Newsletters

May 28, 2008

Dear Parents,

What a weekend. I must confess that the summer bug bit me this weekend. I spoke with the students and promised that I would be at school, body, mind and soul, if they would be here too!

In Math, we began our week with a math assessment that was sent home last night. The first couple of questions were about material that we have not covered in class. Those questions acted like a pre-assessment about remainders in division. The rest of the questions we have covered in class however. Please go over any questions that your child might have made a mistake on. This week we are going to finish our charting unit and will continue work with division.

In Literacy, we are getting to the end now! The research paper is due on Friday. I was very impressed with the quality of work I have received from your children in their rough draft alone! Once these papers are bound, I will send home the previous research paper and hang these up in the hallway for the remainder of the year.

In Religion, we are finishing up our Talking About Touching program. Though we are almost finished in the classroom, please continue to have open conversations about this topic over the summer.

In our Dramatic Arts, we are getting close to our performances ( next week !). This week, we will be having dress rehearsals for the reader's theater play. You may have noticed that your child has been taking props and costumes to school. I will send home a schedule of the plays this week so that you know when your child's play is if you would like to see it!

Our ITBS results are still not in. The latest news is that we sent off 7 boxes to be scored and the scoring company only received 6 boxes. We are still working on this. Thank you for your patience!

We have an end of the year project. All students are expected to perform either a solo or a duet of a song. I have found this website which provides music and lyrics for all of the songs: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/music.htm . In class, students are to perform the song a capella (no instrumental music, just their own voices). Performances will be on Thursday June 8 th !

We are gearing up for Field Day. We will need parent volunteers to oversee safety (not lead the activities) at each station. The 3 rd Graders (both classes) are in charge of leading the activities and are working hard on their explanation skills during PE.

The weather has been beautiful. I hope it stays like this for the end of our year (which is a lot closer than I realized!)

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders:

May 29 th – Fun Run T-Shirt Day- Fun Run Shirt or Uniform

June 4 th – Volunteer Recognition Night - 6 pm

June 11 th – Field Day - 11:30 pm-2:00pm

June 12 th - Last Day of School- Early Dismissal - 10:30pm (No Extended Day Care)

May 21, 2008

Dear Parents,

This week has gone by so quickly, it is already Wednesday and you are only getting the newsletter today! I hope that you had a great time at Jr. Ski to Sea weekend. I heard lots of stories.

In Math, we are working with ordered pairs, plot charts, and division. Please make sure your child is strong in their multiplication mastery since it is a requirement for fourth grade.

In Literacy, we are beginning to near the end of our research papers. A complete rough draft is due Friday and our final draft is due next Friday! Some of the students are getting nervous, but I have told everyone to keep open communication with me and adjustments will be made if it is needed. We also worked on a different way to recognize punctuation. You should ask your child what happens when there is an exclamation mark. It might give you a giggle!

In Religion, we are beginning the third unit of our talking about touching program. So far we have covered some pretty difficult material about the Touching Rule, Safety Steps, and who is responsible for breaking the Touching Rule. If you have any questions about what has been discussed in class, I would be happy to answer them!

In Social Studies, we are talking about Memorial Day and its significance! Also, we are continuing to work on Map Skills.

We received our ITBS scores and you will receive the scores in your Wednesday envelope. Some students did not receive all of their scores back. We do not know if there was a mistake in shipping the booklets or if there was a mistake in the scoring of the booklets. I have spoken to the Mrs. Goeres and she is looking into this. We will send home the complete scores, just as soon as we receive them. Also, there are a couple of students whose scores came under two names. This is because the student incorrectly filled out the back of the test booklet. We are combining the scores to get a more accurate picture of the results. Thank you for your patience!

Our field trip was wonderful! The rain stopped in time for us to weed the plants. I warned the students that I would tell their parents just how good they are at weeding and that soon they may pick up a new chore around the house! I will be posting pictures from the fieldtrip on our website!

I hope you are able to enjoy our upcoming three day weekend. There have been quite a few allergy symptoms in our class. I hope they remain tame over the weekend! Have a fantastic weekend!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders:

May 26 th - Memorial Day Weekend - No School

June 12 th - Last Day of School- Early Dismissal - 10:30pm (No Extended Day Care)

April 29, 2008

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe it is the end of April already. Yesterday, as I looked at the kids lining up, I realized just how much they have grown over this year. I am so proud to see where they were and how far they have come. Just this past weekend, I saw our Missoula production of Robin son Crusoe. We have great actors within our class, both students and parents! I do have to say my favorite part were those magical, color-changing chameleons!

In Math, we finished our unit on fractions. There were some difficult concepts in this unit. Please review these with your child, particularly converting a mixed number fraction to a decimal. We have dived head first into division and so far, it is looking very promising!

In Literacy, we finished our timelines, and we have filled out a graphic organizer for both the first and second paragraph. I told the students that on Thursday of this week, I would like a rough draft of the first three paragraphs. We are having review and work times this week, so I don't see this being a problem for any of the students. I would like to remind you that every child is to use at least one age-appropriate biographical book as a resource. Very few students have repeat women as their topic women, so there should be enough books within our area (and Ferndale , for those that make the commute).

In Science and Social Studies, we are looking at causes of air and water pollution. We performed an experiment last week which demonstrated water use and conservation. Ask your child what the big idea for the experiment was.

In Religion, we are continuing to look at the timeline of the Early Church according to the Acts of the Apostles. We will look at the individuals that were greatly responsible to sharing The Word to different nations and some of the hardships they had to endure. Yesterday, Father Scott joined us in our classroom and gave us a lot of information about the Easter season and Pentecost. The students were very engaged in his lesson!

We began some major art projects since our Celebration of the Arts is coming up (May 2 nd ). We created visual representations of our famous women from history. Some students are finding it difficult to draw their famous woman because the pictures they do have are rather small. Please help you child find a larger picture if they are having this problem. Also this week, we will create an “action” art piece, inspired by Jackson Pollack and his abstract work. It will be very fun!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

May 1 st - Early Dismissal- 11:45am –Untucked T-Shirt Day

April 15, 2008

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone had a “resting” and “fantastic” week (quoted from your children). I was able to enjoy the mild weather and the sun did happen to peek out a bit as well.

I heard from some parents that students are concerned about this multiplication assessment coming up. I further explained this in class today so hopefully that has eased the fears of all. I expect that the jitteriness should go away after we have our first test on Wednesday.

In Math, we are continuing our understanding of fractions and will cover Data, Statistics, and Probability next. Concurrently, we are learning how to divide by flipping around our multiplication facts. There will be more formal lessons on Division by the end of April.

In Literacy, we are working on timelines for our next research report. We will be using timelines, graphic organizers, and outlines to help with organization. I would like every child to use at least one age-appropriate biographical book as a resource. Very few students have repeat women, so there should be enough books within our area (and Ferndale , for those that make the commute).

In Science and Social Studies, we are looking at causes of air and water pollution. Please brainstorm with your child some ways that Whatcom County is trying to reduce air pollution and water waste.

In Religion, we are looking at the timeline of the Early Church according to the Acts of the Apostles. We will look at the individuals that were greatly responsible to sharing The Word to different nations and some of the hardships they had to endure.

We will begin some major art projects since our Celebration of the Arts is coming up (May 2 nd ). We will be creating visual representations of our famous women from history, and it would be very helpful to have a fairly large picture on hand for this art project.

I hope that everyone has a smooth week back. As you know, your child may get very tired this week since they had to shift back into waking up early, a whole day of work, and after-school commitments. Please make sure your child is also getting plenty of rest! Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

April 21 st - April 25 th - Missoula Children's Theatre

May 1 st - Early Dismissal- 11:45am

March 31, 2008

Dear Parents,

This was quite an interesting weekend! Who would have guessed that Bellingham would receive snow three days before April?! I tried to appreciate it as best as I could. I hope you did as well. I received a phone call from my parents (who are currently in Portugal ) and they informed me that they were getting ready to go lounge at the beach… Oh well, I was thinking warm thoughts and that helped me be warm and toasty.

As I mentioned last week, we are ITBS testing. We began today and will keep trucking through until we are finished. I don't know when we will be complete. Only time will tell! I hope everyone was able to rest. If not, we will have Spring Break next week!

Since we will be working our brains so hard with Reading, Writing, and Math next week, we will have a lot of time for free expression through Visual and Dramatic Arts, as well as Interpretive Dance (you'll have to ask what this means from your student. We'll only start the dance portion next week!).

At the end on this week, we are hosting the Mass on Friday. I hope that you will be able to join us. The Mass will begin at 10:30 am .

If there is anything else that you would like clarification on in terms of classwork, homework, long-term projects, or our upcoming ITBS test, please email me and I will either respond to you immediately, or I will address it in next week's newsletter for the benefit of all parents!

This is a short week thus allowing us a short newsletter! Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

March 31 st -April 4 th - ITBS Testing

April 4 th - 3 rd Grade Mass- 10:30am

April 7 th -11 th - Spring Break- No School

March 25, 2008

Dear Parents,

I hope you enjoyed your Easter weekend! I was able to enjoy my Easter with my family and my mother's delicious cooking. I can only hope that you were able to have as delicious a meal as I had!

Last week, there were a few difficult days for us as a whole school. As I am sure you have heard, Ms. Carol Patterson passed away on Wednesday. We discussed her passing as a class and there were quite a few questions. I am sure that you had some questions to answer of your own. We had counselors available for anyone who needed it. Overall, all students seemed to take it well considering the close person we lost. I want to inform you that though your child may have taken this well last week, it may not mean they will be fine this week or next week. This week, we will have Carol's funeral on Friday, March 28 th at 1:00pm . School will be released at 12:45 pm and we are asking parents to pick up their children promptly so that the staff will be able to attend the funeral. I expect you to make the best decision for your own family about attending the funeral.

Academically, we are gearing up for our upcoming ITBS test. We have worked on the best technique for reading selections, which includes both identifying necessary information and using the reading questions to guide our reading. I am hoping to keep stress down by creating ample breaks, both bathroom, water, and snack breaks. As ever, it is in the best interest of your child that they get lots of sleep and a healthy, nutritious diet.

In Math, we have finished up our Geometry unit and are moving into fractions. We slightly touched upon division, but will more heavily cover this after our Spring Break. Please make sure your child is still practicing their multiplication facts. If you are concerned that your child takes a bit to answer a multiplication problem, ask your child how they are trying to find their answer. If they are using logic to move from one problem to the next, then please be very proud and understand your child is performing at a higher level than many of us did at their age. The goal of Mathematics is a complete understanding of numbers and their relationships, not mere memorization! I am happy to see this work in the classroom.

In Literacy, we are beginning on the next and final research paper. All information should be in this week as we begin this process again. Now that we've had some practice writing longer products, we will focus on the quality and style of writing, as well as the organization of writing. As you may have heard from your child, all students were assigned Literature circle groups with trade books that were lent to them. You may wonder why the level of reading was lower than the one your child is currently capable of. I want all of the students to feel comfortable in Literature Circle discussion before introducing harder reading material.

In Social Studies, we will begin looking at conflicts facing our environment and the earth we live on. We will look at the causes of pollution in our environment, the effects they leave behind, and what steps we can take to reverse these effects and prevent future pollution. I would like to tie in a service project to this unit, but have not decided on one yet. If there is a project that you feel passionately about and feel that a class of third graders would benefit and be capable of participating, please let me know! I am still getting to know Bellingham and Whatcom County . I do not know all of the opportunities available to us. I would love to receive suggestions.

In Religion, we will begin our Talking About Touching Program soon! I will send home the first parent newsletter before we begin! I will send home a new letter at the beginning of each new section!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

March 27 th – Group Picture Day- Best Uniform Please (sweaters included!)

March 31 st -April 4 th - ITBS Testing

April 4 th - 3 rd Grade Mass- 10:30am

April 7 th -11 th - Spring Break- No School

AMEN!

March 11, 2008

Dear Families,

I'm so glad to be back today, but as I look at this week's schedule, I realize that it will be yet another hectic week!

This week, we are delving deeper in Geometry for Math. We covered shapes, points, lines, line segments, angles, parallel lines, intersecting lines, perpendicular lines, and much more last week. Now, we are looking at congruency, similar figures, symmetry, and possibly some work in fractions (which has nothing to do with Geometry, but I want your child to be prepared for the ITBS test at the end of the month.).

In Literacy, we are doing more Reading fluency and comprehension work. We are learning pronouns (subject, object, and possessive). We will also look at some new strategies to help with reading comprehension. In writing, we are continuing our final draft of the Research Paper. I have seen some final drafts, and I expect to see more soon! I'm so proud! I apologize that a spelling list was not sent home yesterday. There was some confusion with our substitute teacher, so a copy is going home today. After speaking with the students, I have decided to continue with the test on Thursday, since we have no school Friday and delaying our test until Monday will “make us worry all weekend.”

In Religion, we are focusing on Holy week and the struggles that Jesus faced in his last part of human life on earth. Next week, we will have a Passover meal where the students might experience what Jesus and his followers might have felt that night.

In Science, we are continuing our discovery and experimentation of light and sound. It was quite interesting to see how creative your children became in bending light. Did you know that it is possible to have light move around you in a circle using only one flashlight and two handheld mirrors? Your child does!

In Social Studies, we will read our weekly Scholastic News as well as continue our understanding of our peacemakers. This week, your child will be responsible for choosing a famous woman in history. We will talk more about this tomorrow in class. The final decision will be due on Thursday of this week!

Report cards are coming home! They will be in the Wednesday envelope. Be sure to keep your eye out for it. Also, please remember our new grading system. If you would like a refresher, please let me know, and I will do my best to remind you!

On Wednesday, we have a half day of school, so it is an Untucked T-Shirt Day. If a student is not in “uniform' (i.e. wearing a specified Assumption untucked t-shirt) they will have to be in uniform. On Friday, students have no school at all (but the teachers do!).

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

March 12 th - Optional Conferences- Early Dismissal 11:45pm

March 14 th - Professional Development Day- No School

More to Follow!

March 3, 2008

Dear Families,

You may have heard from your students that last week was a difficult week. It was the last push of the trimester, so that meant a lot of work had to come in that was floating around! I hope everyone was able to take a nice, relaxing weekend. I saw many of you at Carol Patterson 's retirement spaghetti dinner. Everyone looked so festive and sunny, so I was disappointed to see all of the rain today. Oh well!

This week, we are moving into Geometry in Math. Ask your child tonight what is a quadrilateral. They may have a difficult time saying the word, but they should be able to tell you! (A shape with four sides and four corners.) Please make sure that you continue to study your multiplication facts. In April, I will begin my multiplication assessment which requires each child to know all of the facts by the end of the year! I'll explain that into greater detail as it approaches.

In Literacy, we are doing more Reading fluency and comprehension work. We will learn about roots, suffixes, and prefixes. We will also look at some new strategies to help with summarization. In writing, we are continuing our final draft of the Research Paper. I expect to see completed copies in the next two weeks! I'm so proud!

In Religion, we really hammered through the Sacraments, but this week, we will develop our understanding of this sacraments with greater detail. Also we will look at this weekends Gospel reading and see how it applies to our life.

In Science, we are continuing our discovery and experimentation of light and sound. I can't wait to see how your students plan to make light appear behind them if their flashlight is pointing forward!

In Social Studies, we will read our weekly Scholastic News as well as continue our understanding of our peacemakers. We will look at maps once again to see if we remember the map skills we covered at the beginning of the year!

Next week, report cards are coming home. They will be in the Wednesday envelope. Be sure to keep your eye out for it. Also, please remember our new grading system. If you would like a refresher, please let me know, and I will do my best to remind you!

Also, I will not be here on Monday so that I can attend a Professional Development seminar on Schools Attuned. On Wednesday, we have a half day of school. On Friday, students have no school at all (but the teachers do!).

Today was the first day of the trimester and I have every expectation of it going smoothly. I want to thank you for all of the support in the classroom and from home that I can see from your student's daily behavior and work! I have loved teaching every student in this class. I am challenged frequently and hope that I continue to be equally challenging. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

March 12 th - Optional Conferences- Early Dismissal 11:45pm

March 14 th - Professional Development Day- No School

More to Follow!

February 20, 2008

Dear Families,

I hope you were able to enjoy your small break! Hopefully, everyone was able to kick off this nasty bug that was going around the last few weeks! I know my own cold symptoms were able to go away.

This week we are really digging into hard material. Please make sure your children are getting plenty of rest to prevent any more collapses in health! I want to remind that plenty of water is essential to staying healthy. I have noticed that thirst levels have increased quite a bit. If your child would like, they may have a water bottle at school to have near their desk,

In Math , we will be working with 8 and 9 multiplication facts. Please have your children add to their multiplication fact flashcards. So far they should have 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10. Last week, we compared the 3 and 6. We discovered that the answers for the 3 facts were doubled for the 6 facts. We now will look at 4 and 8 to see if the same thing happens (hint: It does!).

In Literacy , we are continuing our work on the peacemaker research paper. Most students have reached their third paragraph and have begun thinking about the final paragraph. This week, we will review main ideas and supporting details. We will also work on the bibliography. If you have the information of the sources your child used, please make sure your child has them at school this week so that they can create the bibliography in the format we are learning in class. By the end of this week, we should have a complete rough draft finished! It is exciting to see how it is all coming together. The students have really understood the process of working on the paper in stages instead of one sitting. There is NO spelling test this week!

In Religion , we are looking at the Paschal mystery and creating our own artistic representations. You may have heard from your child about our Lenten burning last week. A couple of weeks ago we began putting ourselves in the shoes of Jesus as he was betrayed by his friends, punished, and sentenced to death while still accepting his situation without running away or struggling against the soldiers. We compared our own difficult struggles and wrote down a time when we did not make a Jesus-inspired decision. Last week, we joined with the 7 th grade (who did the same activity in their class) to burn these decisions. It was a beautiful moment where, for a moment in the day, we were able to reflect on our past choices and how our next decision may be different.

Next week, we will begin looking at the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. We will be covering Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. You may want to talk this weekend with your children about any topic which may be sensitive and needs extra support before we begin to discuss these topics as a class.

In Social Studies , your child is expected to do a short research of their assigned Famous Black American. I have sent home a rubric of the guidelines for this project.

In Science , we are looking at reflection of light and the Scientific Method. We will be bending light and blowing away our preconceptions.

In Dramatic Arts , we will identify the elements of their Readers Theater Play your child received in the fall. We will look at character, setting, dialogue, and conflict. More specifically, each student will identify the character traits of the character they are assigned. We will also look at the settings and decide what clues each play provides to identify if the setting is real or fantasy.

There is a writing contest available to your child if they would like to enter it. It is through the PBS Reading Rainbow program. Entries can be any piece of writing; fiction or non-fiction, story, poetry, or essay. If you would like to find out more details, please let me know and I can copy an entry form with the contest rules and information!

At the end of next week (February 29 th , to be exact) we are meeting the end of the trimester. I will be sending one more missing work report home. Please make sure that all of the work has been turned in or that your child has talked to me if there is work that was completed but no credit was given.

Whew! There are quite a bit of things going on. Hydrate and Rest! We are getting through it! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

February 29 th - End of Trimester

March 12 th - Conferences- Early Dismissal- 11:45am

March 14 th - Professional Development Day- No School

February 12, 2008

Dear Families,

As I looked at my calendar this weekend, I realized we only have four months left! We will get there!

In math , we are moving into our 6 facts this week. We are doubling our three facts to help make the transition easier. Tonight, the homework is to create 6x0 through 6x12 multiplication flashcards. Though these are to be made and kept at home, I do expect them to come in tomorrow as the homework assignment, so that I can verify that they were created. Your child has to create them. There is a certain type of memorization that occurs when you write out the information you are trying to learn!

Our Research Project is coming along nicely. As students are progressing through their paper, they realize where they may have gaps in information and may need to go back to do more research. It is all part of the process! So far, I have been very proud of their hard work in class. The class is showing great maturity and they are turning into 4 th graders before my eyes.

Mid-Winter break begins this Friday. Please take some time to rest and restore your health. Last week, 10% of the student body was absent. 5-6 people were absent from our class on any given day! I want to remind you that once a fever breaks a child should not return until 24 hours later , even if they are looking and feeling fine. The virus is still around and that is how we get others sick. I know that it can be difficult to have your child stay home if you need to be at work. However, it is because of improper recovery time that is continuing our spread of whatever this is that is going around. Please help keep us healthy!

Tomorrow, we are going on our fieldtrip . We are going to Mt. Baker Theater to see “Mad Science.” Our volunteers for this trip are: Elaine Prestlien, Judith Pitton, Pam Thomson, Judy Ziels , and Sandy Harper. There is no cost for students, but adults do have to pay $5. Also please make sure that students have a home lunch that day since there will be no time to get a hot lunch (Yes, there is hot lunch available on Wednesdays beginning on the 13 th ).

Thursday is Valentine's Day and we will have a class party to celebrate it. This year, our St. Valentine's Day lands in the middle of Lent which creates a problem for those students who gave up candy, chocolate, and sweets for Valentine's Day. I have spoken with the students and we agreed that it is unfair to bring in something that would tempt people to break their Lenten Sacrifice. Though we are practicing fighting off temptation when we face it, it is not our place to tempt one another. If there is candy that comes with the Valentine cards that were purchased or created, the students thought it would be a good idea to remove the candy portion of the valentine and bring it into class after Easter! Please help us support each other! If there are any parents who would like to help with the Valentine's Day party, please contact Allyson Heller. We will need people to help with non-tempting foods for the party! Please remember that if your child is bringing in cards, they are to bring in one for everyone . I have attached a class list on the back to ensure you have all of the names of everyone in our class!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

February 13 th - Field Trip-Mt. Baker Theater- 11:45am-2:15pm

PTC meeting- 7:00pm

(Flip over)

February 14 th - Valentine's Day- Untucked T-Shirt Day for those whose parents attended PTC meeting Wednesday Feb. 13 th

February 15 th -19 th - Mid-Winter Break- No School

February 4, 2008

Dear Families,

Our Auction project was beautiful and on full display this weekend. I received many compliments on our project and wanted to pass these along to you! It was so nice to see you at the auction. For those of you that did not attend, let me be the first to say that our Emcee, Mr. Ziels, was very funny. Everyone looked beautiful and relaxed in that special way that you look when you do not have kids around.

This week we begin our Lenten season. Tomorrow, students are allowed to dress in purple, gold, and green for Mardi Gras. It is a non-uniform day, but only if you dress for the day. Wednesday, we will attend Ash Wednesday Service. If you are available, please join us to receive ashes. There is some confusion about fasting and Lent. At 3 rd grade, it is still not expected that students have to fast in the same manner as adults. Young children do have to observe fasting, but it is up to the your family as to what you choose your child to do.

In Math, we are in our 4 multiplication facts. Last week, we created multiplication books in class as a manipulative to better understand 4's. Please study all of our facts that we have collected so far (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10). We will be working with these facts in various worksheets, games, and activities this week!

In Literacy and Social Studies, we are working on our research project. As I have mentioned, I have pushed back the due date since we will be doing more in-class work than I originally planned. I have spoken with a few parents about concerns they have about this paper. This is a paper that I want the students to work through and struggle with if need be. The idea being that they are learning how to do this process more independently. Unless otherwise asked, the students are expected to keep all of their materials at school. Also, there are several steps of pre-writing, revising, and editing that we will do in class which may make work completed at home a hindrance because they have completed a different process at home. Also, as it is an expectation of the assignment that the work be completed at school. This expectation is not being met if the work is being completed at home. I know that you want to help your child feel and be successful. I want this as well. If there is anything I expect as homework, I will have the students write it in their planner

On February 13 th , we will go on a fieldtrip. We are going to Mt. Baker Theater to see “Mad Science.” Our volunteers for this trip are: Elaine Prestlien, Judith Pitton, Pam Thomson, Judy Ziels , and Sandy Harper. There is no cost for studnets, but adults do have to pay $5. Also please make sure that students have a home lunch that day since there will be no time to get a hot lunch (Yes, there is hot lunch available on Wednesdays beginning on the 13 th ).

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

February 5 th - Mardi Gras- Non-Uniform Day- Gold, Purple, and Green

February 6 th - Ash Wednesday- 10:30 am Mass

February 13 th - Field Trip-Mt. Baker Theater- 11:45am-2:15pm

More to follow next week…

January 22, 2008

Dear Families,

What a chilly day to start off our week! It took me quite a bit of time to de-ice my car. I hope it was not so difficult for you!

This is Catholic Schools week and we are celebrating! Tomorrow is Untucked T-Shirt day. Please remember that whichever bottoms your child uses, make sure they are clean and tidy (i.e. no holes, rips, tears, etc). Also, your child may bring in slippers to wear at school. Make sure you also pack a pair of tennis shoes since there is recess and we have PE!

Friday is our Talent Show! Please make sure your child is practicing our song Imagine. I ask that you bring your children in play clothes! We are sending a strong message of peace, and I want to convey that even children are able to share this part of the Good News! Our talent show is to begin at 7:00pm on Friday. Please plan on getting here at 6:30pm .

In Math, we are moving into our 4 multiplication facts. Please study all of our facts that we have collected so far (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10). We will be working with these facts in various worksheets, games, and activities this week!

In Literacy and Social Studies, we are working on our research project. As I mentioned last week, I have pushed back the due date since we will be doing more in-class work than I originally planned. I will update you with advanced warning when there will be work to do as homework.

Next week, we will begin work on Mardi Gras Masks as we begin to learn about Mardi Gras and how it is connected with Ash Wednesday and Lent. If there is any parent who would like to earn some parent hours, I have a VERY easy recipe (3 Ingredients) for King Cake. This is a great way to earn some hours if you find it difficult to meet this requirement during the day! I can split this between two parents. Please let me know immediately so I can get the ingredients to you before the weekend of February 2-3 rd (we will need the cake on February 5 th ).

Since our Spelling packet is being sent home today, both the packet and the test will be postponed to Friday! If your child would like to turn it in Thursday, they may. However, the test will still be Friday.

On February 13 th , we will go on a fieldtrip. We are going to Mt. Baker Theater to see “Mad Science.” I already have one chaperone. Please let me know if you would like to chaperone! Each adult is $5. However the children have no charge.

Thank you for all of the support I have received from you! I am blessed to have a supportive parent group such as yourselves who pass along funny (child) anecdotes, kind and gracious words, and useful information about the inner workings (and limited print resources) of Bellingham!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

January 25 th - Talent Show- 7:00pm

January 30 th - Early Dismissal- 11:45pm

February 13 th - Field Trip-Mt. Baker Theater- 11:45am-2:15pm

December 17, 2007

Dear Families,

I hope you enjoyed your last weekend before Christmas Break! I know I tried to relax a bit before the hullabaloo of Christmas really gets underway! International flying will really be interesting next weekend! Please pray that my luggage arrives when I do!

Our Raven stories are hanging in the hallway! They are beautifully written and all of the students deserve a big congratulations! Also, our button blankets are hanging in the classroom. Please come by sometime to take a peek! You can always see it the night of our Christmas Program this Thursday.

The book reports are wonderful! I heard a lot of positive feedback from students and parents! Please let me know, if you haven't so far, how this project went for your child. Also, as I am preparing for the new year in the classroom, I would like some information as to how the spelling packets are going. Are they helping? Is there something (in any area of curriculum) that we have already done that was helpful? Please let me know at the bottom of this sheet!

As I mentioned, the Christmas program is this week! It is on Thursday, December 20 th . Please drop your students off in their classrooms at 6:30pm and then head to the church. You will get a chance to look at our hard work after the program.

During our performance, half of the students will be facing the north side of the church for O Little Town of Bethlehem, and the other half of the class will be facing the west side of the church. For the whole school song, third grade will be in the aisle!

News from our Room Parents:

If you have not sent in Auction money ($10 dollars per student), please send it in this week so we can buy the materials soon!

This Friday, we are having a Winter party! We will be decorating cookies. Please send in any items that we could use to decorate cookies (sprinkles, frosting, etc). Also can some people could send in juice to have with the cookies? We also need volunteers to come in that day. If you can do any of these please call Allyson Heller (Kailee's mother). Thank you!

I want to thank you for your generosity with our Child Basket and our Family Basket! Because of you and your family, our Class Family is going to have a great Christmas! Thank you!

When we come back in the new year, we will be moving in to Multiplication ideas, Peacemakers, Cursive, and Physics of Sound, just to name a few of our topics!

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, laughter, (safety), and joy! Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

December 20 th - Christmas Program 7:00pm

December 21 st - Winter Party 10:30am

December 11, 2007

Dear Families,

Brrr!!! What a cold beginning to the week! We spent a good part of the day today in our jackets!

We are working hard on our Button Blankets! They are wonderfully put together and everyone has put in a lot of time and effort. Excellent job, third grade! Also, our Raven Stories are just about ready to go in the hallway. Most students have begun writing their final copy and some have also begun drawing a picture for the presentation. I have seen beautiful work from your children!

In math, we are beginning our next unit on measurement and time. I want to highly recommend that you keep working with your children on money. If we don't practice it often, we begin to get a little rusty! I would like students to have their multiplication facts for 0, 1, 2, 5, and 10's memorized before break. We have worked on it in class and have made note cards that stay at school. Maybe creating note cards would be a good idea for a weekend activity to support your child's learning!

ITEM 1: If you have volunteered for donating something to our Christmas Family, I would like the items to come in on Thursday. Right now, we don't have shirts or pants for the mother (size 14), no pants for the father (size 36), and no pants for the toddlers (size 3T). Please send in any new or gently used items for this family!

ITEM 2: Our Child-themed Basket is beginning to take form! If we could get those items in Friday, we could sent it off to the Hope house!

I am sending out a volunteer sign-up sheet today. Please check your schedules and send this sheet back by Tuesday of next week!

We have been practicing hard on our songs for the Christmas Program. The Christmas Program is at 7:00pm on Thursday November 20 th . At the end of the show, the students will be escorted back to the classroom. It is your responsibility to pick them up from the classroom and then go to the reception! Please drop students off in their classrooms at 6:30pm .

This upcoming Monday our book reports are due! Please make sure that these come in on time, as I would like to have them graded and displayed in time for our Christmas Program night!

Thank you for allowing your children to meet this weekend to create a haiku for our Auction projects! They are beautiful! We will be working on them to fine tune the details!

PE NEWS:

Third grade – In physical education students will begin gymnastic stations to improve skills and perform a routine.

Please let me know if you have any concerns or questions!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

December 13 th - Family Basket Items due

December 14 th - Child Theme Basket Items due

December 17 th - Book Report Due

December 20 th - Christmas Program 7:00pm

December 3, 2007

Dear Families,

What a beautiful weekend. I know for some it was a time for shoveling, but, hopefully, you were able to enjoy some of the snow's beauty!

This week, we will be discussing various types of book reports, and your child will be responsible for choosing in which format they want to present their book report. These book reports will be due on December 17 th .

This week we are finishing up our final draft of our Raven stories. Hopefully they will be up by the end of the week!

Attached to this newsletter are a few items. One is a sign up sheet for our Christmas Families. Please fill in which you can be responsible for and which others you could possibly do as a back up! I will send home a note once I have a final list.

I also have a sign up sheet for our service project which is to donate a themed basket to Hope House. I will send home the final list once I have it.

PLUS, Mrs. Oco would like to treat the class to pizza for Joshua's birthday. I have a little sign-up sheet for which type of pizza your child will like. I will need all of these back this week so that I can give Mrs. Oco the final count. You will not need to send in a lunch on December 10 th since we will be having pizza that day. But please do not forget to send in a nutritious snack for our Snack time!

We are tying in our Literacy objective this week with our Auction project! This week, we are creating Haikus. For our auction project, we are pairing up and writing haikus about our theme “We Are Called…” Each group will receive one of our monthly words (for example, December's word is Hope). I have a special request. If it is possible, I would like the students to work on these haikus together over this upcoming weekend. Sometimes, working away from the classroom can really make these poems much more creative! We will be creating the rest of the project at school, but I would love to have these poems completed so they can be typed off on special paper and ready to be used in the project! Your child will be assigned a partner this week! Thank you for all of your help!

PE NEWS

Third grade – In physical education students will begin gymnastic stations to improve skills and perform a routine.

This week we will have a practice test on the Apostles creed. We have worked quite a bit in class and I hope that you have worked with your child to memorize the Apostles Creed at home. This Friday we are having our Muscle test. I have received a couple of notes about not having the joints list. There are three types of joints I want your child to know well. These are ball and sockets (i.e. hip and shoulder), sliding joints (ie. Wrist and ankle joints), and hinge joints (i.e. elbows and knees).

If there are any questions or concerns, please let me know!

Sincerely,

Silvia Gomes

Reminders

December 17 th - Book Report Due

December 20 th - Christmas Program 7:00pm