Week of May 20th, 2017-18

Reminders for the Week

Ramadan Kareem!

Parents, please inform your classroom teacher if your child will be fasting so we can make any necessary arrangements to make sure they are comfortable. It is helpful to know if they fast for the whole or part of the day at school, food and water?

Letter to parents regarding soccer sportsmanship

Dear Parents of Third Grade,

Last weekend your child may have received access to a slideshow titled ‘Worst Soccer Players in Third Grade’, containing negative language about students in the grade level. One of our Core Values is ‘Respect’ and we expect students to use positive language with one another in and outside of school. 

We want to make you aware of this situation, and if you feel the need, have a discussion about digital citizenship with your child. We will be having a meeting with all of the soccer players in the grade level to reinforce the Core Values and discuss sportsmanship. Thank you for continued support of our students learning.

Sincerely,


Third Grade Team

We look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow at Student Led Conferences

TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Express positive interest and anticipation about the upcoming conference.
• Be on time.
• Listen and respond to the student (not the teacher).
• Express pride in growth and progress.
• Ask questions (see below for samples).
• Be positive, offering to help in areas where improvement is needed.
• Recognize that students need to develop independence in communicating progress – the teacher will be there to facilitate and answer specific questions but will not take charge of the conference.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE CONFERENCE

• Can you explain this to me?
• How did you come up with this idea?
• How have you grown in this area?
• How can you improve in this area?
• How can we help you at home?
• What was important to you about this?
• If you could do this work over again, how would you change it?
• What future goals do you have as a student?

Drama Class Performance

Grades 3 - 5 have been hard at work, writing their own scripts. They have asked me to invite you to their final class performances. Please note, Drama class performances are not a typical performance, as it is a part of their classwork. They are very proud of their work, as am I. Please find the schedule below:

5K - 8:15 - 9 on May 27th

3W - 9:15 - 10 on May 27th

5O - 8:15 - 9 on May 28th

3D - 9:15 -10 on May 28th

4F - 2:15 - 3 on May 28th

3H - 8:15 - 9 on May 30th

5J - 10 - 10:40 on May 30th

4M - 2:15 - 3 on May 30th

5G - 10 - 10:40 on May 31st

4D - 11:15 - 12 on May 31st

3C - 1 - 1:45 on May 31st

Thank you for your continued support,

Ms. Dolly

Guidance Update - Flipping Your Lid!  - A Tool for Managing Stress

The end of the school year is a busy and exciting time! It’s also a time that invites strong emotions and stress. End of year celebrations, final project deadlines, saying goodbye to those moving on, transitions to new school divisions  or even to new schools, are only some of the events during this time that can lend themselves to complete meltdowns. It’s important to be mindful of this and prepared so we can use these times as opportunities to teach our children how to cope effectively during times of stress.  

During Gudiance we are teaching the students about their brains and how the brain functions when we are experiencing stress. The students were introduced to the following lesson, “Brain in the Palm of Your Hand - Flipping Your Lid and Finding it Again- ”. The concept of “Flipping Your Lid,” is very visual. We use the “flipped lid” signal to help the children acknowledge their feelings and the need to calm down when they are starting to feel stressed or angry.

We are providing you with the lesson (see link above) so you can use  the same signal and the same language at home with your family! The following video is also very helpful for understanding the concept of a “flipped lid”.

Why Do We Lose Control of Our Emotions?

READING

This week, third grade readers will be reminded that paying attention to characters in general and their motivations and struggles in particular, can deepen our reading understanding. Students will ask questions to determine characters’ motivations and will expect the story to go in a predictable way once the main character sets himself/herself in motion to reach a goal. The character is expected to face difficulties and ends up struggling to achieve that goal. Students will notice the character’s attitude and will learn that people’s reactions when confronted with challenges can teach readers not only about the person, but also a life lesson.

WRITING
This week in our Editorial writing unit we are reminded that as we publish our editorials we need to continue to check and make better our writing. We need to remember all the things we have learned about what makes a good editorial.

MATH

This week our third grade mathematicians will review concepts learned and strategies practiced throughout the module and complete their end of module assessment.

They will start the week sharing and critiquing various problem solving strategies and evaluate each other’s math work for accuracy and efficiency. We will go through word problems together as a class and examine different ways students could come to a solution. This will continue to support students in understanding that there are many routes one can take to find the solution when problem solving.

We encourage students to review their module 7 problem sets and homework prior to the end of module assessment at the end of the week and, as always, to read questions carefully, review their work for accuracy and completeness, and to check their solutions for reasonableness.

SCIENCE

This week third grade scientists will review the data they collected to answer their group's question. If they haven't been able to answer their question they will look at why and what they could do differently. Do they need to change their question or their method of recording data? 

The group will then decide how they want to present their findings whether it's on a poster or power point and then put the presentation together.