Ninja Pig News
Dec. 11th-15th
Teacher Talk
We had so much fun during National Ninjas Read Story Time day!! The Taekwondo demonstration by Master Kim and Master Ramzi was super fun and engaging. The counselor came and she joined our Ninja Pig village dressed all in black too!
Thank you for sending in items for our Holiday STEAM Challenges. We are going to enjoy them over the next few days.
Three Reminders:
1. Please have your child dress for the weather/temperature each day. We had a fire drill when it was 41 outside and I had students in shorts and one with no jacket. If there had been a real fire, that would have been a very frosty challenge for some of my ninja pigs! (Caldwell policy)
2. If your child has fever or any other contagious symptom, please know they need to be fever and other symptoms free for 24 hours (WITH NO MEDS) in order to return to school. This prevents the spread of viruses in our classroom and school. (district policy)
3. Students will go outside daily if the temperature/wind chill is 32 or warmer, not raining, or too wet/muddy. Please refer to reminder #1. They may only stay in from recess/PE if there is a doctor's note. (school policy)
Thank you!
Dates to Remember:
Dec. 11th: Mrs. C eats lunch with the teachers while Ninja Moms take control 1:05-1:40
Dec. 14th: Nutcracker Field Trip (Dress nice for this occasion!)
Dec. 15th: Mrs. C will be absent (now).
**Dec. 17th: THE BEST DAY ON EARTH!!!! Mrs. C's Birthday!!!!
Dec. 19th: 3rd Grade Party 9:00-9:45 upstairs
Dec. 21st: PJs and Movie Day (wear comfy pj's or clothes, bring a pillow & Lovey) + Last Day of school for the year
Dec. 22nd-Jan. 8th: Winter Break!
Jan. 9th: First Day Back for 2018!!
**Every MONDAY is "MESSY MONDAY" so wear old clothes for gardening or Innovation Station days.
**EVERY WEDNESDAY IS "WEAR GREEN WEDNESDAY!!" Wear any kind of green if your class shirt is dirty (or temporarily lost).
Gingerbread Houses
Students who are interested in building a candied house are welcomed to show off their artistry on Monday, December 18th. Bring your crafty house to the office Monday morning. Make sure your name and teacher’s name is on your work.
Our Student Council will place them in the front hallway near the trophy case. Houses will be judged by our Student Ambassadors. These creations will be judged for the following:
Most Holiday Spirit
Favorite Kid Creation
Most Creative
People’s Choice
Houses will need to be picked up by Thursday, December 21st (houses will not be kept past this date).
Merry, merry!
SPOTLIGHT the ARTS NIGHT
Thursday, December 14th
5:00 Art Gallery Opens
6:00 Middle School Musical Performances
6:30 Sommer Choirs Holiday performances
Science Fair Is Coming!
It’s that time of the year again! Science Fair is right around the corner. All grade levels may participate, however, only grades 3-5 will be judged and may progress to regionals. Science fair projects will be due Friday, January 19 no later than 7:35am. Judging will take place on Monday, January 22. Students will take projects to their classroom.
For more information and frequently asked questions, go to
https://sites.google.com/view/sommersciencefair/ If you are interested in being a science fair judge, please contact Danica Baker at danica_baker@roundrockisd.org.
Class Wish List
Concepts We'll Study:
We will begin our December study of Traditional Tales. We'll look at the cultures behind folktales, fables, legends and myths.
Writing Workshop: (ongoing until Dec. 21st)
Students get to write fiction stories! We'll focus on setting and character development.
Science:
We took our final DCA on magnetism, force and gravity. The third grade teachers are now putting DCA's for science in the grade book as grades that will be averaged. If a student fails a DCA, the concepts missed will be retaught then tested. The new grade will be added to the grade book to average out the lower grade. (You will see an extra column with the words "retest of DCA #). If there is an "EX" next to your child's name, that means he/she passed the test and is exempt from retakes.)
Math:
We will be working on how division is related to fractions and the strategy of using multiplication to solve division problems. We will have a DCA before the break. Math DCA's will also be recorded as grades as of now. Please see the retesting policy in the Science section.
Social Studies: (ongoing until Dec. 21st)
We are going to finish government and move into map skills. Since we've mapped out our government, we'll move into maps of landforms and areas. This is a fun unit to tie into traditional tales. The students enjoy reading real maps but creating fictional maps about a setting they like from a story is fun too.
Monday in the 80s
Thursday Snow
Friday Recess (with & without coats)
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