The Word on Third
Third Grade Newsletter - February 9, 2020
Calendar
February 14 - Valentine's Day, Class parties at 2:00 p.m., Registration opens for Math Telescoping
February 17 - No School for students, Teacher Professional Development Day
February 19 - Grades 3-5 Student-Led Conferences 4:00-5:00 p.m.
February 25 - Spring Picture Day, Class photo
February 27 - Game On
March 2 - Read Across America Day
March 5 - Wax Museum, Portrait of a Graduate Night, 6:30 p.m.
March 9-13 - Spring Break
March 16 - Students return to school
March 20 - End of 3rd Quarter
March 23 - World Water Day, Wear blue
March 28 - Spring Fling 2:00-6:00 p.m.
April 2 - World Autism Day, Wear blue and jeans
April 6-10 - STAAR Testing 4th and 5th grades, closed campus
April 10 - Bad weather make up day
The most important things...
- For Valentine Box information, please see below.
- Wax Museum has begun! Your student should know the person that they will be representing. We are in the beginning stages of this unit project, but you can be thinking about costumes for your student. Please click the link to see the FAQs for the Wax Museum. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oIRxCWp-oMM6T-0oCTFyxHN9bwMMT81nTFmRX9ERgIg/edit?ts=5e387d3d
- We are still finding students who are ill-prepared for the weather. Please check the weather in the mornings. This last week we went from the 60's to the 30's in the matter of hours. We go outside if it is above 38 degrees. Please make sure that your child is prepared for the chilly days that still lie ahead.
Highlights of the Week:
- In Humanities we continued reading our Wax Museum biographies and taking notes on important and interesting facts about our chosen people.
- We are finished our informational (expository) writing. (Due dates extended due to illness.)
- In Science we made projects about simple machines.
- In Math we continued fractions.
- We visited the library to exchange our books.
- We saw all of the kindergarteners dressed up as 100 year old people for the 100th day of school.
What we are learning next week...
Writing: Wax Museum Writing
Math: Fractions
Science: Gravity and Magnetism
Valentine's Day - Boxes and Cards
One of the traditions at O.C. Taylor is for students to create a "Valentine Box" that will hold all of their Valentine's cards. The children can create their box at home and bring it in the week of Valentine's Day, starting on Monday, February 10th. They will be kept outside in the hall until the day of the party.
The children do need something in which to collect their Valentine's, so if they do not want to create a Valentine Box, they can bring in a bag with their name on it on February 14th, the day of the party. Your child is also welcome to use a previously created box from a lower grade if you choose to not create something new.
*There are only a couple of rules for the boxes. 1. Your child's name should be clearly visible on the front of the box and 2. Your student needs to be able to carry it in and out of the building under their own power.
If your child plans on handing out Valentine's please make sure that they have one for each child in class. Homeroom lists will be going home soon.
GT Information
Current GT LEAD students do not need to be referred, unless they are interested in the ASPIRE Academy. Meeting information will be posted on the Advanced Academics website for those unable to attend.
The referral window for parents to refer their child(ren) for gifted testing is January 23rd - February 7th. The testing window is from February 10th - March 6th, and decisions will be mailed on April 1st.
Any questions can be directed to Mrs. Griffin.
Math Telescoping Information
The window to register to test for math telescoping is February 14-March 2, 2020. Registration closes on March 2, 2020, no exceptions.
The spring telescoping test will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2020.
There is a second registration window in May for a late June testing opportunity.
For more information about math telescoping, please click on these links to see the GCISD Math Department video regarding acceleration in mathematics and the Assessment department’s website for information regarding testing registration.
Here is the Math and Science Newsletter:
GCISD: Lead 2.0 Leap into Wellness!
"GCISD will host its inaugural Leap Into Wellness event on February 29. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the GCISD Professional Development and Education Center (5800 Colleyville Blvd.). This safety, health and wellness conference is geared towards students of all ages and families. Admission is FREE with snacks and drinks provided and the entire community is invited.
The conference will feature over 40 sessions on safety, nutrition, physical and mental wellness. Attendees can come and go as they please and attend any sessions they wish."
To see the different types of things that will be there, please click on the link:
https://www.gcisd.net/news/what_s_new/inaugural_leap_into_wellness_event
Parent corner
Have you ever considered PreK in GCISD for your little Tigers? Some of your questions can be answered with this video. We have amazing PreK teachers here at OC Taylor!
The Third Grade Team
allyson.dickinson@gcisd.net, @OCTDickinson
morgan.epperson@gcisd.net, @OCTEpperson
lesley.osborne@gcisd.net, @OCTOsborne
melissa.trussell@gcisd.net, @OCTBurt (Mrs. Burt)