12/03

Written by: Madi and Willa

Hello,

Today we went to Mrs. Strickler's class for Science. We also got to see a Holiday concert that was really neat. Yesterday we had music class with the other third grade class. We also had Book Exchange, so we got to have two specials. 

From,
Willa and Madi

From Mrs. S.:

A few updates:

Today we tried coding for the first time. Students worked with a partner to solve problems online and to work through puzzles when we got stuck. Our class will be participating in the "Hour of COde" next week. Ask your child what kinds of things they did with their partner.

Our next math test will occur Thursday, December 10th. Unit 4 will be coming home shortly, and was the only math unit included on your child's midterm report. 

Midterm reports will be coming home with your child tomorrow, December 4th. Please review, sign, and return as soon as possible.

Talk to your child about the new book we have been reading as a class: Holes. The students are really enjoying this book and we have been having some great discussions about it!

Thus far, we have raised about $500 of the cost, leaving less than $400 to go for two classroom iPads! There are only 40 days left in our fundraiser, so please feel free to share with anyone interested. You may view our progress by clicking the link on the side of this page, or click below:

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/two-ipads-for-tech-hungry-third-graders/1352138/?rf=link-siteshare-2014-09-teacher_account-teacher_2528167&challengeid=20476783#materialsList

**Our class will be raising money to purchase a game for Landon Knepp, Mrs. Knepp's son, to be delivered the week of December 15th. Landon was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer, in October of this year. We have done many things as a school to ease some of the burden on the Knepps, including raising $2,000.00 in donations and ribbon sales as a district. Our class is in charge of raising the money to purchase a game for him which we will deliver sometime during the week of December 15th. Please send any money you would like to put toward this fund to school with your child any time between now and that week.

Below are some pictures from our coding experience:

Thanks for all you do,
Mrs. Slessinger

Friday 11/21

Written by: Kolby and 

Today we had Art and we drew our backgrounds for a still life painting. We also did a project in Social Studies with salt dough. We Are making our own landforms on a map using the dough. On Monday, we will paint them and on Tuesday we will get to take them home. Have a good weekend.

Kolby and

A Note from Mrs. S.:

Hello families,
We are quickly approaching Thanksgiving Break! Next week is a short, 2-day week. There are no upcoming assessments--our Unit 5 Math assessment is still about a week and a half away. However, during the week of December 2nd, you will be receiving mid-marking period reports for your student. Following is some information that will be helpful for you to know:

-There will be no grade for Science, as we will be beginning our Science unit on December 2nd.
-The Social Studies grade will be based upon the unit we just completed; Communities and Geography.
-The Math grade will include your child's grade for Unit 4 only, as we will not have completed unit 5 at that time. The report card will usually include 3 math units, so unit 5 and 6 (assuming we do not have the weather we had last year!) will also be factored into your child's report card grade.
-The Reading grade is based upon where students are expected to be at this point in third grade.
-The writing grade is based upon where students are expected to be at the end of third grade.

There will also be a student goal written at the bottom of the sheet, along with how they are going to achieve their goal. These reports should be signed and returned to school as soon as possible.

Our featured work this week is from the entire class, and is their disguised turkeys! Students did a GREAT job on these and we have received many compliments on both their artwork and their writing! 

Thanks for all you do,
Mrs. Slessinger

Tuesday 11/11

Written by: Landon and Matthew

Today we had Music and some people played the piano for us. We also played a good kickball game at recess. In Reading we did stations to practice our strategies. In Math we did a coin toss experiment to see if we were more likely to land on heads or tails.

See you next time,
Landon and Matthew

From Mrs. S.: 

Please note that the math test will be moved to this Friday, November 14th. This is due to our copier not functioning for the past few days. We are slated to get a new one tomorrow, so we should be able to review Thursday and test Friday.

Reminder that the Tom the Turkey writing activity (sent home last Friday) is due Monday, November 17th. Students are to disguise their turkey and write a piece persuading their audience that he is not a turkey.

Reading Bingo calendars are due on 11/25, right before Thanksgiving break.

 Below are pictures of students working to create their own maps in Social Studies.

Have a good day,
Mrs. Slessinger

Wednesday 11/05 (and Friday)

Written by: Landon and Matthew

Today we learned how to play Baseball Multiplication in math and we practiced our multiplication facts. We worked on our writing about the stories we read. We had Art this morning. We learned about a turkey project we are going to do soon.

See you next time,
Landon and Matthew

From Mrs. S.:

We had a busy, short week here at NHW! The students worked very hard to get a lot accomplished in such a short week. We are continuing to learn about geography in Social Studies, and students are creating their own maps. They are following a rubric for the first time, and managing their own work.

In Reading, we have switched into our first Nonfiction unit. We discussed how to use key details in nonfiction text to find the main idea. Ask your child about the bicycle article we read to practice this skill!

In math, we have been working very hard to learn and master our multiplication facts. Students learned some new games they could play to practice and getter better at them. Have your child practice some multiplication facts this weekend.

We will be having our next math test next week. A review packet will come home, and is excellent practice for your child. Please ensure that they are reviewing for the test.

On Monday we will be having a special presentation from Kids in the Kitchen, where students will learn about eating healthy and making foods. This is a lesson students really enjoy!

Have a great weekend with your wonderful kids,
Mrs. Slessinger

P.S.- There is no featured student work this week due to the shortened week.

"Catch up" post!

Hello all,

It seems we have a bit of catching up to do! Due to the end of the marking period business, we have not had a chance to post as often as usual. Therefore, our blog writers will be updating us again beginning this Wednesday. We do, however, have a lot to get our families caught up on, so below you will see some highlights from the past week.

It has been great to see so many of you at conferences, and I look forward to speaking with even more families tomorrow. Thanks for being so supportive of your child's education. Please remember that conferences is not the only time you should come to me with questions or concerns--I am available via email and (school) phone as well.

We are taking our quiz on the continents and oceans when the students come back to school on Wednesday. Students took a practice quiz on Friday so that they could see what they will be expected to do, and many of them did very well. 

There will not be word packets coming home this month. We will be reviewing missed words from past lists and focusing on patterns learned this past month. November will have a reading calendar due at the end of the month, however. Please ensure that your child is reading at home!

Last week we celebrated Fire Prevention week with some presentations from a local fire company. The students in third grade got to go through the "Smokehouse" and pick out possible fire hazards. They practiced climbing out of a window and down and escape ladder, as well as calling 911 to report a fire. They also learned about fire extinguishers. The students loved the activities and we were very fortunate to have the fire company visit! Below are some pictures from the day.

Our featured student's work from last week belongs to: Riley! Riley published her story on a Google Doc, on one of our Chromebooks (laptop). She followed all the steps of the writing process, including drafting, editing, and conferencing about her piece before publishing it. Great work, Riley!

Riley's Writing Piece

Students practice dialing 911 for an emergency

Discussing fire safety

Inside the Smokehouse

Have a great evening!
Mrs. Slessinger

Monday 10/20

Written by: Bobby and Madi

Today Madi got a PRIDE ticket for following all of the teacher's directions. We also had gym class today with Mr. Dennish. We played kickball and it was a lot of fun. We also earned Teamwork Bingo today so we will get extra recess this week! 

From, 
Madi and Bobby

From Mrs. S.:

Reminders:

-Our math test for Unit 3 is tomorrow, so please help your child prepare by ensuring that they complete the review packet.

-PRIDE day is on Friday, so make sure you are showing your Red Lion Pride!

-Friday is also Fire Prevention Awareness Day. We will be having visitors at school to give us more information about what to do in fires and how to prevent them.

-The marking period ends on Thursday and report cards will be coming home next week.

-Please fill out the conference form and return to school as soon as possible.

Have a wonderful night,
Mrs. Slessinger

Friday 10/17

Written by: Cash and Jack

Hello,

Today we had a Science test and we did another experiment. We tested to see if a paperclip could float on water and it can! We did another really cool experiment with baking soda and vinegar. We also had a lesson with Ms. Salerno about bullying. There was an SLC meeting during recess today for kids who want to be in Student Council. 

See you Monday!
Jack and Cash


From Mrs. S:

Lots of students in our class attended the SLC (Student Leadership Council) meeting this afternoon-ask your child if they are interested in joining, and send in their signed paperwork if so.

our math test for Unit 3 will occur on Tuesday, October 21st. Please make sure that your child is completing their review homework.

We are now finished with our first Science unit, so on Monday we will be beginning Social Studies.

Our featured student work this week comes from: Charlene! Charlene got a 100% on her Unit 2 math test (which are returned today)--a perfect score! She worked very hard during our review session and it really paid off on her test! Keep up the great work, Charlene!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Slessinger

Tuesday 10/14

Written by: Cash and Jack

Today we had someone come in from the Byrnes Health Center. We learned about what "color" personality we have and that everyone is different. We learned about bullying too and what to do if you see it happening. We also made different sized triangles in math out of straws and twist-ties. We had to measure each side and figure out the perimeter.

See you next time,
Jack and Cash

From Mrs. S.:

We had a busy start to our short week! The students continued to practice calculating the perimeter of shapes they created. Our Unit 3 math test will occur early next week. We are waiting on everyone to be finished their Unit 2 math boxes for those grade sheets and tests to be sent home to be signed.
In Science, we have continued to complete fun experiments and the students are becoming very good at completing the steps of the scientific method. Our Science test will occur Friday, and we will switch back to Social Studies on Monday.
In Writing, we are learning about the different kinds of sentences and how they can be used in our writing pieces.

Check out some of our students working with manipulatives to create and measure triangles with different perimeters, and playing math games with partners:

Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. Slessinger

Wednesday 10/8

Written by: Megan and Willa

Today we learned how to use Dictionaries. We looked up words to practice finding ones that we don't know how to spell. We also did an experiment in Science to see how many paperclips we could put into a cup of water before it overflowed. In fact, we learned that 76 paperclips could fit before water came out! Unfortunately, none of our hypotheses were correct. Riley and Conner were showing PRIDE all day today.

By,
Willa and Megan

From Mrs. S.:
We are really becoming little scientists this week! Ask your child to explain the first two steps of the scientific method (question and hypothesis) to you. 

In math, students worked together to take body measurements. We have been discussing standard vs, nonstandard units of measurement, as well as the Metric and U.S. Customary units.

In writing, students learned the steps to looking up a word in the dictionary to find out how to spell it. They worked to put these steps in order to test themselves and practiced looking up words with partners using the steps.

Tomorrow is the Hike for Habitat and we also have gym class, so make sure your child is wearing sneakers. We will be hiking as an entire school to raise awareness for our district Habitat for Humanity project.

Friday is Parent Visitation Day. We will be going through some of our "everyday" routines and academic activities, so you will be able to see us in action if you are attending. We look forward to seeing you!

From,
Mrs. Slessinger

Blogging Purpose (edu553)

Hello,

This blog post is from Mrs. S, and is a note on the purpose of the blog.

Thus far during the school year, this blog has changed as our needs and ideas for it have changed. Both the students and I have found classroom blogging to be a very positive experience.  It began as a replacement for the typical classroom newsletter, and grew to include writing, reflecting, and technology practice for students, as well as a place for their work to be featured. I believe that we have already made a lot of progress with our blog and the students continue to grow from the experience of blogging in a classroom setting. Until now, students have hand written the blog posts and edited them as a partnership, and I have later posted what they wrote, with some corrections that were overlooked. I then add a note to parents and families on the bottom of the post with reminders and notes about what we have been doing in class. Our plan is to move into one student writing the post and another student editing it, then posting it themselves on the blog. This is still a little way off, as students are working now to improve their drafting, editing, and typing skills that would make this possible.

I have heard some feedback from parents saying that they like the accessibility of information and that the blog allows for less paperwork to be sent home. I would love to receive any/all feedback that the parents and families have, good or bad--it is all constructive! Please contact me if you have something that you have found helpful or liked about the blog, or if there is something you would like to see changed or done differently.

Thanks so much and enjoy your evening,
Mrs. Slessinger

Monday 10/6

Written by: Megan and Willa

Today in Science we had our first experiment and we tested how many drops of water could fit onto a penny. In Health we learned car safety and bus safety. The strings students have practice on Wednesday. We will go to the book fair tomorrow during school.

By,
Willa and Megan

From Mrs. S.:
If you did not send money in with your child for the Book Fair, you may also shop Wednesday evening at the school from 6-8 pm. Students who did not bring money in made a "wish list" for any parents who would like to do this.

Please ensure your child is completing their word packets by Friday. The work can be completed any night(s) that they (and you) have time.

We finally learned who the winner of our class election is, and it was Lizzie! Lizzie won the election by 1 vote! Congratulations, Lizzie!

Have a good evening,
Mrs. Slessinger

Fun Friday

Written by: Lizzie and Grace

Today we had Music class. We have a little show that we are going to do. In math we cut out different kinds of rulers and used them to measure different line segments. Willa and Conner were both showing good PRIDE habits today. They were both ready and listening when the teacher was giving directions. Ask your child what kind of measurements we used.

See you next time!
Grace and Lizzie

From Mrs. S:

We had a busy week and the students have been working very hard! We are reviewing measurement in math and discussing different units of length we can use to measure. In writing, students learned how to create a Google Doc on their Chromebook and are continuing to work on their writing pieces which will be published as a Google Doc. We started science, which has really excited the students, and we are learning the scientific method. In Reading, we have been working on identifying the main idea, or central message, of a fiction text.

Reminder: The Fall Book Fair is next week. Our class will have time to shop during school on Tuesday, October 7th. If you wish to send money into school with your child, please put it in a marked envelope or bag.

Our featured student of the week is: Grace! Grace gave one of our final speeches for our mock class election, and did a wonderful job! She spoke about what she would do if she were elected "class president," and she brought in a treat to campaign for herself. She had a good opening to her speech and kept her listeners attentive. Great work, Grace!

Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Slessinger

Warm Wednesday

Written by: Lizzie and Grace

Today we had gym class. In gym we did the pacer run again because we want to try to beat our record. We also had the final election speeches and got to vote for our favorite candidate whose speech we thought would make them the best Class President. Hopefully we will find out who got the most votes tomorrow.

Talk to you next time, 
Grace and Lizzie

From Mrs. S:

We completed our Social Studies and Math tests and both should be coming home early next week. Students are working to make sure they have completed all Unit 2 math boxes for their unit grade. 

We are starting Science now as we are finished with our first Social Studies unit. The students are very excited to learn about the scientific method and complete science experiments.

We are working to build both our reading and writing stamina. Our behavior during Reading Workshop stations have gotten better, but the students still need some reminders to be on task at times. Talk to your child about how they feel they are doing during this time.

Have a wonderful rest of your week. 


Mrs. Slessinger


P.S.: Let's go O's!

Monday News

Written by: Grace and Lizzie

Today we got to create our African masks in Art. We are going to do the final vote for our class election tomorrow since we ran out of time today. We got the books from the book order and it came with 10 free books for the classroom! We do not have any specials tomorrow. Today Conner was showing PRIDE by listening to the teacher's directions.

Check back next time,
Lizzie and Grace

From Mrs. S.:
We have been very busy in third grade recently! Here are some updates on what we are doing in the classroom:

-In Reading, we are practicing using details in text to find the main idea or central message. We started practicing this skill with a story and have moved on to poems.
-In Social Studies, we learned about the way our government is structured. We are reviewing for a test on Wednesday. We will be completing a study guide that the students will be able to use during the test, in order to make them more comfortable with their first Social Studies test.After the test, we will begin our first Science unit.
-In Math, we are finishing up Unit 2 and will be testing on this on Wednesday. Just as in Unit 1, we will complete a review on Tuesday in class and there will be review homework on Tuesday night. This review sheet will be very similar to the test, so it is important that the students are completing it!
-In Writing, we discussed the importance of each step of the writing process and the students are currently working on their first substantial writing piece. Ask your child what they chose to write about and which graphic organizer they used to organize their thoughts.

Have a good week!
Mrs. Slessinger

Fun Friday News

Written by: Nicholas and Josh

Today we gave our speeches for our class election and voted for our three favorite. The top four were Nicholas, Megan, Lizzie, and Grace. On Monday, they will give their speeches and we will vote for the winner. 

We worked in our Friday Journals today and got caught up in our math journals, too. We also had Health today with Mr. Dennish. Hopefully, our book orders will be delivered on Monday. 

Remember that we will have a math test next week!

Talk to you next time,
Nicholas and Josh

From Mrs. S.:

There aren't too many reminders for today. Please sign and return your child's unit 1 profile sheet. Next week (Wednesday), we will have our next math test. We will review in class and there will be review homework as well. Please help your child by looking over Unit 2 materials with them.

Book orders have been shipped and will be coming home next week with your child.

Remember to sign up for a conference time for the first week of November.

Our featured student of the week is: Willa! Willa used correct letter structure to write me a letter in her Friday Journal. She included lots of details and had a clear style to her writing. Great work, Willa!

Ask your child what he or she wrote to me about in his/her journal!

Thanks for all you do and enjoy your weekend,
Mrs. Slessinger

Typical Thusday

Written by: Nicholas and Josh

Today was a fun day in third grade. We finished writing our speeches for our class election and we are going to be giving them tomorrow. We wonder who will win the election! We had Music this morning and got to play some new instruments. Tomorrow we will have Health. We earned three Teamwork Bingo cards today. We hope tomorrow will be as good as today.

Thanks for reading,
Nick and Josh

From Mrs. S:
-Remember to sign up for a conference on the portal or call our secretary, Mrs. Marcules, to schedule one.

-Unit 1 math profile sheets came home today. Please review, sign, and return to school with your child. The students did a good job on this first unit. They are now used to our math routine in third grade. Our next unit is currently wrapping up and we will be reviewing it and testing on it next week. Just as with the first unit, I will be sending home a review sheet that is very similar to the test, so please make sure your child is completing this as practice.

-CAFE goal sheets came home today. We have been conferencing one-on-one during Reading Workshop and have identified goals for each student to work on. The goal sheets have some tips on how to practice your child's goal at home. Students are expected to know and practice their goals whenever they read.

-Starting next week, there will be a new homework packet coming home. In place of the Reading Logs, we will be starting some word work/spelling pattern practice. Students will receive new words each week with a packet of homework options. The packet is set up like a menu, with an appetizer, main course, and dessert. Students may choose one option from each category to complete. The packets are sent home on Monday and can be completed at your/your child's discretion. They are due back to me every Friday. This will help with your child's reading, writing, and spelling habits.

Thanks for all you do,
Mrs. Slessinger

Totally Tuesday

Written by: Nicholas and Josh

Today we ran half a mile in Physical Education class so we were very tired when we got back. We were all working together today so we got to pull a total of 4 Teamwork Bingo cards! We have a few rows with 5 numbers in a row, and we need 10 in a row to earn extra recess. 

Today was awesome!

-Josh and Nicholas


Updates from Mrs. S.:
-Our first school store is tomorrow
-Friday is PRIDE day--show your Pride by wearing black and gold or Red Lion attire!
-Our Donors Choose iPad project had another donor last night, so we are now up to a total of $399.70! That is the cost of one iPad, so we are halfway there after one week!

Have a great evening,
Mrs. Slessinger
 

9/22/14

Hello,

Our blog writers did not have the time to complete their post for today, so it will be on the blog tomorrow. 

We started a new spelling program today and the students began sorting their new words, so be sure to ask your child what kinds of sorts or activities they were doing with their words.

Students also met our new reading specialist, Ms. Shearer. We gave her a warm welcome to NHW. :) Ms. Salerno visited our classroom to give a guidance lesson on problem solving. Ask your child if they can remember any of the steps she gave them.

As of tonight, our DonorsChoose project has had 4 donors thus far, equaling about $200 total!

Have a wonderful night,
Mrs. Slessinger

Fantastic friday

Written by: Willa and Riley

Today the class made houses out of straws and twist ties to learn about the writing process. We also watched a video and learned a new song about the Bill of Rights. We were supposed to have Art today but there was no substitute so we did Reading Rainbow instead. The class also had inside recess today for the first time.

Have a great weekend! See you Monday!
Willa and Riley

From Mrs. Slessinger:

We had a very productive week this week and have really settled into our routines and academic lessons! The students have been improving every day and are getting the hang of third grade! This week we really focused on the Constitution and Bill of Rights in Social Studies, as the girls mentioned above. Ask your child if they can remember the chorus to the song we learned about freedom of expression today. Many of them wanted to view it at home, so here is the link:

http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?v=blVrqO5Ot5A

Below is some work from our featured student of the week, Tori. Tori wrote a wonderful paragraph about her favorite activity to do outside of school. She used a hamburger graphic organizer to organize her thoughts and included many interesting details. Great work, Tori!

Reminders:
-The conference portal is now open, so remember to sign up for a conference time.
-We will be having our first school store next week.
-Strings lessons (if your child is signed up) begin September 30

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Slessinger

Thursday Highlights

Hi there,

You may have been noticing a lot of talk in the students' section of the posts about PRIDE habits and tickets. Students can earn these "tickets" for demonstrating one of the following "PRIDE" habits:

Personable
Respectful
Integrity
Dependable
Engaged

When students earn a ticket, they may turn it in for a chance to "win" a prize from the school by having their tickets pulled. Tickets are pulled every Friday and at the end of each month. Ask you child about something they have done to earn a ticket, or something they may have seen a friend doing to earn one.

Today, one of our classmates earned not one, but two PRIDE tickets for being responsible and engaged! Below is a picture of Landon's tickets:

Congrats, and keep it up Landon!

Mrs. Slessinger

Warm Wednesday News

Written by: Riley and Willa

Our class had music right away today. We talked about character traits in Reading. Ask your child to name a few traits that describe Clementine from our new book. We also celebrated Constitution Day and learned about how our government was formed. Grace and Lizzie were showing PRIDE by being responsible all day.

By, 
Riley and Willa

A note from Mrs. S:
Reminders:

• Scholastic book orders are due Friday!
• Strings meeting is tonight at the High School if your child signed up to play a string instrument
• Please sign and return: 
• Study Island graphs
• Blog permission slips (for pictures of student work)

Thanks for all you do!
~Mrs. Slessinger

Updates

Hello!

Because of some technical issues we had last week, we did not get to post our usual blog posts. We will be keeping the same student writers for this week in order to give them a fair chance at writing posts.

Here are a few reminders in the meantime:
-Book Exchange is tomorrow. Please make sure your child brings his or her library book to school in the morning.
-Scholastic book orders are due this Friday--there is still time to submit an order online or send it in to school with the money!
-We have been working on recognizing spelling patterns in words with short and long vowel sounds. Ask your child to explain what they have learned to you!

In addition to this, you will notice some changes on our blog as we update its layout and content. We added a few links and other items along the side, including a search bar so that you may find information on our blog more easily. 

Feel free to email me with any questions,
Mrs. Slessinger

Tuesday Updates

Written by: Willa and Riley

Today we read a new book, Pecos Bill, and practiced making mental images.  We also learned about a new math site we will be using to practice math facts and play games. It is called Splash Math and some of the class got to use it today.

We had music class this morning with the new music teacher.

During reading, we got to do three stations. While the kids were doing stations, some students read with the teacher and chose a new book.

By, Willa and Riley

A note from Mrs. Slessinger:

We have been working very hard in third grade this week! Here are a few reminders and important dates:

• Picture day is Thursday. Picture order packets came home today--please make sure they are returned by Thursday.
  
• Our first math test is on Friday. Please help your child feel prepared by reviewing the concepts on the review sheet (coming home Thursday) with him/her.
  
• As our student posters mentioned, we are trying out a new math games site, Splash Math, to replace First In Math. The students may play the games online at home if they wish. Their username is: lastnamefirstinitial (ex: slessingerk) and their password is their lunch number.
  
• Book orders are due (in paper or online) by September 19.

Have a wonderful evening,
~Mrs. Slessinger

Fantastic Friday

Written by: Conner and Brooke

Conner, Charlene, and Tori got PRIDE tickets today during Daily 5 for being quiet, focused, and engaged! We got to do three Daily 5 rotations today.

We are really liking school and Mrs. S. is treating us really well. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

This is Conner and Brooke checking out. Bye!

A note from Mrs. S.:

We had a GREAT end to our week today. The students have been having great mornings, but the afternoons were a little more difficult to stay focused. Today, they really turned a corner and we had a wonderful, productive, and fun afternoon! I complimented their behavior, and you can tell them you read about it here as well. :)

Next Friday we will be having our first math test. It will cover all of Unit 1, which was mostly a review of skills from second grade. However, we all know it can be hard for them to retain some things after months off of school, so reviewing with your child will be a big help. We will have a review day before the test and they will get a review sheet for homework that mirrors the skills assessed on the test. 

Ask your child about:
-What we have been learning in Social Studies--and if they can remember the three branches of government!
-What they have been writing in their Friday Journals
-The strange visitor we had that wrote us a class letter, and to whom they are now writing back (hint: it's not a human)!

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. If you can't get a hold of me by  my school phone, please email me. I am typically pretty quick with email responses.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the time with your family!
~Mrs. Slessinger

Wednesday News (09/03/14)

Written by: Conner and Brooke

Today Kolby, Grace, and Lizzie were showing a lot of PRIDE habits. We have been doing a lot of math so we are getting the hang of third grade math facts. 

We are having a lot of fun here in third grade at NHW!

Make sure you check back in,
Conner and Brooke

A note from Mrs. S:

I love the way the students have been looking for peers to mention in their posts--that came straight from them!

There are a few dates to remember coming up:

Picture day is September 11
The conference portal opens September 12

Please ensure that your child is doing their homework every night--math and reading. They are expected to be reading for at least 10 minutes a night and filling in their reading log. At the end of every week (so tomorrow!), the log is due and should be signed at the bottom. Everything we do takes practice, and reading is no exception! The more your child reads, the better he or she will get. NOTE: The school-wide Fall Back into Reading challenge is currently happening, so please make sure that you are also logging you child's reading minutes on that calendar. They need to read 400 minutes in the month of September to get the prize!

Thanks for all you do,
~Mrs. Slessinger

Friday Fever

Written by: Tori and Charlene

Today, Brooke and Nicholas were showing PRIDE. 

We used our Chromebooks a little bit today to look at Study Island.

Next week we have an assembly about string instruments. 

We also got extra recess today for our great behavior when we were figuring out the Chromebooks.

Check in next time!
Charlene and Tori



A note from Mrs. Slessinger:  

Hello families!
Sorry for the delay in Friday's post. We were a bit rushed toward the end of the day. This week, there will be new student blog writers.

Our assembly next week will include demonstrations of string instruments that third grade students may sign up to play. Playing an instrument is optional and includes practices during the week and a concert at the end of the year. 

This week we will be doing benchmarking on Study Island, and you will receive graphs that your child will fill out based on their results. They will also be creating a goal based on their benchmark. Please read over the paper, sign it, and send it back as soon as possible, as we will use it twice more during the course of the year.

Thanks and I hope you enjoyed your long weekend!
~Mrs. Slessinger     

A Fabulous Wednesday!

Written by: Tori and Charlene

Bobby, Kolby, and Riley were all showing PRIDE habits today and they each got PRIDE tickets! Ask your student which PRIDE habit we talked about today ("E").

Make sure your child is showing PRIDE!

In math, we did name collection boxes.

We had our first Warm Wednesday note exchange and our first gym class.

Check in later!
Charlene and Tori


A note from Mrs. Slessinger:

Students really enjoyed getting a nice note or compliment written to them by a peer today during our first Warm Wednesday exchange. This also serves as a nice reminder to do something nice for someone, or say something nice, every day.

Students did a good job with name collection boxes in math. Ask them to tell you what these are.

We have an assembly tomorrow from a published author who works in the district. he will be "kicking off" our school's reading challenge for the month of September. More information will be coming home about this soon.

Take care,
~Mrs. Slessinger

Monday News

Written by: Tori and Charlene

Today Lizzie was showing PRIDE by being quiet. Grace was showing PRIDE by listening.

Ask your kids about our new computers we used on the 5th day of school!

We had Art for the first time today with Ms. F. Also for the first time, we had full reading stations.

In math, we used school tools like clocks, rulers, calculators, and pattern block templates.

We also got a new Friday Journal prompt.

Make sure your kids are showing PRIDE! Check in next time,
Charlene and Tori

A note from Mrs. S:

Please make sure that your child is reading and filling out his or her reading log every night. The requirement is simply 10 minutes a night.

As you can see above, our students are going to be writing the blog. This will be happening every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each week a pair of students will work on the blog together. Every student will get multiple chances to be a blog writer.

If you need clarification on anything, or have questions, please let me know.

Have a wonderful day!

~Mrs. Slessinger

First Day News

Hello Families!

Our first day went wonderfully today. There were some jitters at the beginning, but we had a great day overall. The students enjoyed getting to explore a new classroom, catch up with old friends, and make new ones.

Ask your child about:
1. The "talk show"
2. Their new independent book
3. Something they discovered in their new classroom

Reminders: We start our specials tomorrow. Tomorrow we have book exchange. Also, please do not send valuables to school with your child if at all possible. They are not the school's responsibility if lost or damaged!



A LOT of paperwork came home today. The items that need to be returned to school are as follows:

1. Discipline/consequences form
2. Student Handbook sign-off sheet
3. Assignment sheet (stays in folder all week)
4. Reading Log (stays in folder all week--due, signed, Fridays)

Student info sheets will be coming home tomorrow and will need to be returned to school as well.

Thanks for all you do! As always, contact me with questions or concerns.
~Mrs Slessinger

Back to School Night

Welcome families! This blog will serve as a communication link for our classroom. I will be updating it with pictures of things we are doing in class, important information, upcoming dates, etc.

As I have recently gotten married, my email address will probably be changing shortly. I will send an update out when that happens, but in the meantime, my school email is hymank@rlasd.net.

As a reminder, Back to School/Meet the Teacher Night is Monday, August 18th from 6-8pm. There will be three sessions lasting 20 minutes each during that time to allow for parents with multiple children to make it to all their children's sessions.

Please ensure that you and/or your child are filling out all necessary paperwork and returning it to school as soon as possible. There is a lot that comes home in the beginning of the year that can be lost in the shuffle!

-Mrs. Slessinger