Dear Parents, 

The children enjoyed creating projects last week to go along with a book report.  They shared their reports and projects with the class.  Our classroom was messy...but fun, and they were very proud of their finished products!

A special thank you to everyone for participating in the holiday gift drive.  It brought tears to my eyes to see the generosity of our school community!

This week is a short week so we will not have a regular spelling test or new vocabulary words.  We hope you can join us for our class holiday party this Thursday at 10:15.  We have a lower division sing along at 11:00 and then a noon dismissal.  

Please have your child memorize multiplication facts through 12.  It is also very important that they continue to read daily during the winter break.  But most of all, please have FUN during the break!  Your children work very hard in class, and I truly hope you all have a relaxing and safe holiday break!

Warmly,

Ms. Mitchell

December 10, 2012

Dear Parents, We are getting close to our Winter Break! I can tell because the kids start to get quite restless this time of year! We have a lot to do, though, so they will stay quite busy. We will have a spelling test this Friday. We will also have a math test either this Thursday or Friday depending on how quickly we get through our lessons. The test will be mainly on multiplication and division. Of course, we will have a practice math test first. The children have a reading sheet that is due on Friday. Please take some time to review this sheet and the activity with your child. Last week's glacier projects were so fun to read and share! Thank you for the work you did with your child on this project. This week we are learning how to write a book report and your child will get to select a project to complete in class to go along with their report. They love the choices and were very eager to get started today. We are finishing our personal narratives this week and will be ready to share them with you next Monday for our Author's Celebration! We hope you can join us! Wishing you all a wonderful week.

December 3, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone,
Some School News...
Our Holiday gift drive is going on until December 14.
December 20th is the final day before Winter Break, and it's a half day.

Class News...
We are having an Author's Celebration after Town Meeting on Monday, December 17th.  I expect it to last about a half hour.  We hope you can join us!

Our spelling test and vocabulary quiz will be this Friday.
This week we will select another personal narrative to publish.  We are also reflecting on our pieces of writing.
We are finishing our reading partnership groups as well as started reading new stories in an anthology.
Our math unit continues to focus on multiplication and division.  Please assist your child with memorizing the facts through 12.  They are bringing home fact triangles today to practice at home, but they need to return them to school tomorrow to practice with them here.
Our social studies unit will focus on the Apalachee tribe of Florida.
The children have a science project to do at home this week.  This is in lieu of our Friday reading page. We discussed this experiment in class and related it to the scientific method.  The children should record their observations on the back of the worksheet or on a separate page.  They may also choose to type their notes and/or include pictures of themselves conducting the various stages of the experiment.  Please try to use what you already have on hand at home instead of purchasing materials if possible.

If you have any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you so much for all you do to support your child!

Wishing you a wonderful week!

November 26, 2012

Welcome back everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break.

The children enjoyed their terrific Thanksgiving pies!  Thank you to everyone who helped make this special for us!

This week we are back at work with new spelling and vocabulary words.  The new vocabulary words are: act, additional, advice, crumple, fan, memorize, mystify, pause, transparent, vanish

We completed our poetry unit before the break, and will continue working on another personal narrative the next two weeks.  Our Author's Celebration will be Monday, December 17 after Town Meeting.  Please join us this day to see the writing that your children have done!  

This week we will continue our math unit involving multiplication and division.  It is very important that your child memorize math facts into the 12s.  

Our reading workshop will focus on our reading groups and having good discussions about our reading.  We are continuing our study of native Florida tribes and reviewing material about forces and energy in our science book.  

Thank you, Mrs. Bernstein, for organizing our holiday gift drive.  We have a decorated box placed outside our classroom door to place the gifts.  The gift drive ends on December 14.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

November 12, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone!
Wow! Poetry in the Park was so much fun!  Our class did an excellent job, and I am very proud of them.

This week will be packed with lots of learning!  We are focused on poetry in our reading and writing workshops.  The children learned Haiku poetry, will write an "I Used To" poem, and also a free verse poem. We will have our regular spelling test as well as vocabulary test this Friday.
Tomorrow we will have a math test over our unit on measurement.  A practice test went home with your child today.  We went over all the answers in class.  Our next unit will involve multiplication and division. It will be very helpful for your child to have the facts memorized into the 12's.  Good old fashioned flash cards really do help! Of course, we will also learn about the first Thanksgiving as well as continue our unit on Florida native tribes.

This Friday the students will have pie after lunch as part of our Thanksgiving treat.  Thank you to the parents who have agreed to assist with this.

Soon it will be our gift drive.  Our amazing room mom, Amy Held, sent an email to everyone giving more specific details.  Thank you, Amy!

I always end my blog with something like..."Wishing you a wonderful week!"
This week I will end it with...
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy your time off next week with family and friends.  And, thank you all for being wonderfully, support parents!

November 5, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone!
We are in for a second week in a row of Crazy-Busy-Week!  This Thursday is Poetry in the Park.  We are very excited about our poem "Eat-It-All-Elaine".  Ashley Oleyar was voted by her classmates to be our "Elaine".  I'm confident she will do a great job.  Please have your child practice the poem at home.  Our class has been blessed with t-shirts to wear for our poem.  I will hand them out the day of the program.  Please have your child wear their uniform bottom, and if the weather is cool you may wish for them to wear a neutral long sleeve shirt to wear under the t-shirt.

Just a reminder that this Friday is a professional development day for teachers so students have no school.  Since the week is cut short, we will not have a spelling test or Friday comprehension sheet this week.

Some other class news...
We began a unit of study with reading and writing poetry.  Please ask your child what they have observed about the poems they read so far.  We are also continuing to read Charlotte's Web.  Both of these units will be completed before the Thanksgiving break.

I noticed that many of the children are having difficulty with measurement conversions.  They will need to know the basics such as:
12 inches = 1 foot
36 inches = 1 yard
100 centimeters = 1 meter   BUT...they will need to apply this to problems such as:
3 yards = _____ inches
6 ft = _____ yards
______ meters = 300 centimeters

We will have a math test next week over our measurement unit.

I wish you all a wonderful week!

October 30, 2012

Dear Parents,
The simple machines projects were wonderful!  We enjoyed listening to everyone explain and demonstrate their project.  We even invited another class to check them out!

Your child may take home their project.  Some of the larger projects may require assistance to get them home.

Tomorrow is our Halloween Parade and Fall Festival.  Please have your child come to school wearing the costume and bring a change of clothes if they wish to change for the festival.  We are looking forward to this fun event!

**We will have a spelling test and vocabulary quiz this Friday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

October 22, 2012

Hello Everyone,

We have a lot going on this week!  The simple machine project is due this Thursday.  If it is completed you may bring it in early.  I'm looking forward to seeing what they have created! 

We are also beginning working with small groups during our reader's workshop in addition to reading our class novel.  The children are learning how to have a good discussion about what they are reading as well as learning to retell what is going on in the story.

In writer's workshop we are going deeper with personal narrative writing.  Our first story has been published, and now we are working to create a new and better story.

Our math unit is focusing on measurement, both standard and metric.  However, we will continue to revisit all math concepts already taught.  There will be more addition/subtraction problems with regrouping given as homework and/or classwork.  So, it is important to know basic addition and subtraction facts as well as how to solve the problems.  Many times the answers are incorrect due to simple addition and subtraction errors.

We learned about the Calusa tribe of Florida last week.  This week we are focusing on the Timucua tribe.   In science we begin our Lego Robotics unit that combines technology.  Very exciting!

School News:

Picture Re-take Day:  Picture Re-Take Day will take place on Tuesday, October 23. Students must return their photo package to have a re-take. Students who were absent on Picture Day need to have their picture taken.

After School Programs  & Athletics/Intramurals:  Session Two will begin the week of October 29.

Halloween Parade/Fall Festival:  The Halloween Parade and Fall Festival will take place on Wednesday, October 31. Book Fair will take place the week of November 5 in the Student Center. 

Poetry in the Park:  Poetry in the Park will be on Thursday, November 8 at 8:30 a.m.

A Special Request:  Please keep our Curriculum Dean, Dawn Weinman, in your thoughts and prayers. She has been very ill for the past few weeks.  Dawn is a very loved and valuable member of the Shorecrest community. 

I wish you all a wonderful week. 

October 15, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone!
First, some School News:
Picture Re-take Day:  Picture Re-Take Day will take place on Tuesday, October 23. Students must return their photo package to have a re-take. Students who were absent on Picture Day need to have their picture taken.
After School Programs  & Athletics/Intramurals:  Session One ends the week of October 15. Session Two will begin the week of October 29.
Halloween Parade/Fall Festival:  The Halloween Parade and Fall Festival will take place on Wednesday, October 31.We are asking the parents to please sign out their child in the classroom for Fall Festival. 

Book Fair:  The Book Fair will take place the week of November 5 in the Student Center. Monday will be teacher preview, please mark your calendar.  

Poetry in the Park:  Poetry in the Park will be on Thursday, November 8 at 8:30 a.m.  As in the past, parents will be invited to attend this annual event! Don’t forget your blankets!

 Ident-a-kid:  Ident-a-kid will be here on Wednesday, January 23.

Class News:

We will take a math test on Tuesday. Please have your child review the practice test sent home on Monday.  I am encouraging all students to slow down and check their work when finished.  I've noticed that some of the children need to have their addition and subtraction facts memorized (without using their fingers).  Knowing the facts by heart will not only help them with addition and subtraction, but also when we begin our multiplication and division unit. 

Our spelling and vocabulary quizzes will be this Friday.  

Our class poem, "Eat-It-All-Elaine" was sent home on Monday.  Please help your child memorize this poem using expression in their voices.  We will have tryouts for the part of Elaine next week.  The previous two years we have had t-shirts made to go along with our poem.  If you know of anyone that would like to assist with this, please let me know.  

A new Scholastic book order form was also sent home on Monday.  If you would like to order, please have the forms with payment in to me by this Friday.  You can also order online for your convenience.  

I am looking forward to an all school pep rally this Friday afternoon.  I hope that you can all come out to the football game that night.  It will be a fun time!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

October 8, 2012

Happy Monday!
School News:
There is no school this Friday due to a Professional Development Day for teachers.
Picture retake day is Tuesday, October 23
Halloween Parade and Fall Festival is Wednesday, October 31

Class News:
Our spelling test will be held this Thursday.  The new vocabulary words will be quizzed next Friday.  The new words are: average, border, cocoon, flutter, moisture, moist, nectar, process, span, suitable, timber

We began a new class novel, Charlotte's Web, that we will use during our Reader's Workshop the next few weeks.  We are working on recognizing setting in the story and how it changes along with identifying the conflict(s) in the story.  This novel lends itself to many opportunities to respond in our journals.  We will also work on a reader's theater version of this story.  I know the students will enjoy this classic novel!

We are working on creating leads (grabbers) for our stories in writer's workshop.  So far we have learned that stories can begin with sound words or questions to "grab" your reader's attention.

The children are learning alternative ways to add and subtract greater numbers.  After they have a good grasp on all the different ways they will be able to choose to solve the problems the way they like best.

Thank you again to everyone for our conferences.  It was very productive sharing and learning more about your children.

As always, wishing you a wonderful week!

October 1, 2012

Happy October! It's finally happened...the students are into a regular routine at school! It takes at least a month together before things really begin to take on a routine. I love when that happens because lots of learning really begins to take place! I'm looking forward to meeting with all of you this week for our first conference. Please let me know if you need a time change. Because of conference day the children are off school on Thursday. We will still have our regular spelling test on Friday along with a vocabulary quiz. School News: Picture Re-take Day: Picture Re-Take Day will take place on Tuesday, October 23. Parade/Fall Festival is coming soon! Please plan on joining us on Wednesday, October 31 for this fun-filled event. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

September 24, 2012

Happy Monday!  

Conference Day is next week.  Please think about questions you have about your child and school.  The schedule is as follows:

Monday, Oct. 1

3:30 Emma S

3:45 Bill B

Tuesday, Oct. 2

3:30 Vinh P

3:45 Ashley O

Wednesday, Oct. 3

3:30 Ethan H

3:45 Alexis M

Thursday, Oct. 4 (Conference Day)

8:30 Duncan W

9:00 Chris S

10:30 Lucile B

11:15 Sabrina A

1:00 Caden R

2:30 Olivia T

3:00 Luke B

3:30 Dexter S

3:45 Krish P

If you do not see your child's name on the list, or if you need to change the day/time, please let me know as soon as possible.  I am looking forward to seeing you then!

Other class news:

Our new vocabulary words are- ambition, auction, coast, current, frail, intelligent, novel, resident, starve, volunteer  These words will be tested next week.

We began a new math unit, and a letter to parents was sent home today that gives an overview of the concepts/skills that will be presented in this unit. 

7x9 Equals Trouble is our new class read.  It is a funny story about a little boy that has a lot of anxiety about learning multiplication.  Don't worry, we aren't starting multiplication for a couple more months!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

September 17, 2012

Hello Everyone,

Friday, September 21st, is The International Day of Peace. The Lower Division community will gather on that morning at 8:15. Families are welcome to join us in the courtyard.

Ms. Diaz Leroy is teaching the children (K-4) a special song about peace. Mrs. Rowe will have an exhibit of children's art on display in the breezeways. Ms. Deegan's class will share writings about peace. We will play music while, as a community, we build a rock garden.  Ms. Pierce will then lead us in a "Peace" closing song.

Parents, we need your help with the rock garden. Please have your child find a rock that will fit in the palm of his/her hand. Have your child decorate the rock, keeping the purpose in mind. We suggest acrylic paints, permanent markers, colored pencils, or any combination of those. Mrs. Rowe has agreed to varnish the rocks if they are turned in by Tuesday, 9/18.

Please consider joining us for a peaceful start to the day.

In class we started "Paws for Reading".  Please read the letter sent home today.  I have included a reading log to document time spent reading each day along with a pledge card to be signed and returned to class.  The students were very excited to pick their team today and read to help kids in need gain books from Scholastic.  There is no charge for this program, but we do need your help to document the minutes online at www.scholastic.com/paws.

We will have our first math test this Thursday.  A practice spelling test will go home on Wednesday.  Also, we have a spelling test and vocabulary test this Friday.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

September 10, 2012

Hello Everyone, This is a great time of the year! The children are beginning to feel comfortable with the class routine and we can really begin to get down to learning! This week we are beginning our study of Florida. We will do activities with a Florida map as well as begin a class book about Florida. I am also sending home directions for students' first project. Please look for the blue note describing details about the geography project. It is due on September 19. This gives your child plenty of time to complete it, and please feel free to give your child guidance with the project, but it should be your child's work and creativity that shines through. We will have a spelling test this Friday. The vocabulary words to be tested on next Friday are: attract, attractive, attraction, crew, dangle, drift, event, launch, opposite, reverse, signal, steer. Our first math test will take place next week. A practice test will be sent home to use to study with. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

September 4, 2012

Happy Tuesday! It continues to be hot, hot, hot even though it's now September. Please remember that your child is encouraged to bring a water bottle to keep in class. We do have water fountains outside of our classroom, but having a water bottle near is much easier. Some Reminders... We will have a spelling test as well as a vocabulary test this Friday. The vocabulary words are part of tonight's homework. They are: cylinder, examine, fatal, feature, grasp, jet, marine, scar, tentacle, and vessel. This week we begin a reading comprehension page that should be signed by you as well as your child. The page is not due until Friday. Please have fun reading the page with your child as well as completing the activity on the back. Scholastic Book Order Forms went home last week. If you choose to order online please disregard the code printed on your form. I was given a new code this year. It is: FPLGN *All orders need to be in by Friday morning. Thank you so much to all of you that signed up to help this school year. There are still plenty of opportunities. Please contact Mrs. Held if you wish to participate. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

August 28, 2012

Welcome to the first full week of school! (Well, almost a full week minus the hurricane day!) My blog usually consists of school reminders and class reminders/news of what is happening in class academically. School News: Open House begins at 7:00 this Thursday in the theater. After a brief presentation, we will meet in my classroom where I will share about our curriculum and answer any questions you may have so far this school year. There will be many activities available for you to sign up for if you wish to be involved. Each Friday is Spirit Day. Students may wear their regular uniform or Shorecrest spirit wear. Class News: Reading-We are reading a book called Be a Perfect Person in Three Days. As part of a homework assignment for Wednesday the children should wear a broccoli necklace to class. (It goes along with the book...I promise!) I am also in the midst of listening to each child read as part of our assessment. Spelling-We have our first spelling test this Friday. Writing-We are setting up our writer's folders and just beginning the process of writer's workshop and generating ideas to write. Math-We are reviewing skills taught in second grade and getting used to our math routine. Science/Social Studies-We are working on our classroom expectations and also will begin learning about the Scientific Method. If you ever have questions about class related items, please call me or email me. I do my best to get in touch with you within a day. Wishing you all a wonderful week and hope to see you all on Thursday!

Great First Day!

August 22, 2012 Dear Parents, We had an outstanding start to our school year! The students arrived on time, had their supplies, and got right to work. Wow! We had fun greeting each other with a handshake, writing a letter to me about their summer, created profile pictures for a bulletin board, and even had our first math lesson. I look forward to working with all of them the rest of the year! Our first homework assignment was given. They should decorate the bag given to them to represent something about themselves and also find three items to place in the bag to present to the class. Please have them practice what they will say to the class. It is also important to check their agenda each school night as they will write their daily homework assignment in it. This blog will be updated on Monday afternoons (or Tuesday is there is no school on a Monday). Please check the blog each week as I will give class/school reminders as well as let you know what we are working on in the class. Wishing you all a wonderful remainder of the week!

May 21st

Hello Everyone! This will be my final blog post for this school year. I can't believe how fast the time has flown! It truly seems like the year went faster than usual. I still feel like I have so much to teach them, but I also know that they are ready for next year. Having said that, we do still have a full week of school this week and another day and a half next week. "Summeritis" seems to have hit many of the students. Please take a moment to speak to them about the importance of continuing to do their best work, be good listeners, and to treat everyone with respect. Some School News: *We are off school next Monday. Next Wednesday is the last day of school and it is a noon dismissal. Some Class News: *You are invited to view our project work and latest published writing this Friday at 2:00. I anticipate that this will last until dismissal at 2:45. *Our end of year party will be next Tuesday beginning at 1:45. *We will have a spelling test this Friday. We are continuing to learn new vocabulary words but will not test on them. It has been a pleasure to work with you, and I wish you all a wonderful summer break! Ms. Mitchell

Splash Day Change

The PE staff is so excited for this Friday May 18, 2012. Our regularly scheduled "Splash Day,” will have to be modified in order to comply with recent water restrictions. The PE staff has arranged for a large inflatable maze to be delivered in place of the water slide. We will also provide multiple play areas and other (dry) activities that are sure to put a smile on your child's face. Spirit wear will take the place of swim wear for our "Friday Fun Day.” We are certain our students will enjoy what we have in store for them and we appreciate everyone's flexibility in this matter. We can't wait!

May 14th

Happy Monday! Wow! Only two more full weeks of school left! There is still a lot to do, but all good things must come to an end. Please plan on joining us on Friday, May 25th at 2:00 to see some of the "good things" that we have been working on. I think you will be impressed with their hard work on display! We will have a spelling test, vocabulary quizzes, and a math test this Friday. The math test is an end of the year review and will be graded, but there is not a practice test to study. I suggest that they review the major topics of study in the math journal previously sent home as well as the recent work regarding multiplication/division and fractions. Since our math curriculum spirals, we are constantly revisiting what we have already learned and adding to it. School reminders... Splash Day is this Friday during their normal PE time. Please remember to send in a towel for your child. The children are encouraged to wear their bathing gear under their uniform clothes on that day. We will not be giving them extra time to change clothes. But when they return, they will be allowed to take the wet clothes off and put dry uniform clothes back on. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

May 7th

Hello Everyone, ERB testing went well, and now it's time to get back to normal...even it it's only for a couple of weeks. Our new vocabulary words will be tested on Friday, May 18th. Wordly Wise: bold, cunning, deed, doze, jagged, positive, respect, responsible, smuggle, version Collection Vocabulary: suited, unkept, nagging, connectivity, access, extensive, supervision, employ, horrified, saguaro cactus, jiggled, crackling, interprets, converse, theoretical physicist We are in the process of publishing our fantasy stories. We will have a final author's celebration and you will be invited to join us. We are waiting to find out when our technology projects will be ready to share so that you can view those as well. As soon as I find out I will post the date and have the students write it in their agendas. Wishing your all a wonderful week!

April 30th

Hello Everyone! Due to the ERB testing, there will be no homework, no new vocabulary words, or spelling test this week. The students are thrilled about that! I have asked them to keep practicing their multiplication/division facts at home as well as get a good night's sleep. Of course, I always encourage them to read, read, read! School News: This is a letter from the PE department about Splash Day: We will be hosting the Lower Division Splash Day on Friday, May 18, 2012. The event is scheduled during each grade’s normal PE period and will last approximately 30 minutes. 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. 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: • Wear appropriate swimwear to school under the 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. Wishing you all a wonderful week! Ms. Mitchell

April 24th

Happy Tuesday! I hope that you all enjoyed the long weekend! Today we began practicing for the ERB testing that will take place next week. It is important that children understand in general what the test will look like as well as how to respond to the test questions. It is very important that your child listen carefully and to take their time. I have been emphasizing this in class all year. This week we will take a math test on Wednesday. The practice test is going home on Tuesday. Please take time to review the practice test and go over any parts missed at home. We did this in class already, but the extra practice will help. We will also have a spelling test and the vocabulary quizzes this Friday. We greatly enjoyed Celebrate the Arts and all the activities that went along with it as well. I hope your child shared with you all that they learned. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

April 16th

Happy Monday!
This week we have several fun activities planned to Celebrate the Arts!
We started with a sneak peek short performance of "The Sound of Music" that will be held in the Janet Root theater this week. Tickets are limited! It looks like it's going to be a great show!
Today our students also listened to a bluegrass band in music class. We will have a storyteller visit us on Wednesday, take a walking tour of art on display this Thursday, and have artists visiting our classroom on Friday. Of course, we also have a performance this Friday at 11:00 followed by a picnic lunch. We hope you are planning to join us!

We will have a spelling test this Friday.

The new vocabulary words for the next two weeks are:
Wordly Wise-
calendar, carnival, experience, govern, gulf, haste, hasty, nation, national, scatter, surrender, thrill
Collection Vocabulary-
hooted, jeering, draped, obituaries, conduct, optimize, suspect, sensitive, compassionate, adorable, responsible, financial, eliminating, integral, collaborate

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

April 9th

Hello Everyone!
I'd like to start by telling you that last week's WrAP testing went very smoothly. All of the students worked very hard, and I am proud of the stories that they wrote. Their writing has grown tremendously this year. I can't wait to invite you all back in for another Author Celebration party! The date for this has not yet been determined as I'm trying to combine it with other projects the students are working on. I will let you know as soon as possible!

Other School News:
Celebrate the Arts- Students will perform at 11:00 on Friday, April 20. Please plan on joining us for this and the picnic lunch that will follow.

ERB Testing will begin on April 30th. More information will be forthcoming.

Third grade students will have the opportunity to visit the fourth grade classrooms and teachers on May 11th. They will get a chance to ask questions about what they can expect in fourth grade.

Third grade students will attend the Instrument Petting Zoo on May 18th. They will have the opportunity to try out different instruments to see if they would like to become part of the middle school band!

Lots of fun things going on as we near the end of the year!!!
Wishing you all a wonderful week!

April 2, 2012

Happy Monday Everyone!

Classroom and School News:

WrAP testing will take place this Tuesday and Wednesday. We have been practicing, and I know they are ready!

This Wednesday afternoon we will go on a field trip to downtown Saint Petersburg for a walking architectural tour. It is very informative field trip. Please make sure your child has on comfortable walking shoes!

Celebrate the Arts will be on Friday, April 20th. Please join us at 11:00 for a performance and picnic lunch following.

This Friday we will have a spelling test, but no other quizzes and lighter homework assignments due to the WrAP testing.

The vocabulary words for the next two weeks are...
Collection Vocabulary:
deteriorating, residing, erected, pledged, bargain, savings, instituted, gauge, precipitation, smack-dab, parapets, pulverized, candidates, devoted, nomination
Wordly Wise:
adopt, arouse, arrange, cell, infection, influence, injure, injury, pattern, series, vision

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

March 26

Happy Monday Everyone!
Classroom News:
We are practicing writing to a prompt to help prepare us for the WRaP test next week. WRaP stands for Writing Assessment Program. Your child will be given a prompt to write about next Tuesday. They will have 60 minutes to think about the prompt, plan for their writing, and then respond in writing to the prompt. They will be allowed to use a dictionary, and they are given prewriting and editing suggestions. Your child will finish their piece on Wednesday by writing their final draft. If you have further questions regarding this, please contact me.

Our next field trip is this Tuesday to Sawgrass Park. Unless you have already ordered a sack lunch from SAGE, please send your child to school with a sack lunch on Tuesday. Also, your child will be walking around outside so please have them wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and a hat if you choose. We will learn a lot about Florida's ecosystems!

We will have a spelling test, vocabulary quizzes, and a math test this Friday. The practice math test will be on Thursday.

School News:
Students may wear their Relay shirts or purple shirts this week in honor of Relay for Life. Students must wear their uniform bottoms.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

The American Dream Video

America's Kids - FULL 3rd grade production 2012 from Charger Shorecrest on Vimeo.

March 19th

Happy Monday Everyone and Welcome Back!
I hope you all enjoyed your Spring Break as much as I did! It's always nice to have the extra time to spend with family and friends. Your children are currently writing an expository story about what they did during their break.

This week we will quickly try to fall back into a routine with vocabulary and spelling as well as daily math lessons and alternating lessons with science and social studies.
We will have a spelling test this Friday. The vocabulary words will be tested in two weeks.

Collection Vocabulary
alarming, clung, conserves, cowered, exclusively, fragrant, lease, lot, lulled, mandated, pierced, proper, smoldering, toxic waged

Wordly Wise Vocabulary
diagram, frustrate, frustrating, graduate, prank, primary, risk, risky, stress, urge, vacant, vigorous

School News:
*Ident-a-Kid will be here Wednesday, March 21. Please send in your order form by Wednesday if you want your child to participate.
*Relay for Life is Friday, March 30. Students may wear their relay shirts or purple shirts Monday-Friday of that week. Students must wear their uniform bottoms with their purple shirt.
*WrAP Testing will take place Tuesday-Thursday 4/3 and 4/5 for grades 3 & 4. More information regarding this will be on my next week's blog.

Class News:
*Our next field trip will take place next Tuesday 3/26. We are visiting Sawgrass Park. We need one parent to chaperone. If you are interested, please email me. The first one to respond will be selected!

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

March 6th

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo to our third grade students! The show on Friday was spectacular! Thank you, Parents, for providing the wonderful costumes and for helping to make our USA cake amazing...and tasty!

This week we will not have spelling or vocabulary. We are reading a new class novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall. They will have two quizzes over this book this week as well as some required reading at home.
We do have homework each night in other subject areas as well.

This Friday is field day! Please send your child to school with a t-shirt in their designated color. (A letter went home last week explaining this.)

Please ask your child how they have enjoyed the extra science related activities and speakers we have had related to this. We have certainly been very busy in third grade!

I wish you and your families all the best for a happy, safe spring break!

February 27

Happy Monday!
We are so busy this week preparing for our show this Friday! I can't wait to see the children on stage, in their costumes, and performing for all of you!
Please remember that their costume should be sent to school on Tuesday for approval. The children should then wear their costume to school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Please be sure to send a change of clothing for the day (school uniform or spirit wear on Friday), since they will not be wearing their costume after practice.
Also, please be sure to have the state cake here before showtime on Friday. If you have questions regarding the cake, please refer to the letter sent home or contact me.

Other School News:
Field Day will take place on Friday, March 9.
Ident-a-Kid will be here on Wednesday, March 21.

Other Classroom News:
We will not have spelling or vocabulary words this week due to the program.
We are starting a new unit in math that goes further with multiplication and division.
In Science we will be learning all about Matter, and we are continuing to learn about Native American Indian groups in Social Studies.

The link listed below should take you to our Scratch projects that the children created in Computer Class. They are very creative. Enjoy!

http://baraltlab.blogspot.com/p/3rd-grade-scratch.html

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

February 21

Happy Tuesday!
I hope you all enjoyed a nice long weekend doing fun things with your family! It was so nice to have some down time especially since the next two weeks are going to be very busy here at school.

To celebrate Reading Week we started the day with a Town Meeting and were able to see all the students who dressed up as their favorite book characters. I love the picture of our class! The students were very creative with their costumes!

Tomorrow the students are asked to bring a towel and some books to read when all of Lower Division "Drops Everything and Reads" in the morning.

Friday is our Oldie Goldie book fair. There is still time to donate books if you wish.






The students enjoyed our Valentine's celebration last week. I absolutely love their creativity! The boxes they created for their Valentines were so fun to look at. Congratulations to Sole´for being selected to have the most "Romantic" box. Blake had the most creative box. Eric and Rylan tied for having the funniest boxes. The students enjoyed voting on their favorites!

This week we will have a spelling test on Friday as well as a math test and a vocabulary quiz over Wordly Wise words. We will take a practice math test on Thursday.

Our program is next Friday at 8:30 a.m. I know you are going to love it! Please remember that your child will need to have their costume by March 1st for our dress rehearsal.

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

February 13th

Hello Everyone!
First, some School News...
*Tomorrow, February 14, students may wear red or pink in celebration of Valentine's Day!


*Wednesday, February 15, is the Relay for Life Cookout. Students may wear purple shirts on this day. Please be aware that there will be no Sage Dining offered on this day.

*Reading Week is coming soon...Students are encouraged to dress as their favorite literary character on Tuesday, February 21. We will have a special Town Meeting on that day!

*The Oldie Goldie Book Fair will take place on Friday, February 24. We have a box outside of our door for book donations. What a great way to clear off the bookshelves of books no longer wanted and make way for some others!

*Class Picture Day will take place on the morning of Wednesday, February 29.

*The Third Grade Program will take place on Friday, March 2 at 8:30 a.m. Please join us for a great show!

*Field Day will take place on Friday, March 9.

*Ident-a-kid will be here on Wednesday, March 21.

Now, for some Classroom News...
We will have our spelling test this Thursday since there is no school on Friday. Please remember that there is no school next Monday as well.
Also, we are only having Wordly Wise vocabulary words for the next two weeks due to extra time practicing for our program. The words are:
cable, cathedral, convey, device, freight, landmark, method, rod, shaft, structure
We will have a mid-year math test this week. I will send their math journals home for review. The next math chapter test will take place next week.

The parts for our third grade program were given today. Please take time to help your child learn their line(s), and to understand that all parts are important to our show. Also, the state templates went home along with a letter of explanation regarding the state cake. It is very rewarding to see how everyone's contribution helps to make such an impressive display...not to mention...tasty display!

Thank you all for attending our parent/teacher conferences last week. It is truly wonderful to work with all of you!

Wishing you all a great week!

February 6th

Happy Monday!

This week is a four day week for school due to Conference Day on Thursday. Thank you all for scheduling conferences. I look forward to speaking with you all about the progress your child has made this school year.

Our reading workshop is going along very well! The students are all working in reading partnerships. They have the opportunity each day to read independently and then join their reading partner to discuss the book. When you think about it, we do the same type of reading as adults. I know that I love to discuss books with my friends and share my thoughts and questions. If you do the same, please share that with your child. You might even consider have a reading partnership with your child at home!

We are beginning to publish again in writer's workshop. The children are selecting one piece of realistic fiction to publish. We are continuing to work on measurement in math. This week we will focus on quadrangles, naming polygons, drawing angles, and measuring angles.

Wishing you all a wonderful week! See you soon!

January 30th

Happy Monday!
Some school news:

The Relay for Life Cookout will be on Wednesday, February 15. There will be no Sage Dining offered on this day. Please let me know if your child will be ordering a hot dog lunch or if your child will bring their own sack lunch.

Class Picture Day will take place on the morning of Wednesday, February 29.

The Third Grade Program will take place on Friday, March 2 at 8:30 a.m.

The Oldie Goldie Book Fair will take place on Friday, February 24.

Field Day will take place on Friday, March 9.

Ident-a-Kid will be at Shorecrest on Wednesday, March 21.

Class news:
We started a new math unit that will focus on measurement.
Our current class novel is Stone Fox. Please ask your child what his/her favorite part is. There is a very surprising ending to the novel!
We are writing realistic fiction stories in Writer's Workshop, and the children continue to learn strategies that good readers use in our Reader's Workshop.

Our vocabulary for the next two weeks is as follows:
Wordly Wise-
attitude, confess, defend, gradual, hint, individual, malice, malicious, misery, miserable, solution, survey
Collection Vocabulary-
bunted, clinched, conveyed, earsplitting, raggedy, ceased, compensates, convictions, girders, savory, clammy, comprehended, discomfort, memorable, scouts

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

January 23rd

Happy Monday!
We enjoyed our field trip last week to The Tampa History Museum. Thank you to Mrs. Cannella and Mrs. Parker for assisting. I encourage you to visit the museum again with your child. There's so much to see and do!

Some school reminders...
After School Programs begin this week.
Grandparents Day is this Friday. There is a noon dismissal.
Relay for Life Cook-out will be Wednesday, February 15.

I let the children know about a writing contest. It is called "What Do You Know About Sun Safety?" This is an optional writing essay that should be no more than 500 words. The essay should focus on why you should protect yourself from the sun and why our school should be awarded a shade structure. The essays should be turned in to me no later than this Thursday. One essay will be chosen to represent the class. Once again, this is an optional writing assignment, but one that your child might want to try!

This week we will take a math test on Wednesday and a spelling test and vocabulary quizzes on Friday.

Thank you to those of you who have scheduled a conference with me. If you have not done so, please turn in the form as soon as possible. I hope to give everyone their top time selection(s).

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

January 17, 2012

Hello Everyone!
Please read the following from Admissions:

Hello Shorecrest Families:


· Good News Re-Enrollment opens on Monday, February 6, 2012


· Contracts are due by Tuesday, February 21, 2012


· Information will be sent to you by email with your user ID and password


· If you have any questions, please call the Admissions Office at 727-456-7511 or email admissions.org

Thank you!


Jean M. Spencer-Carnes, M.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D.
Director of Admissions
Shorecrest Preparatory School
(727) 456-7504

Other News:
This Friday third grade students will visit The Tampa History Museum. Unless you have already requested a sack lunch from SAGE, please send in a sack lunch. All items should be disposable.
Also, students should wear their school uniforms, not spirit wear on this day.

Grandparent's Day is Friday, January 27. It is also a noon dismissal day.

The vocabulary words for the following two weeks are:
Wordly Wise- contain, container, digest, finicky, habit, hinge, marsh, marshy, nursery, rely, reliable, spine, thrive
Collection Vocabulary-banister, constructed, dollop, energized, fastened, gawk, gurgling, haunted, interact, peonies, preconceived, savored, sculpt, springing, status symbol

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Hello Everyone!

Last week we added Reader's Workshop in our routine, and I stated that I would give further explanation in the coming weeks. Here's part one...

What is Reader's Workshop?
Reader's Workshop provides students with a supportive environment that involves them in authentic reading experiences that focus on the strengths and needs of each individual student.

Reader's Workshop helps children develop strong reading skills through the use of a mini-lesson, shared reading, read aloud, conferencing, independent reading, paired reading, and literature response.

The basic philosophy behind the Reading Workshop is to allow students to spend an extended amount of time reading authentic texts that interest them on a daily basis and to provide opportunities to talk about literature. The ultimate goal of a Reading Workshop is always to develop life-long passionate readers.

Your children are loving the additional reading time. I am also working to ensure that our Reader's Workshop and Writer's Workshop complement each other.

Other classroom news...
Our first field trip will be Friday, January 20th to the Tampa History Museum. I am in need of a chaperone for the trip. The first person to email me letting me they want to be the chaperone will be selected. Email me at gmitchell@shorecrest.org.

We will have our spelling test as usual this Friday along with the vocabulary quizzes.

School news...
Grandparents Day will take place on Friday, January 27. There will be a noon dismissal on that day.

Wishing you all a fabulous week!

January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!
The students wrote about a moment from their winter break. Wow! It sounds like everyone had a great time, and I'm so glad to see all their smiling faces back at school.

Some school news...
*Author, Marianne Berkes, will be here on Monday, January 9th. The children will hear her present in the Janet Root Theater.
*Grandparents Day will take place on Friday, January 27. There will be a noon dismissal on that day.

Classroom news...
We started a Readers Workshop today similar to our Writers Workshop. It will take us a few weeks to get into a new routine, but please ask your child how they are enjoying this. We will still keep the same rigor, but there will be more time for students to read more often in the class and a greater emphasis on them picking what they want to read. More information will follow during the next few blogs.

Each morning I challenge the children to use their mental math skills to answer a math multiplication question. It is evident that most children still need to memorize the multiplication and division facts. Please encourage this at home as well.

Vocabulary Words for the next two weeks are:
Wordly Wise-
act, additional, advice, crumple, fan, memorize, mystify, pause, transparent, vanish
Collection Vocabulary-
gimmick, arabbers, hamper, knotted, bop, cosmic, irksome, infuriated, prowling, passionate, reaped, midst, tightlipped, abbreviated, cochlea

Wishing you all a wonderful week!