Third Grade Newsletter

September/October 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------We are off to a good start and we are very excited to have your child in our class. We are working hard to get to know one another and are working together to learn the classroom routines. We are looking forward to a great year!

MATH

The students have been very busy in class. In Math, we are working on fact families, recognizing odd and even numbers, missing addends and reinforcing the addition facts. We will also be working on estimating and rounding numbers to the nearest 10s, 100s and 1,000s, and reading and writing numbers to the hundred thousands.

We would like to request your support in encouraging your child to use the IXL comprehensive math practice website at home, which contains an unlimited number of math practice questions in hundreds of skills which are aligned to our school’s standards. Your child has been assigned a username and password to access this site.

www.IXL.com/signin/cotopaxi

PYP UNITS OF INQUIRYOur first PYP Unit of Inquiry of the year is Comparing Cultures. The Transdisciplinary Theme is Who We Are and the Central Idea of this Unit is Culture influences who we are and how we live. In this unit, we will be exploring inquiries into:

Understanding the aspects of culture

Comparing and contrasting how different cultures function

Folktales are a reflection of culture

Through a country study, the students will demonstrate their understanding of the elements of culture that are representative of the specific country of study. We will review basic map skills with the students and they will create a map of the country studied, using technology, and put together a booklet with facts about the culture studied.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The Language Arts Curriculum is integrated into our PYP Units of Inquiry.

In Reading, students are identifying and discussing story elements as they read and listen to folktales and fairy tales. They are identifying the traditions and customs representing the cultures from texts read and making connections between the differences and similarities of these folktales. We are reading different versions of Cinderella stories from around the world, with discussions and comparisons of cultural differences, location and traditions of the countries they represent with that of other Cinderella versions.

We strongly recommend that you encourage your child to read every night for at least 20 minutes.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

We enjoy celebrating your children in many ways, especially on their birthday!

Third Grade Newsletter

September/October 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------In order to maximize learning time, we like these celebrations to be no more than 10 minutes. During that time we will sing Happy Birthday and pass out a treat, if you so choose. The treat for your child should be individually prepared, like a cupcake or cookie, so they are ready and easy to pass out. The best times to bring a treat are before morning recess, around 9:50 and near the end of the day.

REMINDER

According to the LS Parent/Student handbook, Students wishing to go to another student’s home, or who wish to get off the bus at a school-authorized stop other than the normal drop-off point, may request a transfer to a different dismissal bus or permission to get off at a different stop on regular Monday – Thursday school days.  Students may not switch busses on Fridays.

Students are expected to wear hats during RECESS and PE, if they don’t, they will be asked to sit under the arches during RECESS. Please remind and encourage your children to wear and keep their caps at school.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, September 22, Back to School Night 5:45-8:00

Wednesday, September 28, 12:00 dismissal

Friday, September30, Room Parent’s meeting. in C-32 at 8:00 am

Saturday, October 1, PTO Back to School Brunch

Friday, October 21, Progress Report sent home