Healthy Food Feast Update

Good Afternoon Everyone-

In your child's binder this evening there will be a "formal" invitation to our feast on Wednesday.   We will begin at 11:00 with the children explaining the food they selected and their review.  We will then enjoy the delicious food that is brought in.  I have paper plates, napkins, forks, and spoons already purchased.  I will pick up some insulated cups as a couple of the children indicated they will be bringing soup and chili.  If your child is bringing in food, please plan on enough food for 6-8 people.  Also, please include serving utensils if needed.

I hope you will be able to join us for this fun class celebration.  If you have any further questions, please let me know.

Mrs. DiNardo

Success in the Savanna

Dear Parents,

The excitement surrounding the holidays continues to build. Tuesday’s brass rubbings, mosaics, and holiday crafts were a lot of fun for everyone.  A special thank you to Jennifer Colwell for lending a hand with the mosaics.  The holiday excitement extended into Wednesday when we were treated to the sounds of the season by the 4^th Grade band, orchestra and chorus with their annual holiday concert. This gave the kids a small taste of the music programs they can participate in next year.  We ended the week with the 5^th graders sharing their music with us.  What a lovely way to end the week.

Even with the excitement of the coming break, we have been able to continue our study of Ancient Greece in Social Studies, rounding and comparing numbers in Math, and healthy foods in Health.  As you know,

On Wednesday December 21st we will be having a “Healthy Food Celebration.”  This is a class luncheon with the foods the children would like to make and bring in to share with their classmates.  It is fun to see the pride the children take in presenting their dish and talking about how they created it.  If your child will be bringing in their dish to share with the class, please bring enough food for 6-8 people.  If you are able to join us for this special lunch, please let me know.

I appreciate those of you who have let me know about your children’s concerts and performances. While I can’t always make them all, I do like the opportunity to talk to the children about their outside interests.  I know that Friday Night basketball has begun, and would like to have team schedules.  If your son or daughter is playing this winter, please forward me their schedule. 

Last week the children brought home information about this year’s Gratitude Baggie project.  This year the children are being asked to count the amount of different foods in the house, and donate change to reflect the number of these items in your home.  This year all monies collected are going to be used in two different ways.  First, some of the monies will go Heifer International to purchase animals for communities around the world.  Other monies will stay closer to home with a donation to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.  During this time of giving, please consider participating in this worthy project. 

Below are a couple of important dates to put on your calendars;

        

         Wednesday, December 21^st- Healthy Food Feast 11:00 am

         Friday, December 23 – Monday, January 2 - Winter Break

         Tuesday, January 3- School Reopens

        

I hope the weekend is fun for everyone. 

                                                               Sincerely,

                                                               Mrs. DiNardo

Healthy Food Feast Project

Good Afternoon Everyone-

With all good intentions I had planned to hand out the Healthy Food Project this afternoon.  Our afternoon got away from me and the paper did not make it into your child's binder.  I will have the papers to the children on Monday morning.  Sorry for any confusion this might cause.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Mrs. D.

12-9-11 Savanna

Dear Parents,

We are at the end of another good week of learning.  As you may know, we are finishing up several different units of study, which has meant a good amount of review in class.  In Science the children demonstrated their understanding of ecosystems as they created pictures of different forests and deserts as part of their review for the test today.  In math we finished our mini-unit on angles on Friday and will move into a review of rounding next week.  In Health we are moving through the unit on our body, and will begin our study of healthy foods next week.  This is a fun unit for the children as we learn about the food plate (formerly known as the food pyramid) and healthy food choices.  Coming home today will be information about the healthy food project. This project is intended to be fun and a way for the children to become aware of what they are eating.  I am excited to see all the yummy foods they choose to try.  As you can see, we have covered a lot this week.

We are in need of several different volunteers. As you know, we will be having the London Brass Rubbing Centre coming to demonstrate the art of Brass Rubbing to the children on Tuesday, December 13th.  This is a long-standing tradition for the third grade and we will need extra hands to help the children with the rubbings.  The program will begin at 9:30 with a 30-minute explanation of the art of brass rubbing and who would have had a rubbing made for them.  From 10-11:30 all the children will have an opportunity to make their rubbing as well as complete several other craft projects.  If you can lend a hand for all or part of this special project, please let me know.   Thank you for considering volunteering during this busy time of the year.

Outside of the classroom Tuckahoe is participating in the Gratitude Bag project again this year.  The children are being asked to donate to help those in our community who do not have enough to eat.  I would like to encourage everyone to participate in this worthwhile holiday project.  If you have any questions about this, please let me know or refer to the flyer in the Friday Folder. 

Below are a couple of important dates to put on your calendars;

         Tuesday December 13^th- London Brass Rubbings

Wednesday December 14^th- Holiday Concert

                  Wednesday December 21st-Healthy Food Feast/Early Release

Friday December 23^rd-Friday December 30th- Winter Break

                  Tuesday January 3rd- School Reopens

         Have a nice weekend.

                                                               Sincerely,

                                                               Mrs. DiNardo

Housekeeping Matters

I have a couple of quick housekeeping matters to bring to your attention:

1. The London Brass Rubbing Centre will be visiting the third grade on Tuesday December 13^th. There is a $7.00 fee for this visit.  If you have not sent in your child's money,  please send in either cash or a check (made payable to Tuckahoe Elementary School) no later than Monday December 12^th.  We will need volunteers to help us on the morning of the 13th as well.  The Brass Rubbing Centre will give a 30 minute overview of the art of brass rubbing from 9:30-10 if you are interested in learning about this form of art.  We will then need many hands assisting the children with their rubbings.  If you can help anytime between 10-12 please let me know. 

2. In an effort to lighten homework for this evening, I gave the children an opportunity to complete their Math homework in class today.  

3. There was a learning lunch this afternoon to go over the material that will be covered on the Science test.  I was pleased to see some new faces at this review.

Please be sure to watch this space for the "Success in the Savanna" newsletter tomorrow.  

Mrs. D.

Science Test Friday 12/9/11

Just wanted to make sure you were aware that there will be a test in Science this coming Friday, December 9th.  The test will cover what the children have been learning in Unit B.  We have covered environments, and ecosystems.  The children will need to know the differences in each ecosystem as well as vocabulary.  They may begin looking back over their textbook, graphic organizer as well as the workbook packet in their Science pocket of their binder.  Please note that not all the pages in the workbook packet have been completed.  We will use these as review in the class as well.

If you should have any questions about the test, please let me know.

Thanks-

Mrs. D.

12-2-11 Savanna

Dear Parents,

         I hope that you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends.  Now we turn our sights to the upcoming holidays and a well deserved break.  Before then we do have a lot of learning and activities ahead of us!

As you may have heard from your child, we are currently studying ecosystems in Science.  So far we have been learning about forest ecosystems.  We will continue next week with desert and water habitats.  Expect a chapter test on these towards the end of next week or early the following week.  We have finished our unit on word problems in math and now will have a mini-unit on geometry prior to the holiday break.. Our study of Ancient Greece began in Social Studies.  The children learn about daily life, sports, and art in this civilization.  All in all there is lots of learning going on in our classroom.

In addition to all the content focus, we also have a couple of fun projects planned for this month as well.  On Tuesday December 13^th members from the London Brass Rubbing Centre will be coming to Tuckahoe to teach the Third Grade about the art of brass rubbing.  The children will have an opportunity to learn about this ancient craft, and create their own rubbing to take home.  We will need volunteers to help with this project as well.  If you would be able to assist us between 9-12 on the 13^th, please let me know.    In addition to the Brass Rubbing we will also celebrate the holiday season with our Healthy Food Feast on Wednesday December 21^st.  More about this project will be coming home with your child next week. 

With a busy month in front of us, here are a few important dates to put on your calendars.

Tuesday December 13th- London Brass Rubbings (More information to follow)

Wednesday December 14^th- Holiday Concert

         Wednesday December 21st-Healthy Food Fest/Early Release

Friday December 23^rd-Friday December 30th- Winter Break

         Monday January 2nd- School Reopens

         One last request, please forward me any basketball schedules as you get them.  I would like to be able to take in a game or two during the coming season.  I appreciate your taking the time to review all the material that came home today.  I also want to thank you for all you do to help your child come to school ready to learn each day. If you have any questions, please let me know.

                                                               Sincerely,

                                                               Mrs. DiNardo

Success in the Savanna

Dear Parents,

        

As we close out this week I want to thank Lindy Hardy, Chris Cook, Linda Gilbert and Cee Olshefski for joining us at the Outdoor Lab on Tuesday.  The children enjoyed the day in the woods and learning about different simple machines.  Seeing the various animals in the lab after lunch was also fun for the kids.  Overall, it was a fun day of learning for everyone.

The first report cards of the year came home with your child today.  Please take a few minutes to go over this document with them during the weekend.  As I have told the children, this is a snapshot of where they are academically today. This snapshot has the ability to change all the time.  I have also told the kids, the most important grade, to me, on this report is their work and effort grade.  Please remember that an “S” and a “C” indicate that your child is doing work at grade level.  The blue card included in the envelope goes into further detail about the Arlington County grading policy.  Please sign and return the blue card and the white comment sheet in the envelope by Tuesday, November 22^nd.

There are also a couple of housekeeping items this week.  First, as of this week I will be posting this document on my blog.  I would like to use the blog as the primary form of delivery after the Thanksgiving break.  You may access my blog through the main Tuckahoe website by going to the classroom tab, choosing third grade and then selecting my classroom website.  Second, I know that the basketball season is quickly approaching.  If any of your children are playing on a team please send me their schedule, as they become available.  I enjoy going to the games on Friday evenings.

Below are a few important dates to put on your calendars.

        

Wed., Nov. 23-Fri., Nov. 25- Thanksgiving Break- No School

Tues, Dec. 13- London Brass Rubbing (more details to follow)

Wed., Dec. 21-Early Release

Fri., Dec. 23-Fri., Dec. 30- Holiday Break- No School

Mon., January 3, 2012- School Reopens

         I hope you and your families enjoy the holiday break and the time together.  I want you all to know how thankful I am to be your child’s teacher.   Each child has touched my heart in a special and unique way. I am grateful to be part of their lives.  To all of you, thank you for sharing them with me each day.

Mrs. D.

Science Test and Project

Good Afternoon Everyone-

I wanted to give you a heads up that the children will be having a Science Test on Monday.  The test will cover the information in Unit A Chapter Two of the Science Textbook.  The children should review the reading, look over the graphic organizer as well as all the workbook pages.  I will hold a learning lunch on Monday to go over the information one last time prior to the test.  I am confident that with some review this long weekend the children will do fine on the test.

I am also ending home instructions for an animal diorama project.  Please go over the information with your child tonight and help them to pace out their work.  We talked about the need to do a little bit each night so it all isn't left for the last day.

As always I appreciate all your help and support.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks-

Mrs. D

Veteran's Day Service Project Reminder

Dear Students and Parents-

Just a reminder that on Wednesday we will be putting together our care packages for the veteran’s in Mrs. Angerthal’s husband’s unit in Afghanistan.  Please remember to bring in any donations from the list provided to you last week.  For a full list of requested items you can go to www.give2thetroops.org for suggestions.

Parents, if you have time available to lend a hand with this project, please let your child’s teacher know.  We will need help filling out customs forms and sealing our packages. 

As always, we appreciate your attention and consideration.

Mrs. D.

FASTT MATH

Fastt Math will be cancelled again today.

FASTT MATH

Fastt Math practice is cancelled this morning.

A Couple of Housekeeping Items

Good Afternoon Everyone-

I have a couple of housekeeping items I would like to bring to your attention:

1. The Social Studies Quiz that came home with your child today is their study guide for the test on Wednesday.  The children should also review all the loose handouts/maps in their Social Studies pocket in their binder as well as their Social Studies Notebooks.

2. The Health homework for tonight is left over classwork from this morning.  The children only need to write down the answers to questions 1-22.  The word bank at the top of the page are the words needed to complete number 1-17.

3. Please remind your child that it is their responsibility to complete their homework each night and bring it to class prepared to either hand it in or have it checked and reviewed.  We have had some slips with this the past couple of weeks and I think a bit of double checking at home would help.  Thanks.

4. If your child has an enrichment class to attend please send in a note with the dates of the class and the location.  This will help me know where to dismiss your child without any confusion. 

5. Lynn Cook (Charlotte's mom) is organizing our Halloween Party on Monday, October 31st.  Your help with this is needed and appreciated.  The children will participate in the annual Halloween Parade on Monday at 2pm.  We could use a couple of parents to help us patrol the bathrooms as the children change.  The party after the parade will be in our class.  If you can help with paper goods, a small snack/treat, drinks or a game please contact Lynn (lynn.cook@towerswatson.com) to let her know what you can do to help.  This is a fun afternoon.  I hope you will be able to join us.

I think that is all for now.  I hope everyone's evenings go well.

Mrs. D.

Social Studies Test Update

Good Afternoon Everyone!


I know you were all looking forward to the Social Studies study guide and the test this week. (wink, wink, nod, nod).  We have been moving at a slightly slower pace than I anticipated last week and were not ready to test out this unit this week.

I am having the children take a "study guide" quiz today in class.  This will be a check for them to see how much of the material they know.  I will look all the quizzes over this weekend and return them to the children on Monday.  We will do a big review of Maps and Globes in class on Monday, Learning Lunch on Tuesday and will have our unit test on Wednesday.  The children will also bring home the notebook they have been keeping all their class work in to help with studying.  Should you wish to take the test as well, just let me know!  ;  )

Hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.

Mrs. D.

Upcoming Math Test

Good Afternoon Everyone-

As you will see in your child's assignment notebook, we will be having our first math test this Friday, October 14th.  This test will cover all the material in the first unit of the Math textbook.  This includes: place value, greater than less than, word form, standard form, expanded form, and proof drawings (better known as picture form).  In addition the unit includes multi-digit addition and subtraction.  We did a review in class this morning and the children all demonstrated a good command of these learning essentials.

To prepare for the test I have told the children to go over the unit in their math books, look through their math notebooks, and to go over homework and classwork papers.  Any additional help you can lend at home will be helpful as well.

If you have any additional questions, please drop me an e-mail.  Thanks-

Mrs. D

Parent Teacher Conferences

Good Morning Everyone!

Your child will be bringing home their Parent Teacher Conference form this afternoon.  Please note the date and time that is listed on the form.  I tried to keep as close to the time you requested at Back to School Night as possible.

Please confirm your meeting time by signing the bottom of the sheet, and returning the lower portion to me as soon as possible.  Thank you all for your patience as I arranged these meeting times.

Hope everyone stays dry today.


Mrs. D.

Expeditions Tomorrow 9-23-11

A friendly reminder that tomorrow our class will participate in Expeditions.  As these are outside activities that happen rain or shine, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.  Thanks in advance for your help with this request.

Mrs. D.

Many Thanks

I wanted to thank all of you who came to Back to School Night last evening.  I appreciate your taking time out of your evening to come and hear a bit more about what Third Grade is all about.  I hope I was able to answer questions you may have had and share a sense of what will be expected of your children in the coming months.

I will be putting together the final Parent Teacher Conference schedule and will have these out to you as soon as possible.  This meeting will be an opportunity for you to share more about your child with me as well as to discuss any other specific questions you may have.  Also know I am available through email, and phone calls throughout the year.

I look forward to working with you and your child this year.  It is an exciting year and I am confident it will be a successful one for everyone.

Thanks again for coming last night and sharing your children with me each day.

Mrs. D.

Back to School Night

This is a reminder that Back to School Night is this coming Wednesday, September 21st at 7:00pm.  We will begin the evening in the gym with words of Welcome and Introduction by Mrs. Brown.  There will be some quick PTA business and then you will be encouraged attend the information sessions in your child's classroom.  There will be two session during the evening to allow you to go to multiple classes if necessary.

As you know, parking will be very tight.  Our neighbors Bishop O'Connell High School has graciously offered the use of their parking lot for our use on Wednesday.

I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening and sharing some of the great things in store for your child this year.

Mrs. D.