The Classroom Connection

YAY! Today the students in 3WS received their RAZ-KIDS personal pages.   

Raz-kids is an online library that provides children with an opportunity to read books at their level or listen to books at their level being read to them. This is a wonderful resource to use at home as a way to support the reading strategies being taught at school.

Please be on the lookout for a letter that will go home with each child tomorrow explaining how to access and use the Raz-kids online library from any internet browser. Attached to the top of that letter was a small square of paper that included your child’s Raz-kids login information. 

Please watch the video below to learn how to access your child’s Raz-Kids account from home. 

PLEASE NOTE: Your child DOES NOT have a TEXT PASSWORD. The students in 3WS simply need to click on the icon under their name.

What is your favorite part about being able to read books on the computer?

What is your favorite book?

This Monday, September 24, 2012, 3WS will be holding their STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS!

Mrs. Stephenson spoke to our class today and gave the students some great information about what being on student council is all about. She mentioned that it is a LOT of work…but a LOT of FUN at the same time. Below are a few things that she told the students.

YOU MIGHT WANT TO RUN FOR STUDENT COUNCIL IF:

1. You are good taking notes
2. You like to talk in front of other people
3. You are outgoing and energetic
4. You don’t mind giving up your first or second recess to come to meetings or do student council jobs
5. You are responsible
6. You like to have FUN!

If these things sound like you, then you might want to run for student council…..

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

• If you are going to run for the 3WS student Council representative you need to prepare a SPEECH.
• This means that over the weekend you need to write out somethings about WHY people should VOTE FOR YOU. These things should relate back to the items mentionedabove.
• Then on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012, we will take some class time and EVERYONE that would like to run will get a chance to read their speech to the class.
• Once everyone has spoken, the class will vote on who they think is the BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB.

Good luck to everyone running and I can NOT WAIT to hear all of the wonderful speeches on Monday!

WHY SHOULD SOMEONE VOTE FOR YOU TO BE STUDENT COUNCIL REP?

DO YOU THINK HAVING A STUDENT COUNCIL IS A GOOD IDEA? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Homework in the 3WS classroom begins this week        (September 17, 2012).

The students of 3WS will begin their weekly homework routine this week. Please note: if you did not return your BLUE HOMEWORK SHEET that was sent home last week, I am assuming you are going with Paperless homework and will be submitting it on our classroom blog each week.

Below are the instructions on how to submit your paperless or paper homework in the 3WS classroom. 

SUBMITTING PAPERLESS HOMEWORK

**Please click on the link below to read how to submit your weekly homework on the blog or go to our WEEKLY HOMEWORK PAGE.

SUBMITTING Homework ON THE BLOG

What your child needs to do each week :

1. Read a GOOD FIT BOOK two times a week.
2. Go on to the LEARNING SITES PAGE on our class blog and choose a MATH GAME to play two times per week.
3. Once a week, submit the days that your child read and played math games. There is no need to record the games, titles, books, etc. that you played or read with your child. I simply want to know which days they DID HOMEWORK.

For a list of math games that you can play online at home, you need to go to the LEARNING SITES page on the top of our blog and pick from the list of math sites that are listed (i.e. Fun for the Brain). Remember to pick an Addition and Subtraction game from the site.

SUBMITTING PAPER HOMEWORK

For those of you submitting your homework using paper. Please remember that your child will need to submit their homework package (calendar) in order for it to be checked by the teacher.

**Please click on the link below to read about how to submit your paper homework or go to our WEEKLY HOMEWORK PAGE.

3WS HOMEWORK LETTER

Parents, if you have any questions, concerns and/or worries about weekly homework. Please feel free to contact me at the school, at home or via email and I will do my best to help in any way I can.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING ABLE TO SUBMIT PAPERLESS HOMEWORK?

* * ABOUT ME (Mrs. Webb-Scheers)* * 

My name is Mrs. Webb-Scheers and I am going to be your grade three teacher this year. I am looking forward to getting back into the classroom after spending a refreshing summer full of quality time with my family and friends. I have been doing a lot of educational readings throughout the  summer months and I can not wait  to get back in the classroom and begin working each day with a new group of students.

* * ABOUT GRADE THREE* *

Grade three is an important time for academic (school) and social (personal) growth for students. In the 3WS classroom, we will be spending a considerable amount of time working on reading, writing, and math skills. In addition, we will be learning about Science, Social Studies, Health, and Guidance through reading, writing, technology and cool experiments. My goal for each of my students this year is to prompt them to explore individual interests in these areas, while improving their skills in all areas of the curriculum. I want to provide all students with an educationally challenging, yet fun, classroom experience.

* * FOR THE PARENTS* * 

Please feel free to contact me anytime throughout the school year to discuss the class content, your child’s performance, or any other educational matter you have on your mind. Also, please feel free to contact me if you would like to visit our classroom, schedule a conference, or volunteer to help out in anyway. You can reach me by phone (at home or work), email, or leave a comment on the blog’s “Thought Box” page.

I look forward to getting to work with each any everyone of you and your wonderful children. I know we are going to have a terrific year working in partnership to make this a memorable and exciting year. 

* * HOW TO COMMENT ON THE BLOG* *

Please click on the video above to check out the “How to Comment Video” .  This will take you through (step-by-step) on how you can leave comments on the 3WS class blog.

Have a great last week of Summer vacation and I will see you all back at school on Wednesday, September 5th, 2012!

On June 14, 2012 4WS held their SILENT AUCTION. We had a FANTASTIC turn-out and in total we raised $243.00.

♥ ♥ ♥ THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the wonderful support! ♥ ♥ ♥

On Friday, the class decided how we are going to spend the money at our year end party. Here is what we decided:

- tye-dye t-shirts and have the classmates autograph them for a keepsake

-pizza, garlic fingers and juice

-movie 

-Donate a portion to a GOOD cause to use our gift of art to make the world a better place

* * * * * * * * * * 

The students of 4WS would like to invite someone special to the class as we celebrate the marvelous year we have spent together. Our year end class party will take place on TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012 from 12 pm-1:30 pm.  Please be looking  for the invitation to come home in your child’s Communication Folder this coming Monday, June 18, 2012.

We hope to see you there!

This thank-you note was written by the students of 4WS during a shared writing session in our classroom. It is written to the two wonderful ladies who loaned us their cooking skillets so that we could make pancakes for our fractions of a set math review.

Dear Mrs.Anderson and Mrs.Acott,

     Well first of all, we would like to tell you a big THANK YOUfor letting us use your skillets to make pancakes to learn math in a fun way!!!  Your skilets were alot bigger and it went alot faster then Mrs. Webb-Scheers smaller one. We would’ve had to wait all recess to get our yummy pancakes!!! We had chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes. Not very many people had blueberry!The fraction of people who ate the chocolate chip pancakes was 21/21.Looks like the chocolate was a hot seller!! We got to eat 1/3 of 6,wich ment we got to eat 2 pancakes each.We had lots of fun. The other teachers could smell them through the whole school.They were good. Who knew math could be so yummy! I bet you people wanted them in China. Thank you again for all of your help.

From,

Mrs. Webb-Scheers and the Students of 4WS

Have you ever made pancakes before in your class? If so, what was you favorite part of the activity and why?

Did you enjoy the pancakes and what did you learn about fraction from this activity?

4WS has worked VERY hard this term in Art, and as a result, the students have created a SPECTACULAR piece of work that represents their Tribe.

Each tribe had their picture taken and then it was transferred onto mac-tac paper. They were each given a large canvas and the picture was stuck in the middle. The Tribe had to decide together what colors they wanted to use in their painting. Once that was decided, they had to work together to make the final product. They all turned out to be TERRIFTIC PIECES OF ART.

TECHNIQUES TAUGHT

-color mixing

-Brush Strokes

-Tints and Shades

-and a LOT of collaborative working skills in their Tribe

Each tribe took approximately 1 hour (2 art periods) to complete their painting. They assigned each other roles and took turns (painters & mixers) and worked very hard in order to finish their master piece.

Now, we are going to have our SECOND ANNUAL silent auction as a way to showcase and sell our paintings.

Please join us in an evening of fun and to help raise money for our end of year classroom party!

Last evening, while Mrs. Webb-Scheers was correcting the latest timed test for THE 12+ CLUB, she heard a strange (but familiar) sound coming from the classroom window. She put down her work and went over to investigate….and who do you think she found sitting on the ledge outside looking into the 4WS classroom…CARLETON. She was back for another visit to see what the students of 4WS have been up to lately in their Math class.

Mrs. Webb-Scheers told her all about THE 12+ CLUB and how each of the students have been getting SO MUCH BETTER since we first started the club a few short weeks ago. She was so impressed with your work, that she asked me if I would videotape a message from her. I just couldn’t say no! So I quickly got out my camera and begin to tape.

Check out the message from Carleton and see if you can answer her math question….I think it haa something to do with factions of a set.

Can you help Carleton? How many nuts can she eat…what is 3/4 of 20?

Do you learn about fractions in your class? What do you do to practice them at home and school?

Take a listen to the VOCAROO below to hear who are the latest students to make it into The 12+ Club. We had another timed test today…and we are certainly getting better. We started with only 9 students in the club and today we are at 13!! I am so very proud of all of you. Keep working hard. Remember…

“In this room, we don’t do easy. We make easy happen through hard work and learning.”

                                           
                              Congratulations again!!

Today in 4WS, we had another timed test with mixed multiplication up to 9X9 and the related division facts. Below is the newest round of students welcomed into the 12+ Club. Congratulations, everyone. Keep up the good work!

The 12+ Club: This is club that a student can become a part of each time he or she gets 12 or more multiplication/division questions correct on the weekly timed tests. The goal is that by the end of grade four, students should be able to do 15 questions in 2 minutes.  To be a “Just Got it” with their facts and to join the 12+ Club, the student must get at least 12 questions correct on the timed test.

~Please give a BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSES to the SECOND GROUP of students that are now a part of the 4WS 12+ CLUB:~

1. BARRETT

2. CHLOE

3. DESTINY

4. JESSE

5. ZAC

6. THOMAS

7. COLE

8. RACHEL

9. AUSTIN R.

Thanks to Jesse’s Mom, we have decided to make The 12+ Club a little more interesting….We will be tracking how many consecutive weeks (weeks in a row) students can stay in The 12+ Club. There will be top prizes for the most consecutive weeks at the end of the term.

Good luck, everyone!