Wk 3 Newsletter August 24-28

Last week was an awesome week! We learned two math games to help us with place value. We worked on mastering the properties of addition.

On Wednesday, we visited Miss Jennifer for our weekly library visit. She taught us about research. What is it and how do we conduct research? Miss Jennifer allowed us to choose an animal. We had to research to find out its habitat, what it eats, and an interesting fact. It was way cool! We learned tons about elephants, giraffes, chameleons, gorillas, lions, and many more. Who knew research could be such fun?

Important Reminders

• Be sure to initial behavior and homework sheets each night! Remember to read your AR book as part of your homework.

• Send in Box Tops and Campbell’s Soup labels. Thank you to everyone who has already done so. We are up to 2460 points.☺

This Week at a Glance:

Here’s a peek at what we will be learning this week!

Math Workshop
Two-digit Addition with Regrouping and estimation

Writer’s Workshop
Habits of Good Writers

Science
Georgia Habitats

Reader’s Workshop
Rituals and Routines Continued

Handwriting
Letters Cc and Dd

Wk 1 Newsletter August 10-14

I hope you had a restful weekend! After spending the first day getting to know each other, we will be going to work this week. Everything at Gilbert is up and running successfully. We will have specials (Art, Computer, Science Lab, and P.E.) and visit the library for our orientation and our first checkout. I will administer the STAR test and the DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) to determine your child’s reading levels.

This week we will be starting all of our workshops. We will also begin homework. Please be sure to look at the homework sheet on the back of this newsletter. Although, I do not assign written spelling homework, I do expect your child to review spelling words and practice reading the fluency passage each night. Beginning on Tuesday, you will also have an AR book to read each night. Please initial both the homework sheet and behavior sheet daily. This lets me know your child is completing his/her homework and you are aware if his/her behavior.

This week's specials...

Monday - P.E.
Tuesday - Science Lab
Wednesday - Art
Thursday - Computer
Friday - P.E.

Students are allowed a short morning break and may bring a healthy snack to eat during this time. Snacks are on an individual basis. We do not do class snack. Each person brings his or her own. Students may and are encouraged to bring a water bottle to class. Please make sure the water bottle has a lid to help avoid spills. Also, do not send juice, sodas, or Kool-aid, water only.

If you have not already sent in a 1-inch 3-ring binder and a 5-subject notebook, please do so as soon as possible, as we will need them beginning on Wednesday.

Thank you so very much for the items from our wish list. We are currently well stocked with tissues, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.


Reminders

• Our school is once again collecting Box Tops. Please continue to save and turn in these tops. Our class earns ten points for each one. The winning class receives a special treat/ reward each month. With the ones I saved over the summer and the ones Amber brought, our class already has 600 points! Thanks, Amber!

• Coach Neal is collecting Campbell’s Soup Labels, Caprisun Points, and Tyson Chicken Labels again this year to help our school earn free equipment and supplies for Physical Education.

• We get ice cream on Fridays. If your child wishes to have ice cream, please send in $0.50. Remember a yellow or red color earned at any point during the week results in a loss of this privilege.

• If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. You may send a note in your child’s folder, call, or email me.

elisarichardson@walkerschools.org
Phone: 706-638-2432


If for some reason you did not receive a copy of this newsletter, you may click on the title to download a pdf file of it.

First Day!

Mrs. Richardson's 3rd Grade Class

I just wanted to thank everyone for a wonderful first day! We spent the day getting to know each other through an activity called "New Kids on the Block". Hopefully, you will get the chance to stop by and see our end products. They are hanging in the hall.


It was hard for me as a mom as I had to send my oldest child, Alex off to the University of Tennessee at 6 a.m. on Friday. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done... saying bye to my child. Secondly, my youngest started High School. It seems like just yesterday that they were still here at Gilbert with me. I was a bit teary for the first hour or so of school. However, the wonderful smiling faces of my new students quickly cheered me up!

We are in for a wonderful school year! I am excited to be your child's teacher and am working hard to plan for the best year ever!

Meet the Cast & Crew

Meet the Cast & Crew of Mrs. Richardson's 3rd Grade

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Welcome to third grade! I am very excited to be your teacher this year. We are going to have a wonderful year! I hope you and your parents are planning to attend Open House on August 6. This year's Open House is a little different from our usual drop in event. Third grade is scheduled to meet from 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. During this time, you will have the opportunity to check out our classroom, drop off supplies, and your parents will learn a little more about what to expect from third grade. I can't wait to meet each one of you!

Brianna
Logan
Joshuwa
Farrah
Taylor
Brycen
Ethan
A.J.
Desmond
Heather
William
Royce
Haley
Mrs. Richardson

Another week at Math Institute...

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

I heard from a former student today, Haley! She received an early birthday present to use on her upcoming trip to the beach. It's an iPod. She's planning to listen to New Moon by Stephenie Meyer on audio! It's a great book. I hope you enjoy it Haley! Have fun at the beach! See you soon!

Math Institute continues for me this week! Today, we covered order of operations, fractions, and more geometry. I used a new (or at least new to me) kind of compass. It's called a GeoTool, very different from what I used many moons ago. I also learned there's a polygon with seven sides called a heptagon. As a first grade teacher, I only dealt with octagons, pentagons, and hexagons. Pretty cool stuff!

Math Institute Update

The Math Institute continues to be very enlightening. I'm picking up tons of ideas for helping students who struggle with math concepts and computation skills. I have also made quite a few games to practice both addition and multiplication facts. I can't wait to try them out with my new students. A friend of mine sent a poem about math via email this week. It's very cool. I wish everyone felt this way about Math.

Your heart beats fast...

You start to sweat...
You have this fear
That you’ll forget...
You start to pant...
Your headache pounds...
And then you jump
At every sound...
Your stomach is queasy and your skin gets a rash!
You might as well face it: you’re allergic to math!
I’ll tell the cure
Without delay.
First, come to class,
Don’t miss a day.
Go to the lab,
And questions ask,
Take good classnotes,
Then learn the facts.
You must believe in this logical path,
And you might just find that you’re addicted to math!

~Vicki Young

Clipart by Thistle Girl Designs

Math Institute Day 2

Math Institute Day 2

Today, both professors from Dalton State College presented multiple ways to teach addition and subtraction. It was interesting to see the different methods now used to teach these skills. The basic process is the same, but how you combine terms, rearrange, break numbers apart (decomposition), and even the thought processes differ from the way I was taught. I learned two really cool games to play to practice these skills. I can't wait to try them with my new students.

On a side note... I got to eat lunch at Cracker Barrel. It was yummy. I love their chicken and dumplings. I had lunch with Mrs. Pope (4th Grade Gilbert), Miss Eidem (5th Grade Gilbert), and Mr. Keith (4th Grade Rock Springs). Great food, great company!

Math Institute Day 1

Today was the first day of Math Institute. This math training is part of a project called Learning Mathematics for Teaching from the University of Michigan. The project investigates the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching, and how such knowledge develops as a result of experience and professional learning. The project does so through the writing, piloting, and analysis of problems that reflect real mathematics tasks teachers face in classrooms - for instance, assessing student work, representing numbers and operations, and explaining common mathematical rules or procedures.

The first task for us, taking a math test! Yikes, can you believe it? It's been a long time since I've taken an actual math test. I'm glad the tests were not graded. Some of the questions helped me realize that Math has changed a lot over the past few years.

Additionally, several of the speakers spoke about student success in all areas. Dr. Jones shared with us a few facts from a recent study conducted in California. Resilience research identified three principles that protect students from risk and help them succeed: caring adult (parent or teacher) relationship, high expectations, and opportunities for participation/contribution (students need to feel the work they are doing is worthwhile and meaningful). I am familiar with the first two and am in total agreement. Math workshop fits in nicely with the third principal. In Math Workshop, students are given real-world problems to solve using their mathematical knowledge. Students are asked to share how they arrived at their answers which gives them greater ownership for their learning.

Enough for now! I have to run, homework to do.

Until next time!

Mrs. R

Fountain Fun

Kyli checking out the fountains!

Hey everyone! I hope your summer is going well. I took my niece, Kyli to Joe Stock park today to play in the fountains. She had a blast. I enjoyed watching her play. If you haven't been, you should go! It's a great way to cool off! :)

Last week, I went to the pool with my friends, Mrs. Eager and Mrs. Epperson. We all met for lunch in Fort Oglethorpe and then hit the pool! Chaz, Delaney, Ryeland, and Madelyn all had a great time! I hope you are getting to spend time with your friends, too!

Big shout out to Jarrod! I saw him today at Family Dollar. He says he's ready for school to start!

Until next time,
Mrs. R