You should have received information this week on how to sign up for your child's upcoming parent-teacher conference. If you've lost the link, please contact Mrs. Theune in the office. I'm looking forward to discussing ways your child can grow even further!
Thank you for tuning in to our live broadcast last week. I cannot adequately describe what it's like to watch the kids faces when they realize their loved ones are watching them live on the internet. Providing an authentic audience for student writing is so much more motivating than simply writing for the teacher. Here are some talking points from our week:
Some upcoming dates to mark on your calendars:
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Students are slowly, but surely finishing the final drafts of their persuasive essays. That means we are almost ready to celebrate publication!
We will be doing that LIVE on the Internet next week. The broadcasts will take place on a PRIVATE channel is viewable only by those who have the link. The class will be divided into two groups; half will broadcast on Wednesday 10AM & half on Thursday at 10AM. Here are the links for BOTH broadcasts and which students will broadcast: Wednesday's link - Cayden, Hailey, Raegan, Ariana, Grant, Casey, Evan, Adriana, Lincoln Thursday's link - Ava, Carson, Elena, Camden, Izzy, Hazel, Kale, Jaymes, Gordon, Kelsie If you are unable to watch live, don't fret. The link will record the broadcast so you can watch when it's convenient. Please feel free to share these links with any friends and family who would like to tune in to watch!!! Some talking points from our week:
Your child is officially half way through with third grade. The days may be long sometimes, but the years are absolutely short.
Students will turn in the final drafts of their persuasive essays next week. On February 7 and 8 at 10AM we will host a live stream where the kids will read their essays live. Links and further information will be forthcoming. If you're interested in organizing a Valentine's Day party for our class, please contact me ASAP!! Just some kind reminders of how to help your child grow in their reading skills:
And of course the absolute BEST way to ensure your child's academic & social success is with good attendance. However, you should not send your child to school sick, either. Deciding whether or not to keep your child home from school can be difficult. This article might be helpful. Upcoming important dates to mark on your calendars:
Your child has been working on a philanthropic project in STEM. Each classroom chose an endangered animal from Michigan to research. During art class students designed t-shirts of the animal. Proceeds from t-shirt sales will go to support the endangered animals and the Jeffers STEAM program. A t-shirt order form is coming home with your child today. But just in case yours doesn't make it home, here is an online order form. Feel free to share!!!!
Congratulations to Raegan, Adriana, and Ava! They have earned the right to be done with their daily reading log. Once a student proves (through their logs, AR scores, etc.) that they can be trusted to read at least 20 minutes of a just-right book each night, bye-bye log. Many more are SO, SO close. I hope YOUR child is next! Next week we will start timed multiplication tests. You can help your child by taking just a few minutes each night and asking them some basic facts. "Hey, Billy! What's 8X4?" It takes less than a minute and can be done anywhere and anytime! Some talking points from our week:
Some up coming dates to mark on your calendars:
It really was nice to see the kids after the long holiday break. I'm pretty sure they each grew at least an inch during their time off!!!
In case you haven't noticed, it's cold outside! Jeffers policy is that all students go outside for two 15-20 minute recesses daily unless the temperate hits zero. So watch the forecast and bundle up your kiddos! None of us want to sit on wet classroom floors. Please send your children with shoes to change into after boots come off. Sock feet are not allowed in the unlikely event we need to evacuate the building quickly. A kind reminder that your child should bring home a just-right book every night, including weekends and breaks. Once your child has read their assigned book, they are free to read anything they want to fulfill their 20 minutes of reading, but the assigned book is homework and they will be held accountable for reading it. Want to receive your child's AR results each time they test? Just let me know and I'll set that up for you! Our mid-year progress assessments will start up next week. I am excited to see how much your child has grown so far this school year! Some talking points from our week:
Some dates to mark on your calendars:
In case you don't have a countdown happening in YOUR household, Christmas break begins on Thursday, December 20th.
We are becoming better readers of nonfiction. Did you know the main difference between an interesting book & a boring one is our attitude? No curmudgeon readers in our class! We also practiced talking with a partner about our books in order to better understand them. This latest math unit was a short one, but also a bit challenging. We will be reviewing & taking a practice test today (Friday) then taking the topic 7 assessment on Monday. As usual, there will be an opportunity for a retake if your child scores below 80%. Ask your child what they discovered from playing with magnets this week. How could a magnet be used in creating hover boards? An important letter was given to your child this week regarding an upcoming lesson about body safety (January 10). If you did not see that letter, please look in your child's red homework folder. Here are some talking points from our week:
It's beginning to look a lot more like Christmas! I know I can't speak for all, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow!!! At least until December 26th. Then it can be 80 degrees again.
Your children worked hard this week, as usual! They wrote a rough draft of a persuasive essay about where to go for dinner and took a really tough math test. Ask your child how they did. I bet you'll like the answer! Your kids also did some experimenting with friction. Finally, we ended our week with an hour of code. Just as an FYI, I have had some questions lately about spelling tests. This is a complicated issue to discuss. Suffice it to say, your children will have spelling tests, but not on a weekly basis. There also won't be any lists brought home to memorize either. I would be happy to discuss this with you further if you're interested. Some talking points from our week:
Did I really just type the word DECEMBER?!?!? Time truly flies when you're having fun and I am indeed having fun with your amazing children!
Report cards were emailed home on Monday. If you have had difficulty opening the document or for whatever reason have not seen your child's report card by now, please contact me. Our mystery unit ended has ended and we have started a new unit studying how to learn from non-fiction reading. An important skill to gain is how to determine the main idea and details from reading non-fiction. In math we have been learning how to use multiplication and addition to find the area of shapes. This has been a quick unit and we will take an assessment next week. Thank you to the parents that volunteered to organize our class holiday party. If you're interested in attending and helping, let me know. Some talking points from our week:
Some important dates for your calendars:
If you were to scroll through my blog posts from previous Novembers, you would see similar themes in the entries written around this time of year. Posts about how grateful I am to spend my days with your children; for the support this community gives to public education; for the privilege of partnering with you in raising good people. This year is no exception.
It is, I think, only natural to pause and reflect on the multitude of gifts for which I am grateful. And your child is right up there on my list. Being a teacher in Spring Lake is a gift. And coming to work is a joy every single day. Well, maybe not EVERY single day.......but 99% of the time at least!! So thank you for trusting me with YOUR most precious gifts. I am grateful to spend my days with them. Next week is a short week for Jeffers. Students have school on Monday and Tuesday only and BOTH days are half days, with an 11:50 dismissal. There will be no blog update next week. If you are traveling during the Thanksgiving break, please do so safely. Here are some talking points from our week:
Here are some important upcoming dates:
It seems winter is indeed coming. Snow pants are not necessary yet, but that too will be here soon. If your kids grow like mine do, last year's boots, snow pants, mittens, etc. might not fit anymore. Take some time this weekend to check those before the morning of our first snowfall.
Today when I collected weekly reading logs from students, I noticed about half had not filled them out at home nightly. Parents, I appreciate your continued efforts in continuing this practice. I was a parent of a 3rd grader last year, so I know this is a tedious task. However, now as a 4th grader, my daughter has made this a habit & does it without me having to remind her (well, MOST of the time). Though I have mentioned this before, it is worth repeating: Other than 20 minutes minimum of nightly reading, your child should not be spending upwards of 30 minutes on daily homework. If this is not true of your child, please contact me so we can find a solution. Some talking points from our week:
Some important dates to mark on your calendars:
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