Looking ahead to the week of September 2

Hello, families!  We are having a wonderful first full week of school!

Several important forms will be going home in Thursday's communication folder.  Please sign and return the first "Being There Experience" (Sandhills Library) permission form.  Also, students will receive a letter about their web site login to our new math program, Envision.  Please encourage your child to login and become familiar with the new site.  Along with the login letter, you will find a family letter from Envision.  It summarizes what students are practicing and mastering in our first unit of math.  Students will receive an Active Gamecock log, too.  This is sent home to encourage the children to become more active!

Looking ahead to next week:  Students will kick off their first unit of study in science!  They will be studying animal adaptations and life cycles.  As mathematicians, the children will practice comparing and ordering numbers.  In reading, students will be working on a "Comprehension Toolkit," which will help them to think while they read, so they can better understand the story.  As writers, students will continue basic writing skills and begin note taking.  The children will also have their first spelling pre-assessment.  It will contain all of the kindergarten high-frequency words.  These will be checked for accuracy and go home next week with a letter explaining how we do spelling in third grade.

Graded work will start going home in next week's communication folder.

Thank you again for all of your support and enthusiasm!  I hope you all have a wonderful, long weekend!

Looking ahead to the week of August 26

Hello, families!  I hope you and your child had a great start to the school year!  I know I've enjoyed getting to know all of the children.  It is going to be a wonderful year!

If you haven't visited our class blog yet, well, welcome!  This is how I will be communicating with families each week, in an effort to save paper!  You will find important dates, class happenings and even see pictures of things we do in class.  This newsletter will be updated every Thursday (at the latest)!  I'm asking that you bookmark this site and check it out every week, in order to stay informed about our class.  If you do not have weekly, easy computer access, please let me know.

Please sign and return all of the forms that were sent home in this week's communication folder.  All of the information needs to be filed in the office or in my classroom.  Also, please send me an email with your child's name in the subject line, so that I may save your email address.

Your child will be issued his/her first homework packet on Friday, August 23.  This packet will not be due until the following Friday (August 30).  We will discuss homework procedures at Open House a bit more, but I just wanted to make you aware that your child will have one week to complete this homework packet.  This allows students to learn time management and responsibility skills.  For instance, if your child plays a sport two nights a week, you can double-up on a night with no ball practice.  The homework will be simple at first, but evolve a bit more in the coming weeks, where students will be given more choice with their assignments.  Reading logs will also be given out at a later date.

If your child's transportation has changed (or is ever is different than usual throughout the school year), please send a note with your child to school.    

Students have been curious about their SAIL schedule this year.  The children will have the following SAIL rotation this year:

• Mondays - Art
• Tuesdays - PE (Wear tennis shoes!)
• Wednesdays - Music
• Thursdays - Computer OR PE (Mr. Schirmer is here every other week.  During his week here, please have your child wear tennis shoes!)
• Fridays - Rotation day!  Each week, you will need to check our class blog to find out which class your child will have on Friday.  

*The easiest thing to remember:  When in doubt, have your child wear tennis shoes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays!

Looking ahead:  As readers, students will learn how to identify character traits/motivations in various stories and will also learn how to sequence story events.  In writing, children will begin setting up their Writer's Notebook and practice writing complete sentences.  As mathematicians, students will name numbers, represent numbers in various forms and study number lines.  We will be holding off on our first unit of study for a week or so.  Students, instead, will be focusing on speaking and listening skills.

An opportunity for after school:  Engineering  For Kids is offering a  LEGO ® Robotics Club at Bookman Road starting Friday,  September 13th from 3-4pm

  Students will  build and program robots to perform life-like robotics tasks.  Space is limited. For more information or to register, visit our website at www.engineeringforkids.net or call 803.574.9198.  

Thank you again for all of your enthusiasm and support!  We're going to make a great team and work hard to ensure your child has a successful year in third grade!