  Cleaning (desks, cubbies, and lockers) Please send your child with an extra bag (or bags!).
Friday:  Field day, BBQ, and team celebration
     Next week we'll also send home and post summer reading and math ideas to help prevent the "summer slide!"

May 29, 2017

Even though the end of the school year is approaching we are still in high gear!

• In math this week we wrapped up Unit 5.  We will be reviewing for our end-of-the-year math exam and working on our new geometry unit.

• In writing students have been very hard at work writing their own adaptation to a fairy tale. Ask your child to tell you about their story they are making.  What fairy tale were they inspired by?  What are they changing?

• In science we tested our “sliders”.  We discovered the slider with the least amount of friction moved the fastest!

• In social studies we are learning about how and why the Europeans made colonies here in America,

Important Messages from Office:

A letter was sent home with your child on Friday about their lunch accounts.

We hope you enjoyed your 3 day weekend! We are looking forward to our end of the year field trip on Thursday!

May 19, 2017

Even with the heat on Wednesday and Thursday it was a productive week in 3rd grade:

• We finished our Unit 5 math review and will take our test next week.  
• We are becoming more and more fluent with our multiplication and division facts.  Try quizzing your child on any multiplication fact 0-9.
• We are learning about the challenges the Pilgrims faced in their journey to America.  
• We've read and listened to a variety of fairy tales.  I wonder which one your child will pick to adapt and make their own.
• We tested our "sliders" this week.  Thank you for all the caps that you sent in.  Next week we will make a claim about which slider has the least friction.

Next week we hope our momentum continues and we finish May strong.  

May 12, 2017

We’ve got exciting news to report.  Mrs. O’Brien gave birth to a beautiful baby girl today!  

Our other exciting news is that we have finished our SBAC testing!  Now we can get back to a regular but busy schedule.  Here’s what we’ll be doing:

• Finishing Unit 5 Multiplication and Division
• Immersing ourselves in fairy tales in preparation for our next piece of writing which will be an fairy tale adaptation.
• Reading about the arrival of Europeans to the New World (1600’s)
• Exploring more with forces

Things to talk to ask your child about:

• Making “Hopper Poppers” and building paper bridges
• Their opinion writing prompt topic

Please remember even though it will be a regular schedule next week we will not be doing our regular word study.  There will be no new spelling lists sent home.  

May 5, 2017

Dear Families,

We hope you had a wonderful vacation week.  We’ve gotten back into most of our routines except for spelling.  Due to vacation week, SBAC testing, and other May assessments we will not be sending home any new spelling lists for the remainder of the year.  We will continue to practice our spelling in our writing and review the patterns we have learned.  

Our math SBAC testing will begin on Monday. Thank you for helping to provide snacks for our hungry 3rd graders.

Upcoming important information and dates:

• PiE will be creating a new Student Directory for next year.  If you do NOT want your child’s information included in the directory, please complete this form and return it to HCS.  Otherwise, all information will automatically be included in the directory.  If you need a paper copy of the opt-out form sent home, please let your child’s teacher know.

• PiE is also hosting a fundraiser called the “Vermont Comedy Divas.”  This flyer contains all of the event information.  You can purchase tickets in the school lobby on Friday mornings from 7:45 - 8:15 or email hcspie@cssu.org.

• Annette’s Preschool will be hosting a community event on Thursday, May 18th focusing on the importance of play and hands-on investigation for children ages pre-K to 8.  To get more information and to RSVP, please follow this link.

• In your child’s Home Folder, you will find a packet regarding the ABCD Study at UVM.  Please see this flyer for more information.

Finally, thank you to those who have volunteered to chaperone our class field trip. If anyone else would like to join us please email us.

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

April 14, 2017

Dear Families,

Our ELA SBAC testing is finally complete.  The students did a fantastic job with persevering and respecting the testing environment.  We’ll be taking the math SBAC test beginning on May 8th.

In math, the students are working on finding the relationship between multiplication and division.  We have been creating “fact families,” such as 3,5,15.  The students then write the multiplication and division equations related to that family.  We’ve also been practicing writing our own story problems, which requires the students to have both an understanding of the mathematical equation and give an appropriate amount of information needed so that another student could solve the problem.  

Our science engineering unit is coming to an end.  Students worked in small groups this week to design a plan to clean up an oil spill.  Groups had a 20 million dollar budget to work with to purchase supplies.  Students then implemented their plan and analyzed their results. Finally, groups had the opportunity to improve their designs and evaluate their success.  

As a reminder, we will be taking our field trip to the Flynn Theater on Monday.  The buses will be leaving promptly at 8:30 so that we make it in time for the show.  Students will be returning back to school prior to our normal lunch time, so there will be no changes to lunch.  However, we will be missing our regular morning snack at 9:30, so students may want to have a hearty breakfast to hold them over until we return.

Finally, the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser will be taking place on Wednesday, April 19th from 2:45 - 4:00.  If your child wishes to participate, please return the permission slip portion of the donation envelope as soon as possible.  Students do not need to fundraise in order to participate.  

Have a great weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers

April 7, 2017

Dear Families,

As you know, we will be taking our English Language Arts SBAC starting Monday.  Thank you so much to everyone who has donated or offered to donate snacks to our classrooms.  

We will be taking a field trip to the Flynn on Monday, April 17th to see a student matinee on Native American culture, which links to our social science curriculum.  Permission slips were sent home with your child today.  Please ensure that they are returned by Friday, April 14th so that your child can attend.  We will be returning back to school prior to our scheduled lunch, so students should either pack their lunch or purchase school lunch as normally planned.

Your children will soon be bringing home permission slips for Jump Rope for Heart, which will be taking place on Wednesday, April 19 from 2:45-4:00pm.   If your child would like to participate please complete the upper portion of the packet and return it to school.  You may hang on to the bottom portion of the form and collect donations.  The donation envelope should be returned before or on April 19th.  

Have a wonderful weekend,

The Third Grade Teachers