Thought You Were Done With Me?

Just when you thought you were done hearing from me I have one more blog post (unless I find something else interesting).

This just fit in too well with your new fourth graders to pass up, so I wanted to add one more post.  The app below (for iPad only) is currently free, but it usually only lasts a couple of days.

It gives kids quizzes and shows what they need to work on for the STAR test, which is similar to our MAPs test.  It seems like a good way to get a little review in over the summer without stressing them out too much.

4th Grade HD

Hope your summer is going great!

Thanks

I'll try to keep it short and sweet for our last post.  Thanks for a great year!  I had a really nice group of students who I enjoyed working with this year.  Also, I appreciated the supportive and committed parents that I had this year too.

Have a great summer and make sure you stop in and say hi next year!

Last Day Reminders

A class picture from our field trip!

Just a few reminders before our last day of school.
  -  We dismiss at 11:15 tomorrow.
  -  No lunch will be served at school.
  -  There will be breakfast still if the kids choose.
  -  Report cards will go home tomorrow with the kids.
  -  Remember to wear clothes and shoes you can run around in.  Also, bring a sweatshirt as it may be cool.
  -  Everything is coming home tonight so the kids won't need to bring a backpack tomorrow.

Everything is Turned In!

Our class has everything turned in for the year!  Great job students and parents!  All our library books are turned in.  Every registration form has been sent to the office and there are no outstanding fees to be paid.  Thanks for getting everything in, I know that there is a lot of stuff sent home at the end of the year.

So that means I will be sending all the students report cards home on Thursday.  We'll pack up everything else on Wednesday so their desks will be emptied and they shouldn't need to bring a backpack on Thursday if they don't want.  The state pillows will be sent home tonight.

Reading Calendars

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their last reading calendar of the year!

Mariah
Emma
Nicole
Jackie
Hailey
Skyler
James
Hailee
Zach
Savannah

Reading Calendars Due Monday!

The May Reading Calendars are due on Monday, June 3rd.  We will have our extra reading recess Monday afternoon.

A few other notes, since I didn't post much during the week.

• We did a fondu fountain for my birthday treat.  It was fairly messy, but we survived.
• The field trip was great and went without incident or bad weather.
• When we got back to school though, we went straight into the boys bathroom because of the tornado warning.  The nearest interior room to us is the boys bathroom and we had just gotten in the room when the alarm went off.
• Friday the students got their extra recess for getting to FIVE MILLION words!  That was a challenging goal, but they made it.

Last Day of School

There is a letter going home tonight that describes our last day of school.  We will be dismissing kids at 11:15 this year and no lunch will be served on that day.  On the sheet going home there is also a release form if you need to make different plans than other early release days.

Also, on the last day of school, please have your child wear clothes they can run around and play in.  We do several fun activities that don't work well with flip-flops and/or dresses.  Shorts and tennis shoes work great.  Thanks!

Teachable Moment

On Thursday we had a "teachable moment" that seems to have stuck with the kids.  When we are working on writing projects I often play music.  I had just downloaded a new song called Clouds by Zach Sobiech.  I liked the song and had no idea about the amazing back story.  One of the kids told me about how he was writing the song as a way to deal with cancer.  He just passed away this week at the age of 18.  His story is very inspirational and it was a great reminder for me to focus on enjoying the people in my life.

If you haven't heard about him here is an article that shares more details:  CNN

Also, here is the YouTube video of his song:

Classroom Visitors

When the kids were at library we had a couple of visitors at the window.  They kept trying to fly in while they were gone.  The birds left before the kids got back though.

Hobby Fair

 

The kids will be presenting a hobby of theirs to younger classes on Friday, May 31st. This is a pretty informal presentation where they share information about their hobby to the students who come to their desk or table.   The students will just have to decide what to bring in, we will do all the preparation next week in class.

We will start coming up with hobby ideas today, and students can start bringing in materials on Friday or next week.  Students can bring in whatever hobby they would like, but whatever they have needs to fit on the top of their desk. In the past, some students have needed to take a picture of things because they were too big. Some have asked if they can change their outfit to match their hobby and that would be great. They could also have things that they hang in front of their desk.

 No live animals or real weapons please:)

Tests

Here are a list of the final set of tests we have this year.

This Friday will be our last spelling test of the year.  Next week we have a short week as well as a day that we miss for the field trip.  The last week of school will also be quite crazy so we won't do it that week.

The last math test is scheduled for either Friday, May 31 or Monday, June 3.  We are working on fractions and should be able to finish the unit by the end of the year.

At some point next week we'll also take our 50 states test.  We have taken a break from this to work on our states pillows this week, but we'll learn some of the Midwest states on Thursday.

Adverbs

We did our last Schoolhouse Rock video of the year, Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here.

Schedule

Below is a schedule for the last few weeks.  I'm sure there will be more things added too.  The end of the year is always a crazy time.

Here's a little more information about some of the notes:

• The Registration Packets for your child go home tonight!  Please return the paperwork as soon as you can.  Thank you.
• This Friday, May 17 is the last day for students to check out books.  
• On Monday, May 20 the students will run 10 minutes in gym.  Since they have met this goal Mrs. Frey and I are going to run the 10 minutes with them.
• May 22 I will be gone in the morning.
• May 24 the students will sew their pillows with the help of parents and grandparents.
• May 27 - Memorial Day
• May 30 - Folklore Village
• Friday, May 31 the students will have their Hobby Fair.  I will send out information soon, but wanted to wait until after permission slips, pillow cloth, and registration packets were done.  The students will need to bring in their hobby stuff, but they will prepare what they are going to do in class.
• We'll have our first third grade spelling bee on Monday, June 3.  Reading calendars are also due.
• June 6 is the last day of school and dismissal is at 11:30 a.m.

Field Trip Chaperone

Nicole's mom won the drawing to come on the field trip with us on May 30th.  Thanks to all those parents who volunteered to help out.  I wish we were able to bring more.

Also, I have most of the permission slips turned in.  Thank you for returning those promptly.

Mud Run

In our Time for Kids magazine this week we were reading about Adventure Races or Mud Runs, which are becoming popular.  As we read, now they have Mud Runs designed for kids.  There is a short video of the race from the magazine here:  Running the Race (at the bottom of the page)  I decided to look up to see if any of the races were in Wisconsin, and there is one at Miller Park in September.

The kids are super excited about the idea so I told them I'd leave a link:  Spartan Race at Miller Park  The kids race part is at the bottom of the page.

On a side note, I will be competing with my wife's family in my first adventure race this summer.  I was excited, but after seeing some of the videos I've gotten a little nervous!  My race is in Fond du Lac, and they also have a kid's race this year.  Here is that link too:  Edge the Ledge

States List

Below is a list of the states that the kids selected for their state pillow.  We will begin working on those right away on Monday so we can sew at the end of the week!

Mariah  - Massachussetts

Emma  -  Arizona

Colton  -  Illinois

Brynn  -  Maine

Abby  -  Rhode Island

Montanna  -  Montana

Nicole  -  North Carolina

Jackie  -  Iowa

Alyson  -  Wisconsin

Hailey  -  Nebraska

Skyler  -  New Jersey

James  -  Colorado

Jackson  -  California

Hailee  -  Maryland

Zachary  -  Kentucky

Owen  -  Kansas

Savannah  -  Louisiana

Sewing Pillows

This is the letter I sent home last night about sewing.  The students need two 12x12 pieces of cloth by May 20.  I have a couple of people who volunteered to sew (Thank You!), but there is still room for more if you'd like.

We are working with our last social studies unit for the year - a study of the states in our country.  As a culmination to our study, each student will be researching one assigned state and creating a pillow with key information on it.  The pillows will be displayed for a few days and then sent home the end of the year.

All of the work will be done at school unless a child wants to bring his/her pillow top home to work on it.  The research and sewing will take place here.

Your child needs to bring in:

·         (1)piece of plain, white fabric 12X12 inches

·         (1)piece for the back 12X12 inches

The back can be any color, print, etc. If you don’t care to purchase material for the white piece, an old pillowcase or piece of sheet will work fine.

Please cut or help your child cut the material at home.

Doing two pieces individually at home is quicker than us doing them at school.  These pieces need to be brought to school by

Monday, May 20

The sooner the better, though.  I will mark your child’s fabric and put it in a safe place.

I will provide the thread and stuffing for the inside of the pillows.  The children will be doing their own sewing with an adult right beside them. If anyone knows how to sew and would be available and willing to come to our classroom May 23 or 24 and help the children sew, I would be elated

Math Tests

We will take our Unit 6 math test on geometry on Wednesday of this week.  Then we will move on to our last unit of the year, fractions!  We should be able to get Unit 7 finished before the end of the year, but it will be close.  Tonight and tomorrow I will be sending home the test review for their homework.  They'll do half tonight and the other half on Tuesday.

The students also do an end of the year math exam.  This one we are going to do little by little.  It's a rather long test, but the students are only going to do 4 or 5 questions a day at the beginning of math.  I am hoping this will keep them from burning out and I can see how well they retained the information.  With this being the first year I am really interested to see the results.

Field Trip Permission Slip

The field trip permission slip is coming home tonight.  The field trip to Folklore Village will take place on Thursday, May 30.  Please return the permission slip with $3 by Tuesday, May 14.  There is an option to have parents come on the field trip too.

One parent from our class will be drawn to join us on the field trip.  We'll do the drawing on Wednesday, May 15.

The permission slip that is coming home tonight will have more information.

News and Notes

I just have a few things to add to todays notes.

• Many of the girls in class take part in Girl Scouts.  They added an extra meeting for next Monday, May 13.  Since this meeting wasn't on the original schedule please send in note that says it's okay for your daughter to stay after on May 13.  There is also another meeting on May 20, but that one was previously schedule so no note will be needed.
• Montfort and Highland have no more CCD classes this year.
• The FFA has their Green House Plant Sale starting today.  They are open from 2:30-8:00 on May 8th-15th and Saturday from 9-2.
• We are finishing the first step of our plant claymations today.  This is a project we do after the life cycle of a plant unit.  The last group will build their rose today.  Each group has team members that are trained in one specific area, then they come together to build the claymation.  Next week we'll put the pictures into PowerPoint to build the actual claymation.  If you have e-mail, I'll be sending the finished project to you next week.

Parent/Teacher Calls

I just started making phone calls to parents about how their students did on the various tests we took throughout the year.  We don't have spring conferences and I think that is something parents want to know.  I am going to try to call some during the school days, but others I may need to call in the evening.  So if you see a strange new number this week it may be me!

For those who I already called, sorry I didn't give you advanced notice.  I hope you didn't think your child had gotten in trouble!

States

We are going to begin studying the 50 states this week in social studies.  We took the pretest on Friday and will really dig in starting on Wednesday.  We will start with the East Coast states, then move South.  We will add a group of states each couple of days until we are finished in a few weeks.

As a culminating even we make a States pillow.  This is always right near the end of May and I'll give you more information later.  I will need people to help me sew though if it's possible (I don't know how to sew!).

Nap Time!

For our next Paws Reward the students have decided to go back in time a little bit and have nap time for their reward.  We are going to do our nap time tomorrow, May 3.  We have one day a week when we don't have computers or P.E. and it happens to land on this Friday.  It's right before their recess so it'll make a nice time for them to have their nap time.  The kids can also choose to silent read during that time if they would like.

I have told the kids that they can bring in a blanket and pillow as long as it is not too large.  They wanted specific sizes, but I told them to try to find pillows and a blanket that will fit in a grocery bag instead of a garbage bag.  It'll be about a half hour and I don't want it to look like we are having a weekend camp over.

Reading Calendars

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their April Reading Calendars!  Mariah, Emma, Montanna, Nicole, Jackie, Hailey, Skyler, James, Hailee, Zach, and Savannah all turned in their calendars and get their recess today.  The students no longer get the personal pan pizza reward.  March was the last month for that.

Also, the May calendars were sent home yesterday.  We'll have the reading recess on Monday, June 3.  That'll be the last one of the year as we won't do one for June.  Hopefully your child will be in a good reading routine and find time to read all summer.  I know it gets busy, but that daily practice sure helps.

Don't forget, the Reading Fest is tonight too!

IGEMS Family Reading Fest

Thursday, May 2

7:00-8:00 p.m.

The IGEMS Family Reading Fest is tomorrow!  Hopefully you and your family will be able to make it out and enjoy the festivities.  Also, students are able to get a free RIF book!

• Read a book with your family
• Reading Cafe for students 6-8
• Meet the I-G Panther
• Listen to stories with your family
• Enjoy a reading activity
• Enjoy a skit with your family
• Take home a new RIF book to build your library!

April Calendars

Please remember your April reading calendars.  They are due tomorrow!

Also, tomorrow is a half day.  Please send a note with your child if they are going someplace different.

Finally, the students took their MAPs tests on reading on Monday and did awesome!  They have done such a good job of practicing reading and are becoming better readers.  Great job!

Busy Week

We have a few different things going on next week.  Remember on Wedesnday, May 1st next week we have a half day.  We also have MAPs testing next week on Monday and Wednesday.  Also, because of the MAPs test and the half day we'll do our extra reading recess on Thursday, May 2.

Monday - MAPs Testing - Language Arts - 1 p.m.
Wednesday - Half Day
  - Maps Testing - Math - 10 a.m.
Thursday - Extra Reading Recess

Take Your Child To Work

Yesterday Alstan came for the whole day. The kids were excellent with him, even though they had to share him. He even got a nap in.

Wisconsin Bat Festival

When we had our Earth Day presentations last week and one of the presenters was from the DNR.  She gave lots of interesting information about bats and even brought in two different bats.  She talked about how the kids could go to the Wisconsin Bat Festival so I wanted to give a little more information about it.

Wisconsin Bat Festival 
(The title has a link to their page)

When:  June 1, 2013 - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Where:  Warner Park Community Recreation Center, Madison, WI

Cost:  $5 for adults, kids under 16 are free with an accompanied adult

Family Traditions

This week we are reading a story about family traditions during language arts.  The students  will write about different family traditions they have.  Below are the options they have for each day.  We do all the writing and the project in class, but sometimes they have trouble thinking of activities to write about.  For each of the choices below they only pick one to write about.  So they pick to write about either the fair or how they helped.

  -  The fair or an activity they helped

  -  Family surprise or birthday

  -  Fundraiser or a different family activity

  -  The beach or Christmas

  -  Family foods or a hot summer day

   -  “Beds of Dreaming” – What they are dreaming to become

News and Notes

The Van Clan exceeded four million words this week.  Great Work!  I told them that I would give them an extra recess if they reached five million words as a class before the end of the school year.  It's a tough goal, but if they all keep reading they can do it.  The class has really done a great job of silent reading lately and it is such a good practice that I hope they continue through the summer.

Also, our biographies are scheduled for next week.  Colton is scheduled for Monday morning and in the afternoon Owen, Savannah, and Emma will be presenting!

Finally, next week Thursday we will have a Mystery Guest!  I haven't given the students any more information than that yet.  I may try to add some hints or clues next week.

Special Activities

The last two days we have had a couple of special, fun activities.  Yesterday a group of four high schoolers came over to share their forensic performance.  The did several Twisted Fairy Tales, and it was quite entertaining.  They needed to practice because they are performing at State Forensics this weekend.

Today the whole IGEMS building has spent most of the day celebrating Earth Day.  There are many different presenters in the building and it has been quite cool so far.  The presenters are very informative and interesting so far.

Book Fair Reminder

The students created their wish list for the book fair today.  We went in for about 20 minutes to look around.  We will be going down to buy books on Thursday, April 18 at around 9:00 a.m.  You can send in money on Wednesday, Thursday, or come down on Thursday evening to buy books with your child.  The book fair is open on Thursday until 7:00 during Family Fun Night.

The book fair is not open on Friday!  If students forget to bring in their money it won't be open on Friday.

Buy One Get One Free!  Of course, don't forget the deal that comes along with the Spring book fair.  On the students wish list I have marked the buy one and the free one for them.

Biography Schedule

Click on the schedule to make it larger.

Here is the biography schedule for next week.  If you need to make changes pleas let me know as soon as you can.  I tried to have at least two students go during each time slot.  Finally, if your child needs help with a costume please let me know this week and not next.  Usually we can find something at school or from another classmate to help if needed.

Testing Next Week

Our language arts test and math test both line up next week.  The language arts test will be split up over three days.  We are going to try to do the writing portion first this time.  Hopefully, the students will be fresh on the writing portion.  That is usually the area with the most struggle.  We'll also read the story If You Made a Million while taking the test.

In math we will be finishing up Unit 5 - Story Problems on Tuesday.  We will do a test review on Monday and take the test on Tuesday.  As you have probably seen on the homework the last couple of weeks, the kids are facing some difficult two part story problems.  I think they'll be ready to go though!  Our next unit will be geometry.

Because of both of these tests we won't have a lot of homework next week.  We won't have new units and information to cover like usual.  There will probably be homework on Monday and that may be it for the week!  We will also not have a spelling test next week.  The testing just takes up too much time to do both in one week.

Upcoming Events

There are a few things coming up in April that I wanted to update everyone on.

Biographies and Sign Up

The student biographies aren't until April 22-26, but sign up for the presentation times are due by this Friday, April 12.  Your child should have brought home a sign up sheet for the biographies, but you can just send me an e-mail or note too.  The times are Monday-Friday each day.  There is a time slot from 8:15-8:45 and 2:30-3:00 each day.  The only time slot that has been filled up so far is Friday afternoon.

Benchmark Assessments

I will be giving the students their last set of Benchmark Assessment tests tomorrow.  Hopefully I'll be able to get everyone done in one day, but I may need to finish up one or two kids on Friday.  I will be in the building tomorrow doing the testing, but the students will have a sub.  The Benchmark Assessments test is the one where students read to me and then I ask them questions.  Their level is determined by a combination of their comprehension and fluency.

Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair is next week.  It will be from April 15-April 18.  This books fair is the buy one get one free opportunity.  Our class will go look at the books on Tuesday and then have an opportunity to buy books on Thursday.  If you would like to come in and view or purchase books with your child it will be open on Thursday evening also, which is the Family Fun night.  Here is the website for more information:  IGEMS Book Fair

Royal Bank

On Friday, April 12 we will have someone from Royal Bank come in and present to the third grade.  They do a fun activity each year about saving money.

Millionaire!!!

We have two reasons to talk about a million!

The first is that Nicole reached one million words read this year!  She has reached IGEMS Millionaire Club, which is an incredible accomplishment for a third grader.  Congratulations Nicole!

The other reason we talk about a million is next weeks story is If You Made a Million.  I have included a couple of links below to help illustrate just how much a million really is.

• One Million Pennies
• One Million Dollars worth of Pennies
• One Million Dots

Life Cycle of Plants

After Spring Break we began studying the life cycles of plants.  In the next couple of weeks we'll be doing a few fun experiments.  This week we planted several different kinds of sprouts which we'll eat early next week.  Below are a couple of things that I'd like students to bring in if they have a chance.  We don't need each student to have one though.

Coniferous Cones

Monday, April 8

We will be looking more closely at coniferous cones next week.  Any kind of cone will work and if there are three or four they can find that'd be great too.

Flowers

Monday, April 15

I pushed back the investigation of flowers a little bit this year with the cold weather.  Hopefully, we'll get some warmer weather and some spring flowers by April 15.  We pull apart these flowers to see what parts are inside, so they obviously won't be coming home.

Schedule

Today - Wednesday, April 3

The student report cards are going home tonight with the students.  I also included the last math test, which we took before spring break.  You may keep the report card and math test, but please return the report card envelop signed again.

Tomorrow - Thursday, April 4

The students have received all their Paws for our next reward, Inside Out Day!  Tomorrow students in my homeroom can wear their clothes inside out to school.  Shirts, sweatshirts, and pants will all work.  I have talked to the kids about how loose fitting pants like sweatpants and bigger shirts will make their day a little more comfortable.  Super job on earning all 22 paws for this reward!  We'll pick our next reward soon.

Friday, April 5

On Friday the whole school is doing a Pink Out!  This is sponsored by Student Council as a way to thank all those who were able to help donate money during the Penny War.  The Penny War was able to collect over $2,800!  That money goes toward cancer research.  That is awesome and I know many from our class were able to help as well.  Thanks.  

March Readers

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their March Reading Calendars: Savannah, Owen, Zach, Hailee, James, Hailey, Alyson, Jackie, Nicole, Montanna, Abby, Brynn, Emma, and Mariah! Great Job! March was the last month that students receive a Book It! pizza coupon. For the April and May calendar the students will still earn an extra recess though.

Family Night Out

There is another Family Night Out coming up for kindergarten through fifth graders. It is on Thursday, April 18 from 5:30-7:45. The event is free and the forms are being sent home tonight and need to be returned by April 9.

March Reading Calendars

March Reading Calendars are due 

Monday, April 1

I hope everyone has a restful and rejuvenating Spring Break.  This will be my last post until we are back.  I wanted to leave a reminder for students that their March calendars will be due on April 1.

Reminders

• The Hawaiian Hula is tonight (Thursday) at IGEMS from 6-8.  Admission is free!  You can wear your Hawaiian clothes if you can brave the cold to make it inside.
• The Penny War only has one more day!  Friday is the last day to bring in money.  The money goes toward Relay for Life.
• Our Spring Party is this afternoon.  Most years our game committee gets an easy job and we go outside and enjoy Spring.  The year the committee got to decide between creating inside games or sledding:(
• Friday is a half day.  If your child is going someplace different than usual please send a letter in the morning.
• Harriet Tubman projects can go home any time this week.  Unless they are huge we are going to send them home on the bus with each child on Friday!
• Tomorrow is the end of the third quarter.  The time is flying by.  The kids report cards will be sent out after break.
• Your child should have a sheet with the sign up to watch their biographies at the end of April.  They aren't due until April 12, but a few people knew their schedules and sent them in right away.
• The March Reading Calendars will be due on the first day back from Spring Break.
• Last year on this day is 80 degrees!

Biographies

The students biography books and information sheets are coming home tonight.  The students will present their biographies on the week of April 22-26.  If your child would like to switch books please have them do this before Spring Break.  Sending the books out this week should give them plenty of time to work on their biography presentation.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Activities Next Week

We have a couple of student unique activities next week.  There are sheets of paper going home about each tonight, but I'm also putting them on the blog.

Penny War

IGEMS

March 18-22

Please bring in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters... whatever change you can spare to help raise money for cancer research.

The winning class will earn a reward!

The student council will take the money and walk in the Relay for Life in Platteville on April 12th

Sponsored by IGEMS Student Council

"Hula's" to Dance?  We Love to Dance!!!

Thursday, March 21

6-8 p.m.

IGEMS Gym and Cafeterium

Admission is Free

Come join us at the IGEMS Family Fun Night.  Entertainment provided by Fun-N-Games Company.  They will have a combination of music, group dances and contests!!

Your family is encouraged to dress the part!  (grass skirts, Hawaiian shirts, sun dresses, sunglasses - no bikinis please)

A small meal will be offered from 5:30-6:30 for just $2.00.  (Includes pizza slice, chips, milk/water, and a cookie/bar)  Water will also be sold.

Sponsored by IGEMS Parent/Teacher Club

The Dust Bowl

This week we read the story Leah's Pony, and along with that story we talked a bit about the Dust Bowl.  The video clip above game them some pictures and video to show how strong some of those storms were.

Math Lesson

In math today we are working with Math Mountains.  Math Mountains and fact triangles are very similar.  Last years math series used fact triangles where the sum was the top number in the triangle.  With the math mountain the top of the mountain is the sum.  Each part is an addend.

This is the start of Unit 5, which focuses on word problems and problem solving.  This Unit is a little bit shorter than the previous ones.

Important Dates

Here are a couple of important dates coming up:

• We have our Unit 4 math test today.  This one is on addition and subtraction.  We did the practice test yesterday and I think the kids are ready!  There won't be any homework tonight.
• Our Spring Party will be on Thursday, March 21 in the afternoon.  Our committee members are Hailee, Zach, Owen, and Savannah.  Hailee and Zach are in charge of the games while Owen and Savannah will bring in treats.
• Friday, March 22 is a half day.  It is also the end of the third quarter.  The report cards won't be sent home until after spring break.
• March 23-31 is spring break.  Unless you forgot.
• The last day of school will be on Thursday, June 6.  That is as long as we don't have any more snow days!

Fine Arts Night

Iowa-Grant's Second Annual Fine Arts Night!

When:  Tuesday, March 12, 2013 - 6-8 p.m.

Where:  The High School Gymnasium

IGEMS art students will have their art on display!

Hat Day

A few notes for the day:

• Friday, March 8 is Caps for a Cure Day.  Many students brought in a dollar so remind them to wear their hat.  If they still want to bring in a dollar I'm sure that will be fine.  Above is my daughter wearing her hat.
• Many students have asked about how long the Harriet Tubman projects will be out.  The plan is to have them out until Spring Break.  If you are in the building on the week of March 18-22 feel free to stop down and pick them up.  Girl scouts is planned for that week and couple boys thought they had wrestling practice.  I'd hate to see those projects get destroyed.
• Our math test will be next week.  It depends a little on how the last couple of units go, but the test should be on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The students seem to be doing pretty well with the multi-digit addition and subtraction.  Hopefully they'll do well on their test.
• 3,000,000 Words!  The class has combined to read over 3 million words on the year.  That's a lot of words, and they have really been picking up steam the last two weeks.

Crowded House Video

I sent the links to the video for the play to parents e-mails.  If you did not get a link for the play from me please let me know.  There are a few people who I don't have e-mails for too, and I can get you the links for the play some other way if you'd like it.

Harriet Cabins

Check out the details in some of these cabins and dioramas!  Great work third graders!

Reading Calendar

Congratulations to the following students for turning in their February Reading Calendars:  Savannah, Zach, Hailee, James, Skyler, Hailey, Alyson, Jackie, Nicole, Montanna, Abby, Brynn, and Mariah.

The March calendars were sent out on Friday.  They will be due on Monday, April 1, right after spring break.  The March calendars will also be the last month that students can earn a personal pan pizza along with their extra recess.

Caps for a Cure

I forgot to send out the Caps for a Cure forms, so if your child did not turn in their money they can next week.  We will be wearing caps on Friday, March 8 if a dollar was brought in.  Several students did turn in their money, but if not, just do it early next week.

Have a great weekend!

Thank You

I would like to send a sincere thank you to all the parents for their help with the Harriet Tubman project and the play.  The projects that the kids brought in for the Harriet Tubman assignment are excellent!  Also, everyone in class turned in their assignments on time, which I think is a great complement to the children and the parents.  As I type this, there are second graders walking by literally oohing and awing about the projects.  I will post some pictures of the projects next week.

Also, thank you for the time that was spent preparing for the play.  The kids did a great job and the props and set up we had were outstanding.  The number of people who were able to attend was outstanding and I had notes from a few others who wanted to come but weren't able.  For those who want to see the play for the first time (or a second time) I recorded it and will work on getting it posted to the web this weekend.  I put it on my new phone so it may take a little playing before I get it up.

We'll have one more big home project after spring break.  The biography assignment will be sent out right before we go on break.  The students will read about a famous person and present as if they were that person.  The students and their families did such a good job with this first project that I am really looking forward to those too.

Notes and Social Studies

This Weeks Notes

• The kids earned their PAWS Reward today in class.  We watched a cartoon and had popcorn.  Their next PAWS objective is to wear their clothes to school Inside Out!
• The school is collecting box tops this month and many students have brought in sheets with box tops.  The class with the most box tops gets a special prize.  If you have any left turn them in.  Tomorrow is the end of the competition.
• Friday is a very busy day.  We have our Crowded House Play at 8:30 in the room.
• The student's Harriet Tubman project is also due on Friday, March 1.  If you are coming to the play and want to bring the project then you can.
• The February Reading Calendars are the other thing that are due on Friday.  We'll have our extra Reading Recess on Friday.
• Caps for a Cure money is also due on Friday!  If your child would like to wear a cap on March 8 they need to pay $1.

Social Studies

• We are finishing up our Harriet Tubman unit this week.  We'll finish the book on Thursday, watch a short video that depicts Harriet's Life, and each child will present their Harriet Project that they made at home.  The presentation will tell what they made, how they made it, and how it fits into the story of Harriet Tubman.
• Early next week we'll transition to Science.  We study Energy for the month of March.

WKCE Results

The WKCE test results are back and we will be sending them via mail to the parents.  The school is sending the test results for each child in the IGEMS building out tonight (Monday).  I would guess most of you will get them on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.

Third grade is the first year that students take the WKCE test.  If you have questions about the test please e-mail (avanovermeer@igs.k12.wi.us) or call me (608-943-6313 ext. 1048)

Paws Activity

The student have earned another Paws Activity next week.  The Paws program is done school wide and is just a way to recognize positive behavior in the building.  They have been collecting paws all year to go towards rewards.  The next reward day will be on Wednesday, February 27.  We will be doing popcorn and a cartoon.

We also picked our next reward, and it'll be an interesting one.  The students have chosen to do Inside-Out Day, which hasn't been done yet at IGEMS.  After the students collect 21 more paws we will select a day where the students can wear their pants and shirts inside out!  It will take a while to earn 21 paws so this activity probably won't be until late March or maybe even April.

The Crowded House Play

The Crowded House

Room 520

March 1 at 8:30 a.m.

The Van Clan Class

You are invited to the Crowded House Play on Friday, March 1 at 8:30 a.m.  The play should not run over 30 minutes.  We will be having this play in the classroom.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, you can bring in your child's Harriet Tubman project if you are able to come and watch (It will not be considered late on the rubric, even though it's brought in at 8:30.  The kids were very worried about that).

Below are the characters for the play.  We picked the parts today and we'll really focus in on the play next week.  The kids are always very excited to get everything ready.
   

The Crowded House
Father	Jackson
Mother	Mariah
Molly	Hailee
Joan	Nicole
Meg	Jackie
Mary Ann	Montanna
Martin	Owen
Willy	Abby
Tom	Jim
Joseph	Skyler
Granny	Brynn
Batholomew	Zachary
Goat	Emma
Donkey	Savannah
Narrator	Hailey

Calendar Update

Schedule

Feb. 20 - FFA Petting Zoo

March 1 - Harriet Tubman Projects Due

March 1 - Extra Reading Recess

March 1 - Crowded House Play - 8:30

March 10 - Time Change

March 17 - St. Patrick's Day

March 20 - Spring!

March 21 - Spring Party

March 22 – End 3^rd Quarter

March 22 – Early Release

March 23-31 – Spring Break

April 1 – Return to School (No Joke)

April 1 - Begin 4th Quarter

May 1 – Early Release

May 27 – No School

May 30 - Field Trip

Last Day ???

I have updated the calendar through the end of the year.  There are still several things that will be added as we get closer.  Here is a rundown of some of the activities we are doing.

• Feb. 20 -Tomorrow is the FFA Petting Zoo.  We are going in the afternoon and it is over at the high school.
• March 1 - This ends up being a busy day.  We have our Harriet Tubman projects due, February Reading Calendars due, and we will present the play, The Crowded House, in the morning.  Parents will be invited to the play and if your child has a large Harriet Tubman project you can wait and bring it with you.
• March 21 - Our spring party will be on Thursday since we only have a half day on Friday.  This is the last party of the year and the committee members are Hailee, Zach, Savannah, and Owen.
• May 30 - Still Tentative - Our field trip to Folklore Village will probably be on Thursday, May 30.  It's not official yet, but I don't expect it to change.
• Last Day  - We have built in snow days and we've had many missed days this year.  There's still the possibility for more too!  Once I find out I'll let you know.

Popper's Penguins

The next couple of weeks in language arts will be very busy.  We just finished reading the classic, Mr. Popper's Penguins as our read aloud story.  On Monday the whole third grade will watch the movie too.  We will then write a compare and contrast paragraph of the two.  This will take all of next week and some of the following week.

• Because of the video on Monday, we won't start our spelling until Tuesday.  The spelling pretest will be sent home on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
• Our story for the next two weeks will be the Crowded House.  This is the second play we do in third grade.  Next week we'll read the play and pick parts.  We'll dig into creating the play the following week.  The play itself will be on Friday, March 1.  I will get a specific time next week, but it will be in the morning.
• We also have our next unit test coming up in the next two weeks.  I am hoping to start the test at the end of next week and finish it the following week.
• We won't have a spelling list the week of Feb. 25-March 1.  Between finishing our unit test and doing the play we will be plenty busy!

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ear

This is our story for the week.  It has a video from PBS that goes with it read by James Earl Jones.  His voice sounds so cool!  He's also the voice of Musafa in the Lion King.

Watch Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears on PBS.  See more from WENH.

Harriet Tubman Home Project

Below is the sheet that is coming home tonight for the Harriet Tubman project.  Please work with your child to come up with something they will be excited about.  If you have an idea that isn't on the list please ask me first.  The rubric is also attached on the sheet that I sent home.

Please choose one project to do at home.  You may have help with your project.

          *Design a quilt from either fabric or paper.  This was

            Harriet’s prized possession.

          *Make a shoebox diorama of a scene from the book.

          *Write a letter to Harriet Tubman.  Express your opinion on

           slavery and what she did to help so many people.

          *Draw a “wanted” poster of Harriet Tubman.  Remember to

            include key information such as her description, what she is

            wanted for, the amount of reward offered, etc.

          *Make a model of Harriet’s log cabin.  Be creative!  No

          Legos, please.  Your own creative ideas are the best!

          *Draw a map of Harriet’s journey.  Be sure to include a

           title, key, etc.  Color it.

          *Make a game that has something to do with Harriet  

           Tubman or slavery.  Include a rule sheet.

          *Do you have another idea?  Please ask me about it before

            you do it.  I enjoy your creative ideas!

Your project is due on Friday, March 1st.   It will be graded, and you will be presenting to your class.  Have fun!