Ninja Pig News
for Aug. 28th - Sept. 1st
Teacher Talk
(Each week I'll put out a newsletter. This area is where I get to chat with you a few minutes before you scroll down for dates and information about what's going on in our room.)
The first week of school was absolute magic! Your children are so good. I told Mrs. Varljen, Mrs. Wafford, and Mrs. Carley that my ninja pigs were the best third graders in the school when they stopped by on Friday. (And they were duly impressed!) The students are a dream and we are going to have so much fun together.
Thursday, August 31st, is our Third Grade Parent Information Night. Please look on my website under the "Parent's Page" tab for the slides I'll be answering questions about that night. I'd love for you to look ahead so we can spend our time alleviating your worries. I need you happy. The meeting will be held in our classroom.
Pick one session to attend: 5:00-5:45 or 6:00-6:45
If children attend, please have a quiet activity for them. They will probably be bored to tears because they will know much of the information.
**I cannot have personal conferences with you on this night. Please email me if we need a time before the fall conference dates. This night is for general information.
Sign up for Remind 101!! I use this to send out pics and quick announcements on almost a daily basis.
Dates to Remember:
(I will order & pay for anyone who doesn't have theirs today. We are going to need these shirts weekly.)
Aug. 31st: 3rd Grade Parent Info Night in our room
Sept. 4th: School Holiday for students and teachers!!
Sept. 6th: TFK Orders due today!
Sept. 7th: PTA Club Night
Sept. 29th: Fall Pictures
Class Wish List
-flashlights
-batteries (AA, AAA, C and D)
-scotch tape (disposable like you use for gift wrapping)
-click pens in all colors for writing
-Clorox/Lysol wipes
-stuffing for our Big Joe chairs (example here) *We will take what we can get. Doesn't have to be THIS brand.
-colored notebook paper (example here)
-duct tape in solid colors
-whiteboard cleaner
Concepts We'll Study:
Writing Workshop: We continue to set up and practice expectations for this important area of our daily lives. We will focus on creating writer's notebooks and finish letters to our future selves.
Grammar & Word Study: We will start our first grammar unit with a focus on nouns and verbs. I'll assess everyone's spelling strengths and start our first sort after Labor Day.
Science: We have finished reviewing safety practices for third grade. We'll begin to review and add new learning to everyone's knowledge about matter. We'll start with physical properties of matter. I have several experiments that will be investigated across the week.
Math: We had a fun time learning that math wasn't just about numbers last week. We ended the week creating our own graphs. This week we'll share those creations and explore some types of graphs that may be new to many students. Listen for talk about analyzing data, dot plot graphs, pictographs, scaled intervals and frequency tables.
Social Studies: We will integrate social studies into our language arts block as often as possible. We WILL have content to cover so I will post the focus in its own section each week. This week we will continue to find answers to the question: Why is good citizenship important in our community?
Handwriting and Keyboard Skills: Students will be assessed on how well they can write words in cursive with correct connections. Students who pass this assessment will be allowed to write in cursive at will. Everyone else will begin to study each letter and connect them in a systematic fashion based upon Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.
In the near future, I will give each student a password to a website we will use to practice keyboarding skills. You will be welcome to do this at home as often as possible!!
First Fun-novation Friday of the Year!
About Mrs. Caldwell
Email: vicki_caldwell@roundrockisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/roundrockisd.org/mrs-caldwell-s-class-at-sommer/home
Location: 16200 Avery Ranch Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: 512-704-0621
Twitter: @MrsCin3rd