Swanson’s and Himmelberg's Super Third Grade

Greyhound Gala

Dear Parents,

I just wanted to let you know that, as a gala auction item, I am offering a "Movie and Pizza."

This will be for the auction winner. Approximately 3 hours of fun at a local movie theater and then pizza at Mellow Mushroom off of Shallowford Road.  Date and time to be worked out between teacher and parents.

The Gala Auction will be held February 4, 2012 at Olde Towne Athletic Club from 7 to 11 PM. Tickets are on sale at http://gmefoundation.org - $35 and $45 at the door or you can Download 2012GALATicketformto purchase tickets in advance. Visit the website for a sample of items to bid on. All proceeds go back to GMEF.

The proceeds will be used to improve our school by providing funding for programs such as technology, educational curriculum and facility improvements. The GMEF will accumulate and distribute resources beyond those provided by Cobb County or the PTA, in order to further enhance, foster and enrich the educational experiences of all students at Garrison Mill.

Thank you for your support!

Ms. Himmelberg

Happy New Year!

We are well on our way in 2012! The students had a great time creating snowflakes, building their snowflake snowmen, and writing about what they would do if it snowed. The snowflake to the left can be viewed along with others at snowcrystals.com.

Along with imagined snow, we are learning to add, subtract and compare fractions, and continue to practice division facts. Changing fractions into decimals will complete this math unit. Applying learned math skills to problem solving is ongoing. In science we have been reading about animal and plant features that ensure survival and will begin our animal research for report writing next week. Georgia Habitats will complete our Living Science Unit.

Please remind your child to complete our Garrison Mill Hero Writing Assignment due February 24th. We plan to have the students share their Hero Writing with our class before turning them into PTA on the 25th.

Please remind your child to read at least 20 minutes each night and to take AR tests. The third grade AR requirement for the third quarter is 10 points. Students should take tests within or above their AR range (written in the back of the agenda) and must pass the test (above 70%) to receive point credit.

Reminders:                                                                                                                   

Jan. 25 Ident-a-Kid                                                               

Jan. 27 RFL Baseball Cap Day

Jan. 27 School Dance 6:30PM

Feb. 4 GME Foundation Greyhound Gala 7:00-11:00

Three More Weeks!

It's difficult to believe that there are only three more weeks in this quarter! Your students have almost completed half of third grade!! We are so proud of the amount of progress they have made!

We continue to read all day, every day, in every subject. In social studies we are reading biographies about Paul Revere, Frederick Douglass, and Susan B. Anthony and learning how they impacted American history.

In math will be learning attributes of plane figures. We will continue to practice multiplication and division and use all of these in problem solving.

Weathering, erosion, and types of soil will be introduced in science.  

Reminders:

The Third Grade AR requirement for this quarter is 9 points by December 22nd. To earn these points, tests must be passed (80% or above) within or above the student's reading range.

Please continue to review your student's agenda and Thursday papers each Thursday night.

Our Classroom Holiday Party will be Wednesday, December 21st,  1:00-2:00. Because our party is at the end of the day, please don't park in the bus lanes on the side of the school.

December 23 -Winter Holidays Begin                

Grandparents and Friends Luncheon

 Please join us on Thursday, November 17th for Garrison Mill's "Grandparents and Friends Luncheon." We will have a brief presentation in our classroom at 12:10, and our luncheon will begin at 12:35 in the cafeteria. We look forward to seeing you then.

End of First Quarter

We have finished our first quarter of third grade, and we are so proud of the progress our students have made!!! We will be discussing your child's strengths and areas of concern at our parent-teacher conference next week. Conferences will be held October 24th-28th. School will be dismissed at 12:20 every day during that week, and our lunch will be 10:37-11:07. We look forward to talking with you!!

 

 LOOKING AHEAD:

9 NEW AR POINTS are due at the end of second quarter.

October 31st    Halloween (no costumes at school)

November 3rd       6:30 PTA & Third Grade Musical

November 8th       Student Holiday

November 14th-18th     Grandparent Luncheons & Book Fair

November 21st-25th     Thanksgiving Holidays

 

Red Ribbon Week

          Celebrate being DRUG FREE with GM's Red Ribbon Activities!!

Monday     10/17  PJ DAY  "Put Drugs to Sleep"-Wear PJ's to school.

Tuesday    10/18  BACKWARDS DAY    "Turn Your Back Against Drugs" Wear your shirt backwards.

Wednesday 10/19  SWEATSUIT DAY "Its No Sweat to Say No to Drugs" Wear a sweatsuit to school.

Thursday   10/20 TEAM JERSEY DAY "Team Up Against Drugs"  Wear your favorite team jersey to school.

Friday      10/21 RED DAY "Red out Against Drugs" Wear as much red as possible to school. 

Please remember that October 24th-28th is Conference Week.

                     Students will be dismissed 2 hours early (12:25).

October Testing

 

 

 

 

We will be taking the ITBS October 10th-14th.

Testing Reminders:

• ITBS    8:15-10:00
• Good rest each night
• Healthy Breakfast
• TWO healthy snacks
• TWO non-mechanical, sharpened #2 pencels DAILY (pencils from last week's testing are probably gone)
• Water Bottle (if desired)



Conference Week is October 24th-28th. Students will be DISMISSED 2 HOURS EARLY (12:25). Scheduling letters will be sent on October 10th. Please sign and return them as soon as possible, so we can finalize our schedule. If you can't be here at your  scheduled time, please give us several dates/times to choose from on the scheduling form you return.

Classroom Reminders:

• Daily Language Quizzes are given every other Friday. Students should be studying their DL (morning work) papers during the 2 weeks prior to the quiz, as the quiz items are taken directly from those DL papers.
• 8  AR Test Points are are due Wed. October 19th. To earn AR points, tests have to be taken within or above a student's AR Range as determined by the STAR test. A student needs to pass (80% and above) the test in order for it to count. 
• Please help your child MEMORIZE addition and subtraction facts to help them be more successful with problem solving.
• Our instructional day is 7:55-2:25. While we understand occasional conflicts arrise, please know that your child is missing critical instruction that is difficult to make-up when your child is not here.

 

 

Classroom Reminders

 

 

 

• Progress Reports are only sent if your child has areas of concern.
• DL quizzes are taken every other week. Students should be studying DL packets during the week, as the quiz items come directly from our classwork.
• Timed test homework packets are more effective if they are completed each night rather than completing them all in one night. A little practice every night helps make your student more successful in math.
• AR Books & Tests should be completed by Wednesday, October 19th.  The third grade minimum requirement is 8 points. For points to count, tests have to be passed (above 70%) and within your student's AR range.
• Please sign your child's agenda every Thursday night, and look through the Thursday Take-Home Folder for your student's progress and important GM information. 
• If you plan to check your child out of school early, a note to us will help us have your student packed and ready on time.
• If you have questions or concerns, the best way to reach us is with an email or a note.

 

Student Council

Congratulations to Brandon Brown for being chosen as our student council class representative!!

Sensational September

 

September is the beginning of great things; students settle into routines, fall makes an appearance, and college football begins!!

We enjoyed seeing everyone that was able to come to Open House. Your children are getting used to third grade expectations, and we appreciate all of your help with this at home! Please continue to check your child's agenda and clear pocket for important assignments and information.

Math place value and number sense is completed although we will continue to revisit it all year. Coming up is comparing and ordering numbers to the hundred thousands. Please help your child MEMORIZE addition and subtraction facts, as this will help them be more successful with upcoming skills.

In science/social studies we have been studying rocks and minerals, and will be creating information pyramids soon. We will also be studying fossils and how they are evidence of living things from the past. We will begin learning map and globe skills this week as well.

All of our beginning of the year reading assessments are complete, so our guided reading groups will begin this week. We have been enjoying "Henry Writes a Letter" and "Otis' Scientific Experiment," both chapters from two of Beverly Cleary's books. We have completed several different literature response sheets to go along with these stories. Please remind your child to read AR Books. Third grade requires 8 AR points for the first quarter of school.

Please visit "Spelling City," found on the GM Notebook to help your child study spelling words. All of the spelling lists (sorts) are loaded for your child's practice. We copy the words on the agenda and have a test each Friday.

Please be aware that we give a Daily Language Quiz every other Friday. The sentences to be edited on the quiz come directly from the DL packets we use for morning work. This Friday we will be taking DL Quiz 2, so your child should be studying Daily Language packets, Week 3 and 4 that come home on Thursdays in the Take Home Folder.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns.