Communication
Weekly news and events
Hello all you wonderful 3rd grade parents,
We cannot believe how fast the year has flown by. We are so proud of how far these students have come this year. They are flying through multiplication and division with quite a bit of ease. The results of the last chapter test on Multiplication was great. Next Friday, May 4th they will have their chapter test on Division.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays they practice with the Flashmasters for about 15 minutes at the beginning of class. Between the two classes they have finished about 250 cards thus far. On Mondays and Wednesdays we sing Mult/Division songs and/or they do a timed test on Multiplication facts. Starting this Friday, they will be graded on these times tests. It is paramount that they have instant recall of all their Math Facts by the end of 3rd grade. They need to know these facts in order to be successful in math, as they come into play in Long Division, Multiplying larger numbers, Fractions, Ratios, and Algebra.
Students should be practicing these facts for at least 15 minutes each night. WildMath.com and there are other games on the internet for practicing facts. Please practice these with your child. Make up games such as war with playing cards, sing songs, and just basic quizing of the facts. You can easily do it in the car on the way to school, on the way to practice for baseball, soccer, etc.
We are looking forward to a fun field trip to Pioneer Farms. It has been some time since we have had to milk a cow! Looking forward to a day in the life of a pioneer!
Ask your child about the fun activities they have been doing in Science. We have been learning about changes in matter. Students have been conducting numerous investigations on changes in matter, solutions and how you can sometimes seperate them back to their original form. This is being done using the Science kit we are piloting.
Businesses are the main focus in Social Studies. We are busy learning about all the interesting things that go into making a business sucessful. We can't wait to see all of the creative things for sale on June 7th, 8th and 9th.
In Religion students are preparing for their Liturgy which will take place on May 13th. This is the Mass where we will celebrate the crowning of Mary. Please join us at 8:30 am in the church. Also, remember your child will be tested on one last prayer this year. It is the Memorare, and can be found on the documents page of 3rd grade.
Thanks for your continued support,
Mrs. Jordan and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Steps for a Successful Third Grade Business
Why are we doing businesses in the third grade?
1. It is part of our thirds grade EALRS or the state standards;
1. ECONOMICS The student applies understanding of economic concepts and systems to analyze decision-making and the interactions between individuals, households, businesses, governments, and societies.
5. SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS The student understands and applies reasoning skills to conduct research, deliberate, form, and evaluate positions through the processes of reading, writing, and communicating.
2. We want our students to learn;
*The value of money and counting basic change
*The meaning of supply and demand
*How to develop a strong work ethic
*How to make appropriate 3rd grade economic choices
*Product development
* How to compromise
*Simple advertising
*How to sell their products
3. How do we teach businesses to our students?
*Create a business plan and fill out a business license
*Teach a hand washing class to earn a modified food handlers permit
*Teach basic advertising techniques
* Teach basic planning and organizing skills
*Teach basic business strategies
Basic Rules for Businesses
1. No more than two or three people per business
2. The students must make their own products
a. No silly bands
b. No cars
c. No products for oriental trading etc.
3. Each group needs to make 250 products
4. No refrigerator
5. No storage space
6. No cotton candy
7. Limit of 1 beverage group per classroom
8. Parents will number about 120 and can shop at anytime
9. Student shoppers will number about 250 (Grades 4-8) and will have $5.00 a piece to spend
10. We would like the students to work for supply money
a. Earn money by doing household chores
b. If you have the products your child needs (Flour, paper etc.) your child needs to buy the products from you through chores.
11. Creative ideas can be found in Family Fun Magazine or online at
familyfun.go.com.
12. All products will be made at home! No products will be made at school.
Dear Parents,
This is a quick update to let you know what is going on in social studies. Your children are working very hard on creating a business. We are planning on opening businesses to the school (grades 4-8) June 6-8. Each student has thought of a business and is currently working on a business plan. Business plans must be approved by me before each group can receive their business license. Once business plans are finalized, students will need to begin making the product they are selling. All products will be made at home. We will not spend any class time making products. Our focus in class will be to learn the basic principals of economics. We will however make advertisement posters and store fronts in class. Once our businesses are completed, the students in grades 4-8 will come shopping on June 6-8 with $5.00 worth of All Saints bucks to spend. All business products need to be made. Please do not have a business selling Silly Bands etc. Due to the fact that supplies need to be purchased, I am asking that each student do extra household chores to earn the money needed to purchase supplies. This will reinforce my lessons on the value of money and the importance of working for what you need. I explained to the children that if they have normal chores they do around the house, they must do additional chores or jobs to earn money. For example, if your child has to vacuum once a week then that cannot count as a money earning job. They must do something in addition to that regular job. I also explained that they can do jobs for neighbors or relatives as well. This is a powerful part of our curriculum that really emphasizes how hard they have to work in order to earn a dollar. It also removes part of the financial burden from the parents and places the responsibility upon the child. Parents are however allowed to help purchase supplies as we realize the students can’t buy all of the supplies themselves. Also, because some of the children are planning on selling baked goods, they all need to earn a modified food safety card. All the children will watch a hand washing video, take a written test and pass a hand washing test. Please fill out and return the bottom portion of this letter to Mrs. Van Dyke to eliminate any business surprises! I am hoping that the students will have a great time doing this activity and learn a lot of valuable real life information. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Enjoy!
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Name:__________________________________
____Yes, I know what my student is planning. We will be_________________________
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We sure hope you all had a great weekend. It is hard to believe it is spring with this cold and rainy weather we have had. Although it doesn't seem to bother the daffodils and various trees in bloom!
Remember that Friday, April 6th, is a half day, therefore there will be no hot lunch and extended care will only be available until 2 PM.
On Friday the Jr. High will be acting out the stations of the Cross in O'Brien hall. This is a very special time and please come and join us if you are available.
Students will have tests in English and Math on Thursday of this week, along with their usual Reading, Vocab and Spelling.
We wish you all a beautiful and awesome Easter and restful spring break.
Sincerely in Christ,
Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Hope you all enjoyed the beginning of spring this beautiful weekend!
Please remember on Non-uniform Monday's students are asked to bring in peanut butter for the food bank.
Students will have a nuber of tests next week; Math, English, Reading and the weekly Spelling Test. I was very pleased with the results of the last Math test. Students are doing pretty good with their multiplication facts. It is important that they study these nightly. After spring break we will start division. The English test is on Adjectives, Adverbs, the Articles a, an, and the, along with to, too, and two.
Just an update.....Businesses will begin soon........Important meeting scheduled!!
Third grade Businesses
Please join the third grades teachers on APRIL 17th at 3:15 PM for a parent meeting to discuss the ins and outs of the third grade business world. We will discuss;
*How do our businesses align with our third grade EALRS or Essential Academic Learning Requirements
*Ideas for businesses
*Resources needed
*BUSINESS RULES AND DIRECTIONS
*Business Q and A
We hope to see you there!
Mrs. Van Dyke and Ms. Reynolds
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
This coming Friday the 16th, the students will have a St. Patrick's Day theme dress day. Students are only allowed to wear green, white and orange as these are the colors of the Irish flag. If the student doesn't have a shirt in this color they must wear their uniform shirt. If they don't have a pair of pants, skirt or shorts in this color then they must wear their uniform pants, skirt, skort or shorts. It is fine to come to school with your uniform pants, shorts, skirt, or skort and a St. Patrick's day shirt. They are not allowed to wear blue jeans or any other pants that are not orange, green or white. Students are also allowed to color their hair in green as long as it washes out by Monday the 19th. Girls can paint their nails green or orange as long as they take it off by the time they come to school the following Monday.
Each Friday during Lent, we celebrate the Stations of the Cross at 2:15 in the Church. Feel free to come join us any time.
The second Trimester ends Friday the 19th. Any student who still has missing work out will receive a zero if the work is not turned in by 3/19. Mrs. Van Dyke and Ms. Reynolds will be completing report cards over the weekend and will not accept any work for the 3rd Trimester after March 19th.
Please contact Ms. Reynolds or Mrs. Van Dyke with any questions you might have.
Sincerely in Christ.
Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Happy Valentine's Day!
It's hard to believe we are already in the middle of February. Where does the time go?
In Math we just finished with Telling Time to the nearest minute, quarter hour and half hour. Please work with your child on telling time. Many of the students struggled a bit here. I know they tell time with digital clocks, but still need to know how to read an analog one as well. Now students are working on interpreting graphs of all sorts. I am going through this chapter quickly as we must be in Multiplication soon, and that is the next chapter.
I will compliment the 3rd graders on their dress for Valentine's Day as they were in compliance with the rules. If it is a red and pink day, everything they wear, shirt, pants, scort or shorts must be that color. Black shorts w/ a red stripe are not red.....they are black. If students don't have the "color" on this special dress day they should wear their school uniforms. Mr. Maguire will stop allowing these special dress days if students continue to be out of compliance. As it is, they are allowed "free dress" each first Monday of the month.
Thanks to all the parents who helped make Valentine's day special with the fabulous parties! Mrs. Van Dyke and I really thought you went way out of your way. The good thing, we get fun ideas for years to come.
Thanks again for all you do!
God Bless,
Ms.Reynolds & Mrs. Van Dyke
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Hi,
Catholic School's Week was a success and we truely enjoyed having the students grandparents come and be a part of our day. It was awesome getting to know what their experiences of elementary school were like.
It is hard to believe that January is behind us! The weather this week is supposed to be sunny! What a nice break after the big ice storm. Many things are coming our way and Mrs. Van Dyke and myself are excited! Keep your eyes open for informative meetings about 3rd grade Businesses and Pioneer Farms field trip.
Now that we are well into the second trimester I need to reinforce the classwork and homework policies in 3rd grade. Students who do not finish classwork are given time at recess to finish this work. If they choose not to stay in, they are required to finish it for homework. If they choose to not finish work started in class at home and fail to turn it in the following day, they will be marked off for work not completed. Students need to be accountable for the required daily work in 3rd grade, and therefore well prepared for 4th grade.
As always, thank you for your continued support in the education of your child.
God Bless.
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Dear Parents,
Third grade will be hosting the Martin Luther King day prayer service. This will be held on Friday, January 13th at 10:45 am in O'Brien Hall. All parents are invited and encouraged to attend as third grade has been working hard practicing for this special day. On Tuesday, January 17th, 3rd grade will be traveling to the Fife campus to present this readers' theatre to the students at Fife. A field trip form was sent home and I hope you have all seen them. Please return this ASAP as students will not be able to ride the bus to Fife without the field trip form.
Please make sure your child is reading at least 20 minutes each evening. Students are working in Accelerated Reading, which allows them to take comprehension tests on the books they read. This helps to improve their reading and will reflect on their Reading grade. Ask your child how many points they have accumulated so far. If they aren't above 10 points by now, they need to be reading more and making sure to take the AR test on the book.
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact Mrs. Van Dyke or Ms. Reynolds
Thanks for all you do!
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!! We wish all of you a blessed and peaceful New Year. We hope everyone had a restful break. The third grade students are preparing a Martin Luther King Day Prayer Sevice, which will be held on January 13th at 10:45 in O"Brien Hall. This is also an early release day. There is no school on January 16th. Tuesday January 17th, 3rd graders will be traveling to the Fife Campus to present the Martin Luther King Day Reader's Theatre. Look for a field trip form coming soon in regards to this event. Catholic Schools Week begins the last week of January, with Mass on January 29th. News regarding special activities during this week, will be comehome in Thursday folders.
Feel free to contact Mrs. Van Dyke or Ms. Reynolds if you have any questions.
Looking forward to a successful 2012.
God Bless,
Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Wow! It is hard to believe how fast this month is going. Christmas break is right around the corner and the students are very excited! This time of year can be challenging for teachers. With St. Nick's day yesterday, practicing for the Christmas program and families, schedules get changed, and if really affects the students. However academics still comes first.
Third grade will have 3 tests next week along with their regular vocabulary test. Ch. 2 Math test is on 12/13, Science 12/14 and English on 12/15. Students were given Science vocab sheets today and their homework is a review of the chapter. Please help them study for these t ests. We will review the Math material learned in Ch. 2 in class and for homework.
The Puyallup campus Christmas program is next Thursday, December 15th @ 6:30. Students need to wear their Sunday best for this wonderful evening of music. More information will come home in the Thursday folder this week.
Sincerely in Christ, Ms. Reynolds & Mrs. Van Dyke
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Thanks to all of you for attending conferences. They were successful and we always look forward to sharing thoughts of your childs progress with you and setting goals to help them succeed academically.
We are also beginning the Advent season. At this time as Catholics, we focus on the birth of Jesus, our Saviour. Student's made Advent chains in Religion today. On four of the links, they wrote what they could do to help prepare for the coming of Jesus. Each day, beginning December 1st, students take one link off each day and when they reach the bell, Christmas day is here! Ask them to share with you their thoughts they wrote down on the four chain links as they take them off.
Watch for announcements in the Thursday folder regarding the Christmas program schedule for this year. Students will be asked to wear their Sunday best dress, and please no jeans. Fife and Puyallup campuses have their program on seperate evenings.
Thanks for your continued support, Mrs. Van Dyke and Ms. Reynolds
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WOW! ITBS testing went well. Students appeared enthusiastic during this time. Thanks to all parents for making sure your child was in attendance for these days. Statistics show that students perform better when tested in the same environment in which they learn. Therfore, it is optimal that they are in attendance during these tests.
On Monday, October 31st, both 3rd grade classes will be having Halloween parties. These will take place from 1:30 to 2:45. If you haven't donated to this event, please contact Mrs. De Rosa, Mrs. Steinbacher, or Mrs. Maute (3B) and Mrs. Marsh (3A), to see what else is needed to make this a successfull Halloween celebration.
Mrs. Van Dyke is collecting the coarboard innards from toilet paper and paper towels for a classroom project. Please send any you might have.
On Wednesday November 2nd, both classes will have a science test on Ch. 2. The concepts covered in this chapter include; how scientist classify animals, mamals, birds, amphibians, and insects. Basic needs of animals, difference between instincts and learned behaviors, and camoflage and mimicry, why migration and hibernation occur. Please see chapter review and study guide to come home on Monday. Students will need to be able to recall all the vocabulary words from this chapter. Students were given a set of flash cards for these words at the beginning of the chapter and have been encouraged to review them during our study of chapter 2.
Parent/student conferences are just around the corner. Look for information on these dates and times coming home soon. If you have a preference, please email Mrs. Van Dyke or myself with this information.
Thanks for your continued support.
Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Dear Parents,
ITBS testing will start tomorrow......Thursday 10/20 until Thursday 10/27. Please make sure that your child eats a healthy breakfast everyday and gets plenty of rest over the next week. Studies have found that students test better in the morning, therefore we will only be testing in the morning. Please support your child and their teachers during this time as we all want all our students to do their best. Also, this is not a good time to miss school, so please try to plan your child's Dr. appointments after next week.
Thanks for your support.
Ms. Reynolds and Mrs. Van Dyke
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Happy Fall! With fall comes the cold. The heater will not be turned on yet as the afternoons will be warm this week. Please remind your child to bring a school sweatshirt or sweater to school as the classrooms can get a bit chilly.
There is no school for the students on Friday, therefore their Spelling and Vocabulary tests will be on Thursday. The students will also have a Math test on Wednesday. This test will cover the concepts covered in Chapter 1, to include: Number sense-knowing the different ways numbers are used, ordering and comparing numbers, writing numbers in standard, expanded and word form, rounding numbers, place value through the hundred-thousands, and money. They will also have word problems to solve. Students began review today in class and I asked them to take home their Math books to begin studying. There will also be a Religion test on Thursday.
Halloween party planning is underway. If you haven't seen and/or heard what is happening, please ask your child or contact either Mrs. Van Dyke or Ms. Reynolds and we can fill you in.
Thanks to all of the volunteers that joined 3rd grade on their field trip to the Point Defiance Zoo. The students had a wonderful time and we couldn't have done it without your support!
Have a great week!
Mrs. Van Dyke and Ms. Reynolds
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Wow the first five day week of school. I know we will all be exhausted by Friday! The students have really been working hard and seem to be settling in well in 3rd grade.
Book orders have been completed and will be arriving in a week to ten days. I will be sending home a letter soon that will allow parents to order books online under my classroom. Thanks for ordering books as it gives me points and I turn around and order more books. You can never have too many books. Students should be reading 20-30 minutes each evening.
Next Friday 3rd grade will be going to the Point Defiance Zoo. We will be taking the buss and each child will need to bring in $1 to cover the trip. We will leave at 9 am and plan on returning by 2 pm. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend, as we need at least 8 chaperones for each class. This is the recommended number from the zoo. Students will have an assignment they will complete upon returning, so paying attention and looking closely at the animals is necessary.
Look for Field Trip permssion forms coming home later this week.
Please make sure your child is practicing their basic facts each night also. We will start using flashmaster as an entrance task in Math. This is a tool that help them practice their basic facts. By the end of 3rd grade they should be profiecient in addition, subtraction and multiplication facts.
Students also need to be studying their vocabulary words and spelling words for their tests. Both of these are integral parts of reading. Third grade is the grade where students start reading to learn and higher level thinking skills come into play. This is the time when they switch from learning to read to reading to learn. Mrs. Van Dyke and I need your help so they are successful readers.
Ms. Reynolds & Mrs. Van Dyke
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I sent home the snack schedule last Thursday and forgot to say that the day you are signed up for is the day you bring snack each month. For example if you are listed on the second Friday of the month, then you always bring snack on the second Monday of the month. Don't go by the date, instead go by the day! :)
I am working on the volunteer schedule and hope to have it out to you by Friday.
Book orders are due to me by Friday the 23rd. I will do them myself until I get you set up to order online. I am working on this as well and hope to have a letter with instructions to you asap!
Thanks,
Ms. Reynolds
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Well the fair has sure kept downtown Puyallup busy with visitors. This week went by fast and now the students get another long weekend. I hope all of you go to the fair on Monday and have a great time. Remember to bring food for the food bank and park in the All Saints parking lots. This brings a lot of money to our school.
Parents, please remember your child has a Spelling test the last day of the week, except if it is a 3-day week. This week it was on Thursday and next week it will be Friday. I ask that you quiz them during the week so they are successful on the tests.
Thanks again for all your support.
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Wow! We survived the heat. Hopefully next week will cool down. Thanks to all of the parents who attended back to school nite. It is always nice to connect faces with names and it gives you a chance to see what the new year will bring for you and your child. A folder was sent home with your child if you were unable to make it. There is a lot of important information in this folder so please read over the papers.
Don't forget there is no school next Friday, Sept. 16th.
3A & 3B will be taking their first field trip to the Zoo on October 7th. Permission slips will come home soon.
As always, if you need anything please feel free to call or email us at any time.
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Our first week of school went great! The students are getting back in the groove. Thanks to all of the parents who have turned in their questionaire. Please get them in ASAP, as they provide us with important information about your child.
Here are some important details for next week.
Mass is at 8:30 on Wednesday. All are invited.
Friday is the Cattle Drive field trip and volunteers are needed. We will leave the school about 9:30. If you would like to walk over with us just send either Ms. Reynolds or Mrs. VanDyke an email so we know who is coming.
PE is on Tuesday and Thursday each week. Please make sure your child is wearing the appropriate shoes on these days.
Have a great week and email us if you need anything.
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Welcome to Third Grade!
On the first Wednesday of school students will attend Mass. This Mass is a "teaching Mass" where Fr. Woody will stop numerous times during the Mass to clarify and instruct our students on the celebration of the Mass. As always, parents are invited to join us in this celebration and sit with their child. Mass always begins at 8:30 am.
There is no school on September 2nd and 5th for the Labor Day weekend.
Back to School Night will be held on September 8th at 7:00 pm.
Homework will begin the second week of school.
We are really looking forward to a wonderful year in 3rd grade!