Off to a Great Start

Off to a Great Start

It's only been a few days of school, but we are off to a great start! I am impressed by this group of students. It's going to be a great year!

Save the Dates!

Back to School Night- Tuesday, August 30th

• 6:00pm-6:45pm    Kinder-3rd Grade Classroom Presentations
• 6:45pm-7:15pm    Principal's Message
• 7:15pm-8:00pm    4th-6th Grade Classroom Presentations
• 8:00pm-8:30pm    6th Grade Outdoor School Information in MPR

Movie Night -  Friday, September 9 @6pm
Picture Day - Friday, September 16
Run for Rio- Sunday, October 2 
Harvest Festival - Friday, October 14 @ 5-9pm

Reading:

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 

The Third Graders are in the middle of reading Charlotte's Web. This classic will be our inspiration for the first set of Third Grade reading and writing standards. The students will write a letter to a character in the book, Mr. Zuckerman, persuading him to save Wilbur the Pig. We will also focus on character and plot development, along with the many enriching vocabulary words and thought provoking reading comprehension.

Math: 
Rhymes 'n' Times is a multi-sensory multiplication program we are using in Basic Skills to help students conquer their multiplication facts. Ask your child about the silly rhymes. Students came home with a booklet of rhymes today. They will need to save this booklet for the year so they can refer to it at home. 

4 x 7              28 Spiders are Webbin’   

7 x 8              Golly Gee, 56 Dollars- All for Me!

6 x 6              36 Lollipop Licks

7 x 7              Bugs in a Line, Creeping and Crawling- All 49

9 x                 Use your fingers...

3 x 6              Pick up 18 Sticks

4 x 6              Count Those 24 Kicks

8 x 8              Clips Fell on the Floor, Pick Them Up- All 64

3 x 7              Spin 21 Tops, Watch Them All- Till Each One Drops

0                    Zero Is Always the Hero

1x                   The “other number” is always the answer.

2x                  Count by two’s when multiplying by 2!

5x                  Count by five’s when multiplying by 5!

3 x 3              9 Cuts on My Knee

4 x 8              Bubbles are Fun, Pop 32- Then You Are Done

3 x 8              24 Flies on My Plate

4 x 4              I Heard You Snore, 16 Times and Not 1 More

3 x 4              12 Knocks on the Door

6 x 7              Rings for You, Put Them on-All 42

Writing: Writer's Workshop is well underway and students have been having a lot of fun learning about what writers do to "gather" ideas for writing true stories. Students have gathered ideas by recalling "first times" in their lives, writing about moments they experienced strong emotions such as sadness, happiness, embarrassment, and fear. They also generated ideas based on things they love. This week they will choose two of their ideas to take to a quick write, share those quick writes with partners, and then select one of those ideas to begin drafting their stories. We love the ownership this process gives them in their writing. One student told us that, "I feel like Writer's Workshop is like our own secret club!" It's so wonderful to hear that kids call out, "Yay!" when we announce it's time for writing. They have been so open and willing to share their ideas for writing as well (and boy did we hear about some VERY embarrassing moments). It's really a happy time in our classrooms.

Accelerated Reader 

Each student has been assigned an "AR Goal." The goals were calculated according to each student's performance on the computerized AR star test.  The Accelerated Reader program ("AR") is a computerized program that tests reading comprehension. Students select books on their reading level, read independently, and take an independent comprehension test on a school computer. Each book is worth a certain number of points based on its length and reading level. Students get a percentage of these points based on how many of the test questions they get right. The program tracks their progress over the course of the school year. You may track your student’s progress inHome Connect. Here is a link to the Parent's Guide to AR. Accelerated Reader Hopefully, this will answer your questions.

PVUSD requires teachers set AR goals for students starting in 3rd grade.

The goal dates are as follows:

 Sept. 23- Nov. 10

Nov.11- Mar. 8

Mar.9- June 9