December 12, 2011

Happy Monday!
This is the final blog entry for 2011! Time is flying by!
We are not having a spelling test this week, and we will wait until after the new year for new vocabulary words. Our focus this week is finishing our class novel, The Whipping Boy. We are also working on preparing for our Author's Celebration on Tuesday morning (hope to see you there!).
I have noticed that most of my class still needs practice on multiplication/division facts practice. I'm hoping that they will practice during the break so that they will know them by heart.
Please note that our class party will be this Thursday at 2:00. You are all welcome to attend! Friday is a noon dismissal.



A congratulations goes out to Haydn Parker for a job well done! She was one of the leads in a holiday program at her church. Haydn had several solos and many speaking parts. Great performance!

I'm sure I will see many of you this week at school, but I'd still like to take a moment to wish you all the best during your winter break! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of you!

Fondly,
Ms. Mitchell

December 5, 2011

Happy Monday!
This week we will have our usual spelling test on Friday as well as quizzes over the vocabulary words.
They are:
Wordly Wise Words-
chasm, continent, credit, enable, foul, gust, ordeal, plateau, rig, schedule
Collection Vocabulary Words-
incorporating, pseudonyms, mask, quickened, bellowed, aeronautics, particular, label, significant, submitted, befuddled, appeal, essential, plumped, kennel

We will have a practice math test on Tuesday. After checking our work, the practice tests will go home to allow the children to study. We will have the chapter test on Wednesday of this week.

Please remember that our Author's Celebration will be next Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. The children are very excited to share their writing with parents! It shouldn't take longer than 30-40 minutes. We hope you will attend!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

November 28th

Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break!
We have three weeks to accomplish a lot before the next break! Please mark your calendars for our Author's Celebration on Tuesday, December 13th at 8:30. The children are working hard in their writer's workshop and will be happy to share their stories with you!
A couple other reminders...
*The Holiday Gift Drive takes place November 28-December 9. A container is placed outside of our classroom to collect holiday gifts. On Friday, December 9 the students will carry the gifts to the gym to be sorted by family. This is a heartwarming experience for everyone involved!
*Report cards will be posted online through NetClassroom. A letter explaining this was sent home with your child today. If you have questions about this, please contact me, Mrs. Weinman, or Dr. Bianco.


We completed our unit on Native Tribes of Florida. We will begin learning about early explorers. We are also in the midst of a science unit involving motion and design. The children are having fun making their "cars".




Wishing you all a wonderful week!

November 14th

Happy Monday Everyone!



What a fun day we had last Friday! Poetry in the Park was so much fun! Please save your "Camp Mitchell" t-shirts. I'm sure we will wear them again later this year.

This week we will have our vocabulary quizzes on Wednesday. We will have our usual spelling test on Friday. This week's spelling words are all compound words.

I want to let you know another important date...Tuesday, December 13th, we will have an Author's Celebration to celebrate the writing that has been going on in class. Please plan to join us at 8:30 a.m.

We are busy learning much about multiplication and division in our math lessons. It would be helpful for your child to memorize these facts through 12.

We are also beginning a new science unit this week about Motion and Design. This correlates very well to our Lego Robotics study in the computer lab. It is wonderful to watch them work together to problem solve!

Wishing you all a wonderful week as well as a Happy Thanksgiving!

November 8th

Hello Everyone!



Please enjoy the slideshow of pictures showing our simple machines project. The children did a wonderful job creatively demonstrating at least one simple machine!

Due to the shortened week and Poetry in the Park this Friday, we will not have a spelling test. The vocabulary quizzes are moved to next Wednesday.

We hope to see you all this Friday at 8:30!
Have a wonderful week!

October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!
Hopefully the rain will clear up for trick-or-treating tonight!
Mark your calendars for Friday, November 11th...Poetry in the Park! We will begin at 8:30 a.m. Please join us for this special day and make sure to take time to read the poems that will be located in the breezeways.

Other School News: "Seussical the Musical" tickets are on sale. The performance will be on Saturday, November 12.
The Holiday Gift Drive will take place November 28-December 9. A container will be located outside of our classroom to collect holiday gifts. On Friday, December 9th the students will carry the gifts to the gym. It really is touching to see the generosity of our Shorecrest families to help those in need.

We will have a spelling test this Friday.

Our vocabulary words for the next two weeks are:
Wordly Wise
amaze, amazing, arctic, Arctic, court, elect, interval, league, limit, milestone, recreation, tackle
Collection Vocabulary
handy, crushed, resigned, dribbles, rake, trills, hearth, trembles, shivery, intense, divert, empathized, plantains, hyena, scrawny

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

October 24, 2011

Salutations Everyone!
I just had to use that word since we are in the middle of the classic Charlotte's Web!
This Friday we will celebrate Fall Festival with a costume parade beginning at 8:30. Please join your child back in the classroom where they will enjoy a snack before waiting for the festival to begin. It is important that you sign your child out in the classroom before going to the festival. I just know you will enjoy this fun day!

Due to Friday's events, we will take our spelling tests, vocabulary quizzes, and a math chapter test on Thursday. The math practice test will go home on Wednesday to use as a review.



Wishing you all a wonderful week!

October 17, 2011

Happy Monday!
A few dates to remember...
Picture Re-take Day will take place on Tuesday, October 18th. Students must return their photo package to have a re-take.
The Halloween Parade/Fall Festival will take place on Friday, October 28. The parade begins at 8:30 a.m. Please make sure you sign your child out with me before the Fall Festival. I will have a sign-out sheet in the classroom that morning.
The Book Fair will take place the week of November 8 in the Janet Root Theater Lobby and the Student Center. More information will go home regarding this at a later time.
Poetry in the Park will be on Friday, November 11 at 8:30 a.m. We hope you will be able to attend this fun event!

We are busy publishing our first narrative writing pieces. We are incorporating the use of technology for our cover. We will invite parents for an Author's Celebration in December to view this piece as well as others we will finish by then.

We are also beginning our unit in Social Studies about the Native Floridians. There is so much to learn!

Our vocabulary words for the next two weeks are:
Wordly Wise
average, border, cocoon, flutter, moisture, moist, nectar, process, span, suitable, timber
Collection Vocabulary
foreign, emphasizes, swarming, conversations, dreary, venture, translates, crammed, flustered, awkward, tapers, sweat lodge, socialize, elders, champion

Wishing everyone a wonderful week!

October 10, 2011

Happy Monday Everyone!
Due to Professional Development Day this Friday for teachers, our spelling and vocabulary quizzes will be held this Thursday. The spelling words are not difficult to spell, but they will need to listen to the sentence stated to know which homophone to write.
Our poem for Poetry in the Park is called "Eat-It-All Elaine". It's a cute poem! We need someone to be our "Elaine". Auditions for the part will be held this Wednesday. We are looking for someone who is not afraid to perform in front of a large audience. Most of my class fits this criteria! More information will follow about Poetry in the Park (November 11th) as well as what the children should wear.

The Halloween Parade/Fall Festival will take place on Friday, October 28. This is a very fun day. Please send in the forms regarding this day if you have not already done so.

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

October 3, 2011

Hello Everyone!
Town Meeting was so nice with our beautiful fall weather! We are working schoolwide to ensure that we are all giving "put-ups" instead of "put-downs". Please ask your child about this.
This week is Parent/Teacher Conferences! I look forward to meeting with all of you. If you are unsure of your time, please email me, and I will be happy to confirm our scheduled time.

The vocabulary for the following two weeks is as follows...
Collection Vocabulary:
marveled, ensemble, complicated, swoops, wrangler, bawling, nosing, longed, pesky, rebellion, brocade, tour, towering, summed up, Emancipation Proclamation

Wordly Wise Vocabulary has been put on hold for two weeks so that we can work on the following Science Vocabulary Words:
force, friction, fulcrum, inclined plane, lever, load, machine, axle, power, pull, pulley, push, screw, spring, tool, torque, wedge, wheel, work

Our next math test will be on Tuesday, October 4th. We will spend time in class reviewing on Monday and on Tuesday before the test. Many students still don't know their addition/subtraction facts by heart. This slows them down when working with larger numbers to add/subtract. Practicing with flash cards is a great way to build confidence and speed with the facts.

Wishing you a fabulous week!

September 26th

Happy Monday Everyone!
Fall is here, but it doesn't quite feel like it yet! Please continue to allow your child to bring in a water bottle. They get quite hot and thirsty after PE and recess.

Conference Day is next week. I look forward to meeting with all of you next week!
This week we will have out spelling test as usual on Friday, but we will postpone our vocabulary quizzes until next Monday...more time to prepare!

It is essential that your child knows addition and subtraction facts by heart. Counting on fingers at this point greatly slows your child down. Later in the year they will be encouraged to learn multiplication facts by heart. If your child has mastered the addition/subtraction facts, it's not too early to get started on those multiplication facts!

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

September 19th

Hello Everyone!
We had our typical Monday morning share today, and it sounds like the children all had a good weekend! They moved their desks today. That's always fun...they have new neighbors!
Be on the lookout today for the envelope with graded work. I have also graded the geography projects, and they are going home today as well. It was fun seeing their creativity in the projects.
I am starting a new weekly homework project. There is a worksheet coming home that the children are assigned to read and answer the questions on the back. There is a spot for parents to sign as well. This reading sheet should be turned in on Friday. Reading comprehension is so key to being a good reader, and this extra little piece helps.
Our new vocabulary words that will be tested on September 30th are:
Wordly Wise-
ambition, auction, coast, current, frail, intelligent, novel, resident, starve, volunteer
Collection Vocabulary-
performers, pounces, amazingly, rope, interrupted, attributes, dappled, scribbling, tamales, drifts, commences, continuation, altar, crackle, straining

Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Ms. Mitchell

September 12th

Happy Monday Everyone!
There is a family tree homework assignment going home tonight. It is due on Friday. Your child will need some help with this project. Please make sure they cut out the "tree" and paste it onto the blank white paper I provided. This will allow them room around the sides and bottom of the tree to display family pictures. They may draw them if they prefer. The project is due Friday, and I will display them in the class.
Also, the geography landform project is due this Wednesday. The children will have the opportunity to share them with their classmates.
Our first math test will take place on Tuesday. In class on Monday the children will take a practice test. They will be able to take this test home to study for the test. I'm confident they will do well on this first math test.
This Friday they will take their spelling test, as usual, and will also be quizzed over the Wordly Wise and Collection Vocabulary words.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!

September 6th

Hello Everyone!
This week our homework looks a little different. I am asking the children to play a game on SpellingCity.com with their spelling words. I'm sure they will enjoy the break from spelling sentences! Also, on Wednesday, they need to think of 15-20 words that describe what Shorecrest means to them. Please check their spelling for accuracy. We will be making a Wordle out of the words in class.
I hope the geography projects are going well. One student turned hers in early, and it looks great! I'm excited to see them and also to allow them in class next week to share. Another homework assignment coming home late this week or early next week will deal with creating a family tree. This goes along with our theme of family traditions in our Voices reading stories.
Today the manila envelope with graded work is going home. Please keep the papers and sign the front of the envelope to return to class tomorrow. If you have questions about anything, please let me know.

The new vocabulary words to be tested on Sept. 16th are:
Wordly Wise-
attract, attractive, attraction, crew, dangle, drift, event, launch, opposite, reverse, signal, steer
Collection Vocabulary-
deceased, documents, memento, cuddles, dewy, mingle, edible, yanking, lumber, satchels, pennants, consecutive, collegians, seamstress, advised

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

August 29, 2011

Happy Rainy Monday to Everyone!
Rainy days can make for long days indoors! It's a good thing we always have so much to do! This week we will continue adding ideas for our stories in Writer's Workshop. We are reading stories in our Voices reading series and focusing on expanding our vocabulary, writing responses to our reading, and working on grammar skills. Ask your child about our read aloud, Gooseberry Park. It's a class favorite! Our math lessons are reviewing skills taught last year. Name collection boxes, measurement, telling time, using a calculator, and finding differences highlight our lessons this week.
We are beginning our first science experiment this week using the scientific method. We are studying land forms this week in Social Studies. There will be a project assignment given out on Tuesday that deals with geography. The project is due the following Thursday. Be creative and fun with this first project. Your help should be minimal. I really want to see what your child can do. I have confidence that they will do a fantastic job and learn much along the way!
This Friday we will have our spelling test as well as quizzes over the vocabulary words. I expect that this graded work will go home this time next week. It will be in the manila envelope I spoke about at Open House.
Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions you may have regarding your child or what we are doing in class.
Wishing you all a wonderful week!
Ms. Mitchell

A couple more things...

Here are the vocabulary words that will be tested on next Friday (Sept. 2). They are not required to spell the words...just read and understand them.
Wordly Wise:
cylinder, examine, fatal, feature, grasp, jet, marine, scar, tentacle, vessel
Collection Vocabulary:
Uptown, combination, Harlem, sways, stagger, pomegranate, dispute, terrified, blared, tinged, wafted, muffled, tumult, examination, origin

August 22, 2011

Happy Monday Everyone!
Here we are on the first full week of school. I love the start of a new school year! It's like taking a journey...full of hopes, expectations, and usually quite fun. You will probably find that the leap from second grade to third grade is a big one. Please know that I will always have the best interest of your child in mind. We will go over third grade expectations during Open House this Thursday. The program begins at 7:00 in the theater. Please join us there. Much information will be shared, and I hope to see you all.
One change from last year is that each Friday is Spirit Day! There are guidelines in the handbook for dress code that pertains to Spirit Day as well as other school days.
Homework assignments will be written in the student's agenda. Please look at their agenda each day and initial the page so that I know your child showed it to you.
Thank you all for a smooth start to the school year. We will work as partners together throughout the year to ensure success for your third grader!
Wishing you all a great week!
Ms. Mitchell

August 18, 2011

Welcome!
We had a fabulous first day of school! The children are all very excited about learning and came with their very best manners. Many thanks to all of my parents for attending the Meet the Teacher yesterday and bringing their school supplies. It was a big help! Please look for my blog every Monday afternoon. It will usually be posted by 5:00 in the afternoon and is filled with important information.
I am looking for a parent to take a class photo for the blog. Please let me know if you are interested in helping us out with this.
Until then...have a great rest of the week!

May 23

Hello Everyone!
What a great year this has been! The children have grown so much physically and academically! Thank you all for being such supportive parents. Our year was a success due in large part to the partnership we formed early in the school year.
This will be my final blog for this school year. I wish you all the best of times this summer, and I look forward to seeing you all next school year! Before I go...a few final reminders...

If you have not yet turned in your child's PE uniform order for next year, please send that in as soon as possible.

Our class has invited parents to visit this Thursday at 8:15 to view the explorer projects, watch a couple reader's theater skits, and view the I-movies that the students created with Mrs. Baralt.

Spirit Day is this Friday.

There is no school on Monday and next Wednesday is a half-day of school.

The third grade year-end party will be held next Tuesday afternoon from 1:30-2:30.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer!

May 16

Hello Everyone!
We have a fun week planned! Wednesday is Splash Day! Please refer to the following note regarding this fun day.

We will be hosting the Lower Division Splash Day on Wednesday, May 18th, 2011. The event will take place during each grade’s normal PE period and will last approximately 30 min. Splash Day consists of a variety of safe and fun water games and toys. Activities are designed to soak, spray, and splash. Students will not be swimming or submerging themselves in water in any capacity. Participants are sure to enjoy the large inflatable water slide again this year. A dry area, “The Beach,” will be available to any students not wishing to get wet or participate in Splash Day. Equipment, games, activities and supervision will be present for those students playing on the Beach.

What to bring/wear:

• Bring appropriate swimwear to school to change into or wear swimwear to school under their school uniform. Please keep in mind each child must wear their regular school uniform at all times except during their PE period.
• Sunscreen and/or Hat
• Towel

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

LD PE Team
727-522-2111
Ext. 442

Also, we are going to the Tampa History Museum on Friday. Please remember to send in a sack lunch with your child unless you already indicated that your child will be getting a lunch from SAGE. It is helpful to put the lunches in a large ziploc bag with their name written on the outside.

This week we are taking a spelling test as well as our vocabulary quizzes on Friday before we leave for our field trip.
We are going to have a math chapter test this Thursday.

The students are continuing to work on on publishing another story, working on reader's theater, learning more about early exploration, as well as continuing to learn new math concepts.

How is the explorer project coming along? Please remember that they are due next Wednesday, May 25. We will begin presenting them on Thursday. I anticipate that they will take at least two days to present.

As you may have heard...my last day will be Thursday, May 26. I am having surgery on the 27th, and will be recovering for a couple weeks following. If I could have scheduled the surgery later, I would have. Please know that your children will be in very good hands those final few school days.

Wishing you all a fabulous week!

May 9th

Happy Monday Everyone!
We will go on our final field trip of the year to the Tampa Bay History Center on Friday, May 20. If you have not been a chaperone for us this year and would like to go with us next Friday, please let me know as soon as possible. The first one to respond will be our lucky chaperone!

This week we are back to having spelling and vocabulary words. Please remember that there will be a spelling test this Friday and the vocabulary quizzes will be in two weeks. Those words are:
Wordly Wise
division, mental, outcome, pastime, promote, rate, regret, talent, theory, tournament
Collection Vocabulary
tackle, ramadas, diplomatic, somberly, smog, distress, burden, revive, caterwauling, amused, frolic, hoarse, ultimate, genuinely, contributes

This week in mathematics we will continue to work with partial sums algorithm, as well as lattice multiplication.

We are exploring changes in our Earth's surface in Science.
We are continuing to learn about early explorers in Social Studies.

Hopefully, your child has completed part of their Explorer project. There will be extra time given this week as I will go light on homework towards the latter part of the week.

School News:
Library Books are due May 11th.
Splash Day will take place on May 18th with a rain make up date of May 25th.
Spirit Day is on Friday, May 27th.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

May 2nd

Can you believe it's May already? This time of year there is so much still left to do, and sometimes summer fever starts to set in. Please know that we still have much to learn and do! ERB testing started today. The children really need to focus and try their best. We begin testing by 8:20 in the morning and will usually finish before 10:30. They are given a break between tests. Ask them how they think the first day went!

Due to the testing, the homework this week will be very light. I am assigning about half what I normally would. There are no new vocabulary words this week and also no spelling test. I will also send information home tomorrow about an Explorer Project that will be due on May 25th. This project will primarily be done at home, and I will give less homework during the following weeks to allow them time to work on this important and meaningful project. If you have questions about it after seeing the requirements, please do not hesitate to contact me.

School News:
The last day for book checkout is May 10th. All library books are due back by May 11th.
Splash Day will take place on May 18th with a rain make up date of May 25th.
Spirit Day is on Friday, May 27th.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

April 26th

Hello Parents!
I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend!
We are taking practice tests for our upcoming ERB testing. The children are learning test taking strategies as well as familiarizing themselves with the test format. We will begin the actual test on Monday of next week and will test a little while each day next week. Please ensure your child has a good night's sleep as well as a healthy breakfast to enable them to concentrate during testing.
Due to the testing, we will not have new vocabulary lists for the next two weeks. We are having a spelling test as usual this week. Also, the math test will take place on Wednesday.
Next week the homework will be very light.

Some School News:
Spirit Day is this Friday, April 29.
Splash Day will take place on May 18 with a rain make up date of May 25.

Wishing you all a great week!

April 18th

Happy Monday Everyone!
Today we went on a walking architectural tour of Saint Petersburg. It was very interesting! Please ask your child to tell you at least three facts that they learned while on the trip.

School News:
Parent Helpers Needed

Mrs. Baralt is looking for parent volunteers to help assist and supervise third graders while filming around campus for their explorer movie projects next Wednesday, 4/20 and Thursday 4/21. She hopes to have four or five parent volunteers for each class, each day. The class schedule is as follows:

LaDuke 8:20 - 9:20
Mitchell 9:25 - 10:25
Wolfrath 10:30 - 11:30
Hensler 1:30 - 2:30

Please notify her via email [ mailto:acb@shorecrest.org ]acb@shorecrest.org if you can help.

Classroom News:
Our vocabulary quizzes will be this Friday along with our weekly spelling test. We will not have our math unit test until next Tuesday.
The students have been learning "tools" to put in their "writer's toolbox". We are finishing writing our scripts for our i-Movies also.

ERB testing will be May 2-6. Please ensure that your child gets a good night's rest and has a healthy breakfast during testing week. Also, please encourage them to do their best and to not worry. It's a time to "show what you know"!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

April 11

Welcome to Celebrate the Arts Week!

The children were treated to a jazz performance today! They also watched a preview of "Singing in the Rain" which will be held this Thursday-Saturday in the Janet Root Theater. On Wednesday, we will listen to YumYum Drums, and on Friday we will have artists visiting our classrooms. Of course, we will also perform for you on Friday! Please plan on joining us to watch the performances at 11:00 followed by a picnic lunch. It will be a fun day!

The new vocabulary words are: (Quiz will be held on Friday, April 22)
Collection Vocabulary-suited, unkept, nagging, connectivity, access, extensive, supervision, employ, horrified, saguaro cactus, jiggled, cracking, theoretical physicist, interprets, converse
Wordly Wise-bold, cunning, deed, doze, jagged, positive, respect, responsible, smuggle, version

We are focusing on making our writing better by "showing not telling", using "strong verbs", adding "super star colors", and using similes in our writing.

We are continuing to work on fractions in math.

Our focus in science is on Our Changing Earth. This week we will discuss rocks and resources.

Our focus in social studies is about early explorers.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, and I hope to see all of you on Friday!

April 5th

Hello Everyone,
Today the students completed the first part of the WrAP testing. Tomorrow they will have another hour to finalize their writing and write it neatly in the test booklet. Please feel free to discuss what they wrote about in class today.

School News:
Field Day has been changed to Wednesday of this week due to the rain.
Celebrate the Arts is Friday, April 15. Please join us after the show for a picnic lunch.
Our class will have an Architectural Tour of St. Petersburg on April 18th as part of Celebrate the Arts.

Classroom News:
Writing-We have still not finished our Published Stories, so after the WrAP testing, we will finish those.
Reading-We continue to read stories in our Voices series. Please review the vocabulary words as we will quiz over them this Friday.
Mathematics-We began our unit on fractions.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekX!

Writing to a Prompt

Next Tuesday and Wednesday our third and fourth grade students will participate in a writing assessment called WrAP. Basically, the students will be given a prompt to write about. On the first day, they will have an hour to plan their writing and write their rough draft (aka...sloppy copy). They will have an hour on Wednesday to write their final copy in a writing booklet. Their story must fit in the three pages provided for them.
I have been working with my students to prepare them for this type of writing assessment. They know that their story should have a beginning, middle, and ending and, of course, be related to the prompt. They may write realistic or fantasy stories. They may also use a dictionary or thesaurus which we have in class. Mostly, I am asking them to really reflect on what they have learned this year about how to write a good story. I know they will do a wonderful job!

Week of March 28th

Hello Everyone!
A few schoolwide reminders:
Class Picture Day is Wednesday, March 30.
Spirit Day is Thursday, March 31.
Groundbreaking Ceremony-The students will attend this on Friday, April 1.
Field Day is Tuesday, April 5th.

Class News:
Our new vocabulary words that will be tested in two weeks are:
Collection Vocabulary-draped, responsible, financial, obituaries, conduct, sensitive, suspect, collaborate, adorable, hooted, optimize, integral, eliminating, jeering, compassionate
Wordly Wise-calendar, carnival, experience, govern, gulf, haste, hasty, nation, national, scatter, surrender, thrill

We are publishing our stories, and we are learning to respond to a prompt.

We will have a math test this Friday. A practice test will go home on Thursday.

**Please be on the lookout for another blog to follow later this week. I will explain the WrAP testing that our third graders will participate in next week.

More news...

First, thank you to the parents that helped with Track and Field Day yesterday! The day would not have been a success without you!
Secondly, we are in need of one chaperone for our class field trip to Sawgrass Park next Tuesday. Whoever is the first to respond to this blog indicating interest will be the lucky duck! :-)
Finally, we will have a quiz over the book Stone Fox on Friday.

That's all until next week. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

March 21, 2011

Welcome Back!
The children wrote about their experiences during Spring Break. It sounds like everyone had a good time, except for one of our girls who broke her foot. Poor thing!

We have another busy week...
This Wednesday is the Track Meet.
Track Meet: Grades 3 and 4 will attend the track meet here at Shorecrest on Wednesday, March 23.

Relay for Life: Relay for Life will take place on Friday, March 25. Teachers and students may wear their Relay shirts or purple shirts Tuesday - Friday 3/22-3/25. Students must wear their uniform shorts with their purple shirt.

Other School news...

Class Picture Day:  Class Picture Day will take place on Wednesday, March 30.

Spirit Day:  Spirit Day is on Thursday, March 31. Students and teachers may wear green and gold colored clothing

Groundbreaking Ceremony: The Groundbreaking Ceremony will take place on Friday, April 1 at 8:30. The ceremony will be held in the area between the theatre and Sher Center.

Picture Lady: Picture Lady will be on Tuesday, April 12 at 2:00.

Teacher Appreciation Day: Teacher Appreciation Day will take place on Tuesday, March 29.

Classroom News...

Writing-We are selecting our fantasy piece to publish.
Reading-We will finish Stone Fox this week and continue to read stories from our Voices series while working on reading skills and strategies.
Math-Multiplication with working with parentheses
Science-magnetism
Social Studies-Finishing the Unit on Native Americans

*There are no new vocabulary words this week. We will only have a spelling test on Friday. The new words will be posted next week.

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

Biography Reports

Dear Parents,
I want to thank you for helping your child with their biography reports. They were so amazing! Every child presented their well-written and decorated reports to the class. Some of the children even dressed up as the person they wrote about!
Thank you again for helping them shine!

Hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break!

March 7, 2011

Happy Monday Everyone!
The biography reports are due on Wednesday. A few have already been turned in, and I am enjoying reading them. The students will be expected to share about their report, so please encourage them to practice at home.
We will have our vocabulary quizzes this Friday as well as a spelling test. Field Day has been canceled this Friday so it should be a regular day of academics. I know everyone is looking forward to having next week off of school, but we still have a lot to learn! If your child wishes to bring in a few pictures or souvenirs from Spring Break, they will be given time to share the Monday we return.
Our new math unit was started today. We are back to learning more about multiplication. If your child still doesn't have the multiplication facts memorized, please encourage them to do so.

Wishing you all a wonderful week and a Happy Spring Break!

February 28, 2011

Bravo! Our class did a wonderful job in our third grade program! I am proud of every single one of my students!

Now that the show is over, life becomes somewhat more normal in our classroom. I say somewhat because we have reading week activities this week. The activities are wonderful additions, though, and celebrating reading is something that I'm proud our school does. Please remind your child to bring in a towel or small blanket to sit on Wednesday when we participate in Outside Drop Everything and Read.

Other School News:
Oldie Goldie Book Fair is this Friday. We need more books for third and fourth graders. Now is a great time to donate books your children no longer read.
Field Day will take place on Friday, March 11.
Spirit Day is Friday, March 25.


Our new vocabulary words will be tested next Friday. They are:
Collection Vocabulary- bargain, devoted, instituted, pledged, residing, candidates, erected, nomination, precipitation, savings, deteriorating, gauge, parapets, pulverized, smack-dab
Wordly Wise- adopt, arouse, arrange, cell, infection, influence, injure, injury, pattern, series, vision

This week our class is performing reader's theater for four classrooms. We will also begin a class novel, Stone Fox.
The children are also working on real, fantasy, real stories in writer's workshop. We will have a practice math test this Wednesday and a math test on Thursday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Reading Week Activities

Next week we will celebrate Reading Week.

Monday – Dress as your favorite book character/share books in class.
Tuesday – Visiting Illustrator– Frank Remkiewicz.  EC & K – 8:30-9:15, Grades 1& 2– 9:30 – 10:15 in the Janet Root Theatre.
Wednesday – Outside – “Drop Everything and Read” (8:20 –8:50) – have students bring in towels to sit on. St. Petersburg Times Journalist,Letitia Stein, and magazine writer, Catherine Cobb will present. Third grade will be from 9:00-9:30 and fourth grade 9:40 – 10:10.
Thursday – Community Authors – Liesel Sole, Gina Longino,and Danielle Cameron.
Buddy Reading

Friday will be Oldie Goldie- This will be the culminating event for Reading Week. Boxes are placed outside classroom doors to collect used books to sell at Oldie Goldie. On Friday the students will have the opportunity to purchase books. Fun!

February 22, 2011

This week is following a different path...practice, practice and more practice! We are still working on all the subject areas, but they have been abridged due to our practice schedule. (Ask your child if they know what abridged means. They learned this word today.)

Please send your child to school in the costume on Thursday and Friday. Your child will need a change of clothes for both days. They should wear their school uniform on Thursday after the dress rehearsal and may bring spirit wear for their change of clothes on Friday.

Also, please bring in the cake between 7:30 and no later than 8:15. Our show begins at 8:30. It's going to be a great morning!

*We are not having a spelling test this week, however, the students will be quizzed over their Wordly Wise and Collection Vocabulary words on Friday.

See you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello Everyone!
Your children had a fun day today passing out and reading their Valentine cards. Thank you to CeCe Kiefner for providing the craft for the children. Their mailboxes were so cute!

The next two weeks are very busy for us as we prepare for our show along with many other fun learning activities. We will not have a spelling test for this week or next. We will still have vocabulary words.
Wordly Wise:
diagram, frustrate, frustrating, graduate, prank, primary, risk, risky, stress, urge, vacant, vigorous
Collection Vocabulary:
alarming, cowered, lease, mandated, smoldering, clung, exclusively, lot, pierced, toxic, conserves, fragrant, lulled, proper, waged

We are continuing our geometry unit in math. Our writer's workshop is focusing on writing stories with a real, fantasy, real form. This week we will have a Science Teach-In. That should be a lot of fun.

Tuesday, February 15, is the hot dog luncheon to raise money for Relay for Life. Many of you have already paid for the lunch. Feel free to join your child for lunch that day! Also, to celebrate the children may wear purple shirts.

Please remember that there is no school on Friday. It is a professional development day for teachers. As you probably already know, we are off school next Monday for President's Day.

One more reminder...our dress rehearsal is Thursday, February 24. Please have your child bring in his/her costume that day.

Thanks so very much for all your support! Have a wonderful week!

February 7, 2011

Dear Parents,
Please read this important message about enrollment.


IMPORTANT ONLINE RE-ENROLLMENT INFORMATION:
We are excited to announce that we are moving to an online re-enrollment process!  This will allow you to complete your enrollment contract online, as well as make payments online. We believe that this will save you time and effort. 

You will no longer need to complete lengthy paperwork, as student information will be pre-populated on each student's individual enrollment form. Once the enrollment contract is submitted online, you will be able to print a copy of the contract for your records. 

In addition, we are pleased to offer you an easy, secure online payment system to make electronic payments of tuition deposits, tuition refund plan payments, tuition, and donation payments. This convenient alternative for families will allow you to make electronic payments by e-check or credit card (Master Card, American Express or Discover only).

A convenience fee of 2.75% will be charged if you use a credit card; however, there is no fee for using e-check, which is a direct debit to your bank account. You will be receiving further information the week of February 16.

This week in Class:
Writing-We are almost finished publishing. We will also have a visit from a writing specialist to work with us to expand on our narrative writing unit.
Reading-The children are working on their reader's theater. We are hoping to present to a few classes soon. My goal is to have a day for parents to come to see our shows and to listen to our writing near the end of the year. We will give lots of advance notice to you can plan to attend! We are also working on stories in our Voices series as well as finishing our novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall. There will be a quiz over this book on Wednesday.
Mathematics-We are continuing to work in our geometry unit.
Social Studies-I am sending home a biography project on Tuesday. The children will have a month to work on this. The details are all listed in the handouts, I will discuss this project with the children, and I will be able to answer questions you may have about it when we meet for conferences. It should be a lot of fun!

I look forward to meeting with you this week for our conferences. See you soon!

January 31, 2011

Hello everyone!
Thank you for scheduling a conference with me. Most of us will meet next week. I will be happy to share with you the progress your child is making. Please take time to think of questions you have.
One area of improvement as a class that I'd like to see is to stay focused and have less talking when they shouldn't be talking. I've given many reminders about this and have recently heard from the specials teachers regarding this issue. A reminder at home would be appreciated. Thank you for your support.
Also, you should have received an envelope with directions and a pattern for the state cake. Please contact me or Andi Mullins if you have questions regarding this.
The parts for our play have been assigned. Part of your child's job is to research what their character would have worn. Please help your child with a costume relevant to their character.

School News:
Grandparent's Day is this Friday. It is also a noon dismissal.
Conference Day is February 10th.
Science Teach-In is Wednesday, February 16 from 1:00-2:30.
Third Grade Program is Friday, February 25.
Spirit Day is Friday, February 25.

Class News:
Writing-Publishing our realistic fiction stories.
Reading-We are reading stories this week and next in our Voices reading book that relate to the theme of tolerance.
Our new Wordly Wise Words and Collection Vocabulary will be tested next Friday. They are:
cable, cathedral, convey, device, freight, landmark, method, rod, shaft, structure,
bunted, ceased, clammy, clinched, compensates, comprehended, conveyed, convictions, discomfort, earsplitting, girders, memorable, raggedy, savory, scouts
Math-We started a unit on geometry today.

Hope everyone as a wonderful week!

January 24, 2011

School News:
Ident a Kid is set for Tuesday, January 25 in the Student Center.
Spirit Day is on Friday, January 28.
Grandparent's Day is on Friday, February 4.
Spring Conference Day is on Thursday, February 10th. I will send a sign-up sheet next week.
Science Teach-In will take place on Wednesday, February 16 from 1-2:30.
Oldie Goldie Book Fair will take place on Friday, March 4.
The Third Grade Program is February 25th. Mark your calendars! More information will be sent soon!

Classroom News:
We will have a math test this Thursday. A practice test will be sent home on Wednesday for your child to review.
Our spelling test and vocabulary quizzes will be this Friday.

The children are hard at work writing a realistic fiction narrative story. I am so impressed with how well they are all writing. I shared with them recently that I know their work is far more impressive than the work that I completed as a third grader. Shorecrest has put a strong emphasis on writing as early as possible...and it's showing! I'm proud of them!

We started a new class novel today, Sarah, Plain and Tall. Please ask them periodically how they are enjoying the story.

We are also enjoying learning about early American history as well as learning about matter in science.

Wishing you all a wonderful week.

January 18th

Happy Tuesday!
Hope you all had a nice long weekend. This is the time of year that your child might need a few new pencils, colored pencils, or crayons. Please ask your child how their supplies are in class. I always have extras, but I know they like to have their own.

School News:
Math Night will take place this Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.
The Third Grade Social will take place on Saturday January 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Vinoy Place Condo Social Room. Hope to see you there!
Ident a Kid is set for Tuesday, January 25 in the Student Center.
Spirit Day is on Friday, January 28.
Grandparent's Day is on Friday, February 4.
Spring Conference Day is on Thursday, February 10th. I will send a sign-up sheet next week.
Science Teach-In will take place on Wednesday, February 16 from 1-2:30.
Oldie Goldie Book Fair will take place on Friday, March 4.
The Third Grade Program is February 25th. Mark your calendars! More information will be sent soon!

Classroom News:
Writing-We are learning how to write attention grabbers for our realistic fiction stories.
Reading-We are learning about tone and mood in stories. We are also working on combining sentences.
The new vocabulary words will be quizzed on January 28.
Collection Vocabulary: banister, constructed, dollop, energized, fastened, gawk, gurgling, haunted, interact, peonies, preconceived, savored, sculpt, springing, status symbol
Wordly Wise:
attitude, confess, defend, gradual, hint, individual, malice, malicious, misery, miserable, solution, survey
Mathematics-decimals with tenths and hundredths
Social Studies-We are learning about early history of the U.S. Students should be able to explain by the end of the week what the following words mean: Ice Age, Bering Land Bridge, prehistory, history, theory, archeology, anthropology, and glacier.

Wishing you all a happy week!

January 10, 2011

Happy Monday Everyone!
This is a great time of the year! We began a unit of history that is very thought provoking. We are learning about the history of the United States people from prehistory to the 1600s. Please take time to ask your child periodically what they are learning. We are also exploring very large numbers in mathematics. Today we figured out about how many days, hours, and minutes old we are. Yes, they even had me figure out mine! That was a big number! This week will will also begin two new reader's theater plays. The children will be assigned to either one about George Washington or the other about Abraham Lincoln. They will be given the task of working together to create scenery, props, and be able to read their parts with expression. We will work on this over the next several weeks. The children are very excited and learning much in computer lab as they work with Lego robotics. Also, we are continuing to work on essential reading skills in all content areas. Like I said, this is a great time of the year!

Some other school news:
Math Night will take place on Thursday, January 20 at 7:00 p.m.
The After School Programs will start the week of January 24.
Ident a Kid is set for Tuesday, January 25th..
Spirit Day is Friday, January 28.
Grandparent's Day is on Friday, February 4. It is also a noon dismissal day.
The Science Teach-In will take place on Wednesday, February 16 from 1-2:30.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! Welcome back to school! My family and I had a very nice break, and I hope you did the same. During the break I spent time reflecting on the progress the students have made. I'm so proud of how far they have come. At the same time, I realize how much more they need to learn before the end of the year! We will continue to work hard to prepare them for the years ahead...at the same time have some fun along the way.

A special thank you to everyone for your generosity this holiday season. Our students were able to see the generosity you gave to the families in need. You were also very generous to me. Thank you so much!

Andi Mullins has graciously created a site that you can go to view and order pictures of classroom events. Thank you, Andi!
http://msmitchellsthirdgradeclass.shutterfly.com/

Upcoming Events:
Math Night-January 20th at 7:00
This is a great opportunity to learn more about our mathematics program. If interested, please let the office know. Hope to see you there!

Spirit Day is on Friday, January 28th.

This week in Class:
Writing-We are learning how to write realistic fiction.

Reading-The students will finish The Whipping Boy. We are also continuing stories in our Voices reading series.
Our vocabulary words are listed below, and the quiz will be Friday, January 14th.
Wordly Wise vocabulary- contain, container, digest, finicky, habit, hinge, marsh, marshy, nursery, rely, reliable, spine, thrive
Collection vocabulary- abbreviated, arabbers, bop. cochlea, cosmic, gimmick, hamper, infuriated, irksome, knotted, midst, passionate, prowling, reaped, tightlipped

Mathematics-place value to millions, exploring very large numbers, and a review of multiplication

Science-Motion and Design

Social Studies-We begin a new unit using a book called A History of Us. It is based on learning about the very first Americans.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!