May is a very busy  month. We have lots of exciting activities planned.

The spring sing is Tuesday, May 22,  at Elm Place. Doors will open at 6:45 and the show is scheduled to begin at 7:00. Mrs. Crutchfield will be sending information home soon. You can also check out her music blog.

Your child brought home a packet explaining the business interview.  Please let me know if you have any questions. I appreciate your support with this project. It is one of my favorite activities and former students often ask if the kids are still learning about the Highland Park businesses.

May is filled with assessments. We will be taking the District math benchmark on Friday afternoon.   MAP testing is Monday, May 14th, Tuesday, May 15th and Wednesday, May 16th. All testing will begin after the Pledge. Please do not make dental/doctor appointments on those days. Encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.

Last Saturday was the speech tournament. The third grade students who participated worked so hard and I applaud their efforts.

We are learning about Chicago and Highland Park. Last week we visited the Highland Park Historical Society. The Chicago unit will culminate with another field trip. The field trip is scheduled on Thursday, May 24. More information on the field trip will be sent home later in the week.

As you know, Ms. Kirchner has finished her student teaching. She will graduate from Iowa this weekend. She did a great job and we were all sad to see her go.

Thank you again for all your support this year. I am so lucky to have such wonderful students and parents. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

It is hard to believe it is already May 1st! Hope you are all having a great spring!

The students received their business project assignments today. You should go over this assignment with your child, and if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Kirsch.

We are having our field trip to the Highland Park Historical Society tomorrow! The other third grade classes went on Monday, and they seemed to really enjoy it. It should be a fun morning!

The Speech Tournament is on Saturday (5/5). The students that are participating received a sheet with the time they will be presenting their speech. The students will also be practicing their speeches in front of all the third graders on Friday morning.

We are finishing our poetry unit. Our last group of poetry readers shared their poems with us, and they did a wonderful job! If you would like me to email a picture of your child presenting their poem, feel free to contact me (clairekirch@gmail.com).

Reminders:

-There is spelling this week. We will be having a spelling test on Friday.

-Reading logs are due on Friday. Students are to read 100 minutes.

Let me know if there are any questions or concerns (clairekirch@gmail.com).

Have a good week!

-Ms. Kirchner

I hope you all had a great weekend! I just wanted to let you all know what we have been doing, and what is coming up in the next week.

I have finished head teaching, and I am now co-teaching with Mrs. Kirsch. We have finished our math unit on fractions, and we will begin decimals this week. In science we will be wrapping up our unit on the solar system. The students will continue to work on their planet projects during Library time. We are continuing to learn more about the city of Chicago in social studies. The students seem to really enjoy this subject. We are also continuing to learn more about poetry and we are writing our own poems.  The students are doing a great job!! Students will be combining their poems into a book that they can take home.

Here are some pictures from our poetry readers from last week! They did a great job! Please email me if you would like a copy of your child presenting their poem.

Reminders:

-Business project packets are due on Friday (27th). These packets were sent home on Monday. Students can either work alone or with one or two other people (can work with students from other third grade classes). Students will interview the owner of  a business in Highland Park, Highwood, or Fort Sheridan, in order to learn more about businesses in communities. The students seem to be very excited about this project, and it should be fun! Please contact myself or Mrs. Kirsch if you have any questions about this project.

-Final drafts of the students’ fairy tales are due on Friday. Students are to either type or handwrite a final draft of their unique fairy tale. Students will be making covers for these stories in class this week. We will hopefully be sharing these fairy tales with students from younger grades.

-There is a reading log this week and a spelling test. Make sure your student reads at least 100 minutes and studies for the spelling test.

-We will be taking a field trip to the Highland Park Historical Society on Wednesday May 2nd!

**Please contact me with any questions or concerns: clairekirch@gmail.com

I hope everyone had a great weekend! The students have been working very hard, and I am so happy with their progress.

We finished our Story Town lesson, and the students did a wonderful job on their tests. The class average was a 94%! The students will be bringing these tests home. Please sign these tests and have your child return them the following day. We are starting our next story this week.

In science we have learned about the sun, the earth’s rotations and revolutions, and the students are continuing to do research for their planet projects in Library. They seem very excited to learn about their planets, and I am anxious to see their final projects! We will be learning about the moon this week.

We are also starting our unit on Chicago in social studies this week. We will start with learning some history about the city.

In math we are continuing to learn more about fractions. The students are doing a great job of learning equivalent fractions and mixed numbers. This week we will be finishing up the unit with adding and subtracting fractions.

This week is a review week for spelling. Therefore, there is not a spelling test.

We are continuing to learn more types of poems. The students have already written a diamante poem, and they will be writing several more poems this week. Below are some pictures I took of the students that read their favorite poems for the class this week. They did a GREAT job, and it was fun to listen to their poems. If you would like a picture of your child presenting their poem, please email me and I will be happy to send you one. I am looking forward to hearing the rest of the class present their poems in the next two weeks!

Reminders:

-The Read-a-Thon has concluded. Our class did an AMAZING job! Although we did not win for the school, Mrs. Kirsch thought that we deserved a celebration. We will be having a popsicle party on Monday afternoon to celebrate the students’ hard work!

-The Used Book Fair is this week. Our class will be going on Tuesday and Wednesday.

-There is a new reading log this week. Students are to read 100 minutes.

*I have enjoyed my first week of head teaching. The students are being very cooperative and I am enjoying working with them. I am looking forward to the upcoming week!

Please email me with any questions or concerns: clairekirch@gmail.com

I hope you all had a great spring break, and enjoyed the holiday weekend. I am taking over as the head teacher in Mrs. Kirsch’s class this week. I have really enjoyed getting to know all of the students and I am excited to work more closely with all of them.

April is poetry month! We will be studying different types of poems, and students will be creating their own. We are also starting “Poetry Readings” everyday, in which students will pick one of their favorite poems and read it aloud to the class. I have a schedule for when students will present. Students will be reminded of when they are presenting, and a slip will be sent home to remind them that their day is approaching. Students should practice reading this poem aloud before the day they have to present it to the class.

We have also started our Space unit. Students are working on a project about the planets in Library, and we are studying the sun, the moon, and other aspects of the solar system in Science.

In Math we have started learning about fractions! The students have been working very hard on this subject, but if your child has any questions about math, I would be happy to meet with them for additional help.

We will be having a spelling pretest on Monday, and we will be starting our new Story Town reading passage on Monday as well.

I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks. I have tried to plan many fun activities, but I also work cooperatively with Mrs. Kirsch to ensure that all curriculum standards are met.

Reminders:

The Read-a-Thon ends on Tuesday! Make sure you sign and return the recording sheet by Tuesday. The students have done an AMAZING job! We have read over 16,000 minutes!! Keep reading!

Sarah Weeks will be visiting Wayne Thomas on April 13th! She has written many famous picture books and novels, and we are very excited for her to visit!

On Friday (April 13th) we will be celebrating our military families! Students from military families will be able to have lunch with their parents at Wayne Thomas. Everyone is encouraged to wear red, white, and blue, to help show our support!

**If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at: clairekirch@gmail.com

Welcome back. I hope everyone had a relaxing spring break. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those of you celebrating this weekend.

As you know, Claire Kirchner has been student teaching in our class since January. She will be taking over this month. She has done a great job and I know that the students will have fun learning with her. I review all her plans and we work together to make sure her lessons match the curriculum. Claire will also be taking over the blog.

Things to remember:

The read-a-thon ends on Monday, April 9. All logs must be handed in next Monday. Our class has read over 13,000 minutes so far!!!!

There is no school Friday.

Have a great week!

We are done with ISATs! The students have been working so hard all week,
and Mrs. Kirsch and I are extremely proud of their work ethic and positive attitude!
The ISAT test results will not be available until the fall.
We are currently learning about communities in social studies. The students
were given the opportunity to work in groups to create our own unique classroom
community. The students have worked hard and have put a lot of thought into this
community. It looks great!
We will be resuming with our math groups starting on Monday. There are
new groups, and keep in mind that these groups are flexible. All groups will cover
the same material, they will just move at different paces.
We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss week this week! Check the Wayne Thomas
blog for special daily activities. Friday is pajama day and silent reading in the gym!
Have your student come to school in their favorite pajamas, but please no slippers.
Conference week is coming up!

Times of conferences were sent home. If you
did not receive a conference time or if there is a conflict, please contact Mrs. Kirsch.
Remember, students are encouraged to attend part of these conferences. I am
looking forward to meeting all of you at conferences!
Famous author and civil rights activist, Ruby Bridges, is coming to Wayne
Thomas on Thursday! We will be showing all of the third graders a video about her
life, which aired on TV. Both the 4th and 5th grades have viewed the video already.
This video does use some slang words, and if this is a concern, please contact us.

Reminders:

Reading logs are still due every Friday. All students should be reading 100 minutes
each week.

Students need to dress for the weather. Although it is getting warmer out, students
should still be wearing jackets outside. Keeping an extra pair of shoes at school
may also be beneficial in order to cut down on the amount of mud brought into the
classroom.

The district wide Read-A-Thon will be starting soon, and students will
be given more information about this program, in the upcoming week.

Spring break is approaching! Spring break is the week of March 25-April 1st. If
your child will be missing any additional school days, please let us know as soon as
possible.

I am really enjoying getting to know your children, and I am learning a lot through
this experience. I am excited for the upcoming weeks, and I am looking forward to
meeting and speaking with you all. Have a great week!

-Ms. Kirchner

It is almost March 1 and that means ISAT testing, conferences and spring vacation. Wow what a busy time.

ISAT testing starts next Monday, February 27, and will end on Friday, March 2. The students will take 2 tests on Monday and one test on each of the following days. The morning tests start at 8:50 and the afternoon test will start right after lunch recess. Each test lasts for about 1 hour.

Why do our students take ISAT tests?

The state uses ISAT tests to make sure children are meeting the Illinois state standards. District 112 has created power standards based on the Illinois state standards. These standards guide our instruction. Benchmarks have been developed and assessments measure student mastery of these standards.

How do teachers prepare students for the ISAT tests?

Teachers prepare students for the material on the ISAT tests by teaching the power standards. Students practice responding to written text, problem solving and expository writing as part of their daily work. The weeks before ISAT testing, students practice these skills.

How can I prepare my child for the ISAT tests?

Make sure your child goes to bed early and starts the day with a healthy breakfast. Reassure your child that this test will not keep him/her from passing into 4th grade. I always tell my students that they will wake up the next day and nothing will change. I also prepare them by telling them that students are not expected to know everything on the test. Your child is prepared for these tests. All we ask is for him/her to take his/her time and do hos/her best work.

Please make sure your child arrives to school on time and do not make doctor appointments during testing week. If your child is sick, he/she will be able to make up the test.

When will parents get the test results?

It usually takes the state of Illinois a while to score all these tests. Parents usually receive their child’s test results in the fall.

How does Wayne Thomas use these results?

Teachers use these results to help guide instruction. For example, if my students did not do well on a particular subtest, then I would work on improving instruction in that area the following year. The fourth grade teachers might use some of the data from these tests when making decisions for interventions. These tests are not used to determine classroom placements for next year.

Conferences are coming. Conference times will be sent home on Wednesday. The staff has worked together to coordinate times for siblings. Your child is encouraged to participate in these conferences. He/She will be invited to join the last few minutes of our conference. Please let me know if you need to change the time of your conference.

The students read a biography and created a timeline of their person’s life. Please encourage your child to share these with you. The site is www.timetoast.com.

Student who read 1,500 extra minutes beyond the required 100 minutes weekly have been invited to join Mrs. Kirsch at Buffo’s. Please make sure you return the permission slip along with $3. Students have until March 2 to reach this goal. Keep reading!!!

MISC….

Book orders are due Friday. Please order books online.

The District 112 read-a-thon is coming up at the beginning of March.

We will be celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14. If your child is planning to pass out valentines at school, please make sure he/she brings one for every child in our class. A class list will come home today  so no one will be omitted. Please send valentines with names on them on February 14 so they are ready to be distributed.

ISATs are coming. ISATs will begin on Monday, February 27 and continue through the week. The tests will be given in the mornings. There will
be one test a day except on Monday when the students will
take one test in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Please stay calm!! The children are prepared and will do
great. You can help by:

1. Encouraging your child to go to bed early.
2. Providing your child with a healthy breakfast.
3. Getting your child to school on time.

We are working on writing math written responses and reading responses. There are ISAT practice sites that I will share with you later in the month.

The students are working on making a timeline. The site they are using is called Time Toast. Students have worked in the computer lab and have started entering their dates. Your child might need to finish entering dates at home. All dates must be entered by Wednesday.

A conference letter was sent home today with your child. Please return forms ASAP. All forms must be returned by Friday, 2/10.

Don’t forget to keep track of reading minutes for the Six Flags free ticket award. Students should hand in signed forms by February 22. All students will be able to meet this goal by doing their weekly reading minutes.

Those students who read 1500 extra minutes by March 1, will be invited to join me at Buffo’s for a pizza party. I will send out more information on March 3.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns or questions. Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday!

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend. I am so proud of your children. They learned all about Dr. Martin Luther King.

Ms. Kirchner is our new student teacher. She started Tuesday and will be here until May. She wrote a letter that went home with your child. Please feel free to introduce yourself to Ms. Kirchner