Savanna 3-28-14

Dear Parents:

         Ahhh…..the smell of chlorine in the morning!  Our “air freshener” this week signals another successful week in the Yorktown pool.  The children all enjoyed their time in the pool and came back to class chattering about the water polo game, jumping off the diving board for the first time, and generally about how much fun they had had. 

Even with swimming in the morning we have been able to complete our unit on Mali, learn about equivalent fractions, discuss weathering, erosion, and phases of the moon in Science.  In addition, we have written letters back to our pen pals and fit in a couple of grammar lessons. The learning doesn’t stop.

It is hard to believe we are finishing up the third quarter of the year.  As we move into the final weeks of third grade I would like to take a minute and remind everyone that we need to continue to put forth our best effort each day.  Keeping up with assignments, participating in class discussions, remembering both classroom and school rules remain as important now as they have been all year long.  I am looking forward to a great quarter from everyone.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who donated a book from my “Wish List” to our class library.  The Book Fair was a big success, and I appreciate your generosity and support of reading in our classroom. 

I hope you enjoy the weekend.

UPCOMING EVENTS

                        Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm

                        Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures

                        Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued

                        Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break

Savanna- March 21, 2014

Dear Parents:

         Thank you so much for coming to the Recorder Concert yesterday.  The children did such a wonderful job and I know Ms. Jugdersuren was thrilled with the turn out as well as the children’s performance. It was a lovely way to celebrate Arts in the School Month.    

Academically we continue to move ahead.  Even with the snow day on Monday, we have been able to continue our work with fractions, learning about Mali, and discussing the phases of the moon. There will be a test on Mali next Wednesday.  The children have most of the materials they need for this in their Social Studies composition books as well as their binders. 

We spent time on Wednesday discussing how hard it has been to get back learning.  The children all shared that the snow days have made it difficult to get focused on school work, that they have become used to staying up a bit later than usual, and that they all become used to playing….A LOT!  It was a great discussion and as a wrap up everyone thought about two things they could do to help themselves get back into the school routine.  Most of the suggestions included getting more sleep, and remembering that focus on what is happening in the classroom rather than what happened on the snow days is important.  Your help at home with these reminders is most appreciated.

As I mentioned last week, the Book Fair and Young Author’s Night will be held next week.  Young Author’s night will be held on Wednesday evening March 26^th from 6:30PM – 8:30PM.  The event offers children in grades K-5 the opportunity to read from their original work for an audience of friends and parents.  There is still time to sign up your child.  Please go to:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E48ACA82CA75-young.  Contact Maggie Debelius (madebelius@yahoo.com) with questions.

With the spring sports starting up, I would like to ask for soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and softball schedules.  I know games are a couple of weeks away, but I would appreciate schedules when you get them.  Lastly, please be sure to look over the upcoming activities and mark your calendars accordingly.

Finally, we will be swimming next week at Yorktown Pool.  The children will need to bring a bathing suit, towel cap and goggles (if they have them) each day in a separate bag.  As we will be leaving at 9:30 am, the children can wear their suits under their school clothes if they wish.  Please be sure to pack underwear in their bag if they wear their suit under their clothes. Everyone will take a swim test on Monday, and then will be broken into groups according to skill level for the remainder of the week.  

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

UPCOMING EVENTS

                        Mon. March 24-Fri. March 28- Swimming- Yorktown Pool

                        Mon. March 24- Fri. March 28- Book Fair              

                        Wed. March 26- Young Author’s Night

                        Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm

                        Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures

                        Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued

                        Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break

                                                                       

Savanna 3-14-14

Dear Parents:

         Thank you so much for coming to see our annual Wax Museum.  The children all did a great job researching, writing, and presenting their famous American.  It was great to see them interacting with all the visitors and sharing what they had learned.  There is another opportunity for you to come and support your child next Thursday, March 20^th. Under the direction of Ms. Jugdersuren, the children will perform the songs they have learned on the recorder.  This event will be held in the gym between 10:10 and 10:50.  We hope you will be able to join us for this music performance.

Academically we are moving along.  To wrap up our study of matter the children enjoyed making Gak and Flubber and wondering how solids and liquids react to make such interesting polymers.  We will move onto force and motion next week.  In Social Studies we began learning about the county of Mail.  This will be a short unit and the children should expect a test within the next week or so.  In Math we are exploring fractions and how things can be divided into equal parts. We continue to work on our writing skills in Language Arts, as well as building our vocabularies. 

As you know our annual Book Fair and Young Author’s Night will be held the week of March 24-28.  Young Author’s night will be held on Wednesday evening March 26^th from 6:30PM – 8:30PM.  The event offers children in grades K-5 the opportunity to read from their original work for an audience of friends and parents.  To sign up your child, please go to:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E48ACA82CA75-young.  Contact Maggie Debelius (madebelius@yahoo.com) with questions.

With the spring sports starting up, I would like to ask for soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and softball schedules.  I know games are a couple of weeks away, but I would appreciate schedules when you get them.  Lastly, please be sure to look over the upcoming activities and mark your calendars accordingly.

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

UPCOMING EVENTS

            Fri. March 14- Tuckahoe vs Glebe Basketball Game- WL Gym

                        Thurs. March 20- Recorder Concert- 10:10-10:50

                        Mon. March 24-Fri. March 28- Swimming- Yorktown Pool

                        Mon. March 24- Fri. March 28- Book Fair                         Wed. March 26- Young Author’s Night

                        Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm

                        Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures

                        Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued

                        Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break

                                                                       

3-7-14 Savanna

Dear Parents-

I have enjoyed meeting with everyone this week to discuss your child’s progress to date.  Overall, I am quite please with where the children are in their learning and am excited to see them all continue to grow as we finish out the year.

As you may know, the Superintendent released the revised make-up schedule for the remainder of the year yesterday.  All remaining Wednesday’s with the exception of June 4^th will now be full days of school.  Please make sure to note these changes on your home calendars.  Let us keep our fingers crossed that there is no more inclement weather from here on out.

All the children will be going to Yorktown pool for their week of swim instruction the week of March 24-26.  Permission slips have gone home, and I would like to ask that they are signed and returned no later than Wednesday, March 13^th.  Your help with this is greatly appreciated.

The Wax Museum will take place on Wednesday March 12^th from 11-12.  The children have worked very hard on this project and are excited to share what they have learned with their audience.  We hope you will be able to join us for this third grade tradition. 

A final thank you to everyone who attended the Auction on Saturday evening.  The event was a huge success for the PTA and we (the Third Grade Teachers) are excited for our Mini-Golf Outing with the winners of our auction item.

Below are some additional dates you may wish to put on your calendars.

                        Sun. March 9- Turn Clock Ahead- Daylight Savings Time

Wed. March 12- Wax Museum- 11-12 noon

Fri. March 14- Tuckahoe vs Glebe Basketball Game- WL Gym

                        Thurs. March 20- Recorder Concert- 10:10-10:55

                        Mon. March 24-Fri. March 28- Swimming- Yorktown Pool

                        Mon. March 24- Fri. March 28- Book Fair- Volunteers Needed

                        Wed. March 26- Young Author’s Night

                        Wed. April 2- DessArt Night- 7:00pm

                        Thurs. April 3- Spring Pictures

                        Fri. April 11- Third Quarter Report Cards Issued

                        Mon. April 14-Fri. April 18- Spring Break

I hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend.  I look forward to getting back into our “normal” routine on Monday.

Mrs. D.

Wax Museum Update

Good Morning Everyone!

Due to weather conditions, the third grade teaching team has decided that it is necessary to postpone our Wax Museum originally scheduled for Wed., March 5.  This will allow students and teachers appropriate time to practice and prepare for the event.  We tentatively are planning the event for next Wed., March 12, from 11 to noon.  However, please allow us the opportunity to meet once school reconvenes to confirm that this date/time works with the Tuckahoe master schedule.

Please make sure your child has their notecards, and their books with them tomorrow.  We will begin to practice in class to get ready for next week.

Thank you for all your patience this winter.  It has been a bit of a challenge to keep to a "normal" schedule for us all.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will be the last event we will have to reschedule.

Mrs. D.

Savana 2-28-14

Dear Parents:

         WOW!! Can you believe we made it through an entire week without any delays or cancelations?  It was such a treat to watch the snow falling from our windows both Tuesday and Wednesday. The snow made Tuckahoe Park look magical. We were able to turn it into a learning lesson about the water cycle and how water can fall from clouds in different temperatures. 

         Our focus in class has been to finish up the Wax Museum note cards, celebrating Black History month by researching related important events, finishing our writing pieces on Ancient Rome, and a review of reading clocks and measurement.  In Science we continue to work on Matter and the water cycle.  When we return from Parent Teacher Conferences we will begin our unit study on the ancient civilization of Mali. 

         As you know our annual Wax Museum will be held in the classroom from 11-12 on Wednesday, March 5^th.  The children have worked hard this past month reading their books and writing their note cards.  I am excited to watch them as they present their work to you all.  I hope your schedules will allow you to come and be part of this exciting morning.  As Wednesday is an early release day, should you wish to take your child home after the Wax Museum, please just let me know. 

         Thank you to everyone for signing up for a conference next week.  I look forward to meeting with you all next week at our Parent Teacher conferences.  See you then.

There are a couple of housekeeping items I would like to bring to your attention.

1.                   Schoolyard Stewards will be needed again for the spring.  If you are able to help on Tuesday’s from 12:00-1:00 for this program, please go to the following link and sign-up. http://tinyurl.com/DiscoverySchoolyardVolunteers

2.                  Please remember to send in notes each time when there is any change in your child’s dismissal.  This is a safety issue to make sure your child is properly dismissed each day.  With Spring Enrichment Activities starting up again, this is a reminder.  Your help with these notes is greatly appreciated.

3.            Early Release Wednesday schedule for the remainder of the year.  In order to “bank” instructional time in the event of additional snow days this year, the following Wednesday’s will now be full days of school- Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Mar. 19, Apr 2, April 9, April 30, May 7,

May 14, and May 21.  In addition to these make-up days, Monday March 31^st will also now be a full day of school. Please mark these changes on your calendars.

Important Dates

Saturday March 1- Tuckahoe Auction

Wednesday, March 5- Wax Museum- 11am to 12 noon

Thursday/Friday March 6-7- Parent Teacher Conferences

Mon-Fri. March 24-28- Book Fair- Volunteers needed

Mon-Fri- March 24-28- Swimming (more information to follow)

                                                               Sincerely

                                                               Mrs. DiNardo