February News

Dear Parents:

Happy February!  It has been a cold and windy winter so far, but we are warm and cozy in our portable.  This newsletter has been posted on our 3A Class Blog, but since this is the start of a new term, I am sending home a paper copy so that you do not miss out on any important news.  Please note that all newsletters have been and will continue to be posted on our blog.   If you type in “3A Class Blog” in your search engine, we are the very first listing. 

Important Reminders:

Gym days:  Day 1, Day 5, Day 8

Students must have proper running shoes in order to participate.

Library : Day 1

Students must return borrowed books in order to check out new books.

Winter Wear

Boots and snow pants are needed for snowy days, please send dry inside shoes or slippers for your child to wear inside.

Wordstudy

Wordstudy is assigned each Monday and collected on Thursday.   I do not test the students on the words but still expect students to complete this weekly assignment neatly and accurately.   Students are often rushing to complete their wordstudy and making silly errors.  In addition to the wordstudy, we are constantly adding to our classroom word walls that we use to keep track of new words in literacy, math, science and social studies.  Please read my philosophy on spelling:

We know now that learning to spell and learning to memorize lists are two different things. If we want children to be good spellers, the spelling instruction must be part of the rest of the reading and writing lessons that happen every day in the classroom. Word lists are still kept and learned, but the words are those the children actually use. Many of them belong to a personal collection built up by the child, others may relate to themes or topics being studied, along with various word families in which the child can learn to recognize patterns.

Report cards and Parent/Teacher Interviews

Report cards will be coming today.  Please review your child’s report card and fill out the bottom portion of the last page.  Please return that piece and the report card envelope back to school.  The report card itself is yours to keep.  If you wish to discuss your child’s progress, please call the school at 519-969-9748 and speak directly to a one of the secretaries to book an appointment.  Please do not leave a message on the answering machine.  Parent/Teacher interviews will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2013 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m.  If you are unable to attend, I will be happy to conference with you via telephone or meet with you at another time.

Homework:  Homework should be written in your child’s agenda daily.  Any homework that is assigned, is work that your child has not completed in class.  If you are finding that your child is spending more than 30-40 minutes daily on homework tasks, please let me know and we will have to meet to review why he/she is taking so long to complete assignments.

EQAO:  Please read the letter that was sent home today for more information about EQAO testing.

Curriculum News:

Math:  Measurement (Length, Perimeter and Area)

Students will:

1.    Measure lengths

2.   Measure the distance around a figure

3.   Measure the amount of space a figure covers

Math facts:  students are working at different levels in our classroom.  Some still need to review addition and subtraction facts.  Others are reviewing multiplication facts in higher or lower numbers.  By the end of grade 3, students will be expected to multiply up to 7x7.  Students should make an effort to do a mad minute, review using flashcards, iPad apps or computer games at least 3 times a week.

Literacy:   We will continue with our novel study, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.”

Students will start writing narratives with characters, a setting, beginning, middle and end.

Students will begin cursive writing.

Science:  We will continue with our Forces and Motion unit.  Students will be designing and building a toy that moves and presenting it to their classmates.

Health:  This month, we will focus on personal hygiene.

Have a great month!  Please read the blog next month for March News. 

Take care,

Mrs. Allison