News for the College Bound 3rd Graders of Miss Strohl’s Class September 2015 Welcome Back!! Welcome Back to School! I hope that you and your family have enjoyed a restful summer and are prepared for the challenges of a new year. I want to thank everyone who attended Back to School Night. If you missed Back to School Night, 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. I will work hard to challenge and support your child in every way possible. I will work hard to make sure your child reaches their potential. This year there will be regular homework assignments. I 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. I appreciate all the support that you give your child in getting through our challenging curriculum. Students will have homework Monday through Thursday in spelling, studying, and reading. 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. Thank you for all your support, enthusiasm, and encouragement as we all embark on a new school year! Thank you, Miss Bekah Strohl 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 & Rounding – 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 7th Social Studies: -Government – our test on this unit will be on September 23rd 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 ever time you enter the building and you must sign in to the office. Upcoming Events August 31st – First Day of School for Students September 7th Labor Day – No School! September 16th – Fall Picture Day Miss Strohl’s Notes Our special’s schedule will be: PE : Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Music: Wednesday and Friday Art: Tuesday Library: Monday Guidance: every other Thursday Search: every other Monday Computer lab: Thursday (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. Students will participate in recess everyday right after lunch. 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. 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) 434-3260 Rebekah.Strohl@lcps.org 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. Email Reminder Please don’t use email for emergencies or last minute dismissal changes. I 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.