A Wonderful Fall Voyage!

Hello familes!

We had a wonderful time at Camp Id Ra Ha Je. There were several great teambuilding activities and initiatives. Ask students to tell you about Pete's Plunder or the Challenge Course. During the mountain lab classes, students got to learn all about forestry (about trees and how to identify them), survival skills (essential items to pack and how to build a fire), and a speech about Native Americans. We had the opportunity to climb on real rocks during rock-climbing and improve our archery skills. Other highlights include an outdoor cookout for lunch and a campfire with silly skits and stories.

The students are worn out from all the good times we had, but I am sure you will hear all about it soon enough. :)

A HUGE thank you to all the chaperones. You are truly appreciated for all your hard work and positivity! These voyages could not happen without you!

I hope to collect all pictures from the voyage and put them together for a slideshow next week. For now here are a few...

I am so proud of my crew!!!

Last Minute Questions

For Voyage:

~You do not need to provide a sack lunch or snacks.

~Bring gear and daypacks on Tuesday morning. There is no gear check this year.

~It is a regular drop-off time Tuesday morning and pick-up time on Thursday.

~Friday (8/26) will be our Day of Rest. Do not send your child to school. I will not be here. :)

8.18.11 Crew News

Thanks for helping us prepare for our voyage! Packing: Please use the packing list to pack for our voyage. There will be no gear check this year. If a child is missing an essential item, it will be the parents’ responsibility to drive the missing item to Id Ra Ha Je. All gear should be brought with students on Tuesday, August 23rd.      *Also please pack with your child, so he or she knows what items are packed.      ****Please pack to suit weather for 80's during the day, 40's during the night, and afternoon rain showers. The list does not include shorts and says wools socks- please pack so that your child will be comfortable. As long as layers are available, shorts are fine. Meds on Voyages: If your child has medications to take on the voyage, do not forget to fill out paperwork and bring these into the office the week prior to our voyage.

Crew Learning Expedition: This week we have been on building our patrols. The experience of naming their patrol proved to be very difficult, but finally they were able to work together to select a name. HINTS AT HOME: What does teamwork look like, sound like, and feel like? Tell about how you work with others even when you are frustrated.

Writing/Language Workshop: In writer's workshop, we have been working on the correct punctuation of using dialogue (quotation marks, going to a new line for a new speaker, using a comma at the end, and having a dialogue tag such as exclaimed, said, asked). In language workshop, students have begun drafting their own Robert Munsch story. We have created a rubric with the essential features of our stories which includes repetition, dialogue, and a problem/solution. HINTS AT HOME: Tell me about your Robert Munsch story.

Math: This week we have reviewed previously-learned skills such as using money, finding the difference, calculator skills, and language of chance events. HINTS AT HOME: Refresh skills of money. Use authentic opportunities to calculate when spending the amount due, the amount given, and the change to get back.

Reading Workshop: Our reading program has launched with a study of what "community" means.  The reading strategy we are focusing on is making connections. Students are able to easily make connections, but we are pushing our thinking to see how making connections helps us to deepen our understand of the text. HINTS AT HOME: Set a routine for 3rd graders to be reading every night. Ask them what connections they are making.

Picture Forms: Due TOMORROW Friday 8/19.

Cursive Follow-Up: If you would like to buy a cursive booklet, please turn in $7.50 tomorrow.

Scholastic Book Order: Please place your order by September 2nd. Don't forget the website is www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and our class activation code is GP449.

Box Tops: One attachment is about box tops. REMS receives money for collecting box tops, and each crew is trying to collect as many box tops as possible. If you see the "Box Tops for Schools" labels on anything, save them to send to school with your child. We have a ziploc bag inside the door to collect our box tops. Each month, the crew with the most box tops wins a special prize... so let's try to win!

Introducing our patrols...

 The White Tigers, the Lemurs, and the White Weasels!!!

Another Blog to Check Out!

Have you checked out Ms. Deborah's blog? She has lots of great pictures of our first days back to school!
http://renaissanceprincipal.blogspot.com/

8.11.11 Crew News

Thanks for helping us prepare for our voyage! Packing: Please use the packing list to pack for our voyage. There will be no gear check this year. If a child is missing an essential item, it will be the parents’ responsibility to drive the missing item to Id Ra Ha Je. All gear should be brought with students on Tuesday, August 23rd.      *Also please pack with your child, so he or she knows what items are packed. Meds on Voyages: If your child has medications to take on the voyage, do not forget to fill out paperwork and bring these into the office the week prior to our voyage.

Crew Learning Expedition: This week, we have been building more understanding about the REMS character traits: Stewardship, Perseverance, Beneficence, Empathy, and Integrity. We use these as the guidelines and expectations of how we act. HINTS AT HOME: Tell me about how you used a character trait today.

Writing/Language Workshop: To generate more ideas, we have been talking about where writers get their ideas from. Also, we did a review of punctuation marks and why they are important to writing. In language workshop, students have done a great job of identifying the features of a Robert Munsch short fiction story. Now we will are building our understanding in order to write our own Robert Munsch story.  HINTS AT HOME: What ideas do you have for your Robert Munsch story? What did you notice about his stories?

Math: Our math unit has been taking us on a review of how to use resources, such as the Student Reference Book and mathematical tools. Also, we are using tally charts, line plots, and bar graphs to show data. HINTS AT HOME: Refresh skills of telling time using a clock: What time is it? What time will it be in 15 minutes?

Reading Workshop: Building on the phrase “Reading is Thinking,” we noticed how we are always thinking when we read, whether it is predicting what will happen next, connections you can make to the story, and so forth. It was easy for students to identify (with stickie-notes) where they were doing good thinking, but they found it was more challenging to write this thinking down. We will continue to work on this. HINTS AT HOME: Set a routine for 3rd graders to be reading every night. Ask them what they are thinking.

Picture Day: TOMORROW Friday 8/12. 

Back to School Picnic: Join us TOMORROW for a picnic Friday, August 12 from 4:30-7. Tickets are $5 per person (adult or child). See you there!

Updates about Cursive: As a school, we have reviewed our decisions about whether cursive writing instruction lives in our curriculum anymore. In years past, cursive writing was taught in 3rd grade classrooms. Cursive is no longer listed in our state standards for third grade - we are not expected to teach it or spend class time on it. It is a challenge to incorporate all the new standards and essential that we align our time with the state expectations. Since we are not devoting instructional time to cursive it would be inaccurate to call it 'homework'. However, we could look at it as an opportunity for an independent study if your child is excited about learning cursive writing. So, we put our heads together and brainstormed a few ways that we could support that independent study, if you choose, and below I have listed a few options for you.

There are a few options for you to choose from. If you would like, we can continue to upload scans from the resource we have, and you can print those at home and have your child practice. (Please email me if this is your preference). Alternatively, if you would like to purchase the resource we use so that your child can practice, we can purchase that cursive booklet for you for $7.50. If you would like to purchase the book, please let me know and send a check to school (made out to Renaissance) by Friday, August 19th. There are also many cursive resources online-- doing a quick Google search should yield many results.

We are sorry for any confusion this may have caused-- we will no longer assign cursive homework or expect it to come back to school for review. I know that several students are excited for learning cursive, and they can pursue this as an"independent study" at home. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Scholastic Book Orders: All book orders are placed ONLINE (no cash/checks please). Go to  www.scholastic.com/bookclubs and register. Our Class Activation Code is GP449.  You can select books and the orders will come directly to our classroom. The best part is that for every book ordered online, we get a FREE book for our class library!

Spelling: Our crew decided it would be easier to send spelling lists home on Thursday, so look for them with Thursday folders. 

Boot Camp: Students came home excited on Wednesday, after getting pumped up about Boot Camp. This is a new fundraiser we will be doing. Your children are to find sponsors for the "Boot Camp" we will have on Friday, September 9th. They will then be entered to win prizes and will have a fun couple of hours that Friday doing all kinds of physical challenges. Look for more information coming home in your child's backpack today!

Dogs at Pick-Up: As much as I would love to see furry friends, it is a district policy not to have dogs on school grounds during pick-up. Thanks!

Morning Meeting: School doors open at 8:30, so that your child can be in the classroom ready to start morning meeting when the bell rings. Students will be marked tardy after 8:40. Thanks for having your child to school on time for Morning Meeting!

 

8.4.11 Crew News

Every Thursday I will be posting information about our learning, news, and announcements. Since we have just established our routines, today will be mostly reminders and announcements.

Crew Learning Expedition: We are using this time to do some team-building to prepare for our voyage. Today we did a "quilt" activity that helped us think about what we have in common and how we are unique. HINTS AT HOME: What have you learned about you new crew-mates?	Writing/Language Workshop: In writing, we have launched our writing workshop. Students brainstormed "seed ideas" things to write about and began drafting writing. In language workshop, we are starting a study of short fiction stories using the mentor author Robert Munsch.  HINTS AT HOME: What are some things that you look forward to writing about? (Help brainstorm topics at home)
Math: Our math unit began with a review of patterns and sequences. HINTS AT HOME: What number patterns do you notice or use in everyday life?	Reading Workshop: We have been discussing how readers choose books and how "reading is thinking." HINTS AT HOME: Set a routine for 3rd graders to be reading every night.

Photo Permission: In Thursday folders today is a form asking for your permission for me to post pictures of students to show what we are doing in the classroom. Please fill this out, and return tomorrow.

Peanut Allergy: Due to severe peanut allergies, I have asked that students do not have afternoon snacks that include peanuts. Also, please do not bring birthday treats with peanuts. Thanks!

Meds on Voyages: If your child has medications to take on the voyage, do not forget to fill out paperwork and bring these into the office the week prior to our voyage.

Crew Parent: A big thank you to Marianne Peirce who is our crew parent this year! She will be recruiting help when I need it, creating the crew directory, emailing important information, and much more. Thanks!

Picture Day: Next Friday 8/12. 

Back to School Picnic: Join us for a picnic Friday, August 12 from 4:30-7. Tickets are $5 per person (adult or child). See you there!

Logistics Updates

A few important things I need to call your attention to:

Our drop-off routine is changing starting on Friday. Students should no longer go to the playground at 8:30, but should go directly to their classrooms. School and morning meeting will start at 8:40, as always, but teachers will now be in their classrooms at 8:30. There will not be supervision on the playground. Students should arrive between 8:30 and 8:40 and go straight to their classroom. This will be the routine for the rest of the year.

Please ensure your student arrives between 8:30 and 8:40, and that they do not arrive after 8:40. After 8:40, your child is considered tardy, and he or she misses a very important part of our day: Morning Meeting. Morning Meeting is a time when we, as a class, greet one another in a formal way, share, and adjust to being in school in the morning. Students who arrive late miss being greeted and miss an important and fun part of our day. If a student arrives late, they know they have missed something fun and are often disappointed or feel awkward coming into something that is already going on. As a comparison, it is a little like walking into a very focused meeting late and knowing you've missed the beginning. Please try to ensure that your child arrives on time so all of our students can experience the benefits of Morning Meeting!

One last thing on my end about transportation-- for the safety of your children, we will not be allowing children to walk elsewhere to meet their parents for pick-up. If you are picking up your child at school, you either need to park and come meet us to walk your child to your car or you may wait in the Kiss-and-Go lane. If you choose to wait in the Kiss-and-Go lane, be aware that only the first two cars in the line load; you will have to wait until your car is one of the first two to pick up your student. Our parking lot gets very busy in the afternoons, and we want to ensure that all our students are safe and released to the right people. Also, I know that I collected information about how your child will get home during Listening Conferences; however, if your child will be walking or biking home, please write me an email letting me know what days I can release your child to walk or bike home. District policy requires that we have this information in writing.