Tag Archives: fall party

3rd Grade Update

Hi Families,

Here’s what’s happening in our third grade class:
Writing: We continue working on persuasive writing. The third graders are learning about word choice and writing to their audience. They have had some great ideas for their speeches!

Math: This week we will learn the 6s and 7s multiplication facts. You will see the math test come home today. Our third graders worked hard on this test. Continued practice with multiplication facts will be very helpful as we move forward. Sometime this week, you will see an envelope of multiplication facts coming home. These are facts that have been in our folders the longest and that should be moved to memory. Please keep these in a safe place at home for continued practice. Thank you!

Reading: Today we launched our Mystery reading unit. Each student was given a mystery book they will be reading. As they read, they will be asking questions to find out the mystery and gather clues to solve it. We will be using many reading strategies to do this.

A few more reminders…

Homework: Third grade homework consists of a reading and math fact log due each Monday. Please look for this to come home and support your child in taking responsibility with this. Thank you!

Math practice page: Students complete a math practice page each Friday. This helps build fluency and accountability with learning multiplication facts. Students work at their own pace and keep track of what fact they are working on each Friday. This has been a great way for students to practice using a growth mindset as well!

Fall Celebration: On Friday, we will do some themed activities throughout the day ending with a snack. Thank you for the donations!
While not required, your child may dress up in an appropriate costume. No blood, guts, weapons. Please make sure this is a costume your child can wear all day and can take on/off by themselves. We are trying to limit the amount of students congregating in the restrooms to change into costumes. Thanks for your help with this.

Parent/Teacher Conferences: Conferences will be held Monday, Nov. 16 and Wed. Nov. 18. These will be held virtually and I will be sending a link for signing up in the coming week.

Birthdays: Just a reminder that if your child chooses (this is not required) to bring in something for the class to celebrate their birthday, we ask that it be a non-food item. Items such as erasers, pencils, bookmarks, etc. work well.

Cold Weather Gear: It’s that time of year when the weather changes quickly. Please send your child in appropriate clothing to go out for recess. As you send hats, gloves, etc. please make sure these are labeled with your child’s name.

Thank you!

Ms Van Arkel  🙂

3rd Grade Update

Third Grade Families,
Here is a quick update of our learning:

Writing: This week we kickoff our persuasive writing unit. Our third graders will learn how to form an opinion statement (thesis) and write reasons with detail to form a persuasive speech.

Math: We begin unit 2 this week and will learn the 6, 7, and 8 facts for multiplication. We will be working on applying all the multiplication facts to word problems and other multiplication and division math problems. You should see a multiplication practice page coming home today with a ‘Not Yet’ or a ‘Got It’ page attached to it. This will let your child know what specific facts to practice to prepare for the practice page on Friday.

Reading: We are nearly done with our first writing unit. We have been learning all about how readers understand a story by retelling the story, using a comprehension check , and using strategies for tricky words. We will move on to our mystery reading unit next week.

Homework:
Third grade homework consists of a reading and math fact log. This should be turned in every Monday. Your child should come home with a new one today. I accidentally copied the wrong one to send home so the turn in date should say Monday, Oct. 26 (not the 19th), but since we don’t have school that day, it should be turned in on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Thank you!

Early Release and No School: 
This Friday, Oct. 23 is an early release. Dismissal is at 12:15. We do not have school on Monday, Oct. 26. 

Fall Celebration:
We will have our Fall classroom celebration on Friday, Oct. 30. I plan to do multiple activities throughout the day as it relates to our content. I have several Fall related word work and math games as well as books for the students to enjoy. While we will not be able to have parent volunteers, I will be sending out a link for parents to donate items for our snack that day. Please let me know if your child has an allergy. Thanks!

If your child chooses to wear a costume to school, please help your child choose a simple costume that can be worn the whole day.  The intent behind this is to limit children gathering in the restrooms to change, and limit the number of children needing assistance from teachers and staff to get into their costumes.  We invite you to send your children in a costume that includes no weapons or gore, and easily allows your child to participate in regular school routines and procedures.  Can they take it off themselves to use the bathroom?  Can they fit in their seat at their desk? Can they go down the slide or sit in the swings?  Can they wear a mask under their “mask”?  Please save bulky, or extravagant costumes for home use, and dress in a fun and simple costume for the school day.  Fall or pumpkin t-shirts are a great alternative as well. Thank you for your understanding with this!

Ms Van Arkel 🙂

Update: Week of October 28

Hi Third Grade Families,
Here is an update of our classroom learning:

Writing: We have been learning about persuasive writing. Our third graders have been learning about writing a thesis statement and using reasons and explanations to support their opinion. They have been learning writing strategies to address their audience as they write, too!

Word Study: In our word study groups, we work on sorting our word cards. We spend time learning about spelling patterns, vowel patterns, word endings, etc. We work with our words on an eight day rotation!

Math: We are in the middle of unit 2 and we are working on 2 step word problems. It will be important for your third grader to build their confidence in their basic multiplication facts so they can apply what they know to the 2 step problems.

Reading: We are into our mystery unit and we are having a lot of fun. Each third grader was delivered a mystery envelope last week. They soon learned that the envelope revealed their mystery chapter book they would be reading. Each student has been reading and collecting clues and noticing the suspects in their books to solve their mystery. The class even got a visit from a detective during one of our reading lessons!  🙂

Social Studies: This week we are learning about the landforms and bodies of water in Michigan.

Conference Times: Please look in your child’s homework folder for your conference time. Those were sent home today. 

Homework:
Reading and Math Fact Log due every Monday. Please help your child remember to sign on the days they read and practice facts. 

Fun at the Football Game: We had a great time cheering on Jackson and the varsity football team last Friday! Go Eagles!!

Book Order: If you plan to order from the Scholastic Book Order, please do that by tonight. Thank you!

Fall Party: Our fall party is on Thursday. We will only be able to have 8 parent volunteers for our party. I have contacted our 8 volunteers. If you signed up to donate, please send in your item by tomorrow. thanks!
If your third grader will be bringing a costume to wear, please send it in a bag labeled with your child’s name. Please no blood, weapons, etc. thank you!

Looking forward to a great week in third grade!

 

Update: Week of October 14

Hi Parents,
Here are a few things to know this week:

Friday, October 18 –Early Release: Dismissal is at 12:15pm

Friday, October 25— Football Game- more details to come!

Tuesday, October 29— Turkey Trot
Tuesday, October 29— Picture Retakes

Thursday, October 31— Fall Party- I have contacted our volunteers and will be sending an email out regarding donations. Please note: only the volunteers that I have contacted, will be able to attend the party due to space concerns with classroom activities and parking.

Homework:
Reading and Math Fact Log due every Monday. Please help your child remember to sign on the days they read and practice facts. 

  • MATH: 5 minutes of Multiplication Fact Practice/ 5 days a week.
    • Use flash cards, MobyMax, or Flash to Pass app
    • It is really starting to become apparent which kids are regularly going over their math facts and which kids are not. PLEASE help your child find success in math class by working on these at home!
  • READING: 20 minutes of reading/5 days a week

MATH PRACTICE PAGE:
We did our first practice page on Friday. The practice page will be coming home today. As your child passes each quiz, they will move to the next multiplication fact.  For example, if they passed the 5s quiz, this Friday they will take the 2s quiz.  If they did not pass the 5s, they will take it again this Friday. Each student will be working at their own pace and tracking their own progress. Please help your child practice their math facts so they can be successful on their practice page on Friday.

Art Prize 2020

  • The K-12 HPS ART DEPARTMENT  is excited to submit a collaborative piece for ArtPrize 2020. Hudsonville students will work to create an art piece titled “20/20 Vision.”GOAL:  Achieve 100% student K-12 participation.WE NEED YOUR PERMISSION to allow your child to participate in the project.Click here to fill out the permission survey.Mrs. Chmura is also asking for donated pieces of wood for the 2020 ART PRIZE entry.  Read this blog post for more details.

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Today in class, we started our Michigan Geography unit. We began by thinking of some facts we already know about Michigan. Then we did some exploring by looking at the map of Michigan. We had a great time looking closely at the map. Each partner group contributed a question that we hope to answer during our studies of Michigan.