CC3 Updates

We are incredibly busy here in CC3 with so many exciting things going on in all curriculum areas. Read on for our updates!
Literacy
We've recently completed our reading and writing units of study which focused on nonfiction, otherwise know as text that "teaches".  Students did a great job with this unit and are now applying skills that were learned in our Civil Rights Unit.  Our Civil Rights Unit is very popular with third graders.  This is an integrated part of our curriculum combining Literacy, Global Citizenship and Transferable Skill Standards.

Our third graders bring great passion to this work and a cheer literally rings out in the classroom when project work begins.  There are multiple learning intentions for this work.  Some of them include:

• Working on a collaborative team.
• Reading a variety of nonfiction and incorporating different sources together for main ideas. 
• Researching and writing nonfiction without plagiarizing. 
• Acquiring content specific vocabulary.
• Understanding history and important historical events.
• Using technology to present information (Google Slides).
• Creating an oral presentation that will teach others. 

Please ask your child about his/her project, who they are studying, what they are learning, and how they are contributing positively to a collaborative team.  

January Kindness Project

We're going to participate in a Global Peace Project this week.  This is a challenge that many students around the country and the WORLD participate in.  The big idea so for students to individually challenge themselves by completing as many acts of kindness as they can during the week of January 22-26, 2018.  We certainly hope that many of the acts of kindness students try will become common practice for them.  We are sending home a couple of different lists for students if they need some ideas for acts of kindness.  If you'd like to participate as a family, or learn more about this project you can go to The Great Kindness Challenge.

Dates to Remember

Winter Wellness will take place on three Tuesday afternoons-January 30, February 6, February 13.

We will have a Valentine's Day Celebration in our classroom on Wednesday, February 14.  Students are welcome to give Valentine's to each other.  If you'd like to help us coordinate some treats for this event, please let us know!

Our traditional EMES "I Love East Montpelier Day" will be held on Thursday, February 15th.  More information for guest lunch sign-ups will be coming home in the EMES newsletter soon, but we thought you might like to "save the date" now.  

Our all school "Celebration of Learning" will be the evening of February, 22nd.

No Friday Folders Today

Just a quick note, with this short school week for students, we decided to keep Friday Folders here today.  Have a great weekend with your kids!

Updates for the Week!

It's been a busy week in CC3-here is a list of updates and things to keep in mind.

• There is no school for students Monday and Tuesday next week.
• Biography homework should be well in the works.  Sharing of timelines will begin the week of the 22nd.
• Winter Wellness forms are in Friday Folders, please return ASAP.
• A few math tidbits to practice at home-telling time to the minute using a clock that has hands!  Practicing nx9 facts, using the clue "think 10".
• Ask your child about their recent engineering and earthquakes project! 
• Please check to see if your child has any overdue EMES library books, and/or books that can be returned to our classroom library. 
• Ask your child about his/her Google Slides project we have been working on in technology class.  

Enjoy the holiday weekend with your families, stay safe on the roads!

Happy New Year and Classroom Updates

* We had this all set to post on Friday, with the snow/frigid wind day, that cancelled school, we'll just regroup and send home Friday Folders on Monday!  Stay warm this weekend!

Welcome to 2018 in CC3!  We hope you all had a wonderful holiday break, and are continuing to survive with this Vermont cold snap! This week we've gotten right back on track with multiple learning opportunities and events in CC3.  Please read on for updates.

Sharing Calendar
Our sharing calendar for January has been posted on this blog.  We have also put a "hard copy" in your child's Friday folder, today.  Sharing is an important part of our morning routine, and the only time we  give a specific assignment for homework.  We were disappointed with the quality of work, or lack of preparedness by some students in regard to December's Boxes and Bullets reading/writing/sharing assignment. We hope that this January assignment will be completed more thoroughly, with quality.  We are more than happy to help with any questions.

We have several points of rationale we go through when assigning a specific homework share.  First, we create specific sharing assignments that have strong connections to work we are doing in class.  We also want to give students who enjoy working at home (yes, they exist!) an opportunity to take on a project that he/she can be proud of and share with others.  Finally, we like to have families be keenly aware of skills we are working on, whether it be reading fluency, writing complete sentences, using proper punctuation/spelling, and presenting information to others in a prepared way.

Students need to take the time to be well prepared for sharing that begins the week of January 23rd. The assignment is to read a biography or autobiography (the story of a person's life) and complete a timeline worksheet.  We have reviewed and modeled this assignment explicitly in class.  A completed sample is in Friday Folders. If this paper does not work for your child, he/she can certainly use paper that is a better fit.  We have numerous biographies available for borrowing from our classroom or the EMES library.  Some series favorites are the Who Was/Is series and the National Geographic biography series. (Sample photos below)

Most students chose a biography from our classroom collection to borrow and take home on Wednesday. Some have also chosen to read one that is already at home.  Students need to first, read the complete biography, then decide on ten important life events to include in their timeline.




At this point in third grade, reading a chapter book biography is a priority.  Students can read them independently and/or share in the reading with a family member.  This might be a great opportunity for a family read aloud.

Clothing, Shoes, etc.
It's our estimate that there are probably close to 150 pair of plain black snow pants that come into EMES each day.  Not to mention gloves, hats, and coats that look an awful lot alike.  Please make sure your child's winter gear is clearly labeled.  We know how frustrating it is when an item goes missing!  Also, we have quite a nice stretch of time between now and our winter break, when things like spare shoes, etc. can be left at school neatly in lockers.

January Kindness Project
We will participate in the "The Great Kindness Challenge", an event sponsored by the Kids for Peace Organization.  Our biggest focus will be during the week of January 22-26.  If you would like more information on this worldwide challenge, you can check out the family edition at this link The Great Kindness Challenge.

That's our first update of 2018.  Thanks for your continued support of our CC3 classroom.  Don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions!  Enjoy the upcoming chilly weekend!

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!