Third Grade Newsletter
September 2015
Welcome Back!!
Welcome Back to School! We hope that you and your family have
enjoyed a restful summer and are prepared for the challenges of a new
year. We want to thank everyone who attended Back to School Night.
If you missed Back to School Night, our information packets came
home with the First Day packets on the first day of school.
Third grade is a year of change and challenge. One change for third
grade is the report cards. Students will begin receiving letter grades
on their report card this year. We can address individual questions
about report cards and grades at conferences.
This year poses many challenges for students as we prepare them for
the Standards of Learning tests that take place at the end of the year.
We will work hard to challenge and support your child in every way
possible. We will work hard to make sure your child reaches their
potential. This year there will be regular homework assignments. We
encourage you to help your child with these assignments as needed.
Formative classroom assessments occur throughout units and a
summative assessment will occur at the end of each unit as well.
Students will be expected to study outside of school to be successful
on these assessments. Review materials, assessment dates and the
curriculum map for the quarter are available on the third grade web
page. We appreciate all the support that you give your child in getting
through our challenging curriculum.
Students will have homework Monday through Thursday in word study,
math and reading time. Students shouldn’t be spending more than
about 30 minutes on homework assignments. Students are expected to
be responsible for taking homework home each night. The school
building will only be open until 6:00 p.m. on school nights, so they may
not be able to get back in the building if they forget something in class.
Students will be expected to write homework in their planners each
day so they remember the assignments. Each student will have Tuesday
folders, which will come home each Tuesday with his/her class work,
newsletters, PTA flyers and any other communication. All
communication sent home must be reviewed by an administrator before
it can be sent home with any student.
Thank you to the PTA for our allotments to purchase classroom
materials for our students. We also want to thank you for your
participation in our Box Top program, which purchased the student
planners for this year.
We want to welcome Diane Kendall to our team. She will be serving as
the long term substitute for Mrs. Smith while she is out on maternity
leave.
Thank you,
The Third Grade Team
Academic Notes
In September, we will be studying the following
things:
Reading:
-Comprehension Strategies
-Predicting
-Sequencing
-Summarizing
-Making Inferences
-Writing story summaries/retelling
-Reading Fluency
-Building a Reading Life Unit
Writing:
-Manuscript
-Editing Strategies
-Personal Narratives
Math:
-Life Skill Review
-Place Value – our test on this unit will
be September 18th
- Addition and Subtraction
Science:
-Matter and Investigations Unit – our
test on this unit will be October 6th
Social Studies:
-Government – our test on this unit will
be on September 22th
Birthdays
Students may not bring in birthday treats
or invitations to hand out in school. This
is Loudoun County School Policy.
Safety Reminders
To enter the building during the school day, you
must show a photo ID every time you enter the
building and you must sign in to the office.
Upcoming Events
September 7th Labor Day – No School!
September 18th –
Ice Cream Social
September 22nd –
Fall Picture Day
Mrs. Bolden’s Notes
Our special’s schedule will be:
PE : Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Music: Tuesday, Thursday
Art: Friday
Library: Wednesday
Guidance: Monday
Search: Monday
Computer lab: Monday
(our daily class schedule is available on my web page)
Students will have the opportunity to research
information on the three branches of government online
in the computer lab. We will also take pre-assessments in
Math and Reading through a program called I-Test.
Students will participate in recess every day in the
afternoon. Students also have the option of bringing in
snack for class. It must be a healthy snack (fruit,
vegetables, cheese, etc.) and they have to be able to eat
while working. They also may bring in water.
Students are expected to complete homework and class
assignments and follow classroom rules. If your child is
absent, he/she will need to work on missed assignments
outside of school so he/she does not fall behind.
Remind is a service that allows us to send out one way
text message reminders about upcoming class or school
events. To receive these text reminders all you need to
do is text @bd89a to 81010.
September Tip
Help your child to develop good time
management and study skills. You can help
support your child by establishing homework
routines for your child to follow.
September Vocabulary
Math
Number
Hundred
Rounding
Digit
Numeral
Expanded form
Compare
Science
Experiment
Hypothesis
Observation
Solution
Volume
Solid
Chemical change
Order
Less than
Place value
Standard form
Equal to
Value
Thousand
Greater than
Tens
Ten thousand
Hundred thousand
Ones
Inverse
Addend
Physical change
Physical property
Matter
Gas
Atoms
Mixture
Mass
Liquid
Sum
Minuend
Subtrahend
Difference
Relationship
Estimate
Regroup
Number sentence
Related facts
Identity property
Commutative
property
Social Studies
Rules
Laws
Citizenship
Rights
Responsibilities
Republic
Representative
democracy
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
Federal
State
Local
Diversity
Ethnic tradition
George Washington
Rosa Parks
Thomas Jefferson
Abraham Lincoln
Thurgood Marshall
Martin Luther King
Jr.
Cesar Chavez
Veteran’s Day
Memorial Day
Comments? Questions? Concerns?
School Phone: (571) 252-2940
Alaina.Smith@lcps.org
DKENDAL1@lcps.org
Kelli.bolden@lcps.org
Carolyn.knight@lcps.org
Michael.steed@lcps.org
Email Reminder
Please don’t use email for emergencies or last minute dismissal
changes. We don’t always get these messages before the end of the
school day. Please call the school instead so these messages are
received and handled in time.