WIN Groups and Field Trip Reminder

Please remember we are taking a field trip to Indian Brook this Friday. Students should come with:
-comfortable walking shoes
-bug spray/sunscreen
-dress appropriately for the weather
-a bag lunch if you didn't order one from the lunchroom

We are also excited because WIN groups started this week! I am excited to be working with a group on some math and engineering activities for this rotation! The last two days we have engineered a "gizmo" out of random materials, and built a launcher! As we mentioned at open house, our goal is for WIN groups to rotate every couple of weeks, so your child will experience various topics this year! This rotation groups are focusing on reading, word study, and math!

Summer Reading Survey

If you have not filled out the summer reading survey, Mrs. Duggan and the summer reading team would love the feedback. Please take a quick moment to fill it out!
Thanks!

Summer Reading Survey

Reminders

Hello families!

Thank you to all the families that joined us at open house last night. Such a wonderful opportunity for your third graders to share their hard work with you! Please feel free to email with any questions or concerns that came up from our presentation!

I am still looking for several permission slips back for our field trip to Indian Brook next Friday. If your child has not returned this yet please send it back tomorrow or Friday at the latest!

Thanks!

Science

Hope to see you all at Open House tomorrow night (Tuesday September 19th) from 6:30-7:30! 

Today we started our new science unit: Forces and Interactions! We started by talking about how all forces are either a push or a pull. We looked at different examples of pushes and pulls. At the end we opened our new science notebooks and illustrated an example of a push and a pull! 

We also learned about our Chromebooks today! We logged onto Typing Club for the first time! I know this was the highlight of the day for a lot of students! 

Kindergarten Buddies

Today we met with our Kindergarten buddies and helped them with a family project. Each Kindergartener is making a poster to represent different members of their family. Today the third graders helped them add clothes, hair, eyes, mouths, and other details. Mrs. Hamilton and I enjoyed watching all of the great teamwork to get these completed! 

Measuring with Centimeters

Today in math we were reviewing how to measure using a ruler and measuring tape! We were on a scavenger hunt for different items around the room that had certain lengths. I was so impressed with the teamwork and respectful behavior I saw during this activity! We also talked about how some groups displayed some serious perseverence when they had to spend several minutes looking for one item and not give up! This is a trait of a great mathematician. 

Friday Fun

We have been so busy in third grade! On Friday we had some workplace time! Workplaces are math games that help practice skills we are currently working on. So far this year we have learned three workplaces: Make the Sum, Target Twenty, and Blast Off to Space. 

Make the Sum requires partners to pick a sum between 7 and 13. Then they pull two number cards and if they make their sum they get to keep the cards, if they don't they put them back face down (kind of like memory!). 

Target Twenty requires pulling five number cards and then selecting the three cards that will get you closest to a sum of 20. 

Blast Off to Space is a subtraction game. You spin two different spinners and if the difference is a number you have a chip on you get to blast your chip off to space! 

We also had more third grade team time on Friday! Mrs. Cole read a book called "What If Everybody Did That?" Then we watched a video about landfills and talked about how important it is to make sure we are putting items in the proper disposal container. Each third grader has been assigned a group and will work on posters explaining trash, compost, and recycling at Summit. 

Lastly, we got to meet our Kindergarten buddies! Mrs. Hamilton read us a book! Then we got to talk with some Kindergarteners around us and introduce ourselves! We love helping our buddies! 

Building Reading Stamina

Wow!!! It has been such a busy start to third grade! I am enjoying this group of kids and am loving each and every day! Since the start of school we have been practicing routines and expectations across all areas of our school day! 

In math, our first unit focuses on addition and subtraction. We will talk about different strategies for solving word problems, as well as reviewing some topics discussed in second grade. We have been learning a lot of new workplaces (games) to help us with our addition and subtraction facts! 

In literacy, it has been all about building stamina so we can sustain our work for the entire workshop time! Today we were able to read for 17 minutes!!! 

We also got to learn about our classroom library! We will start book shopping for just right books next week! We are very excited for this! I loved hearing this comment today: "Ms. Pacy, you have every book I have ever wanted to read!" That is the kind of excitement I love to hear about reading! 

You may have also heard your child talk about WIN Time! At Summit Street this year, we have implemented a time of day called WIN Time. This stands for What Individuals Need or What I Need. During this time, third graders will be working on a variety of skills with different adults based on what they need! More details to come! 

Lastly, we have talked a lot about goal setting and classroom expectations. Today we brainstormed some class rules and ended up with a list very similar to our school rules! Funny how that works! We decided that it will be important to: 

Be Safe

Be Kind

Be Responsible

Focus on Learning 

Thanks to everyone that spent time reviewing their reflection sheet with their child! Look for another reflection sheet in Friday Folders! 

And as always please feel free to reach out to me through phone or email (epacy@ewsd.org) with any questions, comments, or concerns! I will be reaching out to families in the coming weeks to hear about how the transition to third grade has gone.