News for the College Bound Third Graders of Miss Strohl’s
Class
May/June 2016
May/June
News and Notes
It is hard to believe that the third nine weeks is over and there
are only 6 weeks of school left! This year has absolutely gone by in
the blink of an eye. This month is a very important one for the
third graders. Our SOL testing window begins on Friday, May
13th. Students will take tests in both math and reading spread
over two days each. Students will also be assessed on the new
science and social studies Performance Assessments. We will
spend time this month reviewing in school to prepare students for
these important assessments but you can review for these tests at
home as well. Reviewing math skills at home will help support our
preparation in school. If you have a computer at home, you can
access the Virginia Department of Education website to see
sample SOL questions which students can practice.
This is the students first year participating in SOL testing. There
are some things you can do to help ensure your child performs at
their best for each of these important assessments. On testing
days, it is essential that your child is in school on time. Testing
will be completed online and classes will be taking tests in shifts.
The morning shift starts at 8:15 and the afternoon shift starts at
11:15. Any student who arrives at school after testing begins will
not be permitted in the classroom until after testing is complete.
Any test that is missed will have to be made up on another day.
Your child needs to have a healthy breakfast in the morning.
Because these assessments often take more than 90 minutes, it is
important that they are well fed so they are able to concentrate.
It is important that your child is getting plenty of sleep each
night. A healthy, well rested child will perform at their best. It is
also important to help your child relax each evening as these
assessments are stressful.
A reminder to all parents – when you are visiting the school, you
must present your ID every time you enter the building. You will
also be asked to state the reason for your visit. You need to sign
in and out of the office every time. Thank you for your patience
as we try to keep all the children of Horizon safe and secure.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you,
Miss Bekah Strohl
Academic Notes
In May, we will be studying the
following:
Reading:
-Comprehension Strategies
-Predicting
-Sequencing
-Summarizing
-Making Inferences
-Writing story
summaries/retelling
-Reading Fluency
Writing:
-Persuasive Writing
-Poetry
-Cursive
-Editing Strategies
Math:
- Review for SOL’s
Science:
- Plants and Soils test – May 12th
-Health & Fitness quiz – May 26th
- Review for SOL’s
Social Studies:
- Review for SOL’s
Attendance News
In May and June, we will be preparing for
and taking the SOL assessments. Please
make sure your student arrives on time daily
so that they won’t miss a minute of review!
Upcoming Events
May 11th –
Smithsonian Field Trip
May 18th & 19th –
Reading SOL
May 24th –
Wegmeyer Farm Field Trip
May 27th –
Health and Fitness Day (class activity)
May 30th –
Memorial Day—No School
June 1st –
Field Day
June 3rd –
Multicultural Fun Fair (6:30pm)
June 8th & 9th –
Math SOL
June 10th –
End of the Year Party
June 14th –
Last day of school
Units to Review
Social Studies
Maps
Explorers
Greece
Rome
Government
Mali
Economics
Native
Americans
Science
Matter
Investigations
Water cycles
Space cycles
Animals
Ecosystems
Resources
Simple machines
Math
Geometry
Place value
Rounding
Money
Multiplication
Division
Probability
Addition and
subtraction
Graphing
Fractions
Measurement
Time
Miss Strohl’s Notes
Wednesday, May 4th will be our last day with our student
teacher, Claire Bucher. Please join me in congratulating her
as she graduates from JMU this month and begins her
career as a teacher in LCPS!
DRA testing will also be taking place this month. We will be
assessing students to determine their reading level for the
end of third grade. The testing window will be between May
16th and June 1st. Students need to pass both a fiction and
non-fiction passage this year. If they have already done that
to the end of grade level standard, they are done being
tested. If they haven’t done that yet this year, they will be
tested during the window.
Comments? Questions? Concerns?
School Phone: (571) 434-3260
May/June Tip
It is important for students to do well on
their SOL assessments but they shouldn’t
feel pressured. Reward students at home
for all their hard work in school with
some family time to play games and relax.
Rebekah.Strohl@lcps.org
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.