From Our Classroom

January 5 - Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed some rest, relaxation and time with family over the holidays. Book orders are coming home today and are due back by Wednesday 1/14. Please be sure to double check the amount due and include a check with the order. We can not accept cash. Students will be receiving information about the recorders from Ms. Willemssen the Music teacher. If you have any questions about the instrument, book, forms, etc. please contact her. We have begun unit #5 in EDM and will be working on large numbers and decimals. It is very important that your child be practicing their multiplication and division facts regularly, at home. There are several games in the EDM Student Reference book that are fun ways to work on these facts.

December 18 - We are regrouping from the crazy week we have had here in Bow. Children seem to be catching up on their sleep and routines are being reestablished. And now, we are juggling winter gear on top of everything else. Children have much more fun, out at recess, when they are dressed appropriately. It is helpful if all the gear is labeled with names or initials. If you have any extra plastic shopping bags, that can be donated, we could use them in the classroom. Children put their wet winter gear in the bags before placing them in the backpacks.

December 16 - It has been quite a weekend here in Bow! I hope everyone is safe. Please feel free to send your child to school with their toothbrush and a cloth, if you still do not have power. I will have them get cleaned up when they get to school. If you can contact any of our classmates, please help spread the word. I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. And, remember to dress for the winter weather - full snow gear for recess.

December 8 - Our unit on multiplication and division is well underway. Last week, we covered the rules of multiplying by zero, one, two, three, four and five. Ask your child about these rules - they link multiplication to repeated and skip counting. Your child is coming home today with 'fact triangles' that will help them learn the multiplication/division facts. These facts should be practiced for a few minutes each night.

December 1 - The first snow has fallen. Please be sure your child comes to school prepared for outdoor recess. Students will go outside unless the temperature falls below 15'F or the windchill is below 10'F (student handbook p.16 - http://www.bownet.org/BES/Handbook%202008-2009.FINAL.pdf). We have begun our study of multiplication, Unit #4 in EDM. Please help your child by translating the multiplication symbol 'x' to say 'equal groups of i.e. 3x5 reads 3 equal groups of 5. The students were introduced to arrays and how they are useful when solving multiplication problems. Check out the following link for a fun way to learn about the United States www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm

November 20 - The week is flying by! We finished the book titled A Place for Joey which was about a boy who immigrated to the north end of Boston, from southern Italy, in the early 1900. The story takes place at the time of the great Molasses Flood - a true historical event. I brought in some molasses for students to smell and taste, so they knew what the residents of Boston were smelling for several days after the explosion. There is a lot going on in space, too. We have been following the daily work of the shuttle astronauts while docked at the International Space Station. While we were able to view some of the video, like the astronaut letting go of her tool bag and it floating away and the spiders they brought on the shuttle to observe. If you would like to share more of the pictures, information and videos go to www.nasa.gov. We are completing EDM unit #3 this week and will be taking the end of unit assessment on Monday. Students will also be taking the a geography test, reviewing the last few assignments, next week. Students will not receive a new spelling list next week. We will, instead, review spelling rules that have e been introduced so far this year. And, don't forget that book orders are due Monday. After our Thanksgiving break, our study of immigration will continue with one more round of workshops shifting the focus from European immigration to Asian immigrations. I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

November 14 - I would like to thank Mrs. Kimball for organizing our harvest celebration today. The theme was 'Thanksgiving' and students created a thankful box, enjoyed a healthy snack and played a bingo game. Thursday night's homework proved to be challenging to several students. Please know that helping your child complete their homework is perfectly acceptable. Everyone should have an EDM Student Reference Book at home to assist with assignments. On each homework link, EDM gives the pages in the reference book that could be helpful. Week #8 of geography is due Friday and student will be completing a review of information the following week. Thank you for attending our parent teacher conferences. I find the time spent with parents discussing your children's academic, developmental and social progress extremely valuable.

November 5 - We having been focused on current events/politics/government in recent weeks, culminating with the election this week. Your child has been learning about our democratic government and the political processes we participate in every two and four years. We have discussed the popular vote and the electoral college, the political parties and their candidates. We have shared historical facts like why we vote on the first Tuesday in November. Regardless of the outcome of our elections, we are truly fortunate to live in a free country and it is exciting to share this process with students. Due to the short week, next week, geography week #8 is due Friday 11/21.

October 31 - A notice went home, earlier this week, requesting food donations. The food needs to be in a cylinder shaped container because it will be used in a math lesson. We will be measuring the circumference of the different cans. When we complete this lesson, the food will be donated to a local food pantry. If you would like to send in additional donations, I will be sure to include the additional food with our donation. Happy Halloween!

October 27 - Picture retakes are tomorrow. Our next round of workshops will focus on the early 1900's and immigration. Your child will be coming home, soon (not tonight), with an assignment asking about their heritage and ancestors. We completed our Unit 2 assessment today for EDM and will begin Unit 3 tomorrow. Conferences begin next week. Should something come up and you need to cancel our appointment, please email me.

October 23 - This weekend's math homework required a deck of playing cards. If this is an issue please email me. The name of the game is 'Name that Number' and directions are on page 299 of the EDM Student Reference book.

October 22 - We have completed our study of 'The Big Fitz' and students are currently creating booklets with the information. Our next round of Literacy Workshops will focus on immigrations, particularly in New York City. These activities are based on a Rigby big book - Tell Me a Story, which is a story about workers at the Triangle Shirt Company. We are finishing up Unit #2 in EDM. The assessment will take place at the end of this week. Our focus on science has been on 'Matter and Energy.' So, if your child is coming home talking about atoms, protons, neutrons, solids, liquids, gases and so on they are learning about them here at school. I appreciate the people who have confirmed their conference times. If you have not emailed me please do so as soon as possible. I am planning our first, class celebration for Friday, November 14 at 1:00. If this is an event you can help us with, please contact me. The theme will be 'Thanksgiving.'

October 14 - I hope you were able to be outside and enjoy some of the beautiful weather this past weekend. NECAPs continued today, tomorrow and we'll finish up on Thursday. Tomorrow is the 3rd grade special lunch day and parent are invited to eat with their child. Our lunch begins at 12:20. Thank you to everyone who has confirmed their conference day/time.

October 8 - We have completed our second day of NECAPs and all is going well. Thank you for ensuring your child has had a good night's sleep, healthy breakfast and hearty snack. Our first book orders have arrived and Mrs. Anderson will be in tomorrow to sort the order. If you child placed an order, you will see the books in backpacks along with the order slip, Thursday afternoon. Parent Teacher conferences are just a few weeks away. Your child is bringing home the date and time that is scheduled for us to meet. I look forward to this time with you discussing your child and his/her academic progress. Enjoy the long weekend, we will be testing again Tuesday 10/14.

October 1 - It is amazing to believe that we are already in October! With October comes NECAP. We are scheduled to begin this assessment next Tuesday and continue on Wednesday and Thursday. Your child would benefit from getting a good night's sleep and a big healthy snack on those days. Due to the time allotted daily for testing, the next unit in spelling will be spread over two weeks. Today, we went to the library and Mrs. Brewster showed the children how to use the library catalog. She sent step by step directions home with each student detailing how to access the school catalog from home. We have begun EDM unit #2 which focuses on basic and extended addition facts. And, our study of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald continues this week.

September 25 - We have begun our study of the Big Fitz - S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald. Literacy Workshops will begin on Monday. There are several good links to this ship including a video on You Tube. There are several reading skills embedded with in this unit, such as - reading nonfiction text, captions, timeline of events, vocabulary and many more. The PTO Magazine Drive was held today and information packets are coming home with your child. Collections days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Monday for all subscriptions. There seems to be a bug going around our classroom with the following symptoms - headache, stomach ache and some are experiencing a fever, too. I hope this weekend brings our families rest and relaxation.

September 22 - The last lesson in the EDM Unit #1 focused on time - length of day, passage of time, etc. Most of the class struggled with telling time on an analog clock. Your child would benefit from reading this type of clock to the closest quarter hour. Your son/daughter would also benefit from telling the same time in different ways i.e. 2:45, quarter to 3, 15 minutes before 3. Spelling words were assigned today and the homework is to put the dots and dashes on each of the words, then return the paper to school for tomorrow's lesson. Book orders are due Friday.

September 19 - The Junk Man musician was lots of fun. You can access more information about him at www.junkmusic.org. Because of the field trip, lunch was a bit late - but the children did very well with schedule change. The first week of geography was due today and we corrected together in class. The next geography assignment is due next Friday.

September 18 - Today we continued with our established routines. We completed our first round of Literacy Workshops and worked on number patterns using 'frames and arrows.' At the end of the day Mr. Berger visited for his monthly class on friendship. Today's theme was bullying. Because of Mr. B's visit we did not have time to complete our homework sheet. I let the children know that I would post the assignments for them to see from home. Tomorrow we travel to the high school for the 'Junk Band' performance.

September 16 - This week in math we are discussing money. Your child should be able to identify coins by name and value. Please help your child by reviewing these skills at home. If you child has mastered these skills, he/she should be making equal exchanges i.e. $1.25 for 4 quarters, 2 dimes and 1 nickel. The first book order is being sent home tonight and the final collection date is 9/26. George's mom has kindly offered to help out with this activity. Starting Yesterday, students had spelling homework which was due today. Please help you child remember to complete the 'dots and dashes' assignment so they are prepared for Tuesday's lesson. Just a reminder that Wednesday is picture day and Friday we go to BHS for a concert.

September 12 - Thank you to all the parents who came to our Open House last night. It was a pleasure meeting you. If you were unable to attend, your child is coming home with a packet of information. Please send the green form back to school as soon as possible. Picture day is next week - envelopes for picture orders went home yesterday with the Thursday notices. If you did not receive one, please let me know so I can send it home to you before Wednesday. FYI - Our picture time is not until after lunch.

September 9 - Now that we have been in school for two weeks, we took the time to talk about the things we have learned. Our routines are becoming more habitual and completed quicker and transitions to and from classes are smoother. One goal the class decided that needed improvement was working at work time - chatting during break time. Each student should feel good about the adjustments they have made to third grade. Please note our library days have moved from Thursdays to Wednesdays.

September 8 - We began NWEA this morning and will assess again on Thursday. Please remember milk is now $.40. We are consistently coming up a nickel short. Open House, for third grade is Thursday night, 6:30 PM in room 201. I look forward to meeting you and highlighting the year ahead.

September 5 - We are transitioning nicely into our daily routines. Next week, NWEA will begin in 3rd grade. Our class is scheduled to test on Monday and Thursday. Today, instead of a formal EDM lesson, we went over the math activities available to students in the classroom. Therefore, no math 'home link' is assigned for tonight.

September 4 - Thank you to everyone who has returned the numerous forms that have been sent home. The last of the Acceptable Use Agreements came in today. Classroom Party Fund forms are coming in too. If possible please send the form and the money back in an envelop to assure its safe arrival.

September 3 - Details.... details... safety continues to be a topic of conversation. As silly as it sounds pencil safety is something we have needed to address several times and thankfully seeing an improvement. The children are anxious to learn cursive handwriting. As a precursory to cursive, I am analyzing each child's manuscript writing, posture and pencil grip. Your son/daughter, may have shared our "posture checks" with you. That is a class reminder to be sitting up straight (not leaning on the back of the chair), enough room for an apple between their body and the edge of the table and feet flat on the floor. This week I will be introducing the cue for their pencil grip. Students will learn to "pinch up" their pencils. Pencils are aligned with individual's midpoint, laying on the table with the pencil point towards the body. Using their dominant hand, children will "pinch up the pencil" on the paint. If your child is gripping the pencil on the shaved/exposed wood, their range of motion will be limited. Proper posture and pencil grip will assist your child in being successful writers. Coming home today is a "Parent Expectation" form for you to complete. This is new for me this year, but the information will help me individualize work for your child. I appreciate you completing this paper and in helping me get to know you and your child better. This afternoon Mrs. Kurtz came in to discuss BES Home Team Challenge. The first paper will come home next Friday and will be due the following Friday. She then conducted a lesson on the "Hundred Dollar" word activity. Due to this special lesson, we didn't get to our EDM lesson on tally charts. However, as a part of our morning meeting, I did a brief overview of tally charts. Please have your child attempt to do the EDM home link 1-5 since tally charts are a review from last year.

August 29 ~ Thank you for the emails. I have been able to add many of you to my address book. Today we had our first fire drill and spent time speaking to the class about how important it is to remain quiet during these drills. Hopefully when we have our next one we will have improved. The 'Student Reference Book' for EDM came home today. Please keep it at home for the school year. This reference will help you when assisting your child do his/her homework. On Tuesday, we will begin our study of nutrition and for the remainder of the school year will be monitoring healthy snack choices. It is hard to believe, but autumn is right around the corner - as is cold and flu season. We had a classmate go home with a fever today. In an attempt to keep our classroom clean we will be in need, throughout the school year, of Clorox wipes and 'germ juice' aka hand sanitizer. All donations are very much appreciated. Thank you for checking our 'News' link and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.

August 28 ~ Another busy day... please remember that milk prices have increased. A milk is now $.40. Tomorrow we have PE for the first time. Your child will enjoy themselves and participate more if they are dressed appropriately. If you have an email address, which we can communicate through, please email me. I will add you do my address book. If I do not respond within 24 hours, you have probably gone to my SPAM account and I may not ever see it. Should this happen, please send in the old fashion paper note with your email address. Once I have it in my digital address book, you shouldn't be bounced to SPAM... in theory any ways. :-)

August 27 ~ We had a wonderful first day of school! We completed many of the activities planned and will get to the rest tomorrow. There are a few things your child came home with tonight. We will complete a homework sheet every afternoon. Please review this sheet with your child and then initial it beside each day. Today, your child drew a line for you to sign on. Should your son/daughter forget their assignment sheet at school, our 'homework' link is updated daily. On that same link I will have the spelling words posted weekly. Our Everyday Math program began today. In your child's homework folder, is their math homework that needs to be completed and returned tomorrow. Your child may have mentioned how hungry they were by the time lunch rolled around. We eat lunch at 12:20 PM, so we do have a long morning. I have encourage the children to eat a good healthy breakfast and pack a filling snack. Your help with this is appreciated. We will be doing daily work on the computer, so if you could send in the signed 'Acceptable Use Policy' it would be helpful, as your child will not have permission to use the internet until we have the signed document here at school. And lastly, each afternoon we use Clorox wipes to clean our tables. If you are willing to donate these to the class, it would be very much appreciated. Open House is scheduled for September 11th. I look forward to meeting you then. But, until then feel free to contact me - email is best mhickey@bownet.org

July 7, 2008 ~ We will be studying many different things in Third Grade. Our first area of focus will be to build our classroom community. Math and Reading lessons will begin right away. I strongly encourage you to spend time this summer reviewing your addition facts, especially doubles (2+2, 3+3), fact families (3+7=10, 7+3=10, 10-3=7, 10-7=3) and skip counting. Having these facts memorized will ease your transition into Third Grade mathematics.

By the end of second grade, your ability to read smoothly and with expression has developed nicely. In order to keep all your reading skills in tune, you will want to read on a regular basis, throughout the summer months. You received a summer reading journal to write the titles of your stories, the authors and what you thought about each book. We will discuss the books that were read, by you and your classmates, at the beginning of the school year.

I check my email from time to time throughout the summer, so feel free to email with any questions you may have about school or to share your summer news.

I wish you a happy, healthy and safe summer!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Hickey