December+9

=__**DECEMBER 9**__=

= Don't forget to purchase the gift for the 3rd grade gift exchange! The gift should be wrapped and not exceed $1.00. The Target dollar bins are good places to look. The gift should be brought to school before the 22nd. Thank you! =

=== __**SCIENCE CENTER CHAPERONES:**__ Plan on being at the Science Center on Fri., Dec. 16 shortly before 11:30. (It's hard to know exactly how our timing will play out. The Nutcracker will be an hour, and then we'll load up at the Civic Center and head to the Science Center.) Please pay your $9 admission when you walk in, and inform the staff you are with the Van Meter 3rd Grade group. We will be eating first thing, in the big room to the right of the entrance doors. Thank you SO much for your help! It will be greatly appreciated! You'll receive your "assigned" list of children once we arrive! ===

== **Cold weather is here! Many children are still showing up without proper winter attire. We will go outside unless the wind chill is dangerously cold, so warm winter coats, hats, and mittens are a MUST! When there's snow on the ground, boots and snow pants are needed in order for your child to play in the snow.** ==

__** ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING DATES :**__
**Thurs., Dec. 15...VMEPC meeting; 7:00 p.m.** **Fri., Dec. 16...Field Trip! Nutcracker in morning and Science Center in afternoon.** **Your child will need a completely disposable sack lunch and drink.** = **Thurs., Dec. 22...Christmas parties after noon recess. Dismiss at 1:30 p.m.!** = **Fri., Dec. 23-Wed., Jan. 4...Winter Vacation.** **Thurs., Jan. 5...School Resumes.**

**If your child is going to be absent for a few days due to a family trip, please let us know with a note in advance so we may gather homework to send with you. We can't always have //everything// ready to go, but it's very helpful to the teachers and the office to be aware of extended absences ahead of time. Thank you!**

** //The new December calendar has been sent home. Read, read, read!// **
 * //Don't forget about the BOOK IT! program!// **

=== Both homerooms will have a "Homework Club" each quarter. We will keep a chart in our rooms, tracking which students return their homework packets on time each week. Students who consistently return their packets each week will be rewarded at the end of each quarter! ===

=== //We have been informed that the kitchen can no longer store items that need to be frozen or refrigerated. You will need to provide a cooler if your child is bringing treats that require refrigeration. Thank you for your cooperation.// ===

__**LITERACY:**__
We are introducing organization in the 6-Traits of Writing. In reading, we will make predictions and connections. We will use context clues, identify main events, question, and infer. Please encourage your child to read at home.

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We have started our unit on time and money. Students will be expected to count money, make change, solve problems, and tell time to the minute. Giving your child real life activities/applications with time and money at home would be helpful. ===== Please continue to practice the basic math facts. Many of the errors we see with addition and subtraction of greater numbers are errors in our basic facts, not errors in the process.

__SCIENCE:__
This week we learned about the different traits of mammals, birds, and amphibians. We put our information into different graphic organizers in our science notebooks. Ask your children what they remember about these different animal groups!

= __**SOCIAL STUDIES:**__ = ==== Most of our 'friends' have been mailed out! Thank you for providing addresses to get our friends started on their journey. If you don't like snow, be thankful that you are not in Goshen, Indiana. Flat Brandon sent word that the day he arrived they received 8 inches of snow! The Goshen kids have already missed some school and experienced a late start because of the weather. We will try to keep you updated on our friends' adventures. ====

We have started our unit on the Hopi, Iroquois, Jamestown settlers, and Salem. We will be discussing how resources were used, the problems the colonists had adapting to the new lands, and how the Powhatan helped the settlers. We will also be inviting Living History Farms in to teach us about the Ioway Indians, which will be compared to the Hopi and Iroquois. ==== Check with your child about Daily Detective. The purpose of this project is to not only help the students learn about the countries of the world, but also to help them research. Each day a new clue will go up on our 'detective board'. The students will be able to write the clue down and bring it home so that you can, if needed, help your child to identify the country. The clues start out very broad and as the week goes on, get more specific. Please ask your child about Daily Detective and each daily clue. ==== The Daily Detective has been put on hold but will resume after the Christmas break. :)

__**MRS. VOLK:**__
Your child has been registered for Sumdog.com. This is a site that will help your child practice their math facts. Each student was given a username and password. They are encouraged to use this site at home.

Congratulations to our November readers... Tico, Kylie, Theo, Josie, Lucy, Max, Ethan, Anthony, Sean, Isaac, Sophia, Allen, London, Colin, and Justin. They read a total of 7, 613 minutes. This is up from October's 7,225 minutes read. Just think how many minutes we could read if ONLY everyone would participate! Please encourage your child to read at home and turn in their reading sheet. The reading sheet should be turned in even if they don't meet our 400 minute goal. Any reading is better than no reading! Our goal for the month of December is 400 minutes. I sent home a list of questions that may help you facilitate a reading conversation with your child. Thank you for your continued support at home.

**__MRS. SKAHILL/MISS STEPHENS:__**

===** //Please have your child read for December's Book-It. This month's goal is to complete// **** //300 minutes of reading time AND the book report printed on the back of the calendar. The December calendars will be due on Jan. 5, and the new Jan. calendars will be sent home at that time.// **===

**Congratulations to the following students who met their November goal and earned a pizza:**
**Lily, Kennedy, Emma, Josie, Gavin, Jonah, Alex, Ryder, Connor, Amy, Zach, Sydney, Kaleala** **Way to go, November reader!**

** //I'd like to see 100% participation from our class in December! (It's a great excuse to go to Pizza Hut!//!) **
Just a reminder: Spelling word lists are handed out at the //beginning// of each unit so they can be studied in preparation for the cloze test. Watch for the word lists glued into the planner. As mentioned previously, we won't be taking a cloze test every week...we work up to tests as we go through the word/phonics lessons in each unit.