December 13 - 17, 2010

Here is a look at our upcoming week:

Reading - Wrap up our novel The Best Christmas Pageant Ever;  Review Reading skills for past theme; Continue non-fiction focus in small groups 

English - Creative writing, contractions, skill review

Spelling- Review past words; No test this week :)

Math - Ch. 9 test Tuesday, 12/14; Continue multiplication practice and focus on 11s and 12s

Science -  Ch. 9 "The Water Cycle"

Social Studies - Finish our "Christmas Around the World" presentations; Begin Ch. 7 "History of Communities"

Bible- Recite Luke 2: 13-15 in class on Thursday, 12/16; Devotional calendars are also due Thursday.

Other notes and reminders -

• Weekly Folders will go home at the end of the week this week. The grading period ends this week and this will allow you to see all student work for this nine weeks before our break. Report cards go home January 6th.
• We will have the laptops Monday and Tuesday!
• Our Christmas Party will be Thursday at 2 p.m.
• We will dismiss Friday at 11:30 after singing Christmas Carols with the Lower School!

December 6 -10, 2010

We are looking forward to a great week this week! Wednesday we will enjoy the Kindergarten Christmas program. The children have been looking foward to it for at least a month! We have been working hard on multiplication facts. The students have even made up rhymes to help remember thier facts. We have been practicing timed test with the facts through 5. We will take a daily grade on this week's timed test. Below you can peek at what you can expect this week!

Reading--The Best Christmas Pageant Ever ; Wrap up our unit on "Incredible Stories."
Language--Verbs p. 118-126; We will Test on verbs Friday.
Spelling--Lesson 16; We will test Thursday. See spellingcity.com
Math--Multiplication p. 152-158 We will test on chapter 9 test on Tuesday, December 14th.
Science--p. 360-361--Our test is Tuesday, December 7th; We will then begin our chapter on weather pages 363-370.
Social Studies--"Christmas Around the World" The students will present their power points this week.
Bible--The Christmas Story--Luke 2:8-12 (NIV)--Fill in the blank Friday.

November 29 - December 3, 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! It is really hard for me to believe that we are nearing the halfway point in our school year! We have been researching our "Christmas Around the World" projects using the Mac Labs. The students will create power points in computer lab and present their work to the class in December. We are sure to learn a lot about how people around the world celebrate Jesus's birthday!

We have a lot to look forward to in the next few weeks. Please note the special dates and information below. Then you can look at what we will be doing academically this coming week.

Important Dates:

• November 30th - December 3rd wristbands will be on sale for $5 to support Project Give as the students learned in our recent chapel. The money supports a ministry that provides clean water to communities in Africa
• December 1--Field Trip to Peter Pan--We will leave school at 9:30 and return at 12:30. Students are required to wear shoes.
• December 16--Christmas Party at 2:00
• December 17--Dismissal 11:30

Assignments for the week of November 29-December 3:

Reading--We will read The Garden of Abdul Gaszi; We will also begin reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I love this book! My mom read it to me several times when I was young. I hope you will ask your child about it.

Language--Verbs p. 117-119; Students will also share their book reports on Tuesday!

Spelling--Test Thursday on Christmas words. Please use spellingcity.com.

Bible--"Names of Jesus"--Isaiah 9:6--recite on Friday

Science--Conserving Resources p. 355-361 (test on Tuesday, December 7)

Social Studies--Places Where Communities Start p. 186-197

Math--Chapter 9 Multiplication p. 146-151;  The multiplication facts will begin to get more challenging. Remind your child to practice nightly! We are now practicing 5 minute drills for the 0 - 5 multiplication facts.

November 15 - 19, 2010

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday honoring our veterans Thursday! We are looking forward to Thanksgiving (can you believe it is next week?) when we can spend time thanking our Lord for His tremendous blessings.  We will have Thanksgiving chapel on Thursday. You and and your precious children are at the top of my list of blessings!! Have a great week!

Our Upcoming Week of November 15-19:

Reading: Non-fiction reading and research in small groups using small group books, our classroom Thanksgiving book collection, and the Weekly Reader

Spelling: Lesson 15~Test on Thursday
Language: Unit 3~Continuing Verbs; Our mystery book reports will be due November 30. 

Bible: Thankfulness~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ; Write scripture on Friday.Math: Chapter 8~ Keep practicing the 0-5's facts! ; Test Thursday  --Check out honorpoint.com in the web resources section!
Science: Chapter 8~Conserving Resources...We will begin our study of soil this week. To help us in our "observation" of soil please send in a small baggie of soil with your child by Wednesday. Social Studies: Chapter 6~Places Where Communities Start...Mountain, Water, and Crossroads Communities

November 8 - 12, 2010

Whew! We had a busy week! We wrapped up several units. I am so proud of how well the students are doing with multiplication! We also enjoyed our "Project Give" chapel which enables our students to help raise money for people in Africa to have clean water. We have another busy, exciting week ahead. See our plans below. Also, don't forget that Thursday is Veteran's Day and we are out of school. Have a great week!

Language: Christmas Essays will be entered tomorrow. Look for your child to bring home a copy of what they wrote to share with you this week. We are beginning Chapter 3 - Verbs. Look for information about our next book report. Students are now choosing a book from the mystery genre. Final reports will be due Tuesday, November 30th.

Spelling: Unit 14; extra words: multiplication, disciples; Test Wednesday due to Thursday being a holiday.

Reading: Raising Dragons;  Skills: Drawing conclusions, cause and effect

Math: Chapter 8; pages 130 -137

Science: Chapter 8: Resources, Types of Soil, How we Impact the Environment

Social Studies: Test Tuesday, November 9 on Chapter 5; Veteran's Day

Bible: We are continuing our study of the 12 disciples. Friday, students will need to orally name the 12 disciples

November 1 - 5, 2010

Hello, All!

Thank you so much for your patience as I catch up from being out two days last week. Mrs. Lowery had wonderful things to say about her time in the cottage. I am so proud of our children!!! Please note that I added some links to the helpful websites on the right. They are links to our textbook sites. I hope you will find them useful! Take a peek at what to expect this week. It is busy! Bless you!

English - Nouns, Chapter 2 Test Wednesday! We will also complete a Christmas story to enter in the Christmas Essay contest.

Reading - The Mysterious Giant of Barletta; Skill focus: Following directions

Spelling - Test Thursday on Thanksgiving words. Please note that spellingcity.com does not recognize "hornbook."

Bible - We are beginning our study of the 12 disciples. Students will need to be able to name all 12 on November 12th. We are using Luke 6:14-16 as a bible reference.

Math - We will complete Chapter 7 and test on it Friday. Students need to continue to practice the multiplication facts we have covered in class as well as their addition and subtraction facts. We will have a timed test on subtraction this week (Thursday) that will count as a daily grade. There will be another timed test on addition at the end of the nine weeks that will count as a daily grade. There will not be a graded multiplication timed test this nine weeks. We continue to practice our facts regularly in class.

Science - Chapter 7 Test Tuesday

Social Studies - Chapter 5 - Community Environments; We test on Ch. 5 Tuesday, November 9th.

I am proud of their hard work! We did not get to do our poem readings last week, but we will get them done this week! Congratulations to Mary and Madden for having the top AR points for October!!!

October 25 - 29, 2010

I am looking forward to another exciting week of learning with the "Handey Helpers." Last week we enjoyed another day using the Mac Laptop Lab. Each student was able to type their recent poems in the word processing program called "Pages." Also, this week they will record themselves reading a poem they selected in the iMovie program. You will get to see the results of their work soon! Below you will find important dates and our plans for the week. I hope you have a wonderful week!


Important Dates:

• Friday, October 29th from 1:30 - 3 p.m. Fall Festival
• Tuesday, November 2nd at 8:15 a. m. Lower School Chapel
• Monday, November 8th Mid-term Reports go home
• Thursday, November 11th -Veteran's Day Holiday - No school

This week's academics:

English~Possessive Nouns; Test on Unit 2 Nouns Wednesday, November 3rd

Reading ~ We are beginning the incredible stories theme. We will read Dogzilla - always a favorite story.

Spelling ~ Unit 11- Test Thursday; Use spellingcity.com; Extra words are product and factor

Bible ~ We are continuing our study of biblical friendship.Write John 15:13 in class Friday. (Spelling counts!)

Math ~ We are beginning chapter 7, multiplication. Please have your child practice their multiplication facts that are covered in class nightly. Ixl.com skill E.1 provides good practice for learning the concept of multiplication.

Science ~We are continuing chapter 7~Forces that Shape Land. The test will be next Tuesday (November 2).

Social Studies ~ We will be studying chapter 5, community environments.

October 18-22, 2010

I can't express to you how much I enjoyed our time together on Friday. You are all such a wonderful blessing and encouragement to me -- just like your children. Please see our plans for the week below! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Reading - This week we are reading "Trickster Tales." We will learn about the genre and practice the comprehension skills of predicting, inferring, and visualizing.

Spelling - Unit 11; Our extra words are erosion and weathering. The words have now been added to spellingcity.com. Our test will be Thursday as usual (all in cursive).

Language - We are writing our very own class book to be published!!! Look for details to come home soon! We are also continuing our study of nouns. This week we will focus on plural nouns and when to add -s or -es.

Bible - Proverbs 17:17 will be written in class Friday. We will look at beautiful examples of loyalty and friendship as we read about Ruth with Naomi and also David with Jonathan.

Social Studies - Test Tuesday on Chapter 4; Begin Ch. 5 "Community Environments"

Science - Chapter 7 Lessons 1 and 2 

Math - Test Wednesday on Time; Continue to practice ixl skills: O.1, O.2, O.3, O.4, O.8; Thursday and Friday will be review focusing mainly on addition and subtraction skills. Next week we will begin multiplication!!!

October 11-15, 2010

Hi, All!


We had such a fun trip to WAKA this week! I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures by clicking the link on the previous post. This week begins our second 9 weeks of school. I am looking forward to the parent conferences on Friday! Below you will see our academic plans for the week. 

English~ Nouns

Reading ~ Miss Rumphius; This week we will wrap up this theme in our reading book.

Spelling ~ Unit 10- Test Thursday

Bible ~ Continue Galatians 5:22-23 -Fruits of the Spirit will be written in class October 14th.

Math ~ Chapter 7 Continue Time - ixl.com skills: O.1, O.2, O.3, O.4, O.8

Science ~Wrapping up Chapter 6 - Test Tuesday

Social Studies ~ Ch. 4 Celebrations and Traditions - Test Thursday***This test has been moved to Tuesday, October 19th!!!
Handwriting - Everything is in cursive now! Check out the link on "Helpful Websites" for a link to make your own practice sheets! Once you click the link click on "Get Started." 

Dad's Field Trip!

Please click the link below to watch a video of pictures from our field trip yesterday! Thank you, Dads for coming!

Dad's Field Trip

October 4 - 8, 2010

Happy Homecoming!!! Can you believe it is Trinity's 40th year? What a fun week we have had! The students have been so proud of their creative attire, door decorations, and pop top collections. Watching their smiles of pride is what really makes this a special week for me. I will post pictures of our special week soon! Please read on to find out what to expect next. Have a great week!

Please Note:

• Our field trip to WAKA is Wednesday, October 6th. We will leave school at 9:10 a.m. and should return by 10:45 a.m. Please let me know if someone plans to attend with your child.
• October 11th is the day that we will begin writing everything in cursive!
• Friday, October 15th is Parent Conference Day. Report cards will be given out at this time. Students will not attend school on this day. Please look in Monday's folder for your assigned conference time.

Academics this week:

• Language- Run-on sentences, subjects/predicates; Test on Ch. 1 is Thursday, October 7th
• Reading - "Dancing Rainbows" Skills: Main Idea and Details, Following Directions, Dictionary Skills; Novel: The Chocolate Touch
• Spelling - Unit 9 Unexpected consonant patterns;  Extra words: traditions and celebrations - Test Thursday
• Bible - Galatians 5:22-23 -Fruits of the Spirit will be written in class October 15th. 
• Math - Chapter 7 Time - ixl.com skills: O.1, O.2, O.3, O.4, O.8 
• Science - Making fossils and wrapping up Chapter 6 -  We will test on Ch. 6 Tuesday, October 12th
• Social Studies - Ch. 4 Celebrations and Traditions

September 27 - October 1st

We had so much fun using the Mac Lab this week. I hope that you have enjoyed the videos created by the students. They did a good job with their book talks Thursday, also. I think that they learned a lot! One third grade goal is for students to read from a variety of genres. I hope that they will choose to read another biography sometime!


We are looking forward to an exciting Homecoming Week! Be sure to check the school website for details on what to wear each day. Two important reminders: Thursday will be our last day to collect aluminum pull-tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. Friday we will dismiss at noon.


Academics this week:


Bible: Philippians 2:5 reminds us that we should have the same attitude as Christ. Students should be prepared to write this verse in class on Friday. Spelling counts! They did great this past week!!!!


Language: We are in Chapter 1 learning about sentence structure, subjects, and predicates.


Spelling: Don't forget Spellingcity.com! Unit 8 is three letter cluster word patterns. Our extra words come from our science unit: metamorphic and sedimentary. Test Thursday.


Reading: We will continue our theme of family traditions by reading "The Talking Cloth" in our anthology. We will also read the novel The Chocolate Touch. We will enjoy comparing and contrasting it to "The Midas Touch" from Greek mythology.


Math: Money, money, money. We will test on Chapter 6 Thursday. Please encourage your child to use ixl.com to practice their skills. Did you know that you can view reports of their progress? Have your child log in and click the "reports" tab. This report will allow you to see what they have mastered and what areas need more work. Students should continue practicing N.1, N.2, N.3, N.4, N.7, N.8, N.9.


Science: We are continuing our study of rocks and minerals.


Social Studies:  Chapter 3 test is Wednesday! Thursday we will begin Chapter 4 on Celebrations.

iMovies

Hello, All!

We have spent the last two days using the laptop computers. We have had a great time practicing math, spelling, and researching. Today each student made a brief iMovie about rocks and minerals. The students did a great job!!! They were having such a good time they got a little frustrated at running out of time and not getting to add more. I told them that we will just have to do it again next time. Click a child's name to watch their movie! Enjoy!

Gray   Lucy    Jack  Cooper  Ellie   Mary   Mays  Lauren


Madden   Maggie   Watkins   Luke  Pressley  Prather Anne

September 20th - 25th!

Hi, All!

School continues to move along beautifully! We have enjoyed the new playground and are very excited about the construction of the new building. Also, students visited the brand new Upper School Library this Friday. God has been good to our school! I am in awe and full of praise as He continues to allow us to grow despite tough economic times. May He be glorified in these additions! 

A Look Ahead

Tuesday and Wednesday - We will enjoy using the MAC lab in our classroom!

Wednesday - Chapel 8:15

Friday - Library Dedication (8:30 a.m.) and Ground Breaking for new building (9 a.m.); Shop in the Classroom Store!

Content Area Work

Bible: Colossians 3:12 Write out verse on Friday. (Spelling Counts!)
Math: Chapter 5~Money

IXL Skills: N.1, N.2, N.3, N.4, N.7, N.8, N.9

Reading: Novel~A Chocolate Touch; Anthology ~ "The Keeping Quilt"  *If you have a special quilt that has meaning for your family, please feel free to come share it with our class.
English: Personal Narrative writing focus and Sentence Structure study

Biography book reports will be written in class on Thursday in class--don't forget to bring your "Think About It" sheet! The students may dress up if they like-it is not necessary.
Social Studies: Continue Chapter 3~Good Citizenship
Spelling: List 7; Test Thursday
Science: Chapter 7~Rocks and Minerals

Great Short Week!

Whew! Holidays are always fun, but they do make for a jam packed week! I continue to be very proud of this precious group of students!! Below you will find a look at our week ahead. I can't believe that we are already at mid-term! I will send their mid-term reports home on Monday with their signed papers.

This week the students selected the biography they will read for the first formal class book share. They will actually write the report in class, but I have given them a "Think About It" sheet to help them collect their ideas and information as they read. Please encourage them to be thorough as they fill this out and to check for spelling. The book report will be very similar to the "Think About It" sheet so doing this well will make the book report a snap!

Plans for September 13 - 17, 2010

Reading - We will focus on Poetry!!! We will learn vocabulary words associated with poetry, features of the poetry genre, identify words with prefixes and suffixes, and identify sensory words.

English - We will continue focus on the rules of punctuation. We will have a test on punctuation rules Friday. See Unit 5 in our book for practice and review pages.

Spelling - Unit 5 test is Thursday. Our extra words are cursive and constitution. Don't forget about spellingcity.com!!!


Math - We are continuing to work with subtraction.  We will have a test on Chapter 4 Thursday.  
Continue to practice addition and subtraction facts daily. Don't forget IXL.com! Students earn "Classroom Cash" for each skill they master on IXL. This weeks' skills to practice are: D.1, D.3, D.7, N.7, N.8. We will have a subtraction timed test this week.

IXL offers great practice for students who are struggling with being automatic with their math facts. They can go to the First Grade Skills and work on C.1 - C.10 (addition) and E.1 - E.10 (subtraction). I like the way the practice is set up for students working on these skills.

Science - We are continuing to learn about how plants and animals interact with food chains, energy pyramids, and food webs. We will have a test on Chapter 5 Wednesday.

Social Studies - We will start working through Chapter 3 "People Move from Place to Place." I plan to cover pages 74 - 89.

Bible - Ephesians 4:29 is due Friday. We will recite it this week. This scripture continues our discussion and study about how we are to be set apart from this word in our words and deeds. Our Bible time is also supplemented with a daily devotion from The Purpose Driven Life Devotional.
Have a great weekend!! I am looking forward to another fun week!

Happy Labor Day!!

Here is a look at our upcoming week of 

September 7~ September 10:

Bible: Luke 6:31~ Students will write the verse in class from memory Friday instead of reciting the verse this week.

Math: Chapter 4~ Subtraction and Estimation of Three Digit Numbers; Timed addition test will be given on Wednesday

English: Punctuation Rules; Biography Book Report ~ September 23rd (More information coming later!)

Reading: Basal Story~ Radio Rescue; Novel~ How to be a Perfect Person

Spelling: Unit Four; Test Friday

Science: Chapter 5~Living Things Depend on One Another

Social Studies: Continue Chapter 2~ Kinds of Communities; Test Thursday

August 27th - September 3rd

I love these children more everyday!! We have had a very full week that included Open House (thank you for coming!), our first chapel, Ellie Adams's birthday, and the excitement of watching the playground being moved! Please note below some important dates, a glimpse of what we will study next week, and a break down of what is included in the third grade activity fee. Have a great weekend!!!

Important Dates:

• August 31st - Individual School Pictures
• September 3rd - Scholastic Book Orders will be due for those who are interested. Order online by clicking the link in the top right had corner! Our class activation code is: GNMWV  (Please know that this is completely optional!!!)
• September 6th - Labor Day, No school
• September 13th - Mid-term Reports

A look at what we are learning next week:

Reading - We will read Lost and Found in our textbook. We will focus on the following skills: sequence of events, inflected endings on words (-ed, -ing), and identifying the parts of a dictionary.

English - We will complete our study on capitalization rules and test Wednesday on them. (Unit 5 in our book.) We will them begin our study of punctuation rules.

Spelling - We test on Unit 3 Thursday, September 2nd. The words are on Spellingcity.com. Just click the link on the top right corner of the blog.

Math - We are now in Chapter 3 Estimation sums, adding 3 digits, and problem solving. I am proud of the practice the students are doing on IXL.com!!! We will test on Chapter Three Friday, September 3rd. The new IXL skills are: L.5, C.3, and C.1. Students may also challenge themselves with C.4 and L.2!! Next week will do a timed test on addition facts so remember to practice!!!

Science - We will move on to Chapter 5 - How Plants and Animals Interact and Food Chains.

Social Studies - We are continuing our study of Communities by looking at the rural, suburban and urban areas.

Bible - Matthew 5:16 We will learn what it means to let our "light shine before men."

Activity Fee


Each student is assessed an activity fee that varies by grade. This fee keeps you from being charged small amounts throughout the year. The third grade fee includes the following:


Supply Box                         $37.76
Field Trip                            $22.94
Assignment Notebook       $  6.20
Field Day t-shirt                 $10.00
Class Photo                        $15.00
Total                                  $91.90

A Look Ahead!

Our first full week of school is almost over and we are still having fun! The students are doing a great job and working hard. I am so proud! Please make plans to attend the PTO Open House Monday night.   

Below you can take a quick look at what we will be doing next week. As always, thank you for sharing your precious children!!!

Math - Chapter 2 Test will be Thursday, August 26th. IXL.com skills to practice for this chapter are A.10, A.8, A.9, L.1. We are reviewing estimation, rounding to the nearest hundred and thousand, and comparing numbers.

Reading - We will continue Beverly Cleary's novel Muggie Maggie and read our next story in our textbook  - The Ballad of Mulan. We will concentrate on the following skills: making inferences, syllabication, and multiple meaning words.

English - We will continue to focus on capitalization rules. Also, we make writing a daily practice. Please see the video below to see your children hard at work during writing time!!!

Spelling - Unit 2 Test will be Thursday, August 26th. Don't forget to use Spellingcity.com. There is a link on the top right hand corner of this blog!

Bible - Psalm 119:105 will be recited on Friday

Science - Chapter 4 Test on Ecosystems will be Friday, August 27th.

Social Studies - We will be studying Chapter 1 about Communities.

Have a great weekend!!!

A Great Beginning!

What a wonderful beginning to a new year! The students have been an absolute joy to be around. I can't tell you how impressed I am with their precious manners and thoughtful work. Each week I will update the blog with an overview of the week to come. Below you can get a glimpse at next week.

August 16 - 20, 2010

Reading - We will read the story Cliff Hanger from our textbooks. We will focus on predicting and inferring, identifying cause and effect, and base words. We will also begin reading the novel Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary.

English - We are focusing on the rules of capitalization.

Spelling - In third grade we begin our spelling units on Fridays and test on Thursdays. We will have our first test this coming Thursday. Two words will be added to the eighteen words from the book each week for a total of twenty words. I highly recommend spellingcity.com for studying purposes.

Math - We are quickly reviewing 2nd grade skills in Chapter One and will have a test on these skills Wednesday, August 18th.

Science - We are learning about ecosystems in Chapter Four.

Social Studies- We are learning the seven continents and four major oceans. We will test on this information Thursday, August 19th.

Bible - Memory work is due on Fridays. Next week's memory work is Psalm 19:14.

I am looking forward to another great week next week!

In Him,

Jennifer

A New Year!

In my world there are two New Year celebrations each year. The first of January marks the beginning of the new calendar year, but my favorite is the beginning of the new school year. I absolutely delight in seeing (and shopping for) the school supplies that have taken up major sections of the big chain stores. It is a time of year that is filled with the beauty of fresh starts and anticipation of adventures to come. I am always tickled at the thrill and shock of seeing how much students can grow and mature over the few short weeks of summer. This year that excitement is enhanced by the progress going on at Trinity. It is hard to believe that very soon the Upper School library will be completely transformed into a modern media center that will be well equipped to inspire students as well as meet their media needs. Also, it won't be long until the workers begin building more Lower School classroom space! This will be the last year for our portable classrooms that we affectionately call "The Cottages." In addition to these exciting developments, our school is working to be very progressive in using technological resources in the classroom. Trinity teachers have spent hours this summer learning new ways of using our Apple laptops to enhance lessons so that they are meaningful, relevant, and exciting to our students. Each year our board and administration lead us towards making our wonderful school even better. We are very blessed!

I am using these last few days to get our classroom ready for school to start. It is going to be great! I am now ready to begin hanging things on the walls, putting names on desks, fixing learning stations on the shelves, and planning lessons. I thought you might want to peek even though it isn't quite ready so I created a short video to show you around our classroom....Enjoy!