Busy Week Ahead!

We were able to donate $240 to the WORLD Santa Project.  Thank you so much for your generous donations of ingredients.  This is a project that is very near and dear to our hearts, so we were thrilled to make it happen again this year!

It's a chilly morning here in Central Vermont, and with plenty of snow on the ground, we know our students are looking forward to the holiday break, just as much as we are!  This next week promises to be a busy one here in CC-3 so please read on for the "Week at a Glance"

Monday~A "normal routine" day in CC-3!

Tuesday~

• We'll attend a marionette show in the morning, this is being put on by Tobias' mom.
• Gifts for Giving~ Our session is from 10:10-10:50.  We're sure the folks who have worked hard to put on GFG would welcome additional help if you'd like to join for our session.  It's a great idea for kids to bring a box or bag to carry their treasures home in.

Wednesday~ A "normal routine" day in CC-3!

Thursday~ 

• The CC3 Teaching Team has a bit of a surprise planned for the afternoon!  Shhh....

Friday~

• Caroling in the lobby! The EMES Student Leadership Team (SLT) will be leading caroling in the front lobby from about 8:40-9:00 a.m.  Come and join us as we sing in the day!
• The EMES SLT is also sponsoring a School Spirit-Fancy Dress-Up Day for all students!  It might be fun for students to dress up in all their holiday finery, especially for the concert.  Just an FYI we will have lunch and recess before the concert, so if kids want to bring something in to change into that is fine too!  For teachers, it's "Ugly Sweater" day...you'll have to see what the CC3 team has pulled together. 
• 9:15-10:15  Craft project with our 1/2 grade buddies from Mrs. Parker's class.
• 2:00-3:00 EMES Winter Concert CC3 students are performing!
• Students will be welcome to leave with families after the concert.  We only ask that you come help your child get all packed up and make sure you check-out with us.  We need to send home all winter gear and leave cleaned out lockers so that they can be cleaned during our break.

WHEW!  As you can see we'll be busy all week.  Let us know if you have any questions. We'd like to thank all of you for your tremendous support for our work with your amazing kids.  We know we are very fortunate to work in such a caring, thoughtful community.  Our best wishes to you all as you celebrate the holidays.  May you spend joyful time with all those you love!
Christine & Kathy

Chex Mix

Thank you so much for all the ingredients that were sent in for the Chex Mix!  We had a fabulous mixing session today, and the goodies are ready to go!  A huge THANK YOU to Tracy, Ben's mom for her tremendous help today.  We couldn't have pulled this project off without her!  We will be selling the mix in the EMES lobby tomorrow at the beginning of the day.  It will be a $1.00 per bag, and we will have a gluten free option as well, thanks to Tobias' mom, Julie.

Stay tuned for more updates about next week...just remember the concert on Friday, the 22nd at 2:00 p.m.!

Reminders!

Sharing
Next week begins our sharing of nonfiction books.  All students have received the handout as well as instruction in class on how to do this activity.  Students should be well prepared for their share by:
1.  Reading a nonfiction book.
2.  Completing the boxes and bullets sheet. Here is a link if they need another one Boxes and Bullets Form
3. Marking off places in the book he/she will share on sharing day. 
Several students have asked Mrs. Christy for help choosing a book.  This is a great start to being prepared!

Chex Mix Prep and Sale
A separate blog post addressed our need for more ingredients.  We'll be mixing next Thursday, and selling on Friday.  All Chex Mix will be $1.00 per bag.

Winter Concert
Our winter concert is scheduled for Friday, December 22nd, beginning at 2:00 pm.  We hope many family and friends will be able to join us for that special event!  Third graders will be performing at this event!


School Spirit Day~Sponsored by the EMES Student Leadership Team
Friday, December 22, 2017 is "Student Fancy Festive Dress Day!"  It’s our concert day!  Dress in your most festive, dressy clothes to celebrate the winter holidays!

AND

EMES Staff  Ugly Sweater Contest Day!  Student leaders will choose the top three “ugly sweater wearing” teachers.  The EMES student body will choose the final winner! We're excited to see what Mrs. Christiano and Mrs. Christy might come up with for this contest!

Chex Mix Donations

We are still in need of supplies for next week's Chex Mix Kindness project.  Thank you to all families who have been able to contribute so far.  Here is our list of necessary ingredients.  Also, please let us know if you are able to help bake and bag the mix in the EMES kitchen next Thursday afternoon beginning at about 1:30 p.m., this project usually takes a couple of hours to complete!

We still need boxes of cereal it can be Chex or a generic variety, it doesn’t matter the brand!  We cannot accept any nuts or products that contain any honey-nut ingredients.  Currently, we don't have any goldfish, pretzels or cheezit style crackers. Please check ingredients before sending in contributions, pretzels can be especially tricky! Following is a list of types of cereals, etc. we can use:

• Wheat Chex -we especially need this kind.                                  
• Corn chex                                       
• Rice chex                                      
• Cheerios (no honey nut)                     
• Goldfish style crackers
• Cheez-it style crackers
• Small pretzels-check labels!

We will supply the spices, butter and baggies for the project.  Please send in your donations by Wednesday, December 13th so we can plan accordingly.

Thank you so much!

Chex Mix~December Kindness Project!

CHEX MIX KINDNESS PROJECT

CC~3 Community Service Project

For many years the students in our classes have completed a community service project during the holidays.  The project is THE WORLD newspaper’s “SANTA PROJECT”.  This project collects money and buys new coats, hats, boots, and mittens for Central Vermont children.  This year, we will once again, make and sell “Chex Mix” as a fundraiser for this project.  We will make the mix on Thursday, December 14th and sell it on Friday, December 15th to students, staff and families of EMES.  The cost will be $1.00 per bag.

In order for this project to be a success we are asking families for donations of mix supplies.  It is truly amazing and fun for the kids to see all the great contributions we receive each year.  We need many, many boxes of cereal it can be Chex or a generic variety, it doesn’t matter the brand!  We cannot accept any nuts or products that contain any honey-nut ingredients.  Please check ingredients before sending in contributions, pretzels can be especially tricky!  Following is a list of types of cereals, etc. we can use:

• Wheat Chex                                    Goldfish style crackers
• Corn chex                                        Cheez-it style crackers
• Rice chex                                        Small pretzels-check labels!
• Cheerios (no honey nut)                    Mini melba toast                   

We will supply the spices, butter and baggies for the project.  Please send in your donations by Wednesday, December 13th so we can plan accordingly.

Thank you for your generosity in this important event.  We know how expensive groceries are, so we really appreciate your help in teaching this important lesson of giving to our students.

Please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail us with any questions!  If you can help bake or bag the mix the afternoon of Thursday,December 14h, please let us know.  THANK YOU!!

Sincerely,

Christine Christiano

Kathy Christy

Updates and Happy Thanksgiving!

 Although we've only had two days this week, we've been busy in CC~3! We  finished up our USA state posters and have shared them with each other as well as our first and second grade friends.  After our Thanksgiving break we will be launching new units of study in discovery and literacy.

Our discovery (aka science and social studies) topic will be "Processes that Change and Shape the Earth".  This study will include exploring erosion, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.

In literacy we will be focusing on both non-fiction reading and writing.  Our reading unit is entitled, "Reading to Learn: Grasping Main Ideas and Text Structures".  There are several focal points of this unit.  First, we'll focus on recognizing how non-fiction texts are organized and structured.  Then, we'll look at similarities and differences of non-fiction text written in expository versus narrative form. Finally, we'll be concentrating on main ideas in a variety of non-fiction texts and how they are supported with details and evidence.

Our writing unit is entitled: "The Art of Information Writing".  This is a really fun unit for students as they shift from writing as storytellers to teachers of information.  The unit will obviously have many connections to our simultaneous reading unit.  Major goals of this unit include: writing well structured pieces that include chapters of subtopics, writing from the point of view of an expert, including text features that support teaching and doing a bit of research to enhance topics.

We wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great long weekend!  We are truly thankful to work in such an amazing school, with children and families that are so supportive and kind.  We hope you have fabulous family celebrations with loved ones.

Outdoor Gear & Recorders for Music Class!

Wet, cold, muddy weather is here.  It is critically important for students to have the proper outdoor gear, especially a different pair of shoes for indoors.  If this is a hardship for your family please let us know and we'll do our best to get the proper clothing and footwear your child needs. Many students are coming outside on cold recess days without proper coats, hats, mittens/gloves, etc.  Thanks for helping us keep your child healthy and safe.

Below, please find a copy of the information Ms. Gelfon sent home with 3rd graders on Tuesday, November 14th.  It is a timely note, with a November 21st deadline.  Thanks! 

EMES Music

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As part of the 3rd grade music curriculum, students at EMES learn to play the recorder. Learning recorder is an exciting part of the 3rd grade music curriculum, and gives students a chance to experience instrumental playing in an ensemble setting.  The fine motor and cognitive skills learned through playing the recorder prepare students to play a band instrument 4th grade, if they so desire.

If your child has a recorder already at home, that is great!  If your child needs to purchase a recorder, please send the filled-out slip below and a check for $6.75 made payable to Ellis Music Company. Slips and checks should be brought in to Miss Gelfon by November 21st

Thank you in advance for your support!  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Samantha Gelfon

Music Teacher, East Montpelier Elementary School

sgelfon@u32.org

Child’s Name (first and last):  _______________________________________

Color Option (check one):    ___  Blue        ____ Green      ____Pink     ___Tan

Please have your child return this slip to Miss Gelfon no later than November 21st.  Also, please do not forget to make checks for $6.75 payable to Ellis Music Company.  Thank you!

It’s SHOW TIME!

Students have been having a grand time preparing for Thursday’s EMES CIRCUS!  We hope you'll all be able to join us at U-32 on this Thursday, November 16, 2017.  The show will begin at 6:00 p.m.  Students need to arrive at the U-32 gymnasium no earlier than 5:45 p.m. (we aren't able to access the space until then).  We are requesting that students wear dark, comfy bottoms and solid color tee shirts for the show.  If your child does not have a solid tee shirt, it's fine to just wear one inside out!  It promises to be a GREAT SHOW!  Please email us at kchristy@u32 and cchristiano@u32.org if you have any questions.  See you Thursday!

Updates for the week!

We hope all families have regained power from our recent storm, we know it was a challenging week for many of you!  Monday's storm and missed day of school caught us all by surprise, that was followed up by Halloween, Wednesday's field trip, and Friday's special Harvest Feast, it was quite a week!

Our field trip to the Mill Stone in Barre was an incredible experience for all of us!  We were so proud of all of the kids and their willingness to challenge themselves by setting a goal and persevering to meet it. A huge thank you to Mr. Blanchard for his planning and expertise and to all the family members that came along as drivers and chaperones.  It was a fabulous day!

Literacy Updates
We're currently focusing on navigating non-fiction (informational text) in reader's and writer's workshop.  This work is also connected to our global studies curriculum.  Students are currently learning about the regions of the USA, and also choosing a state of interest to research.

We're really paying attention to text features and how they help us navigate informational text.  For example, this week a major mini-lesson was to "Rev up our minds" before reading non-fiction.  This means to ask ourselves the important question "What do I think this text will be about?" We also focus on revving up by reading text features. This includes reading the table of contents, headings, sub headings, pictures, captions, diagrams, charts, etc.  to help us warm up for the more complex reading ahead.  Student enthusiasm and engagement has been high in this work.

Please encourage your child to do a variety of reading at home.  Reading non-fiction is extremely important to creating a well balanced reader.  It's always wonderful for kids to read and explore non-fiction magazines as well.  Reading recipes, catalogs and even cereal boxes are great practices!  Here are a few pictures of books and links to some popular non-fiction series and/or sites for third graders.
Who Was? What Was? Where Is? Series
National Geographic Kids Website
National Wildlife Federation/Ranger Rick Site
Ben's Guide to the USA Site

The Circus is coming!  

This week begins our EMES Circus residency!  On Thursday, November 16th EMES students will be performing at U-32 beginning at 6:30 p.m.  We'll fill you in on any more information you may need as the residency gets going. 

Reminders:

• It's getting chilly and wet on the playground.  Please help your child remember proper clothing.  Leaving a pair of indoor shoes in lockers is a huge help!
• Homework~Some students are struggling to remember their share day and/or being prepared for sharing.  The sharing calendar link is right here on the upper right hand corner of our blog page.  
• Is your child reading independently 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week?  Students are always welcome to borrow books from our extensive classroom library as well as the EMES library.
• We look forward to meeting with all of you at conferences on Thursday evening  and Friday.  Remember, there is no school for students on Friday, November 10th!

 Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Reminder about TOMORROW!

Tomorrow is our PE Lab Field Trip to the Millstone in Barre for hiking and rock climbing!  The weather looks good, but chilly.

Students need:

• Proper, sturdy hiking/climbing shoes
• Layers to wear-hats and mittens are a good idea!
• A healthy snack and lunch-unless you've pre-ordered from the EMES cafeteria
• Water bottle
• Please do not send candy as snack!

If you are joining us as a driver and/or chaperone, please be at EMES by 9:00 a.m.  Mr. Blanchard will meet with us before we head to Barre.  We expect to be back at EMES by 1:00 p.m. 
Thank you, we're looking forward to a great PE lab!

News for the Week!

Tomorrow is the PTNO sponsored MONSTER MASH!

6:00-8:00 p.m.  $5.00 per family!

We've had a very busy week here in CC3.  Hopefully you will find a Parent Conference Confirmation note in your child's Friday Folder.  If you do not find one,  you will find another sign-up sheet as we are waiting to hear from you.

PE Lab Day!
Next Wednesday is our PE Lab Day!  We're excited to take students to the Mill Stone in Barre with Mr. Blanchard.  We are grateful for those of you who have signed up to chaperone and/or drive.  We should be all set.  A few things to remember:

• It's apt to be chilly.  Students need to dress in layers to be prepared for any conditions.  Proper footwear is a MUST!
• Bag lunches are necessary, unless you have already reserved a lunch from the EMES cafeteria.
• We will be leaving EMES around 9:20 and returning around 1:00 p.m.
• Please send in a booster seat with your child if he/she requires one.

Literacy News

This week in reading and writing workshop we have shifted our thoughts to reading nonfiction text.  We are also searching text for facts and then putting these facts in our own words in reading notebooks. We've learned an important strategy for this work.  READ-COVER-THINK-WRITE.  Ask your child to explain this strategy for you.

In partnerships, students have been reading books about the seven continents.  They will be sharing their learning with the rest of the class next week.  Following that we will focus on reading about the regions of the USA and eventually students will get to pick a state to research and learn more about.

Spelling News

We continue our work learning about behaviors and strategies to help us all be better spellers.  We are currently learning about the six syllable types and how they help us spell and read better.  We have covered open and closed syllables to date and are currently working on r-controlled syllables.

Here is a quick review of our work:

• Breaking words into syllables help us become more accurate readers and spellers
• All syllables must have at least one vowel.
• Closed Syllables: has one vowel, the vowel is followed by one or more consonants, the vowel has a short sound.  Examples: hap-pen, muf-fin, gal-lon
• Open Syllables: has one vowel, the vowel is at the end of the syllable, the vowel has a long sound Examples: re-mind, de-pend, mo-tor
• R-Controlled Syllables-a syllable that has a vowel followed by the letter r, the r controls the vowel sound, it is often referred to as "bossy R".  Examples: tur-nip, car-rot

October Kindness Project

Our October Kindness project launched this week.  We will be sponsoring Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.  We have created posters and distributed collection boxes.  Next week as the boxes trickle in, we'll sort and count the money in math class.  

Here are two great, short videos that describe Trick or Treat for UNICEF!

UNICEF Supports Recent Tragedies

UNICEF History

UNICEF Cartoon and Song (warning this might get stuck in your head!)

Halloween

As we all know, Halloween is next Tuesday, October 31st.  We know this is often an exciting annual event for students and families.  We will have an all-school PBIS celebration the last half hour of the day next Tuesday.  We hope students will then enjoy the evening with their families.  Please don't allow your child to bring candy treats to school next week.  It is hard for us to monitor the amount students might eat!  Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

Parent Conference Sign-Up!

We're still working on getting our Parent Conference Schedule set up for Thursday, November 9th and Friday, November 10th.  We have only received seven parent responses so far.  Please send your form in as soon as possible.  If you need another one, it is below.  We'd like to confirm your time by the end of the week, so thanks for sending us your information.  It is fine to email us!  Thank you!

  October 19, 2017

Dear Families,

It is time to schedule our Friday, November 10th parent conference.  Please indicate a time frame that is best for you below and return this to school.  Put a #1, #2, #3 beside your first, second and third choice.  If you already have a conference scheduled for a sibling, write that down and we’ll do our best to coordinate with that time.  You may also email us your choices at kchristy@u32.org  and cchristiano@u32.org.  We will send a confirmation notice/email home as soon as we get your information.  

Thank you!

Christine Christiano and Kathy Christy

Student Name:  ___________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name:  ____________________________________

_____  Thursday, November 9th  3:45-6:30 pm

_____  Friday, November 10th  8:30am-12:00 pm

_____  Friday, November 10th   1:00pm-3:30pm

_____  Please email me at _______________________ to set up an alternative time.  

Thank you and Parent Conferences

We were so happy to see so many of you last night at Open House.  It was a wonderful celebration of our amazing third graders.  They were all so proud of what they have accomplished to date, and were eager to share their work with you!

Last night, many of you received our upcoming Parent Conference sign-up sheets.  If you did not get one, we put one in your child's Friday Folder, today.  Here is a copy of it as well.  We have many, many students with siblings this year, so we'll do our best to coordinate times with other teachers.  There are occasions when this is just too tricky, so we hope we can all be flexible in figuring out a schedule.  This first parent conference will be for teachers and parents/guardians.  Our April conferences will be a student led conference.  Thanks for sending us your choices as soon as you can.  Just a reminder, November 10th is a day off for students so that we may conduct conferences.

Have a great weekend!

                                                                                                        October 19, 2017

Dear Families,

It is time to schedule our Friday, November 10th parent conference.  Please indicate a time frame that is best for you below and return this to school.  Put a #1, #2, #3 beside your first, second and third choice.  If you already have a conference scheduled for a sibling, write that down and we’ll do our best to coordinate with that time.  You may also email us your choices at kchristy@u32.org  and cchristiano@u32.org.  We will send a confirmation notice/email home as soon as we get your information.  

Thank you!

Christine Christiano and Kathy Christy

Student Name:  ___________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name:  ____________________________________

_____  Thursday, November 10th  3:45-6:30 pm

_____  Friday, November 10th  8:30am-12:00 pm

_____  Friday, November 10th   1:00pm-3:30pm

_____  Please email me at _______________________ to set up an alternative time.  

October 13, 2017

October 13, 2017

In today's Friday Folder, you will find a permission slip for our first PE Lab.  On Wednesday, November 1st, we will be going to The Millstone in Graniteville.  We will be hiking, rock climbing and exploring the outdoors.  We are in need of parent drivers/chaperones.  If you can help us out as a  driver/chaperone please let us know ASAP so we can plan accordingly.  We will leave school around 9:30 am and will return to school around 1:00pm.  This is sure to be an awesome experience!

You will also find a new book order.  If you would like to place an order, you can do so online or with the flyer and an attached check made payable to Scholastic Book Clubs.  All orders must be in by Monday, October 23rd to be included in this month's shipment.

Picture Retakes are THIS MONDAY, OCTOBER 16th.  If your student missed picture day or needs a retake, please let the office (and us) know.

This Thursday, October 19th is EMES Open House.  Please come visit your child(ren)'s classroom(s) from 6-7 p.m.  We’re sure students will be thrilled to share with you all that is happening in CC3!

Math

We have been working on building (with Base 10 blocks), reading, and writing 4-digit numbers.  We have dabbled in numbers up to the millions!  Students are writing numbers in standard form (457), semi-expanded form (400 + 50 + 7), and word form (four hundred fifty-seven).  Students have also been introduced to writing numbers in expanded form ((4 x 100) + (5 x 10) + (7 x 1)).  They are also making comparisons using <, >, = (less than, greater than, equal to).  We are currently adding and subtracting numbers up to 1000 using our knowledge of place value, including using an open number line.  

This week we also began investigating the first two (out of four) models of multiplication: repeated addition and groups of.  Students showed their math thinking with Cuisenaire rods.  

For example: If I visited the candy jar five times on Monday, and each time I ate 3 pieces of candy corn, how many pieces of candy corn did I eat on Monday?  

Students would show 5 rods each representing the value of 3.  We would then use our representations to write equations such as, 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 =15.  Multiplication is a major focus of third-grade mathematics.

Global Citizenship 

(Social Studies)

We are continuing our work in geography this week focusing on landforms and bodies of water.  Students began brainstorming (with partners) a map of their own original country.  Their country must have a national capital, at least two states each with at least two cities or towns, landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and borders.  Some students were talking about including mountains on their maps for protection from storms and for the freshwater run-off, or valleys with plants and animals, other teams wanted to include an ocean and a fresh water source.  It will be excited to see what they create using their geography knowledge.

In the next couple of weeks we'll be launching a study of the regions of the USA and learning about particular states of interest for individual students.  This work will be included in our literacy classes and focus on nonfiction reading and writing.

Reading and Writing Workshop

We'll be wrapping up our first reading and writing units of study within the next week or so.  This week, students have been polishing up final drafts of narrative writing pieces.  These pieces are being published by CC~3 Publishing, and shared formally via microphone with classmates. Students have demonstrated a lot of pride when sharing their pieces.  They have also been thoughtful about providing specific feedback to peers.  Students will be able to share these pieces as well as other writing accomplishments next week at our Open House.

Our reading work has continued to focus on getting to know characters well, envisioning, predicting and retelling.  We're finishing up a read aloud of the book, The Hundred Dresses. This is a timeless story about friendship, bullying, and kindness.  Please ask your child to tell you about the book.  We're also working on strategies for dealing with hard words that we come across during independent reading.  

Have a great weekend!  We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, the 19th!

Writing Conferences

This week we have been working really hard on final drafts of narrative pieces.  An important part of this work is to receive feedback from writing partners.  To do this effectively students use a checklist that helps them focus on the important elements of narrative writing.  On Tuesday, we focused on the the STRUCTURE and DEVELOPMENT portions of our writing checklists.  Structure includes:  lead, transitions, ending and organization of the piece.  Development includes: elaboration and author's craft.  

 

Please ask your child to tell you about this work.  We  are very proud of  the quality of students' collaborative conferences!

Popcorn & Sharing & Hike

This morning we had a successful popcorn sale!  One third grader happily commented, "It's flying off the shelf!"  We have a few more bags left, so we will sell the remaining bags tomorrow.  We will announce our total donation after tomorrow.

We would like to send out a huge thank you to Tracy Phillips for spending her Wednesday morning popping 230 bags of popcorn with the third graders.  She is a pro with the popcorn machine!  As we have mentioned before, we welcome and appreciate classroom volunteers.  

Looking ahead to our October Kindness Project, we will be organizing the distribution, collection, and donation of money for "Trick or Treat for Unicef".  Keep an eye out around the end of the month, as we will be looking for parent volunteers to help our class count the money EMES collects.

An October Sharing Calendar and attached Kindness Counts sheet is in your child's Friday Folder.  We highlighted each child's sharing days on their calendars to help them remember to come prepared.  You can also access the sharing calendar on the blog.  Our class discussed the month's assignments yesterday and again today.

Tomorrow is Hike Day!  Please help your child come prepared for the weather (layers if needed), appropriate footwear, plenty of snack and lunch, and a drink.  It is looking like a beautiful fall day!  We will not see your children tomorrow unless they are in our hike groups, so knowing afternoon plans is also really important.  Hike leaders will take attendance and dismiss students.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Stone Fox

Today, we finished reading the book Stone Fox.  It is a wonderful book, filled with emotion at the end.  As always, Mrs. Christy wasn't able to finish reading it without a few tears.  It's books like this that touch our lives and teach us life lessons.  It would be great if you could chat with your child about the book and his or her thoughts.  Our lesson today focused on recognizing qualities in characters and empathizing with them.  We also used a new tool for retelling brief summaries.  You can also ask your child about our Five Sentence Summary.

First,

Then,

Next,

After that,

Finally,