January 22 - 26

Hi Families,

WOW, where has the year gone!? It's so hard to believe that 3rd grade is half over; our students are closer to being 4th graders than they are 2nd graders!! I think halfway through the year is always a great time to talk to your child about what yet they want to achieve in third grade and what they're going to do to get there. They really are some incredible students, and I cannot wait to see what the second semester has in store for each one of them. :)

Reminders/Updates

• Monday will be Day 3.
• Pink confirmation forms were sent home. Please fill them out and return them with your child ASAP!
• Celebrate NDLC Week is next week! Check the flyer below for dress up days and events. 

Don't forget...January is a big month for our school!  There are many informational events taking place to help others learn more about New Directions.  Please share these dates with anyone you think may be interested in learning more about what a great place New Directions is for students to learn and grow!

Monday, January 22nd-10:00 AM-1:00 PM Open House for prospective families at New Directions
Thursday, February 1st-6:00-7:00 PM-Info Session at New Directions


Families can also call Mrs. Frischmann at 766-6116 to set up individual tours.

Upcoming Events

January 22: NO SCHOOL

January 23-26 Celebrate NDLC Week

February 1: NDLC Parent Info Session 6-7

Curriculum Update

Math: We're nearing the end of Unit 3! Students have been working on 3 digit addition and subtraction, how the two operations are related, and multi-step word problems. Next week Tuesday, we'll go over the review that students have been working on as homework and then take the Unit 3 Test on Wednesday and Thursday. We also will be taking a Mid-Year math test on Friday. With all of this testing, remind your students to be getting a good night's rest and a breakfast in the morning! Let me know if you or your child have any questions regarding the questions on the test. 
**If your child is feeling bored over the long weekend, they can work through the Math Review on Think Central! :) 

• You can go to Think Central by clicking on the link or through Google Classroom. Their username does not include @kaukaunasd.org. Their password is their 6 digit birth date. They can log in, go to "Things To Do" and click on "Unit 3 Math Review." 

Writing: This week students chose a text that they wanted to write literary essays on. We worked to find evidence that matches our claim and say more about it by explaining how the evidence supports our claim. Ask your child what the claim for their literary essay is! Students have been typing these essays. If your student is interested, they are more than welcome to work on their essays at home as well. Next week, we'll continue our literary essay unit by crafting compare/contrast essays, looking at the similarities and differences between two texts. 

Word Study: We finished up Unit 5 and took the test on Friday. Look for the test to come home early next week. In Unit 6, we'll be focusing on the vowel-consonant-e syllable. For example, in the words "cape," "home," or "pine" there is a long vowel, a consonant, and a silent e. A vowel is long if it says it's name. The trick words for next week will be only, house, and move. 

Reading: This past week in Reading we looked at how all stories tend to go. They follow the same predictable pattern--a plot mountain. In the beginning of books readers are introduced to characters and usually where the story takes place (setting). Then as you go up the mountain (story) you are introduced to the problems. The climax is the top of the mountain where the problems have escalated and things can't get much worse. Then as you go down the mountain there is a turning point. Something occurs that causes the problems to seem like they might get better and then lastly there is usually a solution to the problems or it is resolved in some way. This coming week we are continuing to pay attention to characters and how they react to their problems. This can usually tell us A LOT about them. We will also start to study the secondary characters in books and realize that they are usually impacting the main character in some way!

Reading at this point in the year for homework is going to be really important! We want students to be building their stamina and practicing their skills. This extra practice will be helpful to build their comprehension as they enter newer reading levels. Here are some possible questions to ask your child about their reading....

• What is the biggest problem your character is facing in your book?

• How do you think your character's biggest problem will be solved?

• Name a secondary character in your book. What role do they play? (advisor, sidekick, challenger) Why?

• What's the turning point in your book?

• What lesson did your character learn? (In life....)

• Tell me about the part you are currently reading. How does this part fit with the rest of the story?

Content: Students were so excited and a little bit nervous too to present their country slideshows! I was impressed at how brave each student was! To finish up our world unit, students took a world map test. Those will come home next week as well. Our next unit for content will be science--motion and design! This will be an engaging and interactive unit where students consider design options.

Know that you can always contact me with any questions or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Jenny