Snow Updates and More Read to Achieve News...

 Hello there!  I hope you and your families are well and enjoyed the snow!!  Due to our many snow days, there have been some changes to our calendar.

• Kindness Week will be this week.  The children can continue to work on their checklists and have them to be turned in by Friday.  The "Hats On to Kindness" day will be Friday.

• Our new "100th Day of School" is now  Monday, February 10th.  This is the new day we will be celebrating with our special snack.  If you would like to sign up for something, there are still several slots still open.  Please view the Signupgenius at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094DA4AD2A1-100day  Please send in your donation by this Friday, February 7th.

• Report cards will be going home in the Monday folder.  Please review and discuss the progress report with your child.  You are to keep the papers inside, and then sign and return the gold envelope.  

•  I am going to send the new Scholastic book order catalogs and coupons in Monday folders.  If you would like to give a book or books as Valentine's gifts, please get your order in by Tuesday.  If book orders are not going to be Valentine's Day gifts--book orders will be due by Thursday, February 13th.

•  The children took the first of the three tests for standard RL3.1 last Monday for Read to Achieve.  We do not yet have a revised school schedule for administering the tests.  I am assuming the children will start back on Monday with the same standard.  Below is an explanation of the standard and also some recommendations you can do at home with your child.

Standard Assessed*	Standard	Parent Recommendations
RL3.1	Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.	When reading fiction or watching a movie or television show, ask your child: ·         What is the story mainly about? ·         What is a problem(s) that the character has to solve?  How do they solve it? ·         Find the answers to questions in the text or support thinking with details from the show.

 
CALENDAR DATES: 

Monday- Friday, January February 3rd through 7th:  Kindness Week 

• Complete "Acts of Kindness" checklist throughout the week!
• Wear a hat on Friday for "Hats ON to Kindness!" Day

Tuesday, February 4th: Valentine's Day book orders due

Friday, February 7th: Names due to be submitted if you are interested in chaperoning field trip, day of drawing for chaperones, donations for 100th day celebration due

Monday, February 10th: New 100th Day celebration

Thursday, February 13th: Field trip money is due, Book orders due

Friday, February 14:  Early Release

Monday, February 17:  Now a school day

Thursday, February 20:  UNC Morehead Planetarium field trip

Thursday, February 27, 6-7:30 pm:  Arts Night at Douglas

Thursday, March 6, 6-8 pm:  Talent Show 

Friday, March 7:  Early Release at 1:15 pm

Moskauski Minutes

Hello third grade families!  This week's Moskauski Minutes is pretty lengthy.  Please read all of the information carefully, especially the information about "Read to Achieve".  Thank you for all of your support.  :)  :)  :)
~Melissa

Read to Achieve Information: Some of you were unable to attend last week's Read to Achieve meeting to obtain information about how this legislation affects your third grader.  Here is a very brief run down:

Starting next week (1/27), every third grader will complete 3 reading passages on the same standard.  The following week, they will take 3 on a different standard, and so on.  These passages are about a page and a half long and have 5 questions on each.   They will be graded and kept in a portfolio for your child.  A passing test means that the children must get at least 4 out of 5 correct.   If they do not pass all 3 passages for a certain standard, they will have a chance to take another passage.  This will go on throughout the school year.  By the end, we hope to have built a portfolio that shows your child has mastered each of the 12 standards.  This will be very important, because if they do not pass the English-Language Arts EOG test at the end of the year, the portfolio will provide the necessary information to show that they are proficient, what they call a "good cause exemption."  All third graders will have a portfolio, regardless of their level of proficiency in the classroom.

If they do not have a proficient portfolio and they do not pass the EOG, they will have to go to a summer Reading program and will then move on to 4th grade as a "transitional 4th grader" and will receive interventions next year to support them in literacy.  However, if they do not attend the Reading program, they will be retained in third grade.  

For more detailed information about this legislation, please read the following document: https://eboard.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/Attachment.aspx?S=10399&AID=12267&MID=804

Kindness Challenge:  Our class will be participating in the "Great Kindness Challenge" next week (Jan. 27-Jan. 31).  This is a movement that many other schools in the nation are participating in.  In this challenge, students are encouraged to do as many kind acts as possible during the week.  The students will be receiving a challenge check-off list.  At the end of the week they are to turn the checklist in to Ms. Williams.

100th Day of School Celebration:  Thank you for those of you who have already signed up to donate items for our 100th day of school snack.  This is going to be such a yummy way of celebrating!  If you would like t donate something, please view the signup at: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094DA4AD2A1-100day  Please have your donation turned in by Monday, February 3rd.  Thank you for your support!  :)

Curriculum Notes:  In reading, we will be exploring different reading genres and focus in on mysteries.  We will learn how to identify and describe elements of the mystery genre.  We will learn how to make inferences by using text evidence.  In word work, we will read and understand Latin suffixes.  In writing we will be working with realistic fiction.  In math we will continue to work on area, and also learn about how to find perimeter.  In science we will be learning about rotation and revolution, the sun and shadows. 

Some Fun Links:http://www.storylineonline.net (Storyline is an awesome site from The Screen Actors Guild.  Actors read aloud picture books.  A great resource to get your child to listen to reading!)

http://www.oneminutemysteries.com/samplechapters.pdf (One minute mysteries to read at home)

http://kids.mysterynet.com/

 
Winter Wear Drive: Mrs. Sherrill's class has begun a Winter Wear Drive.  They are collecting used but clean gloves, coats, and scarves and new hats.  Please bring all donations to either Mrs. Sherrill's classroom or the box outside of Mrs. Williams's office.  Marco is the student who had this great idea! Donations will benefit our own school community first and then they plan to donate the rest to surrounding programs such as InterAct, a domestic violence shelter in Wake County that provides emergency housing to mothers and their children.

Thank you! Stay warm!

Scholastic:  I am sending home new Scholastic catalogs in Monday's folder.  Orders will be due Tuesday, February 4th to ensure delivery for anyone wanting to give gifts for Valentine's Day.  Scholastic sent us some more free book coupons.  The coupons expire March 31st, so you may use the coupons this order or wait for a later time.  If you are ordering any books as surprise presents--just drop me an email and when the books come in I will send them home packaged to keep the surprise.  :)

Calendar:

• Monday- Friday, January 27-31:  Kindness Week 
• Complete "Acts of Kindness" checklist throughout the week!
• Wear a hat on Friday for "Hats ON to Kindness!" Day
• Monday, January 27th: First day of "Read to Achieve" assessments
  
• Tuesday, January 28:  Spirit Night at United Skates of America, 6:00- 8:30pm
• Wednesday, January 29th from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: PBIS award assembly in the gym
• Monday, February 3rd: Donations for 100th day of school celebration due
• Tuesday, February 4:  100th Day of School! Scholastic book orders due
• Friday, February 7th: Names due to be submitted if you are interested in chaperoning field trip, day of drawing for chaperones
• Thursday, February 13th: Field trip money is due
• Friday, February 14:  Early Release
• Monday, February 17:  No School
• Thursday, February 20:  UNC Morehead Planetarium field trip
• Thursday, February 27, 6-7:30 pm:  Arts Night at Douglas
• Thursday, March 6, 6-8 pm:  Talent Show 
• Friday, March 7:  Early Release at 1:15 pm

Moskauski Minutes

Happy first day of third quarter!  Hope you all enjoyed our little "snow" we got!  Stay safe and stay warm out there.  :)  :)  :)

~Melissa

Homework:  Beginning in third quarter, third graders are now required to read for at least thirty minutes a night.  Please be sure your child is alternating nightly between fiction and non-fiction.  Have them read a wide variety of texts from various genres: poetry, informational texts, etc.  Please use the great ideas and strategies from "Parent Power Night" when reading with your child.

This quarter in science we will be studying "Objects in the Sky".  Beginning tonight, the children are to begin observing and recording the phases of the moon on a nighttime moon calendar (in today's homework folder).  This is part of the nightly homework, and will be checked each morning for completion.  The children are to put the time down and draw a picture of what the moon looks like.  If you are unable to see the moon because it is a cloudy night, you can go online to find the current phase of the moon.  

Here is an example site you may use:

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/moon/index.htm

Here is a site with a lot of fun moon information:

http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/moon/phases.html

Case 21 info: We just received an updated schedule for this week's Case 21 quarterly assessments.  The children will be testing Thursday and Friday from 1:00 to 3:00.  Our lunch, Specials and recess times are changed for the next two days of testing.  Specials will be from 10:30 to 11:20, lunch is at 11:25 and recess is at 3:10.  Just wanted to let you know the changes since we have so many awesome parents that come to eat lunch with our class.  :)

Iowa Test Results are in!  If your child took the IOWA tests, results are in today's folder along with an explanation letter.  Our class did a super job!  We are superstar test takers!

Read to Achieve info:  I emailed out to our class family the Powerpoint that was shown last week at the "Read to Achieve Parent Information Night".  The children will begin taking these assessments next week.  More information to come.

Field Trip News:  An information letter and permission slip about our upcoming field trip is in the homework folder.  We are all so excited!  This is always the students favorite third grade trip!  

Tests Going Home: Tests from last week are going home in Monday folders today.  Please review with your child, then sign and return.

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

~Melissa

Planetarium Field Trip News

The third grade team is excited to tell you about our upcoming field trip on February 20^th to The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at Chapel Hill.  At the field trip the children will be seeing a show in The Planetarium and also participating in a fun and engaging workshop class.  This experience supports our third quarter science unit “Objects in the Sky”.  The cost of the trip to cover the show, class and also to pay for our busses is $13 per student.  Donations to help the students who financially cannot pay for the trip are greatly appreciated.  You will be getting a permission slip in tomrrow's Monday folder.  Please fill out both sides of the permission slip and send in your payment to your homeroom teacher by Thursday, February 13^th.  Please make out all checks to “Douglas Elementary School”.  You may also pay online through OSP (Online School Payment).  You can access OSP directly online at the Douglas Elementary School website.

If you are interested in chaperoning, we would love to have you!  We are allowed to have two chaperones per class.  Please submit your name to your homeroom teacher by Friday, February 7^th and your classroom teacher will do a drawing on this date to announce the chaperones.   To be a chaperone you must have a background clearance.  The discounted cost for chaperones is $6.00.  Due to parents not being allowed to ride Wake County busses, chaperones are required to drive separately and meet us at the Planetarium.  This is a wonderful volunteer experience! 

Thank you for your support!

The Third Grade Team

Moskauski Minutes

Curriculum Notes:  Wow!  Time flies! Friday marks the end of second quarter!  We are now halfway through the year!  Our little munchkins are halfway to becoming fourth graders!  This week we will continue our mid-year reading assessments.  I began last week with reading one-on-one with the children to get their current reading levels.  I am so happy to report that the children I have read with so far have made great growth!!  Once all of the assessments are completed, I will send home the new mclass data results. 

Read to Achieve Information Night:  We will have an information session for parents of third graders this Thursday at 5:30 in the Media Center.  If your child has received 2's or wavers between a 2 and a 3 in Reading (tests and/or report card grades), it is important that you attend.  The meeting is for ALL parents of third graders, but especially those whose children are at risk and are not demonstrating proficiency in literacy skills.  Again, all are invited because Read to Achieve affects everyone.  

***Here are a couple current articles from the News and Observer about Read to Achieve:

 http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/10/3520054/wake-county-using-reading-portfolios.html

 http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/01/09/3519784/wake-to-give-more-tests-to-third.html

Community service: Community Service for second quarter is due this Friday!  The children are expected to complete at least 30 minutes of service.  For each activity, they are required to write the date, time, location and the task they completed.  Your child may include photographs and visuals.  They are then to write or type at least a paragraph on the following:
1.  Describe in detail what volunteer task they did.
2.  Their reactions and feelings about their good deed.
Calendar Dates:

Thursday, January 16th:

• 5:30 p.m. Read To Achieve Parent Information Session for third grade parents
• 6:00 to 7:30 Parent Power Night at Douglas (Children will be entertained in the gym with a movie and popcorn.)  Thank you PTA volunteers.

Friday, January 17th: Early Release, Community Service due, Scholastic Book Orders due

Monday, January 20th: School Holiday--no school

Tuesday, January 21st: Teacher Workday--no school for students

Read to Achieve- IMPORTANT MEETING NEXT THURSDAY

Parents and Families,

 

Many of you are aware that the third grade school year is a critical year because of the state's Read to Achieve legislation.  We will have an information session for parents of third graders on Thursday, January 16 at 5:30 in the Media Center.  If your child has received 2's or wavers between a 2 and a 3 in Reading (tests and/or report card grades), it is important that you attend.  The meeting is for ALL parents of third graders, but especially those whose children are at risk and are not demonstrating proficiency in literacy skills.  Again, all are invited because Read to Achieve affects everyone.

 

Let me know if you have questions about the information session!

 

Thank you,

Melissa 

Moskauski Minutes

Welcome Back and Happy New Year!  I hope you and your families had a restful and joyful winter break.  Here are a few  class notes and some news about next week.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Stay warm!  :)  :)  :)

Tests Coming Home:Beginning in this upcoming Monday folder, I will be sending home graded tests for you to review with your child.  Please review and discuss the assessments with your child and also help them to work on any skills that they are having difficulty with.  After reviewing the tests with your child, please sign and return them for the next day.  If you would like a few more days to hold on to the tests to review together, please just jot me down a quick note or email.  The children will be held accountable for having their tests signed and returned, and this will be part of their homework grade.  You will find the assessments inside the manilla behavior folder.

Community Service:  Community Service for second quarter is due Friday, January 17th.  The children are expected to complete at least 30 minutes of service.  For each activity, they are required to write the date, time, location and the task they completed.  Your child may include photographs and visuals.  They are then to write or type at least a paragraph on the following:
1.  Describe in detail what volunteer task they did.
2.  Their reactions and feelings about their good deed.

Thank Yous:  Thank you to Ms. Bennett, Ms. Miller, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Tutino for providing me with the "Gift of Time".  The children had a great time with you!  Thank you to the families who donated items for the snacks and for the crafts.  Thank you to the families who donated items for the welcome bags for the homeless.  The children got so much out of this service project--and I am so proud of them!

Scholastic Book Orders:  January catalogs are in this week's Monday folders.  Book orders are due Friday, January 17th.  This is a great opportunity to use the free book coupon!

Calendar Dates:

Thursday, January 16th:

• 5:30 p.m. Read To Achieve Parent Information Session for third grade parents
• 6:00 to 7:30 Parent Power Night at Douglas (Children will be entertained in the gym with a movie and popcorn.)  Thank you PTA volunteers.

Friday, January 17th: Early Release, Community Service due, Scholastic Book Orders due

Monday, January 20th: School Holiday--no school

Tuesday, January 21st: Teacher Workday--no school for students