November, already?

I can't believe that I already had to change my calendar to November! I think that this will be our first normal week in quite some time! We are beginning to read Jan Brett books this week. I normally teach this unit in the winter, but I wanted to be prepared for our field trip - it is less than two weeks away :-)!

As you read your Jan Brett book, notice the beautiful illustrations. Can you believe that Jan Brett not only writes well, but she is also an incredible artist?! Do you think that you could ever draw as well as she does? I know that I couldn't. Her stories often have animals as the main characters. Do you like stories about animals!

Write down one question that you would like to ask Jan Brett when we go to meet her. Bring it to me to earn some money!

Fall Break - Already??

I cannot believe that it is already time for Fall Break! The school year usually goes quickly, but I feel like we just started! Christmas will be here in no time!

This is going to be a very busy week! It is Mrs. Kraus's last week with us. Can you keep a secret? Shhh...On Thursday we will have a little going away party for her. I will bring treats for everyone. When she is out visiting other teachers on Wednesday, we will make her a surprise.

I am really excited to get to talk with all of your parents on Thursday, even though it is going to have to be a really quick talk! Having parents who care about your education will make you better students!

Bonus Bucks-----Write down one thing that you would like for me to tell your parents, bring it to me, and you will earn $5 in Stath Cash!

I don't like missing school!

After leaving early yesterday because my daughter was ill at the junior high, here I am at home again today. She is still running a fever, so I couldn't leave her alone. Like most kids, she wants her mom when she is sick! I do miss my students, though.

I am so proud of my class this year! They have fallen into the school routine, respect our student teacher, and treat one another with kindness. I have been happy to host a student teacher, but will be glad when I can get back to teaching you every day!

We have so much to look forward to in the coming months! You will all enjoy our HallowRead performances. Next month we will take our Sunday field trip to meet Jan Brett! What an adventure that will be! We have a lot of work to do before November 15. We have to write the grant so that we have money for lunch and books; we have to study Jan Brett's books; and we have to write letters to Jan Brett so that she will be expecting us at the signing. Are you ready to work hard? I am because I know that hard work pays off!

Write down the answer to this question and give it to me at school (you will earn $5 in Stath Cash)...

If you could meet anyone, famous or not, who would it be and why?

Things are changing!

Change is never easy, especially if one is a creature of habit like I am! We are no longer going to learn spelling in the traditional manner that most of us learned; we are going to work grammar into our writing more; and our teaching of reading strategies will be laid out in a more uniform format so that we are all teaching the same thing. These changes are good! I am thrilled to have a student teacher at this time so that I have some time to research ideas so that I give your kids what they need to be successful. Be patient - I am learning too!

Kids, you are awesome! I am really enjoying getting to know all of you, and you have already managed to challenge me as a teacher (in a good way!). You have done a great job of getting into our routine, you work hard, and you have welcomed Mrs. Kraus and made her feel comfortable in our class. Thank you!

Challenge Question: Who is the author of My Rows and Piles of Coins?

Write down your answer (don't tell your friends!), put it on my desk, and you will earn $5!

Off to a great start!

So far, so good! This group is off to a wonderful start this year! I am really enjoying getting to know each child. I must apologize for missing so many days at the beginning of the year; I normally do not miss much school. I have taken one personal day so that my husband and I could go out of town, but the other days have been for professional development, which will benefit your children.

There are some rather large changes that will be taking place in the next few weeks. Beginning next week, we will no longer have weekly spelling lists or tests, which also means that we will no longer be doing the spelling activities. This is a school-wide initiative. We will be beginning a program to work with word patterns so that children can apply those skills in order to spell most any word they need to spell, rather than just memorizing the weekly list. There will still be opportunities for at-home activities. This is new to all of us, so please be patient while we work to organize. The past two days 2nd and 3rd grade teachers have been working together to plan the best strategies for teaching your children.

Thanks for caring about your child's education - it makes a huge difference!

Another Great Week in 3rd grade!

Wow! We have had such a great start to the school year! The kids are really settling in, and we are already learning so much. I have had a substitute twice, and both reports have been good.

This week we will begin a new story about Alexander and how he blows his money. Do any of you ever blow your money without even realizing it? I know that I do sometimes! It just seems to disappear! I think that you will like this story because Alexander is kind of silly. Our story last week, What About Me?, wasn't the best story, but acting it out on Friday made it more fun.

We will continue to work on improving our writing this week. Some of you still need help just getting started. I have some ideas for you to try. We are also going to begin a vocabulary notebook. I bought some post-it tabs so that we can organize them, and I bought each of you a highlighter so that we can highlight the most important words.

I hope that you are enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend! See you on Monday!

First Full Week

Wow, 3rd Graders! What a great start to the school year! I am so proud of how well-behaved you have all been. It is obvious that we will have a good year of learning. Mrs. Litherland left me a note after she had subbed, and she said that there were no problems. I guess that means that we will have another terrific day on Monday!

This week we will be diving into our writing more. We have some ideas; now we have to put them to use. We will also continue learning about our body and how to stay healthy. Do you know what I did this morning? I ran over 7 miles with my niece! I have never run that far, so I am pretty happy. Just over 3 months ago I ran 2 miles for the first time, and I have worked hard to keep going further. That's just what you will do with reading! Once we have your DIBELS score, you will work hard to go a little further each time!

See you on Monday!

We did it!

We made it through the first week of school with no problems! I am so impressed with this class; they listen, they work to understand, and they are respectful. I anticipate a great year!

I am looking forward to my Open House on Tuesday evening. It takes me awhile to remember which parent goes with which child, so this gives me another chance to put families together. I also feel it is important to start the year off right by explaining our classroom expectations so that parents don't run into surprises during the year. Sometimes we teachers get so wrapped up in our teaching, that we forget to let families know what we are up to! I can assure you it isn't intentional; we just get busy.

This week we will try to establish a routine. We will start our first reading story, work on spelling words, begin our science unit, and start learning how to work through our literacy centers.

Thank you for all of your support, and for encouraging your children to do their best in school!

Welcome!

Welcome to third grade! I am glad that you are in my class this year! We have many fun activities to look forward to, and a lot of learning to do. We will have a student teacher in our class for several weeks beginning in September. I think that you will enjoy the extra attention.

I am looking forward to hearing about your summer. I took three classes this summer so that I could complete my master's degree. I took my classes online through Ball State University (that means that I just used the computer to go to class; I could wear my pajamas to class if I wanted to!). It was a lot of work, but I learned a lot that I will be able to use to help you. I had to read a lot this summer for my classes, but when I finished my classes I also read a lot. I couldn't wait to read books just for enjoyment.

I also exercised a lot this summer. My family is working hard to live a healthy lifestyle. We play tennis, run, ride bikes, hike, and work out with weights. I began running in the spring. I never liked to run before, but knew that it would be great exercise. I started out slowly, just running 1/3 mile at a time, and then walking. I worked my way up to running one mile, then two mile, and as I am writing this (it's the end of July), I can run five miles. Maybe by the time school starts I will be able to run even further. I know that I have to set my goal high, and then work for it, just like you do at school.

I look forward to hearing from you!