IXL

Our students have been hard at work using IXL to practice math skills. I have been very impressed with the amount of time some students have been putting into working on these skills. A sign up sheet is on my classroom door to allow extra time for them to research for inquiry group and utilize IXL for math practice. I have the ability to check to see who has been getting on, what they study, what they master, what they struggle with, and how long they study. This is another tool we can use to determine what skills we can work on, and who needs assistance in these skills. Thanks for being so flexible with us as we make changes in the homework and in their online sites etc.

Congrats to
Kelloch
Dylan
and
John

for putting in the most time in IXL:) Great job!!!

If your student has misplaced their IXL page with their login information email me at mbindrup@pinecrestnv.org and I can get that information to you. Thanks!

Thank YOU! and Winter Break

We made it to WINTER BREAK! Yeah! Thanks so much for all of the wonderful presents:) I feel so loved!

HOMEWORK over winter break: The students were asking me what they should work on over break. Here are some suggestions. This isn't mandatory, but suggestions:

Reading daily:) Yup, read, read, read:)
Math: IXL account. If your kiddo has lost their login sheet and password, just email me and I will get that to you.

Inquiry: Our topic is "What is the story of the Earth?"
Our six inquiry questions our students chose are:
What is the story of the Titanic?
What is the story of the Redwood National Forest?
What is the story of underwater volcanoes/the deep sea?
What is the story of fossils?
What is the story of glaciers?
What is the story of caves and volcanoes?

We have been having quite a few news reports and plays over the past few inquiry presentations. I am hoping they choose to make models, diagrams, maps, etc w this inquiry question. I think they have a good base for what they are researching. When we get back, that will be week 3. This is where they really need to decide on how they will present, and get their materials and specific roles taken care of. Week 4 is when we present.

Blinds and Holiday Party

As I was stressing over our window coverings, and Mrs. Hitchcock was heading to buy sheets, I get a call over the intercom that our blinds are here!!! Yeah! Luckily that was at the beginning of my break, so I hurriedly called Mrs. Hitchcock to make sure she didn't purchase any sheets. I found out that these blinds roll up and down, so that we can adjust the light. I think they will work for blocking the heat out as well. Yeah! All blinds should be installed by the end of tomorrow.

Also......

HOLIDAY PARTY!
We are joining k-2 to have a PJ day and hot chocolate with Polar Express. I like the pizza party idea, but since we are having treats brought in by our December birthday kiddos, maybe we can save the pizza party for a class reward we when fill up our marble jar? So, I was hoping we could still make a craft/activity? I know some parents have volunteered for that, so let me know. It will probably start after lunch (the craft and/or activity) and then the movie would begin around 1:00pm. We will have a hot chocolate break at about 145-200, and then watch the remainder of the movie until the end of the day. It should be fun! Our class will be watching on the projector in the MP room with k-2. I thought it would be fun for us to do something outside of the classroom. If you would like to bring a treat, help with a craft, or help keep our hyped up group in check during the afternoon, just let me know! Thanks again for all of your support!

plAnEt mOdEls

We have been studying our Solar System this unit. Each student has been assigned a planet or the Sun to research. To coincide with their planet reports, each student will make a model of the assigned planet, or Sun. I want to encourage the students to be creative, and not to spend a lot of money. It would be fun to see how resourceful they can be. I am having the report and model due by next Monday, December 17th. We will also be writing a persuasive piece, a commercial to convince others to visit their planet. This will be due on the 19th. Our unit exam will be on the 20th. I emailed the outline for the planet unit to the emails I have listed for each student. If you didn't get that email, please let me know so I can update my email list. Thank you so much!

Nevada Day "HALLOWEEN" Party

We are going to have a little Halloween (AKA Nevada Day) party in the afternoon on Wednesday. Sorry for the short notice, but third grade wasn't sure of the protocol for celebrations for 3rd. Sometimes we are lumped with 3-5, but sometimes we get to celebrate with the 1-2nd graders! Yeah! So we are going to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" after lunch around 1:15. I hope to have a craft for them to complete and a few snacks for them as well. Let me know if you would like to contribute to either craft or snack. I have researched a few ideas, but nothing is set in stone yet. Thanks so much!

NEED Uniforms?

We have uniforms available from students who have withdrawn. There is girl youth medium 8-10yrs, and boy youth medium 8-10yrs. Long sleeve, short sleeve, and jackets. Just let me know if you are interested and I will get their contact information for you. The long sleeves and jacket have never been worn.

PowerSchool

Finally! We have access to Power School! Please let me know if you are having difficulty logging in to view your student's grades. I am still in the process of entering their grades. We have determined what assignments we are entering, and the weights. This is how we are weighting their scores:

Homework: ONE point
Assignments: TWO points
Quizzes- ONE or TWO points depending on the quiz
Test/Assessments: THREE points

I have also been focusing on READING, WRITING, and MATH first. Science is not being evaluated at this time, so the first unit is complete. We are integrating more science into our reading, but that may not be reflected as their science grade.

Thank you for being patient with the gradebook. We have had to use other means to keep track of grades so far. We have had to transfer all of those grades, plus keep up with the new grades, lesson planning, additional assessments, differentiating for math, and getting our wonderful student portfolios ready for our conferences.

Portfolio Conferences went really well!! It was so nice to get chat with you and make sure we are all on the same page:) If we didn't get a chance to meet, and I haven't already set up a time to meet, please email me so we can do that. If it is not convenient for you to come in, we can chat on the phone, or email. It would be nice for you to see your student's work thus far.

Hallway decorations: we need assistance with cutting out leaves to go on our grade level tree. I can send home paper, or you can come in:) We will need help hanging our students' work on Wednesday. Thanks so much!

We also need marbles for our classroom to fill our SPECIALs jar. The students can receive up to five marbles for their behavior and participation as a class in art, music, PE, and spanish classes. 

Please email me if you have any questions:)