Odds & Ends

Although the air is a bit chilly and damp, June is right around the corner!  The next few weeks are going to be quite busy for us here in CC3, so we are sending along some updates and reminders for you. 

Fidget Spinners

Fidget spinners seem to be the cool new thing that students are bringing to school.  We ask that students keep them in their backpacks during learning time unless we hear directly from you that it is a tool that your son/daughter needs to support their learning.  We are finding they are distracting to not only the student using it, but to their peers.  Thank you for your understanding.

Math

We are concluding the year with a unit on fractions.  We have divided shapes and number lines into equal parts and have labeled the fractions.  Students are plotting fractions on number lines and are investigating fraction equivalencies such as 4/8 = 1/2.  We investigated how fractions connect to money and time as well.  We will be continuing to investigate fractions focusing on fractions of sets and comparisons.

We are also using all of our place value knowledge from this year to add and subtract with regrouping.  You may remember calling this borrowing and carrying.  Students are using their knowledge of number names such as ten hundreds is the same as one thousand, and ten tens is the same as one hundred etc, to add and subtract across numbers.  

We are also using all of our new multiplication knowledge (up to 10 X 10) to extend our thinking to two-digit by one-digit multiplication problems.  For example:

                   70        If you know 7 X 3 = 21 (ones), then you know 70 X 3 = 210 (21 tens).
               X   3


We are also beginning to investigate problems such as:

                  87        7 X 5 = 35    and     80 X 5 = 400     so        35 + 400 = 435
              X   5                                                                 
                  35
                400
                435


As you can see, we are putting together the concepts and skills we have learned this year and are extending it to more complex problems.  Work such as this uses the foundational skills of addition, subtraction, and multiplication.  Some students are finding that they know how to do the problem, but are struggling with their basic facts.  It is important that all students are fluent with addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts.  This would be a perfect area of math to strengthen over the summer.

Science/Social Studies

We are having a great time learning about the human body during science.  Last week we spent time investigating the skeletal system.  Ask your son or daughter about our friend, Mr. Bones and what they have learned.  Today we began to investigate how muscles and bones work together.  We learned about the three types of muscle tissue:  skeletal, smooth, and cardiac.  We also investigated what muscles are voluntary and involuntary.

We are also having a blast learning about East Montpelier.  Last week we had Clara Ayer and John Hall from Fairmont Farm visit and teach us about the history of the farm, what it looks like today, and what might the future hold for dairy farming in East Montpelier.  This week we will be visited by Tom Morse from Morse Sugar Farm.  We will also welcome a panel of people to teach us about schools, past, present, and future.

Some dates to know:

6/8   EMES play, Peter Pan- evening performance.

6/14  Third Grade Field Trip:  East Montpelier Scavenger Hunt (permission slip coming home soon!)

6/14   EMES Open House to wish Ms. Holmes-Heiss, Ms. Knoedler, Mr. Quackenbush, and Mr. Bob           Misenberger a wonderful retirement.

6/15   EMES Technology Night 6:00pm-7:15pm  Third graders will have projects on display!

6/16   EMES Field Day (Details to come about team color, sunscreen, and water bottles)

6/19   EMES 6th Grade Graduation 6:00pm

6/20  Last day for students, dismissal at 12:30pm.
        * Report cards will be mailed home.