3rd Grade Newsletter
December 2016
Dear Parents,
Hello! We are expecting a very busy December in 3rd grade! All of the children are full of excitement as we wonder when we can expect the first significant snowfall of the winter season! We hope that you enjoyed time with your family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday. It is amazing how quickly time flies during this time of year!
Dates to Remember:
Week of December 5th: Hour of Code
December 6th: PTO sponsored school assembly for students: Immigration
December 13th: 3rd Grade Whole-School Meeting, parents welcome
December 15th: Fernbrook School Winter Concert
December 22nd: Class Holiday Parties
December 23rd: Early Dismissal for Students
December 23rd: Students’ Holiday Sing-a-Long & Pajama Day!
December 24th: Winter Break Begins!
January 3rd: School Reopens
Mathematics
We have begun Everyday Math Unit 3: Mathematical Operations. The skills in this unit will emphasize that addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are the four basic mathematical operations and we will explore how the four operations relate to one another. At the end of this unit our goals for the children are as follows:
● Solve addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems and explain mathematical thinking for solving number stories
● Utilize estimation strategies for problems using mental math
● Select an appropriate strategy to correctly solve addition and subtraction problems within 1,000
● Explore different ways to measure area, partition rectangles, and represent data on a scaled bar graph
● Find the area of a shape by dividing or partitioning it into equal parts
● Create scaled picture graphs and use a key
A note about Math Facts...As Trimester 2 begins, the children will continue to strive for the goal of completing 25 addition and subtraction facts in one minute. In addition, the children will also be expected to complete 10 multiplication facts and 5 division facts per minute as well. This can be very challenging for many of the children, so please continue to keep practicing math facts at home on a regular basis! Two great websites are www.xtramath.org and www.mathisfun.com.
Reader’s Workshop:
In reading this month we will begin our Realistic Fiction - Main Character unit of study. Throughout this unit we will be practicing good reading habits such as envisioning and predicting when we are reading and learn to interpret the meaning of a story’s message as it relates to real life. Our goals for the children by the end of this unit are for them to be successful at the following:
● Identifying the elements of realistic fiction
● Identifying character traits and support ideas with evidence
● Identifying when characters act out of character and how that impacts the plot of a story
● Analyzing the development of a story line by tracing events on a plot diagram or a story mountain
● Predicting characters’ responses to events based on schema and textual evidence
● Analyzing how characters react to change and how it is applicable to daily life
● Interpreting story theme based on the lesson learned by a character
Writer’s Workshop:
The month of December will be spent learning how to write realistic fiction stories! We will learn how to develop characters that have real struggles, learn that realistic fiction stories follow a sequence that includes a problem, obstacles, and a solution, and that dialogue and action is used deliberately by writers to convey characters’ thoughts and feelings.
Science:
In December we will be piloting a new unit, Forces. This is a very high interest and interactive unit. Please ask your child about their participation in science activities. After this unit, we will explore all about sound in the next science unit.
Wishing you and your families a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season!
Best,
Mrs. Scott
cscott@rtnj.org
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September 2016
Dear Parents,
I'm happy to be welcoming your children to my third grade class! I look forward to getting to know each of them and guiding them in their academic growth this year.
Home-School Connection
Third grade is an exciting year, and to keep you informed about our upcoming plans through emails and notes. I use this website as a source of support for students and to provide supplemental information for specific units of study and skills during the school year. Your children will be provided with user names and passwords for educational websites that they will be asked to use in support of their learning. These user names and passwords will be recorded in their agendas.
Our Daily Schedule
8:25 – 8:55 – Homeroom
8:55 – 9:15 – Responsive Classroom
9:15 – 10:15 – Language Arts
10:15 – 11:15 – Reading
11:15 – 11:45 – Lunch
11:45 – 12:15 – Recess
12:15 – 1:15 – Mathematics
1:15 – 2:15 – Science & Social Studies (Friday: Genius Hour)
2:15 – 3:15 - Specials
3:15 – 3:30 – Science & Social Studies (Friday: Genius Hour)
3:30 – 3:40 – Responsive Classroom / Pack-Up
Specials Schedule
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Monday |
Physical Education-Sneakers Needed! |
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Tuesday |
Physical Education-Sneakers Needed! |
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Wednesday |
Art – Smock Needed! |
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Thursday |
Music |
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Friday |
Library/Technology |
Daily Snack & Lunch
We will eat a daily snack in our classroom every day. Please pack a healthy snack and a water bottle for your child each day. (Healthy snacks such as fruit, crackers, yogurt, pretzels etc.). If buying lunch, students will use their lunch pin numbers and they can visit the cafeteria to add money to their accounts during homeroom each day from 8:25 – 8:55. If your child happens to forget their lunch at home, the cafeteria permits the students to charge lunch that day.
Please note: A copy of our school breakfast and lunch menus can be found at:
Click on “Parents”
Click on “Lunch Menus”
Click on “Fernbrook Elementary School”
Click on “Lunch Menu” located on the right side of the screen.
Back-to-School Night
I am looking forward to meeting all of you at Back-to-School Night (Grades 3–5) on Thursday, September 29th!
Absences & Early Pick-Ups
Please contact the main office (973-361-0660) to report a student absence. In addition, if you are planning to pick up your child early from school, please send in a note with your child indicating the approximate pick-up time. In case of emergency, it is best to contact the main office directly!
I am looking forward to an exciting and successful school year! Please feel free to contact me via email should you have any questions and/or concerns now and throughout the school year. J
Best regards,
Mrs. Scott
Dates to Remember!
Monday, September 5th – School Closed (Labor Day)
Tuesday, September 6th – First Day of School!
Saturday, September 24th – Fernbrook Family Picnic 1:00 – 4:00 (Rain date: 09/25)
Thursday, September 29th – Grades 3 -5 Back-to-School Night with PTO Parent Meeting beginning @ 6:30pm!