Mrs. Moran's Classroom Connection

Welcome to the second quarter. We all made through the first quarter without too many difficulties. I hope it was not too much of an adjustment for you and your child. All of you did a great job transitioning them into third grade. THANK YOU!

Well its the second quarter and several of the students are already telling me they don't have a pencil or an eraser. I am sending them home tomorrow with their pencil cases and maybe you could help them see what they are missing.

The weather is getting cold and I have suggested to the girls to wear some pants to school so that when we go outside they will be nice and warm. Hats and gloves are becoming necessary with the cold weather we are experiencing. As I always say to the students, I would rather be hot than cold.

Believe it or not I am already finding sweatshirts in the room that the students all say are not their sweatshirt. I have one that no one is claiming . Please see that your child's name is on their sweatshirts.

The faculty had a meeting today and Dr. Stritch asked us all to have the students write the following heading on thier looseleaf papers;

Name (left side of paper ) Date (right side of paper)
Subject (left side of paper) Grade & Room (right side of paper)

Also the students are not allowed to hand in asignments and homework on papers from a spiral
tablet. We would like the students to use only looseleaf paper. Please see that your child does neat work and I will make sure it happens in school.

We are starting a new chapter in Math. We will be working on fact families, recognizing equations and beginning subtraction with regrouping. This is always a difficult concept for some students. Most of the students usually understand the concept but sometimes do not line up the numbers correctly and and have difficulty knowing when to borrow. It is always challenging so patience is needed during this chapter.

Parents, thank you for helping your child with their Math timings because I have seen a great improvments in this area.

Thank you for all your help, patience and understanding. Have a great weekend.

The ghosts and goblins are excited and ready for Halloween. The other day they wanted to eagerly share with the class the costumes they are planning on wearing for Halloween. Everyone sounded like they had great costumes. I can't believe it is already here!

On Friday, the students should wear their costumes to school and they can keep them on the entire day. Please make sure they don't bring anything that looks like a weapon. I know sometimes that is part of the costume but it is best to leave it at home. Grades K-3 will be parading along Lawler Avenue at about 8:15, so if you would like to see your child and all their classmates in their costumes, bring your cameras. It is always fun to see and will be so memorable for you. Around 12:30 we will be having a Halloween party. I plan on having some games to play, watching some Halloween cartoons and maybe even completing a Halloween art project. The students are all welcomed to bring a treat to pass out but it is not mandatory. We have 19 students in our class. It should be a fun day for everyone. I already know I will be going home with a headache but it won't be the first time.

Well we have completed the first semester of school. I know it is a big transition from second grade but everyone has done a great job making this transition. The only problem this class seems to have is they just talk too often when it is not appropriate. I always have to correct them to use inside voices instead of playground voices in the classroom. Please speak to your child and hopefully we can have a quieter classroom.

In math we are sailing along adding 3 and 4 digit numbers. The students seem to understand this concept but I still see problems with remembering their math facts. I believe in Math timings because when we advance in adding 3-4 digit numbers, the students become frustrated when they have to still count on their fingers. Everyone needs to memorize math facts and I have found this is the best way to do it. Thank you for helping your child because I have seen a difference.

The students have been so generous giving money to help children with brain injuries like the girl Sarah. They are so excited to contribute to this and it is so nice to see them able to give to others. We talked about giving to others in Religion class and many times they don't seem to know how to reach out to others. This is a perfect opportunity for them to do this.

Red Ribbon week has started and the students were given a red ribbon to be worn all week in school. Todayand on Tuesday and Wednesday the students will be guessing the number of Tootsie Rolls in the jar. On Friday the winners will be announced. Wednesday the students should wear their uniform shirts inside out and Thursday they can wear sweats.

If you have any questions or concerns please let me know. Have a great Halloween!
Thanksgiving is Next!!!!

Welcome parents to my blog. I hope everything is going well so far in third grade. It is always a hard transition from enjoying the lazy days of summer to the craziness of school. For me it is always a transition and that is why I am just writing this blog now. I hope all the letters that have been coming home have been helpful to you so far. If you are ever confused with my letters please let me know.

Here again is the weekly schedule in case you misplaced the letter given at the beginning of the year.

Mondays- Computers (9:39-10:19)
Tuesdays- Gym (10:19-11:01)
Wednesdays- Art (12:27-1:10)
Thursdays- Music (9:39-10:19), Gym (10:19-11:01)
Fridays- Library (9:39-10:19)

We are well underway in third grade. The students are working hard and adapting well to third grade. There has been a problem with "too much talking and not enough listening" though.
I have to remind them often about this problem. Please speak to your child about paying attention and only talking when necessary. The students have plenty of time to talk (snack-time, lunch and recess).

In third grade, regarding homework, three missing homework assignments in a quarter, leads to the child remaining after school the following day, with me, until 3:30. If your child is missing an assignment, I will let you know in their assignment tablet. If there are three missing assignments, I will call you to make arrangements. If there is a problem with your child not being able to complete his/her homework, please send me a note. I am only trying to teach the children responsibility. Last year, I did not have to stay after school with any student and I can tell this probably won't be a problem this year either.

We have a new Social Studies book this year, and it seems like it will be interesting and informative. I am excited to teach this subject. Changing classes has gone well so far. I think the students like doing this. In Social Studies we have been working on map skillls, which I think are so important to know. This week we will be beginning Chapter 1, so you can see the makeup of this book.

I am going to change the format of the Vocabulary definitions. In the past years, giving the students the run-off sheet with the definitions seemed to work well, but this year I think writing the definitions and the synonyms/antonyms on index cards will be a better way for your child, when studying for the test. If you can send your child with index cards, I will show them the format I hope this method works better for you and your child. Please let me know how it is working for you.

Although I have been teaching for 25 years, there are always new ideas and methods that work better for some classes than for others. Every year is a learning experience for the students and for me. Always feel free to contact me about any problems or just anything great to share. I am very approachable and would love to communicate with you through a note, an e-mail or by phone. I really enjoyed meeting all you great parents at the Open House. Thank you for all these "sweethearts" that I get to teach. I especially want to thank you for all you do for your child. I can tell they are truly loved and cherished.

P.S. If you have any games you want to contribute to our classroom, I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you wouild like to contribute candy to our reward bucket, that would be greatly appreciated too.