Are You Tracking Santa??

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! Just a quick note to share some web tools with you. You can track Santa's whereabouts all day today with Google or NORAD's "Santa Tracker" apps. Both can also be accessed online!

• Track Santa around the world
• Learn about geography and cultures
• Play interactive games
• Print coloring pages and crafts

FUN! Wishing everyone a cozy day and I will see you soon. :-)

https://santatracker.google.com/#tracker

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Feeling Festive!

Can you feel the excitement in this picture?! We had an awesome last day before break! Students enjoyed our "Tale of Despereaux" celebration, made some Christmas crafts, and participated in the annual Oakwood Sing-A-Long. I talked my friends into coming back to class for a personal visit, and the class asked them all sorts of questions. We loved learning about life-long music making and what their lives were like as third graders. Such a fun afternoon! Patrick's dad visited us yesterday for some festive holiday tunes, so we've been pretty lucky this week!

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday break and can't wait to see you in the new year!!

Holiday Fun!

Tis the season to be merry! Tomorrow is a full day of fun, and we don't want anyone to miss it. Here is a brief outline of our schedule:

• 9:00, 3rd Grade holiday party
• 11:50, Normal Lunch
• 12:15, Early Recess
• 1:45, Annual Oakwood Sing-a-Long!

I am bringing some brass friends to play with me at the Sing-a-Long, so it will be a lot of fun! Families are invited so come on down. 

Holiday Hint: Our party has something to do with a little mouse with very big ears...SHH!

So Much Excitement!

So many exciting things are happening in Room 12! From tracing our shadows to learn about Earth's rotation to learning Spanish from Ms. Henning, it has been a crazy week or two. Enjoy!

Enjoy pictures from our Propst House field trip HERE!

Students used playing cards to practice the distributive property of multiplication. Quite a success! 

Ms. Henning visited third graders for reading to teach some Spanish vocabulary. We learned a lot about hispanic culture and read a traditional nursery rhyme. We appreciate her! 

Star Student Jillian invited her dad to visit us for her parent spotlight. We loved learning more about Jillian's family and favorite things. 

Events Not Pictured:

• 3rd Graders traced our shadows throughout the day to learn how Earth rotates in space. We can also explain the idea of day and night and why they occur. Bravo! 
• We started a weekly "Study Island" remediation time in the computer lab. We will try to do this once a week during school hours. 
• Writing Centers continue with adverbs! Look for "Spying on an Elf" to come home soon. 
• Space research projects have begun! We will work together in class to complete this assignment and share the finished product with you. :-)

Happy Monday!

We had a wonderful Monday today in Room 12! I am so proud of students' hard work in math and literacy. We had some tough lessons, but they were troopers!

Last week was a a full week of learning and growing. We enjoyed a visit from Quinn's dad for this weeks' Parent Spotlight, as well as the "Calvin and Hobbes" stories! We also started our space unit in science, as seen below. Students used iPads to scan QR codes and add ideas to a Padlet board. You can see all their hard work HERE!

Our field trip to Dr. Hamilton's office was so much fun! We learned about brushing your teeth, what schooling is required to become an orthodontist and much more. You can see pictures from our trip HERE.

This is sure to be a great week as well!

• Wed. December 10: Field trip to Propst House 
• Fri. December 12: School Spelling Bee in gym
• Fri. December 19: 3rd Grade Party 9:00, School "Sing-a-Long" 1:45

Flashback!

I realized that I never posted our good news from last week- or our two day week! Oops! So let's flashback to all the good things that happened in Room 12 in the final days of November.

Star Student Pablo invited his mom to read a Thanksgiving story and tell us all about life in Puerto Rico. So many good questions were answered! That very same day, we were visited by Hickory City Manager Mick Berry to learn about local government, as well as the LR Percussion Ensemble for some jazzy Christmas carols. What a Friday!

• Math: Students continue to master division skills and flex group on Wednesday's. You should be seeing our "Spiral Reviews" in Tuesday folders. We have spent time reviewing these in class and identifying common mistakes. These are wonderful practice for our benchmark tests!
• Reading: Students also took a practice reading passage on sequencing events. This is similar to the passages students will take for our Read to Achieve portfolio's. They did a great job! 

We look forward to our field trip to Dr. Hamilton's office on Friday! The trips costs $1.50 for those who have not yet paid. We'll post pictures of all the excitement! :-)

Tuesday Achievements

Pablo's table designs our coat of arms project.

What a productive day! I couldn't wait until Friday to share our newest achievements with everyone. Room 12 completed 3 major tasks today:

• We finally started writing centers! Students have drafted "Quirky Turkey" letters telling the president why they should be pardoned this Thanksgiving. Students started our peer editing process today. SO PROUD!
• We finished graphing our first nine weeks' grades in Responsibility Notebooks. This is a valuable, but tedious, process and students handled it beautifully! Great data and reflection.
• Field Trip Tuesday kicked off our "Tale of Despereaux" novel study! We learned all about the Middle Ages and created our very own coat of arms. Students listened to Chapter 1 of our story and the music of Josquin des Prez, a prominent Renaissance composer. WOW!

I am so proud of the way we took a restless, chilly day and turned it into such a successful one. We are growing up, I think! :-) Thanks for all you do to make these victories possible!

Partners work in our "Revising Rabbit" writing center.

Just So You Know...

In reviewing my calendar, I discovered we have quite a week ahead! Just to keep everyone in the loop:

• Monday: Cookie Dough Fundraiser Kick-Off (8:45 Assembly)
• Tuesday: PTA/Science Night (5:15 pizza, 6:00 PTA)
• Wednesday: AIG Science Showcase in Library (9:00-12:00)
• Friday: "Blue Jay Day", LR Percussion Concert 9:30, City Manager Mick Berry visits 3rd grade

...in addition to all the learning that will take place. We are rolling full steam ahead to Thanksgiving. We can do it!  :-)

Recycling Extravaganza!

Happy Friday, everyone! Despite an odd schedule, we had a great week in Room 12. Our school-wide recycling initiative has been a huge success, and we have learned a lot about reducing waste in our Social Studies lessons. Today's field trip to the recycling center was our culminating event! You can see more pictures from our trip HERE.

This week's Star Student was Jehu. We loved our spotlight visit from his older brother and got to ask him a lot of questions about being a senior in high school. What a fun time! These visits are a wonderful learning experience for our students. Thank you for your support as we continue to introduce loved ones to peers. :-)

In other news, multiplication and cursive writing continue on. Students also switched classes for math to review geometry skills. We plan to form "flex groups" every Wednesday morning for skill reviews. Red Group started their first novel for Literature Circles this week, and I am so proud of their hard work. Can't wait to see what's next!

Coming Up...

• Veteran's Lunch: Ask a local veteran to visit us at lunch Monday Nov. 10 for cake, coffee, and conversation with curious students. We'd love to talk with them!
• NO SCHOOL Tuesday Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day)
• RIF Literacy Night: Ridgeview Rec. Center, Thursday Nov. 13 5:00-7:00pm. Students who attend and bring back a token will get a special prize! Please let me know if you plan to attend so they can have a head-count. :-)
• $2.00 Due: Thursday Nov. 13
• Recycling Center Field Trip: Friday Nov. 14
• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 26-28

New All Around!

Aidan was a great Meeting Moderator!

Happy Friday, everyone! Second quarter started with a bang. So many new activities, procedures, and special treats started this week. We successfully implemented the Homework Club, Multiplication, Cursive, two new literacy centers, our daily "Learning Launch" dance, and the Meeting Moderator job at snack time. WOW! Who knew third graders were capable of such multi-tasking?

Special thanks to Star Student Lily and her mom for our Parent Spotlight this week. We enjoyed our story and silly game. Students continue to impress me with their personal responsibility and caring for others. Who will be chosen next??

Third graders have kicked off our service learning project all about recycling. Please ask your student about how we are helping our community! We have spread posters and recycling bins around the school encouraging Oakwood to recycle paper, plastic and cans. We will continue to learn about community services and the science of recycling next week, ending with a field trip to the Catawba County recycling plant in Newton. Can't wait!

The "Reading Buddies" program has kicked off!

Spooky Music!

Today we made the first entry in our "Composer Files!" Students will keep a folder of special composers and musical pieces that we learn about this year, and we kicked things off with a little spooky music. If you would like to explore more spooky tunes at home, here is the link:

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/interactives/spookysounds/

Each tombstone lists the title, composer and storyline behind famous classical works. Enjoy! 

Prefix Game

Happy Monday! We had a truly awesome day in Room 12 and learned all about prefixes and suffixes. Students asked if I could share the game we played in class, and I am more than happy to post it.

Crystal Castle game:
http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/crstcast/crstcastle.htm

Bank of other prefix/suffix games:
https://sites.google.com/site/easygrammar4kids/prefixes-and-suffixes

Happy learning! :-)

Supply Drive!

I decided to make this a separate post so the information would be more contained. If anyone is willing or able to contribute, our classroom has a few needs in the coming weeks:

• Wed. October 29: Cheese-It crackers (3 boxes)
• Week of Nov.3: Cardboard Boxes or other large containers for a recycling project. (We will need about 20 in all, and will work with other classes to achieve this goal.)
• Classroom Pencil sharpener (ours has completely died)
• Wet wipes/Clorox wipes to kill germs
• Hand sanitizer
• Boxes of Tissues
• Reams of copy paper (Not for copying, but for classwork. I try not to steal from the copy machine!)
• Thin dry erase markers 

Please let me know if you have any questions about our needs. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! Having a stocked classroom means smoother days, more invididualized experiences, and a clean space. :-) Thank you! 

Testing Complete! Time for a Craftivity...

Star Student Thatcher and Mom
during Parent Spotlight!

We survived our first Benchmark Test! Students were troopers today and handled our unusual schedule with ease. The test was much shorter than we expected, and had us on to relaxing craftivities in no time. :-) A creative, artistic project is just the thing to loosen us up after bubbling scantrons and crunching numbers. I am so proud of everyone's hard work this week, and look forward to our short week together! Take a peek into our latest adventures:

We wrote and illustrated our own Halloween "mad libs!"

We enjoyed "Click Clack Boo!" with Thatcher's mom on Thursday.

Coziness Abounds!

What a wonderful day! I am so very proud of students' hard work and focus today. With an unusual schedule, literacy skit performances AND "Sippers and Slippers" things could have been a whirlwind, but the day was smooth sailing. What a pleasant, cozy way to finish our week. :-)

We began with Star Student Erika's "Parent Spotlight." We learned all about Erika's family and favorite hobbies, and read "Pigeon Takes a Bath" with her mom. Lots of fun!

Students worked in groups to classify quadrilaterals by their attributes. They did a great job of using the math language we've learned this week, and everyone participated in the conversation. Bravo!

Our week-long study of mysteries culminated in a day of movies! Table groups turned "Nate the Great" from narrative to drama, assigning roles and acting out scenes one chapter at a time. Hopefully I can combine all the small videos soon and share the finished product. We had a great time!

Last but not least, students completed all of this wrapped up in furry blankets with their favorite fluffy friends there for support. We enjoyed several "read alouds" and hot chocolate after lunch- no spills! Thanks to everyone who donated time and supplies to make this possible. Enjoy our pictures below. :-)

...did I mention that we even knocked out TWO quarterly writing prompts today? YES

Thatcher's table works to sort polygons into groups.

Congratulations, Erika! 

Sippers and Slippers

The big day is almost here! Students came home today with a note in planners about tomorrow's "Sippers and Slippers" celebration. Just for review, here are our guidelines:

• Students may bring ONE blanket and a pillow OR stuffed animal.
• All fluffy items must come to school in a bag- no loose animals, please! 
• Students must still turn in all homework and will take a spelling test as usual.
• Students may bring a favorite picture book to read aloud during hot chocolate time. We'll have as many readers as we can! 

As students earn tickets in class, they have the option to donate it to our Community Ticket Bowl instead of keeping it for themselves. Students have pooled their tickets and purchased this reward as a group. Thank you for your support in this exercise of saving, spending, and working together. Wonderful learning opportunity! 

Wednesday Computer Time

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Today we will spend some time learning more about Christopher Columbus. Click the link below to play the game. :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/christopher_columbus/

A Few Updates

Hello! Hopefully everyone is home safe and tucked inside. :-) I'm sure our students have told you about the interesting afternoon we had, but I wanted to let you know they did a great job. It isn't easy to "duck and cover" for an hour and a half! We had some brave, patient third graders and I am very proud of them.

Parent Night and Book Fair are rescheduled to Thursday Oct. 16! 

In other news, see our pictures below:

Last week's Star Student, Charles, and his dad at Parent Spotlight!

Our cereal box US History projects turned out wonderfully! Students loved sharing with each other.

Such Excitement!

Happy Thursday, families! Room 12 has seen a slew of exciting learning opportunities this week. As I took pictures, I realized there was no need to wait until Friday to share them with you! Enjoy. :-)

Groups were given a $1,000 gift card to "Toys for Us" to practice multi-digit subtraction skills.

Jillian and Thatcher use iPads and QR Codes to check answers!

Today's "Field Trip Thursday" was about Hispanic Heritage Month!
Students are designing their own Zapotec rugs using traditional colors and symbols.
Can't wait to see the finished products!

Finally, please visit https://www.xmarksthekit.org/ for your very own energy-saving supplies FOR FREE from Duke Energy. You may also call 1-855-386-9548. Students loved the play on Wednesday and learned all about natural resources. All students received information on these kits, but let me know if you need an extra. :-)

Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! 

Upcoming Events

Happy Tuesday, all! Here are a few events of interest:

TODAY @ 7:00pm

"What Testing Teaches us About Learning Differences" Seminar

Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center

First Plaza 1985 Tate Boulevard, Hickory, NC, 28601

TOMORROW Oct. 8 @ 8:00am

"Walk to School Day"

Meet at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church or the YMCA gravel lot by 8:00. 

Tuesday Oct. 14 @6:30pm

"Crash! Bash! Science" 

The Science Center is coming to Oakwood! Buy pizza at 5:15, then stay for a night of PTA, bookfair, and science fun. Childcare available. 

Cereal Box Projects

Happy Monday, everyone! We had the most wonderful day in third grade. Students participated in class, worked well in centers, and had several grade-wide learning opportunities today! This note is about one of them.

Our cereal box social studies projects were officially assigned today. Thank you for sending in your cereal boxes, and extras, so that we could ensure all students had the necessary supplies. Students chose a famous person OR famous event in US history today. They will follow the rubric and research guide to look up facts about this topic and display the information on their cereal box.

• Only the outside  of the box will be decorated.
• List your sources! (books, websites, etc)
• The entire box must be covered! (Make it a "blank canvas")
• DUE Monday October 13

As always, please feel free to call/email me with questions. I can't wait to see our beautiful projects! 

Awesome Ending to the Week!

What a wonderful day! October has started with great listeners, special visitors, and hard-working third graders- what more could we ask? I am so thankful for our class and the community they have established. We are finally becoming a little family! I never doubted them. :-)

We enjoyed our time with Visiting Artist Ms. Hice. This program was made possible by a grant for the Hickory Art Museum and was a wonderful opportunity for our third graders. Please ask to see your child's project! They look amazing and are all unique. You can see more pictures of our artist project HERE!

We also celebrated our first Star Student, Miss Claire! She enjoyed special jobs every day, and we loved having her mom visit today during MIRP. Every Star Student will invite a loved one for "Parent Spotlight." This way someone special can be a part of our classroom for a time, and help or read to us. Can't wait to have you join us!

Oakwood successfully completed fire and "lockdown" drills this week. We are officially prepared for any and all emergencies. :-) Parent conferences have also started rotating through. Thank you so much for your time! I look forward to meeting with each and every one of you.

Coming Up:

• Mon. October 6: Social Studies project assigned in class (due Oct. 13)
• Wed. October 8: "Children's Theatre" Play in Gym, 2:10
• Fri. October 10: Progress Reports home
• Oct. 13-17: Book Fair!
• Tuesday Oct. 21: String Quartet concert in Gym, 1:30
• Oct. 30-31: No school for students

Community Events

Two quick community events that may interest you!

Tomorrow night there is a FREE concert downtown by the Western Piedmont Symphony. This is a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to hear some quality music, as the symphony only offers a few free events per season. Consider swinging by!

PBLRC Parent Session: Patrick Beaver Learning Resource Center offers support sessions for parents on various topics through the year. Tuesday October 7 there will be a meeting about learning differences. If this is a concern for you or a loved one, consider attending. Excellent resources!

Tuesday Oct. 7, 7:00-8:30pm
1985 Tate Blvd. "First Plaza"
First floor conference room

News, News, News

Happy weekend, everyone! Hope everyone is enjoying the extra day off and some quality family time. :-) We had a great week in Room 12, and I am so excited about the growth in our students. Every day truly is better than the day before, and we are starting to look like 3rd graders! Students are settling into our routine, working well in literacy centers, and really embracing our family environment. You can feel the team mentality in the room, which shows me we are growing both socially and emotionally. Love it!

There are lots of updates to share with you:

• Mclass Testing is finished! YAHOO! Life is back to normal. 
• Conferences are being scheduled. If I have not contacted you already, I will do so very soon. Since our testing is finished, we can talk through our data together. 
• Ms. Hice is coming! Every day next week students will spend 1 hour with our visiting artist. 
• Newspapers: We would love some donations for this project.
• Old/Over-sized Shirt: Please bring on Monday for our painting activity!
• Homework is a learning process for our students. This week we will become a little more stringent as we work towards 2nd quarter. Thank you for your support as we build these responsibility skills. :-)

The fun never stops! Thanks for all you do to encourage your child and help them be his/her very best each day. Every effort makes a difference. :-)

Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, families! We had a great week here in Room 12, and I am so very proud of our students. Today was a long day of Ipad testing, but Ms. Hux led the students through Math and Reading so they would have the most normal day possible. We are thankful for her help! Ipad testing will continue through September 25. Our class discussed the need to work as a team during this time so students can learn and teachers can test. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can return to normal days! :-)

Today Mr. Scott Rigsby came to kick off our "Olweus Anti-Bullying Program." We learned about his story and how he has inspired others to believe in themselves. Students also pledged to include others, not bully, and help people who need it. Oakwood is a great place to be!

Progress Reports and BOG scores went home today! Please review the information with your child so we can help them succeed. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns. :-) As soon as Ipad testing is finished, we will schedule parent-teacher conferences to review all the data in person.

Newspapers: If anyone has old newspapers or circulars at home, we will gladly take them off your hands! We are collecting lots of newspaper for an art project in 2 weeks. Thank you!

Coming Up:

• Monday Sept. 22: Iowa Test of Basic Skills for RIF participants
• Thursday Sept. 25: "MClass" testing window closes
• Friday Sept. 26: No school! (Teacher Work Day)
• Sept. 29-Oct. 3: Visiting artist Sigrid Hice visits our class every day this week!

BEST DAY EVER!

I'd like to take a few minutes to brag on our wonderful class! We have dutifully plugged away for four weeks, practicing procedures, group work, routines and more, and today it all came together. We have discussed how amazing things can happen when everyone tries their best at the same time. Each day we grow into more of a team, and today was the best! We saw attentive listeners and active participation in whole group lessons and great teamwork in centers. These may sound like small victories, but every achievement is worth celebrating. :-) Thank you for your support as we continue to build our classroom family. Our team spirit is directly tied to the success of our learning environment, and every effort counts. Yahoo!

To celebrate Constitution Day (and the national anthem's birthday,) we had lots of patriotic activities! To play our "Freeville" game from Social Studies, click the link below. You will also find the Scholastic News resource. Happy learning!

http://constitutioncenter.org/billofrightsgame/
http://sni.scholastic.com/SN3/09_15_14_SN3

Field Trip Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! For today's Field Trip Tuesday, visit the link below. Remember to log in with your Username and Password! Please raise your hand if you have a question. :-)

http://www.mobymax.com/signin 

Centers, Testing and Tickets- Oh my!

Happy Friday, everyone! We have officially survived our third week of third grade. I am so proud of the growth I see in our students, both individually and as a class. Every day is better than the day before. Our listening skills, ability to follow directions, and behaviors in hallways and bathrooms continues to improve and I thank everyone for the time and energy they are devoting to this. It matters!

Successes this week include;

• Conquering the BOG Test on Tuesday, and having a successful learning day that afternoon.
• Running our first week of literacy centers (See pictures below)
• Earning several "whole class" compliments in the hallway
• Making it to Habit #5 in our "7 Habits of Happy Kids" series
• Sorting landforms and water features based on their characteristics
• ...and so much more! 

Please remember that we continue our MClass Literacy tests ("Ipad" testing) for the next two weeks. It is very important that your child is at school and on time so they do not get behind! Thank you for your support as we knock this out as quickly as we can. :-)

Enjoy our pictures below, and have a very happy weekend! 

The Adventure Continues

Happy Friday, everyone! We have successfully made it through the second week of school, and I am so proud of our third graders. We continue to practice routines and procedures, and grow a little more each day. This week's adventures include:

• Place value to the thousand's place
• Numbers in word form and expanded form
• Introducing our Spelling Center in Literacy
• Different types of land forms 
• Google Maps "World Tour" of famous land forms around the globe
• Continued discussion of our "7 Habits of Happy Kids" by Stephen Covey. We are up to Habit #3!
• Our first spelling test!

In other highlights, we discussed the BOG that students will take Tuesday September 9. (Next week) We used a practice activity to learn what the test will look like and feel like, in hopes that everyone will feel more comfortable on test day. From bubbling answers to using the text to help us, we covered it all! 

Please also remember that our MClass testing window is now open. Students may know this as "iPad testing." :-) It is very important that students are well-rested and in attendance each day so teachers can complete testing by September 25. There are several different literacy assessments to take, and we want everyone to try their very best! 

Have a happy, restful weekend!!