December Letter

Hello Families!                                                                                    November 28, 2017

I know it is a bit early for a December newsletter, but there is so much upcoming information I need to share with you.

1. We are beginning a new math unit in multidigit addition and subtraction. We DO teach this with borrowing and carrying but we also focus heavily on place value identification in the process. Please support your student with this concept as much as possible by asking them to estimate and round, and add and subtract in their heads quickly. This helps greatly with the place value component.
2. Our math curriculum, Math Expressions, also uses www.thinkcentral.com for the website. Your students are pretty familiar with how to sign on to this site because we take weekly quizzes for the Reading program every Friday. Please encourage them to sign-on from home so they can do math activities that I have now assigned to them as practice. When they sign on, they will see the tasks under the “things to do” link. Remember, their username is usually just their first initial and last name, their password is gator123.
3. I have also worked to enroll the students in Typing Club. They can go to the website www.grapeview-school.typingclub.com and use their username (first initial and last name) and enter their password (first initial, last initial) to do the activities and increase their typing skills. Please have them do this as much as possible as it will greatly help them in the spring with testing.
4. Now for Christmas!!! Our students are performing in a Holiday concert on Tuesday December 12^th beginning at 6:30. Please have your 3^rd grader here by 6:15 and dressed in very nice clothing. I will be here to take them back to our classroom and prepare for the show. Ms. Shanin does such a phenomenal job with our music program, I always look forward to these productions!
5. We will begin reading an abridged version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens starting next week as a Reader’s Theater. We will likely be doing this three days a week in the mornings if you ever want to participate, please let me know and I will let you know more specifics.
6. We will be having a Christmas Party in class on our last day of school December 20^th before we go home for break. We will have the party in the afternoon around 2:30 so if you can bring treats or snacks, please let me know. I will also be giving the kids little Christmas presents for them to take home and open so if your student is going to be absent that day, please let me know ahead of time so they can get their gift early.
7. Last but not least, we are really working to improve our communication with parents and community and would love to get some ideas from you! If you haven’t had a chance to complete the survey that went home a few weeks ago, please take some time to give us your thoughts. If you need another copy, please let me know and I will send one home with your student.

Thank you so much for all you do and your constant support!!!

Hannah Nelsen

3^rd grade teacher

Grapeview School

hnelsen@gsd54.org

www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com

360-426-4921

Reflections

Good Morning Families! Reflections begin next week and I wanted to make sure you all had the schedule for when your child presents.

Friday 11/17	Monday 11/20	Tuesday 11/21
Ethan B.  9:00 Aly          9:10 Liarah     9:20 Catie      10:10 Grace     10:20	Aniyahsun    9:00 Colton          9:10 Kullen          9:20 Charlie         9:45 Sophia           9:55	Wyatt          9:00 Carter         9:10 Marian        9:20 Kate            9:30 Jaden          9:40

If any of these times are conflicting with your schedule and you want to attend, please let me know and I can see what I can do to rearrange a date or time. 

Thank you so much!

Field Trip!

We had such a great time on our 3rd grade field trip last week! I wanted to attach some of the great pictures and the informational write-up that Mr. Siptroth wrote about the experience.

All students, minus two, 1 parent, 1 grandparent, 1 school board member, 1 bus driver, and 2 teachers enjoyed the 3^rd grade field trip to Sweet Water Creek, old water wheel(as a demonstration, there are plans to restore it and light a display about water power), water tank for Remote Incubation Salmon Egg Tank, amphitheater, and trails. Students picked up litter to show their good citizenship [theme of our first unit in Journey’s]! We heard the birds and rushing water, the wind in the trees, and saw Big Leaf Maples and Western Red Cedars ( some new trees will be planted to control erosion (part of Water Unit in Science). We learned about Riparian Habitats and how they cool the creek for salmon. We also saw Bamboosa, an invasive species, plus English Ivy (terrible for trees).

Strolling through Theler Wetland Trails, we saw where Sweet Water Creek flows into the Hood Canal Estuary. We heard the big boom of the duck hunter’s guns. The classes were impressed by the skeleton of the juvenile Gray Whale-what would it be like as an adult? We noticed the estuary grasses and how the estuary restoration was encouraging new species of plants and animals like Mallard Ducks, Canadian Geese, and Killdeer, plus providing habitat for juvenile salmon. Students were impressed by the two bridges in the estuary [we studied bridges in Pop’s Bridge in Journey’s and students in Mr. Siptroth’s class built them {from recycled materials}!

At the Salmon Center, everyone ate lunch, enjoying the wind, another science investigation; much more wind in the open. After that, 4 groups visited the animals there, plus saw plants the Enviro Camp students grew and ate delicious kale! Several students chose to play tag in the meadow.

We continued to explore the Union River, noticing nursery logs and new trees which get their nutrients from the fallen trees or stumps. Students asked about Ash trees, rosehips, rushes, and saw many fish and read signs.

Everyone was impressed by how much they walked, how much they knew and learned, wrote notes in their science journals and/or drew pictures like scientists, and are encouraged to return with their families! What an awesome day; let’s do it again!

Upcoming Events!

Hello 3^rd Grade Families!                                                                                     October 24^th, 2017

Next Tuesday is the last day of October and Halloween! We have some great activities coming up that I wanted to make you aware of!

1.       Halloween: We will be having a small party in class on Halloween day the 31^st. Your student is allowed to wear their costume to school as long as it still complies with the dress code (no masks, inappropriate phrasing or sizing, and nothing scary or fake weapons). We will have a parade around the school in our costumes around 2:00 followed by a fun movie (The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown) and some treats. If you can send in treats, that would be great just please let me know what you can bring in. We will need plates and napkins as well.

(If you would rather have your child excused from this party and activity, please let me know.)

2.       We are having a Veteran’s Day assembly on Wednesday November 8^th at I believe around 2:15. You are all welcome to attend this special event where we honor the brave men and women who sacrifice so much for our country. You will see your students coming home with paper flags where they can write information about a veteran who is important to them and bring the flag back to school completed and cut out.

3.       State reflections are almost here! Students are working hard on their research and their rough drafts in class and I encourage you to ask your student about their research so they can share it with you. Please give them guidance in editing their rough drafts. The more people supporting them, the more confident they feel about their state. I will have a clear schedule of the presentation times by next week. Remember, reflections are the 17^th, 20^th, and 21^st  of November.

4.       Parent-teacher conferences are in three weeks. Please be on the lookout for conferencing times and dates for you and your student to come home next week. We have attempted to arrange schedules around siblings so please let us know as soon as possible if the scheduled time does not work. The conferences are from 12:30-3:30 on Friday the 17^th and Tuesday the 21^st. On Monday the 20^th, Conferences are from 12:30-7.

That’s all for now and as always, thank you so much for your constant support!

Hannah Nelsen

3^rd Grade Teacher

www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com

Grapeview School 

hnelsen@gsd54.org

Reflections!!

Hello parents! I have attached the reflection assignment and rubric below! If you need to get your student to Culture Grams, please go to Challenging Resources and follow the link and directions for Culture Grams.

The United States Reflection Assignment

Reflections for the fall term of the school year will be United States Reflections. Each student must select any state in the U.S. (except Washington) to research and answer the questions listed below in an artistic and well written reflection. The United States Reflections will be presented to the class on November 17^th, 20^th, and 21^st .

Friday 11/17	Monday 11/20	Tuesday 11/21

If you can, you are always welcome to attend your student’s reflection. We will schedule them when we get closer to the dates.

We will be expecting thorough research with complete sentences. We will give the students more research time in the computer lab in the weeks prior to the reflections. This is also counting as their Social Studies CBA (classroom based assessment) and so the presentation will include a bit more cultural information to meet these state based standards.

                                                                                   

Reflection Expectations

1. Each student must select a state.
2. Each student must thoroughly research their state and answer the following questions using at least one complete sentence for EACH question. (Some questions will require more than one sentence):

      a. What state did you choose and why?

      b. What is the population of the state?

      c. What is the capital city of the state and what is the largest city?

      d. What are two Native Tribes to inhabit this state?

      e. What are at least three cultural contributions (traditions still maintained today) that the Native Americans made to this state?

      f. When did this state join the United States?

      g. What is at least one geological landmark of this state (mountains, rivers, etc.)?

      h. Where is the state located geographically in the U.S. (East coast, West coast, etc)?

i. What is a really interesting fact about the state that you did not know before this reflection?

j. Please have one page dedicated to listing your sources. For example, if the students                  use a history book, they need to write the name of the book and the author. If they use     Culture Grams, they need to list that as well. Sources even include family who have information about the state. Each student should list at least 2 sources. Google is not a source, it is a search engine.

4. Each student should draw a picture of the state’s flag.
5. They should have a rough draft presented to their teacher at least one week before the presentation.  
6. Final drafts should have a cover and back page, and excellent effort in handwriting and detailed artwork or picture clippings for visuals. The presentation can also be presented on a poster board or Power Point presentation. As long as your student follows the directions and answers the research questions, the presentation can take any form.
7. Each student should feel like they are an expert in their state and be prepared to answer questions about their reflection. They are the teacher of that state and are educating the rest of the class!
8. Our school library is packed with excellent historical research books. We also have great school internet sites with helpful information. The students can find out a great deal of information for Culture Grams and by visiting their public library. To get to Culture Grams, please go to additional resources on our class website, and click on Culture Grams. Our username is grapeview and our password is cgrams.

The most important thing about Reflections is to make each student feel confident and proud of their work. If you have questions, please email me! That is the best way to get in touch with me during the school day. My email is hnelsen@gsd54.org  (Remember, to ensure that emails get to me, my last name is spelled “en” not “on”.

Thanks Parents and Grandparents! We appreciate all you do to help me help your child! We could not do it without you!

The 3^rd Grade Team

Washington State Learning Standards of this Project

W.3.2 Write to inform and explain ideas.

W.3.4 Write for different purposes, audiences, and topics.

W.3.6 Use technology to create pieces of writing and to interact and share ideas with others.

W.3.7 Organize short research projects.

W.3.8 Research and use experiences to gather information.

W.3.8 Take notes to help organize the research in writing.                            

W.3.10 Write on a regular basis with stamina for different tasks, purposes, and audiences.

W.3.5 Plan, edit, and revise writing with the help of peers and adults.

SL.3.6 Speak in complete sentences to make sharing clearer to others.

SL.3.5 Create visual displays to help listeners understand.

SL.3.4 Report on a topic and share important facts.

SL.3.4 Speak at a clearly and at a good pace.

SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information heard from a speaker.

SL.3.2 Figure out the main idea and details of what is being heard or seen.

SL.3.1 Explain thinking and ideas based on a discussion.

SL.3.1 Ask questions to create a focus on the discussion.

SL.3.1 Effectively participate in discussions.

SL.3.1 Come to a discussion with prepared ideas to share.

5.4.1 Draws conclusions using at least two clear, specific and accurate examples in a paper or presentation.

4.2.2 Understands how contributions made by various cultural groups have shaped the history of the community and world.

3.2.2 Understands the cultural universals of place, time, family life, economics, communication, arts, recreation, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, government, and education.

5.4.2 Prepares a list of resources, including the title and author for each source.

Rubric

Student ___________________________________________                                       Overall Grade ___________________________

State Reflection Rubric                                                                                    3^rd Grade Class Fall 2017

Task	Unsatisfactory  1	Below Expectations     2	Meeting Expectations  3	Exceeding Expectations   4
What state did you choose and why?	A state is given but no further detail.	A state is given and limited detail is provided.	A state is given with a reason why.	A state is given and excellent detail is provided as to why the student chose that state.
What is the population of the state?	No population is given.	Only a population is given but the student is unable to read it.	A population is given and the student read the population correctly to the class.	A population and demographics are given and the student read the population correctly to the class.
What is the capital of the state and what is the largest city in the state?	No capital or largest city or explanation is given.	A capital or a largest city is identified but not both.	A capital and a largest city is identified in a complete sentence.	A capital and largest city are identified with excellent detail.
What are two Native Tribes to inhabit this state?	No tribes are discussed.	One tribe is listed.	Two Native Tribes are identified in a complete sentence.	Two Native Tribes are identified and excellent detail with history of the tribe is presented.
What are some (three) cultural contributions the Native Americans made in this state?	No discussion on Native American contributions is made.	A limited explanation is given regarding cultural contributions.	A good explanation is given regarding at least three cultural contributions of the two native tribes.	An excellent explanation is given regarding more than three cultural contributions of the two native tribes with additional details.
When did this state join the United States of America?	No or very limited information is given.	A date is given with no additional information.	A date of when the state joined the U.S. is given in a complete sentence.	A date of when the state joined the U.S. is given and which order the state joined the U.S. and additional information is provided.
What is at least one geological landmark of this state?	No information is given.	Limited information is provided.	One landmark is provided with excellent detail.	More than one landmark is provided with excellent detail.
Where is the state located geographically in the U.S.?	No information is given.	Limited information is provided.	Geographical location is provided.	Geographical location is provided with additional geographic details.
What is a really interesting fact about the state  that you did not know before this reflection?	No interesting fact is given.	Only one minor fact is given with limited explanation.	One interesting fact about the state is given with detailed information.	More than one interesting fact about the state is given with detailed information and pictures and/or items are brought in to express the unique qualities of the state.
Sources	Sources are not given.	Incomplete sources are given.	N/A	All sources are clearly labeled and consistently identified.
Flag	No picture of the flag is presented.	A limited quality picture of the flag is presented with no information.	A well-drawn out picture of the state’s flag is presented.	A well-drawn out picture of the state’s flag is presented and information about the flag (i.e. colors, history) is presented.

Welcome!

Dear Families,                                                                          

Welcome to our 3^rd grade classroom! I am so thrilled to be here with your students. I know many of you well and I greatly look forward to getting to know you all better. Please visit our class blog site at www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com. This website can also be found on our Grapeview page. If you get a chance to check this out, you will see several links that will have assignments, Scholastic Book Club forms, and information about our class activities and schedule. I will do my best to keep this site updated and I sincerely hope you utilize its friendly format for your convenience.

With the busy start of a new school year, I wanted to send home this letter to help clarify some of our changes and upcoming events.

1. Two Third Grades: I am so excited that we are able to hire a new 3^rd grade teacher and have our children in smaller class sizes! Smaller class size is so key to student learning and we have been very blessed to have Mr. Siptroth join us and team up with me to teach both of these classes. Although we have separate classrooms, we will be teaming up for all our projects, reflections, reading groups, and math groups. Mr. Siptroth is recently retired from teaching 3^rd grade for many years in North Mason and has graciously agreed to partner with us until we can successfully fill the position. We are so lucky!

2. Upcoming: Picture Day is next week on Monday the 11th of September. Please see the order form that has been sent home.  

3. Registration: I have attached a packet of registration and office forms. Please fill these out as soon as possible and return them to the school. Many of the forms can be completed online. Please see the form to help this user friendly process.

4. Planner: Your student has received a planner that will hold information about your child’s day. The planner will be a great source of communication and responsibility for your child. It is important that they review them every evening for upcoming assignments and dates. I will sign these every afternoon when they are properly filled out.

5. Homework: Your student will not have regularly assigned homework. Rather, we have adopted the PDF philosophy in the elementary school. PDF stands for Play time, Down time, and Family time. We will have daily follow-up journaling activities that relate to what the student did for PDF the evening before. Research greatly supports that elementary students perform better in school when they get more sleep and spend more time with their family. We will be providing some resources and ideas for how to get your children participating in home activities and gaining responsibilities (chores) to help support the function of the household. Home responsibilities are so important to student success!

(If you would like to work on school related facts and math practice at home with your student, please let me know and I will provide enrichment materials for daily practice at home.)

Obviously, I always encourage students to read for at least 20 minutes a night, but that can be any kind of reading or even family reading together. Students will also have three large research projects this year and although much of this will be done in class, many students will likely want to work on aspects of these projects at home. You will have plenty of notice with each project. Please let me know if you have and questions or concerns about this.

6. Discipline Procedures: As your child’s teacher, it is my goal to design a classroom community that works through conflict and finds solutions immediately so problems do not escalate. Sometimes, and very rarely, I feel the need to gain administrative support to help solve a conflict. When this happens, I will remain in full contact with you and I hope we have your support and share in the same mission to resolve the conflict/behavior and create the best learning environment for your student.

7. Learning: We have great learning themes and projects this year. We will be learning about the United States, the continents and oceans, and our first science theme will be on Water and Climate! We will also be doing a science unit on Motion and Matter, Structures of Life, and the salmon life cycle and I do require science fair projects in 3^rd grade but will be providing a great deal of class time to work on these projects. We will be conducting research reflections this year and I will send home information and reminder forms for each reflection. There will be 3 reflections this year. Reflections are research reports that give students the opportunity to master their research skills and share their new knowledge with the class.

3^rd Grade math has a great emphasis on multiplication, division, and improving math facts and number sense. We will be working and collaborating on our new math curriculum Math Expressions and we are excited about the opportunities this program presents!

3^rd Grade reading has a great emphasis on comprehension, structure, and making inferences and predictions. We will be continuing to use the Journeys curriculum and I look forward to building these skills with the students.

8.     Schedule: Please see the schedule below for your student. This will let you know when your child has PE so he/she can wear appropriate PE shoes on those two days a week.

The best way to contact me is always by email hnelsen@gsd54.org and I check it regularly. Also, you can check information on the class website www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com, or you can call me at the school 360-275-4921 and leave a message with the office. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I will be happy to see what I can do. Communication is key to creating a successful plan for your student!

Thank you all very much for all you do for your child. This is going to be a great year!

Hannah Nelsen

hnelsen@gsd54.org

www.classwithmrsnelsen.blogspot.com

P.S. Things I need:

1. I always need volunteers to help support reading groups and even basic tasks like copying and filing. If you are interested in any of this, please let me know when you are available and we can schedule your support! Thank you so much!

2. I try to provide snacks for students daily. If you are able to help us boost our snack supply, that is fantastic! Good things are pretzels, goldfish crackers, and other quick snack foods.

2017-2018 Schedule

Schedule	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
8:45-9:00	Late Start	Math Warm-up/morning meet-up	Math Warm-up/morning meet-up	Math Warm-up/morning meet-up	Math Warm-up/morning meet-up
9:00-9:30	Late Start	ELA	ELA	ELA	ELA
9:30-10:00	9:45-10:00 Math Warm-up/morning meet-up	Art 9:35-10:25	ELA Small Groups	ELA Small Groups	ELA Small group work
10:00-10:30	ELA Whole Group then reading groups	Continue Art until 10:25 5 min silent reading	Reading Groups with Intervention	Reading Groups with Intervention	Reading Groups with Intervention
10:30-11:10	ELA Small Groups-11:15	Recess/lunch	Recess/lunch	Recess/lunch	Recess/lunch
11:10-12:10	11:15-11:55 Recess/Lunch	Math 11:35-12:00 Math with Intervention and SPED	Math 11:35-12:00 Math with Intervention and SPED	Math 11:35-12:00 Math with Intervention and SPED	Math 11:35-12:00 Math with Intervention and SPED
12:10-12:40	11:55-1:00 Math	Music 12:00-12:40	Writing	Writing	12:00-12:20 Board Games with 1st 12:20-12:45 Mrs. Nelsen read aloud
12:40-1:00	11:55-1:00 Math	ELA Small Groups	Science	Music 12:45-1:25	Science 12:45-1:15 Library 3B 12:45-1:25
1:00-1:30	Science (until 1:45) PE 1:45-2:35	ELA Small Groups and Writing	Typing Club	Continue Music until 1:25	1:15-1:30 Clean out desks
1:30-2:20	N/A	Social Studies	PE 1:30-2:20	Social Studies	Library 3A 1:30-2:10 2:10-2:20 Math review
2:20-2:35	N/A	Recess	Recess	Recess	Recess
2:35-2:45	Fluency	Fluency	Fluency	Fluency	Fluency
2:45-3:00	Math Review	Math Review	Math Review	Math Review	Show and Tell
3:00-3:15	Planners	Planners	Planners	Planners	Planners

3^rd Grade Schedule 2017-2018