Blogs and Polls and Trips, Oh My!

I am enjoying the feedback on the polls, please vote on our new one! ----------------------->
Not that I have any control over it, I was just interested in your thoughts. If you have an idea for a poll, just let me know.

We are so glad testing is over, you all can be very proud of your little ones! Each and every one of them worked hard until the very end! We were all happy to get back to our regular schedule! Thanks to everyone who sent in goodies, they REALLY helped after our long days of testing!

What we are working on in class:
Reading-Questioning and wondering using expository texts.
Writing-Memory writing, memoirs, about to start poetry.
Math-Investigating geometry, continuing to practice all operations.
Science-a short unit on simple machines then we will begin chemistry.


We started our personal class blogs about 2 months ago, each child has their own blog, and up until now I have let the kids be free. For the rest of the year I will ask them to blog about specific things, stick to their topic, use more detail, and edit!! :) I would love for the parents to participate when you have time. I have made one username/password that all parents can use, just type for example, "Josh's Mom" before your comment. I will email you the username and password. You can comment on our posts, make them positive and encouraging to keep the kids excited! You can also take the opportunity to have continuing conversations with your children about internet safety (digital citizenship), possible post ideas and editing before they post (our rule of thumb is to re-read 3 times: once to make sure it makes sense, then for capitals and periods, and last for spelling). Your child is more than welcome to post from home using the post ideas page.

We will be making up the Vulcan field trip that we missed. Here are the details of our upcoming trip to DeSoto:

FIELD TRIP TIPS

· Our field trip to DeSoto is this Friday.
· We will be outside for most of the day. Please dress appropriately for the weather.
· Be sure that your child wears comfortable tennis shoes.
· If your child did not order a lunch from the lunchroom make sure he/she brings one. Make sure the bag and drink are labeled with your child’s name and everything is disposable.
· Chaperones, our departure time is 8:30. You can meet us at 8:10 in the lobby by the front office. You are welcome to ride the bus with us. We will return around two. Also, send in $13.50 for your discounted entrance fee so you do not have to pay full price at the door. Our chaperones are Ms. Southworth, Ms. Davidson, Ms. Williams and Ms. McConnell.
· Wear your South Shades Crest T-Shirt if you have one.
· Click here for more information about DeSoto Caverns and our field trip.

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather we are getting! Check our calendar for other important dates.

Our Wiki Project

During our study of Native Americans, we broke into groups and studied animals that live in the different regions of the United States: Plains, NorthWest, etc. Each group created a wiki page on our web site with their findings. They had to use lots of their tech skills like creating a wiki page, searching for information on the internet, saving pictures to the network, uploading files to the wiki, embedding html code, just to name a few. I'm proud of what our 8 year olds can do with a computer!! They rock. Some still have a few things to do but we wanted to go ahead and share them with you!! They can put finishing touches if they need to and practice presenting at home over the weekend!

http://constantinekids.wiki.hoover.k12.al.us/Our+Research

Getting Ready for Tests!

Please vote on our new poll on the right side of our blog!!

Testing is in the air! Tonight we will be practicing for the ARMT Math assessments, please make sure and read the note inside the booklet that your child will bring home, I appreciate your help with getting our kids ready for the "big week". I'm attaching some test strategies that you can be discussing with your children over the next few weeks. If anyone would be interested in sending in snacks that week, please send me an email and I will send back a schedule of when to send the snacks to school. The testing dates are on our website. For extra practice visit our favorites page.

The next few weeks will look a little different as far as homework is concerned. There will be no spelling homework, we will do "word studies" in class. Instead, we will be doing math skills the old fashioned way, from our Hoover City Schools Companion Textbook that will begin coming home next week. We will continue to read and log.

We have learned all about North West and South West Native Americans, and why "where" they lived affected "how" they lived. Next week we will begin the Plains. Please send in a brown grocery bag for our buffalo skin.

We are almost finished with our read aloud The Lightning Thief. Our class would like to go and see the movie together on Saturday, February the 13th. I’m not sure of times yet, but, I just wanted you to try to keep that date open. If you are unable to bring your child, maybe he/she could buddy up and ride with a classmate to the theatre. Parents and siblings are welcome to stay, or if you have errands to run, that’s fine too, just let me know. If you will not be staying, please help your child get their ticket and any snacks they want before we enter the movie. Also, let’s get to the theatre at least 20 minutes before it starts to make sure that we get to sit together.

Happy New Year

Please listen to recording. :)

Happy Holidays

I've really enjoyed spending December with your children! They did a wonderful job on their poetry presentations and were so excited about the Holiday party! Thank you parents for all of your support and help in making this year such a great one!

Enjoy every minute with your family and friends. I hope everyone has a peaceful and relaxing holiday and a happy New Year!

3rd Grade Service Project

Dear Parents,
We want to help Taylor Hendrix, a young girl who has been a cancer patient for three years at Children's Hospital, fill Christmas stockings. For the past three years, Taylor has filled and given stockings to all of the children and siblings on the cancer floor at Children's Hospital. She wants to do this for the children because she knows that cancer doesn't stop for the holidays. With our donations last year she delivered over 80 stockings to the children on Christmas Eve. We want to help Taylor fill these stockings again. Please donate any item from the attached list that you can, and our classes will help make the stockings. Thanks for making Christmas brighter for these children! You can visit Taylor’s CaringBridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorhendrix.

Thank you,
Third Grade Teachers


Third Grade Service Project
Please help us fill stockings to give to children who are cancer patients at Children’s Hospital. These stockings will be delivered to all of the children on the cancer floor on Christmas Eve from infants to teenagers. Items to donate include:
· Play-dough
· Bubbles
· Puzzles
· Books
· Stuffed animals
· Cars
· Balls
· Dolls
· Crayons
· Games
· Legos
· Trains
· Art sets

You're Invited!

Our class will be memorizing and performing holiday poetry for you on Wednesday, December the 16th from 8:30 to about 9:15. This will be a very informal time just to be together and celebrate the season! If you cannot attend please make sure someone comes to watch your child. It can be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or a neighbor. Let me know if you cannot find anyone to attend and I should be able to help. The children will be acting out winter poetry and will need to dress up/bring props to “show” their poem. They will be choosing their poems and bringing a copy home when we get back from Thanksgiving break.