Sunday, May 21, 2023

Field Day!

Hello, Families! Tomorrow, May 22, is grade 3-5 Field Day. It starts at 8:45 a.m. and will last until 12:30 p.m. It's a full day of fun! Our lunch will be from 1:20-2:00 tomorrow, followed by an all-school assembly from 2:45 p.m.-3:25 p.m. on the field. The fastest boy and girl from each class in grades 3-5 will race to determine the fastest at each grade level. Please help your child prepare for Field Day in these ways: *Dress comfortably in athletic wear and running shoes. Consider bringing an extra pair of socks to wear after the events. *Liberally apply sunscreen before school. *Hats and sunglasses are welcome and encouraged! *Eat a healthy breakfast that will give your child lasting energy for our big morning. *Pack a water bottle and a healthy snack or two. I'm looking forward to tomorrow with your child and our big week ahead! In Partnership, ~Stacey

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Our Crew's News: April 17-20

Dear Families, Hello! I hope you are doing well. First, I owe you a tremendous thank you for your support as students successfully experienced their first CMAS testing rounds in language arts and math. I was telling a colleague that something pretty magical happens during those two weeks-- kids really seem to transition academically and personally to 4th grade. Persevering through those rigorous tests is nothing short of a celebration of all of their learning and also their tremendously positive mindset growth. I sure appreciate all of your support this year and all the time and attention you have poured into the success of your child. Second, homework, as you have known it, is over for the year.   Kids will only have nightly reading homework (25 or more minutes/4+ days per week). I will not assign any more spelling tests or math homework or reading response journal writing. :) Coming up, as our last social studies unit of the year, is our study of Economics-- mostly known as our Mini-Society unit. You will receive information about upcoming dates this week and information about the scope of this last, really engaging unit that will culminate the last week of school on Market Day, which will be on Tuesday, May 23rd.  Students will need to create a good to create and then "sell" to others that day. We will be sharing many ideas, but to get you started, should you have time, you can peruse Pinterest or Tik Tok or any other social media or internet sites for ideas for such a project. There is plenty of time ahead for this project, but if you are interested in getting started in the thinking, I wanted to give you a heads-up. The product your child chooses to make will be completed at home.  More information will come in the next few days! Here is a sneak peek at our classroom this week: Reading and Writing: Students are reading classic and adapted fairy tales in preparation for writing an adapted fairy tale. An adapted or "fractured" fairy tale is written where elements of a classic fairy tale -- setting, characters, elements of the plot, ending, etc.) are revisioned and reworked. Math: We are completing a study of fractions and will soon move into a study of multi-step story problems.  Science: We have been researching extreme weather around our globe -- the causes, and how to keep safe in the event of these extreme events-- and have been working on slide show presentations. Each day during these next two upcoming weeks, students will present as experts on their chosen topics. Recently, Kathryn and Owen presented their slide show on the topic of hurricanes. This presentation really helped students solidify how to protect themselves in the event of a hurricane, knowing how devastating hurricanes can be. We studied Hurricane Katrina and its effect on New Orleans, Louisiana, specifically.  This week, students will take on the role of structural engineers as they research and design a prototype building that could sustain the tremendous wind and water forces of hurricanes and their impact on people and the buildings in their communities. Students will present their ideas to a small group of students, then collaborate to utilize each other's ideas to plan for building a prototype building.  This week, we will build and test these structures and see how effective they are in keeping water outside of the prototypes. It is sure to be a memorable activity! Thank you, Parents.   In Partnership,Stacey

Bee House Donations Needed: STEAM Project

Hello Families, In STEAM class, students are encouraged to engage in real-world problem-solving and design experiences. During your student's previous STEAM rotation, the class explored the idea that there may be a lack of bees available to pollinate fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Students then worked through the Ask and Explore steps of the Design Process as they brainstormed and selected materials to build bee houses that can be placed in the community. These bee houses attract mason bees (solitary, non-stinging pollinators). Students can take their bee houses home, or they can leave the house at school, and it will be used in our school or other community gardens. Bee house placement and care information can be found here. During their upcoming rotation, 2nd and 3rd-grade students will engage in the Model, Evaluate, and Explain design process steps as they work to build the houses they have designed. Your students may have identified specific items they would like to bring from home. All items are intended to support the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle model and be found around your house. All students will have access to the necessary materials to build a bee house. If your family has any of the following items available to donate to the school, please have students bring them to the collection bins in the STEAM lab before school. If your student is bringing an item for their own house, PLEASE LABEL with their teacher's name and their first & last name. Items will be collected from Monday, April 17, until Friday, May 5, 2023. If you have questions regarding the project or donations, please contact Anne Butterworth- abutterworth@dcsdk12.org. *Old Plastic storage containers (4 - 6" deep, 4 -6" length and width) *Empty toilet paper tubes *Empty paper towel tubes *Empty kleenex boxes *Empty, clean 20 oz soda bottles *Paper (Wrapping paper, newspaper) *Fabric scraps *Cotton balls *Polyester filling (pillow/stuffy filling)

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Our Crew's News: Week of March 6-10

 Hello, Families.


I hope you are doing well! I deeply appreciated my time with you during our Parent/Teacher Conference Week. Thank you for sharing your insights and enjoy collaborating with you.

Spring Break is a week away! We are wrapping up our opinion writing unit, learning about drama as a genre in reading, reviewing many strategies to add and subtract 3-digit numbers, and are continuing our study of affixes (prefixes and suffixes) in word work. 

Next week, we have Art class for specials. 

CMAS testing
We are also reviewing and preparing for the upcoming Colorado Measure of Academic Success (CMAS) testing. Our schedule is below. Our class has a different specials schedule than the other 3rd-grade classes, and therefore, our testing time is earlier in the day than other 3rd-grade classes (so you know). If you have students in other grades, they will test at different times than ours, as well. 

We will start, basically, soon after the bell rings on these upcoming dates. In order to help your child do their very best, I please ask for your support in helping your child eat a hearty and healthy breakfast each day, filled with some protein and no added sugars. We will not have homework these weeks. Great sleep and exercise are the home focus. :) Please let me know if you have any questions about anything CMAS related. 

CMAS testing: Reading and Writing/English Language Arts (ELA)


Tuesday

March 28

Wednesday

March 29

Thursday

March 30

8:45--10:30  3rd

Baird Only​ ​


ELA 3 Unit 1 - 90 min

ELA 3 Unit 2- 90 min

ELA 3 Unit 3 - 90 min



CMAS testing: Math      


Tuesday

April 4

Wednesday

April 5

Thursday

April 6 

8:45-10:00 - 3rd

Baird Only

Math 3 Unit 1 - 65 min

Math 3 Unit 2 - 65 min

Math 3 Unit 3 - 65 min



Thank you, Families. 
~Stacey

Friday, February 24, 2023

Our Crew's News: Februry 24, 2023

 Hello, Families!


I wanted to start by sharing a big thank you to all the families who contributed to our Valentine's Day party! We sure had a great time delivering cards, eating all of that delicious food, and making glittery slime. It was deeply rewarding to me to see how the kids planned our party! Thank you, also, for the many gifts and handwritten cards. My heart was and is so full. I appreciate the continued generosity and support you share. 

This has been a terrific year, and I am already thinking about how quickly the last quarter of the year will pass. I enjoy this class so very much. Our class receives so many compliments, and mostly, we hear what a kind and caring group of kids they are. I wish you could see how they laugh and work together like a family. I am proud of your kids and enjoy spending my days with such a quality group of people. Thank you for how you have raised this beautiful bunch!

Here's a sneak peek into our upcoming weeks:

Word Work
We are learning about affixes (prefixes and suffixes). Look ahead to seeing root words with these affixes in your child's planner through the end of the year. 

Reading 
We are digging into non-fiction again in our Benchmark study of Innovative Technology. We are crafting written responses around articles and books to solidify our comprehension. We are learning how to write summaries and synthesize our new learning. 

Writing
We are drafting and typing opinion/persuasive speeches on classroom and school issues.  Please ask your child about their chosen topic this week. We studied and read persuasive speeches written by Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai to observe the powerful components of effective persuasive speeches, which have helped us craft our own. 

Math 
After a study of data collection and analysis, we began our two-unit study of adding and subtracting numbers up to 1,000. Students are learning many strategies, including the use of time lines and my personal favorite-- partial sums and partial differences. I'd encourage you to ask your child if they could show you how to add two larger numbers by stacking them and then adding the ones, the tens, the hundreds, and the thousands using partial sums. This strategy solidifies what mathematicians are really doing when they "borrow" and "carry" in the future.  

CMAS
The Colorado Measure of Academic Success (CMAS) assessments will be held after Spring Break. More information will be forthcoming as our administrative team finalizes the exact dates. 

In preparation for these, we are spending time reviewing new and old math concepts, practicing typing, forming short responses to questions, and examining the technology the CMAS incorporates into their assessments. I'd say these kids are, because of their year-long exposure to the online Benchmark reading assessments and the creation of their Expert Google Slideshows, are more prepared than ever with typing and their familiarity with technology tools. They are savvy!

Homework will continue to be weekly math homework and reading response journals -- both due on Fridays. Please look for the short list of spelling words that your child will write in their planner each Monday. These short tests will also be given on Fridays. 

I appreciate you, Families! Please let me know how I can better support you, if you think of anything.  I am open to any questions, as always. I'll see you at the conferences next week!

In Partnership,
Stacey

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Commities: Now and Then

 Dear Families,


I wanted to give you a little heads-up about a homework assignment that is coming home tomorrow with your child. The cover page of the assignment is below. Please look for the complete assignment that includes space for your child to write responses in your child's backpack tomorrow.


We are studying the topic of Communities: Past and Present and the ways the past influences the present. Students will be asked to get on the phone or meet with an important older person in their life to ask questions about their lives. In particular, kids will ask their person about growing up and their family life, how they played, and what school was like.


This assignment will be due on February 6.



NOW and THEN Project


In  Social Studies, we are currently studying how the past has influenced the present.  We will compare and contrast how people lived, learned, worked, and played. 


Interview a Grandparent or Older Person in Your Life

Call or talk to a grandparent or older person in your life. You will ask your interviewee a set of questions provided for you in this packet.  Write down their answers thoughtfully (using complete sentences). Then, answer the same questions (see “It’s Your Turn” pages).

INTERVIEWS MUST BE COMPLETED BY...

Monday, February 6th
We will be sharing the answers to the interview questions in class on Monday, February 6, and Tuesday, February 7. You will then take these interview questions home to create a project. 


ENJOY and HAVE FUN!      


Monday, January 9, 2023

Our Crew's News: January, 2023

Dear Parents,

Welcome to 2023! I am so eager to meet and connect with your students.  

Please welcome a new student, Maya, who will join our Crew on Tuesday, January 10! 

I will be sending a bi-weekly newsletter that will include information for each curricular area and upcoming, important dates. Here's a peek into what we will be learning about in our Crew these first two weeks in January:


Reading: We will soon be starting our fourth unit of study: Different Perspectives. Students will analyze points of view, draw inferences, and learn more about figurative language (metaphors/similies). Students will be expected to write detailed responses using multiple pieces of text evidence to support their thinking about points of view. 

Writing 
We will begin our opinion/persuasive writing unit next week. Students will construct an opinion piece using many new skills, including considering the audience, editing as they go, setting goals, organizing and categorizing, paragraphing, writing an introduction and conclusion, selecting words that heighten emotion, and revision. 

Math
Please set aside time each week to support your child in learning multiplication and division facts, 0-12. The goal is for your child to have computational strategies and quick recall to help them solve math problems promptly. As concepts are becoming increasingly more complex, this foundation is extremely important. 

Students will be studying area and perimeter. Next, students will be studying data, where they will learn to read picture graphs and bar graphs, make picture graphs and bar graphs, and solve word problems using the information in graphs. 

Social Studies: 
In our next unit, Communities Past and Present, we will explore how our community has changed from the past to the present. Students will read about and look at different items from the past used in school, as tools, as transportation, in their homes, as types of clothing, and as types of technology (a big one!). Students will also complete a “Then and Now” project that they will present. More information will come home to you in the upcoming weeks. 

Dates to Remember: 
• January 9th-No School 
 • January 16th–No School (MLK Day) 

In Partnership, 
Stacey

Field Day!

Hello, Families! Tomorrow, May 22, is grade 3-5 Field Day. It starts at 8:45 a.m. and will last until 12:30 p.m. It's a full day of fu...