Our New Unit

Can you believe we are already on Unit 5 this week? It seems like this school year is flying by in front of our eyes!

Our new unit is called Communities Across Time. If you check out your child's Edmodo account (www.edmodo.com) you will see there is a poll asking if the students think their community has changed over time. We will have fun seeing what they say and using this unit as a social studies extension to research how Tallahassee and the Lake Jackson area has changed over time.

As we are all aware, FCAT is coming soon! We have completed a lot of FCAT practice together in class in both the whole class setting and in small groups settings during center time. We are now moving into more independent work with FCAT to really begin preparing for the test to come. Expect some FCAT practice pages to come home for homework, and even a few to be posted on Edmodo. We will begin taking an FCAT Practice test every Wednesday for a grade. Please be on the lookout for these to come home in the Monday Folders. Please look over these and go over them with your child. The graded tests will help give you an insight as to what types of questions your child may be struggling with, and can help you pinpoint skills you may want to work on with your child at home.

Phases of the Moon

We have just begun our new story for the week (Unit 4 Lesson 3) titled "The Moon Seems to Change." We are learning all about the phases of the moon in both reading and science class! Check out these links to some cool interactive moon websites!

• Kids Astronomy
• National Geographic: Quiz Your Noodle
• How to Make Moon Cookies
• NASA: Why We See One Side of the Moon

Our comprehension skill this week is comparing and contrasting. Here is a link to a compare and contrast game: http://harcourtschool.com/activity/trophies/rsr/build1/RR_e_4_9.htm

Take a look at the moon tonight. Can you tell the current moon phase?

Our Spelling Test Surprise!

Mrs. Owen surprised the class with a special bonus word on Friday's spelling test. When the class heard the word "baby" for number 18, they all proclaimed, "That's easy!" However, when they heard the sentence to follow, they all froze. "Mrs. Owen is going to have a baby."

The room quickly filled with questions. "For real?", "Is it a boy or a girl?", "Are you going to bring it to school?", "Are we going to have a sub?"

So, let me address all of those burning questions! Yes, it is for real. Mr. Owen and I are expecting our first child. The baby is due July 18th. We will hopefully find out if it is a boy or girl at our next doctor's appointment in February, if Baby Owen will cooperate! Hopefully, there will be no need for a sub, since the baby is not due until we are on summer vacation. I told the kids I would bring him/her to school to visit, but we will have to stop by their FOURTH GRADE classes next school year!

I must say, the highlight of my day was some of the "advice" the students offered. I was told I was going to be grouchy and that I need to really get my rest. I overheard one child tell another student in his class, "We really need to take care of Mrs. Owen, now." I was told by several I need to eat... A LOT! Some of the "mother hens" of the class were planning my baby shower during recess! (They had some very interesting ideas!) A few students have named themselves uncles and aunts, and one so honestly said, "I noticed your belly had gotten bigger, but I just thought you were eating too many cheeseburgers!"

You have to love third graders!

Tech-get-ti Dinner

Don't forget our Tech-get-ti Dinner is being held at Springwood from 6pm to 8pm Tuesday, January 18th. Tickets are on sale NOW! Pre-sale tickets are $6 per person, or a special family price of $25 (for up to 6 people.) Tickets at the door will be slightly higher: $8 per person, or $30 family price.

Come join us for some yummy Olive Garden and Pepsi products, and help Springwood earn money to bring more technology into your children's classrooms!

Reminder!

Don't Forget!

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK PACKETS ARE DUE THIS FRIDAY!

If your child misplaced his/her packet, please let me know immediately so I can get him/her another one ASAP. 

Thanks!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back! I hope your break was relaxing and filled with great memorable holiday activities! I am ready to start 2011 with a bang, and I hope you are too!

Before we left for break, there were A LOT of things going on in our classroom! Thanks to those parents who cooked for our holiday breakfast and to those who volunteered in our classroom the last week of school, whether it was stopping by to see if we needed any help, chaperoning our field trip, or helping keep the children fed and drinks poured during our big breakfast. Your help was greatly appreciated!

Please view the slideshow of some pictures from these great activities we took part in before we left. There are a few from Challenger, the spelling bee, our breakfast, and one of us singing Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer to our Little Buddies.

A special congratulations to Symone Hunter, our first place class spelling bee winner, and Justin Stubbins, our second place class spelling bee winner. They went on to the school competition and were wonderful representatives for our class! Great job!

This free digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Holiday Happenings

Parents,

Please be sure to check the calendar on the left hand side of the screen for information about the many activities we have next week. We are going to be VERY busy with lots of holiday fun before we leave for break!

A few reminders: 

• Please remember to send a packed lunch with your child on Monday for the Challenger field trip.
• It's going to be a cold day Monday and we will be out and about in the frigid weather. Be sure to bundle up your child for the field trip!
• Don't forget to send in the breakfast items you signed up for Thursday morning. Be on the lookout for a reminder in the agenda book at the beginning of next week.
• On Friday, we are dressing in holiday attire for Reindeer Day. We want to really ham this up, as we are going to go caroling to our Little Buddies' classroom. We hope to surprise them! 

Finally, Mrs. Williams and I are compiling a holiday packet that will be due when we get back from break. We want to make sure the skills your children have been learning thus far in class stick with them when they return to school in January. In addition to the packet, please be sure to be working on multiplication facts with your children (flash cards are great at home and on the road) and to always have a good supply of books with your child to help build comprehension and fluency skills. The public library is a great holiday "field trip" to take your child on, as they are able to not only check out literature there, but also have full computer access (FCAT Explorer, Go Math, and Imagine It games/old tests.)

Stay tuned for updates and reminders within the next week. Pictures will be posted of all our exciting activities! 

Happy Holidays!