Mrs. McGovern's Classroom Connection

A while back I had written about the "Smiles for Sarah" fund and how warmly the children responded to the Student Government's appeal for this little girl. Your children brought in the largest amount of money for this campaign in the intermediate grades (I think maybe even in the whole school). It was a very generous effort on their part, and you should be proud of them.
They will be rewarded with a pizza party sometime soon (I'm checking on it).
Another "feather in their caps" .... The boys and girls have read 100 books for the Scholastic Book Club's Classrooms Care project. Because of this accomplishment, 100 books will be donated in our name to a needy school in one of our own Chicago communities.
The kids were very excited to take part in this project. They diligently kept track of all the books they read on a chart in our room. I have notified Scholastic that we have met our goal.
You can check their website at www.scholastic.com under Classrooms Care to see our name
listed.
What awesome kids you have!!! Thank you for encouraging them to care for others.

It was great to see some of you at the Parent Teacher Conferences. It's always a good thing to review your child's progress, whether at a formal conference or an impromptu one. Remember, I am always available to address your concerns. Just call or email me to set up a time.
Now that the children have had a good start and are becoming familiar with all of our routines, they should be working on improving the "look" of their work that is turned in. I really want them to develop a sense of self pride. Therefore, there may be times when your child is asked to "Do Over" an assignment because of poor quality or incorrect/incomplete answers. I know what they are capable of by now, and I will refuse to accept anything less than their best. Please try to help them review their work at home to help alleviate this problem. I really believe it will be in their best interest. Thanks in advance for your help.
The holidays are fast approaching, and our time in class is very valuable. There is a lot of material to cover this quarter. The children need to work at memorizing the multiplication tables since we will begin the chapters on multiplication shortly after the New Year. I recommend the three-corner flash cards that can be made at home or purchased at the teachers' store. They utilize the fact family concept, and they really work very well. After we complete the last chapter of Unit A in Science, we will have a unit test, so don't dispose of the study packets the children used for chapters 1-4. Our next unit will be on physical science...the boys really seem to like that.
I wish your family a LOVELY Thanksgiving holiday together!!! God Bless!

As some of you may already know, the school has been collecting money for this special organization that is named for a girl who suffers from a brain tumor. A (pink) letter was sent home last week explaining this worthwhile cancer research cause. The third graders have responded overwhelmingly with their donations, and we have been leading the school from the start. I'm not sure if it is because they were touched by the story of Sarah, or if they are in hot persuit of the pizza party that is the reward to the class who collects the most money. I have tried to stress the "kindness of your heart" part of this contest. Many of your children have brought in rather large amounts....I hope with your permission! The drive continues for one more week. If, for some reason, we should loose our big lead and not come our on top in our grade level, I hope that the boys and girls will not be too disappointed. They need to understand that the cause is the most important thing in this competition. Their money will be going to tumor research, such a worthy cause. Winning would be nice, but it isn't always everything is it?. Please talk with your child about this and stress how lucky they are that they are happy and healthy.

P.S. http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=7636 Here's a very good site dealing with stress in children. I hope you're not seeing this in your child, but I know it's out there.
Another good one...on reading...http://www.teachersfirst.com/getsource.cfm?id=6818

For the past couple of weeks, the Engrade program has been "down". I know that you have been experiencing difficulty gaining access to your children's grades. Mrs. Rosellini sent a letter home with the oldest child addressing the problem. We are not responsible. I have not had trouble logging my grades into the system...everything appears to be working on our end. For some strange reason, you may be able to get int the Music grades only. It would be very difficult for me to print out a copy of each individual subject for every child. If, however, you have one specific subject that concerns you, I would be able to do that for you. The first quarter ends next week, and I will begin working on report card grades after a few tests are completed. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, Oct. 31 (scary!!!....not really!) I would have notified you if your child was in danger of receiving a D or an F. All graded papers are sent home in the Friday Envelope, and tests should be signed and returned when they are sent home. There should be no surprises. I hope the Engrade problem is resolved soon. It's a lot of work on our part and an inconvenience for you, I'm sure. Call or email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Our mealworms have arrived!!! This year the two third grade rooms will be observing the life cycle of the beetle, a four-stage insect. Last week we created the habitats for each individual's insect. The boys and girls were excited to fill their cups with a mixture of oat bran and grits and include a slice of raw potato to nourish and provide water for their mealworms. They even came up with creative names for their developing beetles. Over the next couple of weeks, they will see the mealworms go through the metamorphic process.They will shed their exoskeletons of the larva stage and enter the pupa stage where they remain in a chrysalis. This stage may take a while to complete, but the end result will be a fully developed adult beetle. The project will be an ongoing one. Along the way, the students will chart their observations in their Lab Manual Log, noting such things as feeding habits, behavior, and body changes. We will be presenting our science project to the School Board at the October meeting on the 21st. All are welcome.
Don't forget to ask, "How's your beetle doing?"

For those of you wondering about how the internet can enhance your child's learning this year, I'd like to tell you about some of the sites available that will correlate with our third grade curriculum.
In addition to the favorite sites that Mrs. Rosellini has listed on the opening page to our blogs, most of our textbook series have their own interactive sites. The one that I will be using from time to time as a homework assignment is from the Science series. The address is www.sfscience.com. You will see some worksheets coming home that will require the students to "go online", with your supervision, of course. If a computer is not available, I can arrange for your child to complete these assignments in the classroom or the computer lab...just let me know.
Other sites can be found in the front of the textbooks. Some of those I know of are:

Religion www.blestarewe.com
Vocab/Spelling www.sadlier-oxford.com (Vocab. Workshoop Level Green)
Math www.mmhmath.com
www.teachersfirst.com/getsource
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorations/bug/index.htm
They are worth the trip if you can find the time.....Have fun!!!

I'd like to say that. for the most part. I am pleased with the way the boys and girls are falling into a real routine already this year. Most of them are showing that they can handle the third grade work load and schedule. There have been, however, some instances when children have forgotten books or materials to complete homework assignments. At the end of the day, the students copy their assignments from my board. I encourage them to write these assignments down as they are given if they prefer, or to copy whatever is on the board at lunchtime if they feel rushed at the end of the day. It's their choice...three options. While they are packing up, I tell them what they need to take home, and they say, "Check." if they have it ready. It is very important that they LISTEN at this time. Nevertheless, some children have come without assignments the following day. While I understand that circumstances arise, most excuses are simply, "I forgot." I will accept notes that explain situations, but I discourage parents from just "getting their child off the hook". I will circle the assignment that is missing or write it in the assignment book and note, "See previous day" in the tablet. After three missing/late assignments, I will send a notice home requesting that the child remain with me after school for 30 minutes to complete his/her assignment. This is usually enough to make the point, and rarely happens again. More serious problems will be dealt with in other ways. Please check over your child's assignment tablet each day and encourage him/her to be neat and accurate when writing assignments. Also check to see when upcoming tests are scheduled (at the end of each subject line) as I try to post them a couple of days ahead of time. Responsibility doesn't just happen...it needs to be practiced. Thanks for your help.

Our first week was really an awesome one! I love getting to know the kids and watching their cute personalities pop out as we all become friends. Everyone was so well behaved. I was impressed at how well they are able to follow directions...that's a very good sign that we will have a good year!
This week we really get down to business! We will begin the first chapters (or units, as they are sometimes called) in each subject. We will also switch classes for Social Studies and Science starting this week. You may see the dreaded onset of HOMEWORK emerge! (Really, it's not so bad. I try not to give more than 40 minutes of reinforcement work a day.)
I want to see the children develop more RESPONSIBILITY this year, therefore they will copy their assignments from my Homework Chart each day themselves. I will not post assignments on this blog because I feel that it just defeats my purpose. I will try to monitor their homework tablets, and I hope that you will check their work against their tablets each day. You may initial the page if you would like to do so. If we have any difficulty with incomplete work, we can both get on board and initial each day. I do prefer that the children learn to do this themselves though. So that they will become sucessful at being responsible, I am constantly working on ORGANIZATION skills with my class. While I certainly don't expect the kids to be perfect, I do strive for a certain amount of caring for and organizing their materials. My third goal in third grade is to help the children grow in INDEPENDENCE. They sometimes are so fearful of making a mistake that they are unwilling to do things for themselves, when they are actually very capable. I want them to know that it's okay to make mistakes because we learn from them. Yes, there is a huge difference between making a mistake and not understanding something. Please encourage your child to always ask for my assistance when they do not understand. I will then be able to clarify and guide them into continuing on their own. I am always available for extra help when needed....before or after school if necessary.
I'm sure my goals for the year are very much the same as yours! Together we can help your child accomplish great things. I look forward to meeting you this Thursday, Sept. 4th, at the Parent Orientation Night. See you then..........

It is my sincere pleasure to welcome your child to my third grade classroom! I know the kids are very excited to begin another year at St. Linus. I hope it will be an enjoyable learning experience for all of us.
I would like to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions you may be wondering about as the children begin their year. First of all, our schedule is very full. I will teach reading and math in the morning whenever possible. Our "special" classes are scheduled as follows:
Monday AM................Computers
Tuesday AM...............Gym
Wednesday AM.......... Gym
Thursday AM..............Library & Music (late lunch start)
Friday AM..................Art
This year Mrs. Moran, my partner teacher, will be teaching Social Studies for both third grade classes, and I will teach Science for the two classes. The remainder of our subjects will be taught in our homeroom classrooms. We may be working together at times, and we will try to work at a similar pace.
Birthday treats may be sent with your child on his/her birthday (or on Friday if the birthday is over a weekend). Children with summer birthdays can celebrate either the first week of school or the last (which ever is closer to the actual birthday). Finger-food treats are appreciated.
I realize the day is long, and that the children may become restless. We will take washroom breaks as a group at least twice a day,. Encourage your child to wash his/her hands and make use of these breaks, but to ask permission for any emergency use of the washroom. While I do not schedule a definite "snack time" during the day, I often will treat the class to crackers, pretzels, or some other sugarless snack during their worktime. Donations are always appreciated and may be sent any time you have an opportunity to pick them up at a good price. The number of students in our room is currently at 19. Recess will take place right after lunch, weather permitting. Please dress your child according to the weather conditions as we usually do go outside for about 20 minutes.
I do like to celebrate several holidays with class parties... Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. Of course, we will try to plan two field trips this year as well. Please volunteer to help if you can...you are always welcome!
You will be able to keep updated on all of our activities and important information by checking this blog. Grades and averages can be reviewed anytime online using the Engrade program. More information and students' passwords will follow soon.
Thank you for this opportunity to work with your child. I look forward to working together with you to insure a really great year! I'll keep you posted!