November
2, 2009
Dear Families,
It’s hard to
believe that two months of school is behind us! The year seems to be disappearing
quickly as we embark on the various units, practice the Habits of
Mind, and maintain a learning behavior. The students and I have settled
into a basic routine, and are able to fluctuate with
changes.
It’s an interesting year!
We survived the
“Puget Sound
Celebration Party” on Friday, October 30th.
Many thanks to the parents who volunteered at the party; I
couldn’t have done it without you. Students especially had fun
gobbling a worm and panning for gold! Many thanks to the families who
contributed goodies for the party. Actually, we had so many extra
cookies and pretzels that we can snack for another
week! I hope that you
and your children had a safe and pleasant Halloween
Night!
Salmon Printing
Activity
On Tuesday (November 3rd
all day) and Wednesday morning (Nov. 4th )
the third graders will
be totally immersed in our study of Pacific Salmon. We will be painting and printing
Coho salmon from the Soos Creek Hatchery. This is one of the awesome art
projects that I enjoy doing every year. For those of you who have
volunteered to help …. GREAT! I could
always use additional help, so please think about joining us
….. if even for a few hours! My class will be printing on
fabric, paper, and T-shirts; it takes a bit longer, but it makes
for fond memories!
Field Trip
Monday, November
9th, all of the SLES third graders will be visiting
the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. They will also briefly stop at
the Landsburg Park to view salmon swimming up stream toward the
watershed. Chaperone
notices should be coming your way, if you were one of the six (6)
parents to volunteer. It’s been many years
(about 19 years) since I have taken a group to the Issaquah
Hatchery, and I know that there have been some nice
changes. This is free
to the public, so if you can’t join us on the field trip; it
is available for visits daily. The hatchery is quite
interesting!
Reading
Remember! Student’s second Book
Report, a DIORAMA display, is due on November
20th. A couple of students have already
turned in their Book Report Diorama early! Yeah! The final grade will be lowered,
if your child turns in this report late. Thanks for helping them find the
time to read daily, and for presenting their book in a Diorama
format. Presentations
will begin during the week of the 20th. Also thanks for encouraging
your child to read 20 minutes daily, and for participating in the
school’s PAWS reading program!
Math
We are well into our Math learning skills and
assessments. Your
child could benefit from daily practice of the addition and
subtraction fact families 1-12. They should be very familiar with
the facts, so that their Math Fluency improves. Part of their third
grade Math curriculum will have them memorizing the Multiplication
Times Tables, so this is also something they could practice at home
… flash cards are great for practicing!
Puget Sound – Social
Studies
As we continue to study the communities of the Puget Sound area and
the environmental issues that shape them, please be thinking about
a Family Project that you and your child can do during the next two
months. I will be
sending home the guidelines for this project, and I will have
several past projects available to see during the Teacher-Parent
Conferences. This has
always been a fun project for my families, and we all seem to learn
something new.
Parent-Teacher
Conferences
All the Parent-Teacher Conferences have been scheduled, and there
are several of you who have not returned your confirmation
form. I will send one
more reminder with an activity sheet (Parent’s Homework)
prior to conferences. Mark
your calendar for Conferences: November
18th-25th; this will also be a ½ day
schedule. If for some reason, you are unable to come on the
date/day/time scheduled …. PLEASE, let me know so that we
can reschedule. I will
be sharing assessment results, behavior concerns, and suggestions
for improvement. Your
child is very important to me, and I truly want this year to be
memorable and one of the BEST!
Thanks again for all your support at home. If you ever have concerns, please
call or email me; I will reply as soon as possible.
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