Kindergarten Crayon Sale $1

Kindergarten students have worked really hard all year to recycle used crayons that would ordinarily end up in the trashcan. The students have created gorgeous crayon molds that continue to work like crayons, but with some creativity and care in their making!

The crayon sale begins Monday, December 17 and runs through Friday, December 21during lunches. Each crayon is $1 each! These homemade treasures would make great gifts for younger siblings, friends, or cousins this holiday season!

Latest Data

***Your child has a green half-sheet of paper with his or her latest Acuity and DIBELS assessment data stapled into his or her binder! ***I am still in the process of sending home specific skills for parents that have requested this information. I will get those results to you by the end of next week!

***Please celebrate big and small successes with your child this weekend! It is quite obvious that everyone is working diligently at school and at home! In fact, according to the lastest DIBELS data benchmark assessment, 100% of our class is reading at or above grade level!

***I encouraged the third graders to continue doing their best work/practice at home and at school through their vocabulary packet practices, weekly readings in the basal and other items, EDM Home Links, and math facts. I'm certain the direct attention to these items as practice pieces is a huge part in their successes thus far!

Acuity Results are IN!

If you're curious about your child's Acuity Math or Language Arts and/or DIBELS reading scores, please contact me as soon as possible! I'm happy to share results, and I can even provide specific skills your child could work on at home to enhance his/her knowledge! ***Please give me at least 24 hours to respond with specific information for your child!

4 simple ideas to guide your child toward success . . .

1. READ together daily: Allow your third grader to read aloud to you, but please ENJOY reading aloud to him or her, too! This will foster a love for reading, and it will provide experiences with what a fluent reader sounds like!
2. TALK about school-What was the best part of the day? What's one goal for tomorrow?
3. GUIDE your child through homework--I would love to see parents and 3rd graders complete ALL assignments together through guided practice-this will support your child's understanding of the skills!
4. EXPOSE your child to new experiences--this can be through books, newspapers, Internet sites like National Geographic, Time for Kids, and Scholastic, or physical adventures to museums, etc.

A "Puzzling" Writing Project

We are gearing up for a “memorable” writing project beginning at the end of next week! For this project, each student will need to bring a picture to school that SPARKS an exciting, enjoyable memory. It would be great if parents/family members were in the picture, too, so that it is a memory they have with YOU or someone dear to your family! We will need to cut/glue the pictures for our writing projects, so ONLY send in pictures that can be “played” with! We need the pictures by mid-week please!

 

In addition, if any families have any old puzzles or puzzle pieces that you no longer want, we will glady put them to use! The 500 or higher puzzle pieces will work best for this project!

Native American Museum Update

Projects are really coming along . . . they are very creative, and quite crafty! Thank you to all parents for assisiting your child at home as needed!

We will have a few afternoons next week to put the finishing touches on our projects. Our musuem will take place the week of December 17. (This is a change from the previous due date.)

Unit 5 Assessment

Just a reminder that our Unit 5 math test is tomorrow afternoon. We are MORE than ready for this assessment~I know the kids will do so great because they've been hardworkers over the last two weeks!

Please use the Unit 5 Study Guide to review with your child. Your child brought the study guide handout home on Wednesday evening in his/her homework section of the binder. We completed the entire guide together, so just a review is necessary!

Native American Project Museum

We began a study of the Shawnee Native American group last week. We started planning our museum yesterday. Small groups of students will become experts on just one part of the Shawnee tribe: clothing, crafts, food, roles in community, location, housing, important leaders, etc.

Your child will have 30 minutes each day this week, and each day next week to work on the project at school. However, some pieces (depending on their creativity) might need to be completed at home.

***I encouraged students to use recyclable items, and that spending money on this project is not necessary. However, that is your call at home. I will provide posters and butcher paper here at school. I will also have markers, glue, and shoe boxes for displays.

Thank you for supporting this exciting project!

Body and Personal Safety Program

Body And Personal Safety Program

The Body And Personal Safety Program is part of the school curriculum on December 4  for all 3^rd graders.

                     
The program consists of age appropriate lessons that will be taught to your child by the elementary school counselor.  Unfortunately, recent counts show that sexual abuse of children takes place more often than we would like to believe.  As a result, our children need to be taught assertiveness and self-protection skills to prevent such tragedies.  This program is presented in a non-threatening, informative way.

Parents, please check the E-Friday Folder for important information regarding body safety and how to discuss this topic with your child.

 

 

Happenings this week

We WILL NOT have a vocabulary packet nor a vocabulary quiz this week! We will not have a story quiz or math homelinks! Enjoy the break from the routine!

Monday:

1. Unit 4 study guide as homework (we will start the study guide in class today and go over its contents tomorrow before the test)

Tuesday:

1.  Unit 4 math test
2. Treats for Troops Celebration pizza party at 3:00

Wednesday:

1. Picture retakes if needed
2. Reading Counts quiz due by Wednesday afternoon

Due to the passing of my uncle on Friday, my family will be celebrating his life together on Tuesday (tomorrow). Therefore, I will not be here at school. Please encourage your third grade to do his or her very best that day!

Picture Retakes

Picture retakes if needed will be this Wednesday, November 21.

If you need a reorder form, please call the front office and/or let Mrs. Hill know as soon as possible.

Treats for Troops Celebration #1

Cheer Drive

Cheer Drive

 Please help families in Hendricks County by donating items to the CHEER DRIVE.

We are collecting items on November 19 and 20.  The class who brings in the most items wins extra recess with Mrs. Benner!!

 The following are a list of items that we are collecting:

Baby Food

Boxed Potatoes

Cereal Cake/Brownie Mix

Canned Fruit

Cereal

Paper Products

Pasta/Rice

Peanut Butter/Jelly

Just Right Books

Students in our class are bringing home a list of “Just Right Books” according to our latest Scholastic Reading Inventory. Please keep in mind that ALL students should be reading between a 500 to 800 Lexile Level by the end of 3^rd grade. We are working diligently at school through literacy stations, small group instruction, and research based programs to ensure this process, but your support at home is a necessity, too.

 

The list of books that your child is bringing home this week can ALL be found in our library here at Reagan. There are many other books that your child might find an interest in that are not here at Reagan. In order to find those books’ Lexile levels, please check out www.lexile.com. I am also happy to help locate reading levels for the books you’re reading together.

 

***I encourage reading of all kinds, including RAZ kids online, Acuity lessons online, magazines, comics, catalogs, online news for kids, etc. Please see our class blog links for many of these additional reading resources!

 

Pizza Party!!!

Treats for Troops

CHAMPS!

 

Congrats to Mrs. Hill's 3rd Grade Class for donating the most items to the Treats for Troops annual collection program!

 

Got pizza?

We won a class pizza party! We will celebrate next week with members of the committee!

 

Thank you to all families (and my own parents) for their generosity!

10 Minutes Per Night on Fact Families

Math facts are really coming along well for some students, but we are ALL in need of some more focus. The kids cut out 36 fact family triangles today and began using them to practice their fact families. We’ve begun a game of Around the World each day, too, to practice our facts and to prepare us for the big math baseball game each Friday!

 

***I highly recommend that students spend at least 10 minutes each night  working on multiplication and division fact families through the use of Everdaymath Online, fact triangle cards, flash cards, online games, etc. All of the intentional practice WILL pay off!

Brain Fuel

Yep, our engines are on empty again! We have very few snacks, if any after today! Please send a healthy snack in with your child to share! (We have 25 kids that enjoy the fuel each day!) Individually wrapped items are easier for management purposes, but not necessary! THANK YOU!

Reagan Candy Election Day!!

WEAR YOUR RED REAGAN SHIRT ON TUESDAY! IT'S ELECTION DAY . . . AND WE HAVE A CANDY BAR ELECTION TO TALLY!

Reading Counts Quiz Reminder

Your child has a Reading Counts Quiz due before Thanksgiving Break on Wednesday, November 21. We have a bucket full of books of various Lexile levels for your child to use during the school day. In fact, we will have a station during our Language Arts time to read for these quizzes and take the quizzes here at school at least two days per week. The reading can be done at home, too, but the quizzes MUST be done at school ONLY.

If you are not sure of your child's Lexile level, please ask your child if he or she knows the ballpark number for the Lexile or contact Mrs. Hill via email.***Note: We will be taking another SRI assessment next week,  so this level number range should/could change. I will send home a list of books at your child's current Lexile level that are suggested reads after that assessment, but please feel free to provide other reads for your child that are NOT on that list (store, public library, Reagan's library, etc.).

Please check out www.lexile.com or http://destiny.brownsburg.k12.in.us for a particular book's Lexile level if it does not have a Reading Counts Quiz sticker on the back of the book, or if the book came from home or the public library.

Happy Reading!!!

Experiences with the Indianapolis Colts!!!!!!!

Another AMAZING event for getting more "QT" (quality time) with your 3rd graders and/or other kiddos!

Colts Event
You’re invited to the Colts All Pro Dad Father and Kids Experience on Saturday, November 3rd, from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center (Colts Practice Facility).  Join Coach Clyde Christensen and Lineman Joe Reitz and learn fatherhood tips and participate in activities with your kids while rotating through football - themed stations.  As a thank you for attending our local All Pro Dad’s Day meetings, the All Pro Dad organization is offering the first 40 people to click on this link - www.allprodad.com/colts - FREE admission to the event!

Incentive
If we get 10 people from Reagan to attend, they will give me a Tony Dungy autographed NFL/All Pro Dad padfolio!  Dads will need to mention Reagan when they check in at the event on Saturday. I plan to include the padfolio (not 100% sure what it is to be honest) in the door prize drawing at the next All Pro Dad breakfast.

FAQs
Can a mom attend? Absolutely, the event content is geared towards father and children but can certainly be adapted to mother and children.

What is the recommended age of children to attend? We recommend the event for children age 5 and older.


Thanks

Josh

Josh Laycock
Row Printing Inc.
317-796-3289

Math Homework-Minor Changes

I like to use P/T Conferences as a chance to continue our partnership for creating successful 3rd graders! I had a few parents that feel the home links are so difficult for their child that the parents were doing the teaching again each night. Homework should be ONLY for review. Therefore, I'm starting to push back the home links so that we've had time to work through the skills before they become homework assignments. (***I provide differentiated instructional needs (enrichment, readiness, or remediation) for each child during math stations and whole group each day)).

This week's math homework:
Monday: HL 3.7 Area review
Tuesday: HL 3.8 More area review
Wednesday: HL 4.1 Review from Monday and Tuesday skills
Thursday: HL 4.2 Review from Tuesday and Wednesday skills

***Please keep the program "Acuity at Home" in mind (see right side for link) for additional and specific skills created for your child as an individual.

Red Ribbon Theme Reminder

"Believe, Achieve, Succeed-Drug Free"--Wear ALL of your favorite college gear!

"I Pledge to Be Drug Free"--Wear as much RED as you can!

Info Before Fall Break

Vocabulary packets will come home on Monday, October 29. They will still be due on Friday, November 2 that week, and we will take our quiz on that Friday, as well. I just didn't want to send any homework home over the break.

If you're staying home for break, or will have Internet access while you're away, I highly recommend students using the links on the blog for skill practice a few times per week. Raz kids and Acuity at Home are excellent skill links.

Grades: Report cards can be printed from Power School today. However, I'm also sending home progress reports for the first nine weeks with the kids today. The paper is pink, so please look for these grades!

***Monday, October 29: Dress up at your dream job for Red Ribbon Week. See post below regarding other spirit days that week!

Enjoy your break! Be safe, and come back prepared to "rock the skills" in the second nine weeks!

Red Ribbon Week 10/29-10/31

Monday October 29

 

-          Theme:  “Follow Your Dreams… Don’t Do Drugs!”

Dress up as your dream career (professional athlete, FBI agent, veterinarian, teacher, chef)

-         Contest-  Students names will be drawn during announcements to win a prize. Students must have their ribbon on to win.

 

Tuesday October 30

     -     Theme-  “Believe, Achieve, Succeed – Drug Free”

            Wear your favorite college attire or college colors

     -     Contest: Students names will be drawn during announcements to win a prize.        Students must have their ribbon on to win.

Wednesday October 31

-          Theme:  “I Pledge To Be Drug Free”

-          Contest:  Students wear as many red items as possible. 

-          Contest:  Students names will be drawn during announcements to win a prize.  Students must have their ribbon on to win.

 

 

Parent/Teacher Conference Recap

Parent/Student Resources to Access at Home:

1. The links on the right-hand side of this blog are all additional practice activities for both math and language arts skills. The links include:

a.       Acuity at Home individualized learning tools

b.       Raz-Kids online reading program

c.       IRead and ISTEP activities to prepare students

d.       Everyday Math Online

                              i.      Home Links

                             ii.      Family Letters for each unit

                             iii.      Algorithm explanations

                             iv.     Skill-based games

e.         Lexile reading levels

f.          Destiny: Reagan’s online library

g.         Power School-Online grade book
 

***Each of the following assessments (along with a few other informal assessment pieces) allows me to enrich your child's learning experiences here at Reagan. Each day is prepared with intentional focus for achieving success with your child.

 SRI Lexile Assessment (Reading Comprehension):

We will assess lexile levels (through SRI) once per month. In order to improve this score, students MUST be reading every day/night for at least 15 minutes, and taking Reading Counts quizzes regularly (more than once per month).

Reading Counts quizzes (Reading Comprehension):

One quiz must be completed (at school) per month (at this time--this number could increase in January). 95% of the reading for these quiz stories takes place at school. I will remind the kids of due dates, I will provide time for them to read books at their lexile levels, and I will provide time for them to take the quizzes at school. *The next due date is just before Thanksgiving Break.

Acuity Assessments (Math and Language Arts Skills):

Acuity B will take place in the winter months (usually January), and Acuity C will take place prior to ISTEP testing (usually March). ***At this time, practicing on Acuity at Home (linked to blog) is not a requirement for nightly homework. However, it’s a very useful tool for individualized instruction for your child, and I highly recommend its use at least 3 times per week.

***We use Acuity lessons for math and language arts, one lesson per day, during our math and literature stations.

***Acuity at Home username and password cards will come home Friday in your child’s pencil pouch inside his or her binder.

Changes this week . . .

Reading: We are working on a author's study this week during reading, so we ARE NOT reading a story from our yellow readers this week. Instead, ALL students have one Reading Counts quiz (passing with a 7 out of 10 or higher) due by Friday.

Math: We are celebrating fact families this week during our Fact Family Festival. Therefore, there are NO homelinks to correspond. Instead, I'd like students to work on their basic multiplication and division math facts with flashcards, oral practice, online games, or writing them out!

Vocabulary: We still have a vocabulary packet that was handed out last week. The packet is due on Friday, as always. We will have a quiz Friday, too.

Stamps

We only have about 12 stamps for the 26 students. Some families have sent in several stamps to share (thank you)! I do not mind picking up a booklet of stamps this weekend if necessary, so please send $0.44 into school as soon as possible if you have not already donated a stamp for your child!

Thanks!

Fact Family Festival

Thank you to the moms that were already able to volunteer for our Fact Family Festival next week! However, we are still in need of a few more parent helpers if anyone is available next week from 12:45-2:00. I have one parent per day to help with my classroom events, but I really could use at least one more parent each afternoon. The timing would only be from 12:45-2:00 rather than the 2 hours previously stated in the parent letter.

Please contact me via email or phone as soon as possible if you're able to help!

We could also use some more edible food items-a special treat on Friday will be be provided by me!

3.7 Math Home Link

WE DO NOT HAVE A MATH HOMELINE TONIGHT! I didn't feel the students were ready for finding area just yet. Sorry for the confusion this might create at home, but please always look at your child's assignment notebook each night. We might make changes daily . . . Thanks!

Spageddies Dinner and Book Fair

Reagan's upcoming spaghetti supper and bookfair will take place Thursday, October 4th.  Dinner is served from 6:00-7:30.  Early reservations and payment for the spaghetti supper are due on MONDAY, October 1st, in order to get the discounted rate of $5 per person.  After that date and at the event, the dinner is $6.50 per person. 

Families will have time to shop at the book fair from 6:00-8:00, too! We hope to see you all for the delicious dinner from Spageddies!!

***If you cannot make it to our school's book fair and/or your child will not be purchasing items on Tuesday, October 2 with our class, I will still place a Scholastic order for you if you wish from the catalogs I sent home last week.  However, I want to encourage families to purchase from the school book fair as that helps out our entire school!

Reading Counts Quiz FAQs

Should I be reading a book from the SRA booklist that came home last week with my child? Reading lists came home with students that include suggested books for the students to read that are at each student's reading level. The books are also titles that have a Reading Counts quiz at school.

Are there any books that are read in class that my child can use for a monthly Reaching Counts quiz?Yes and No: Some of the stories in our reading books, for example Nate the Great, had an RC quiz online for students to complete. Some students chose to use that story for their September RC quiz grade where others wanted to take a quiz over an additional book. Students are also encouraged to check out a book at his or her Lexile reading level at the Media Center when our class has check out dates.

Does my child know his or her Lexile reading level? YES! Or each student should know this number! We've taken two different SRI assessments to determine reading levels. We will continue to do so once per month through May.

How do I know if Reagan's Media Center has a Reading Counts Quiz for the book my child's currently reading? Each book that comes from our school library will have a label on the back that indicates the books Lexile reading level and whether Reagan has a Reading Counts quiz online here at school. See the image attached to this blog post for an example.

How can I find the Lexile and whether Reagan has a Reading Counts quiz for the book my child is currently reading? To access our school's online card catalog, the site is http://destiny.brownsburg.k12.in.us/common/servlet/logout.do?site=201. You can also access the web address www.lexile.com to find a book's lexile level. ***These links are on linked on the right side of the blog for future access.

Can my child take an RC quiz at home? Not currently. The quiz time will be provided in class during daily literature stations.The due dates are set in advance, the students will write the due date within two weeks of its due date, and parents will receive reminders via the blog of upcoming due dates.

***Sorry for the sideways image . . . I just could not figure it out today!

***If you have any other questions about the RC quizzes, lexiles, SRI assessments, etc, please don't hesitate to ask.

Stamps and Addresses

In order to connect real-life meanings to our friendly letters, students will be writing a letter home to their families next week. In order for this to be successful, it's necessary that ALL 3rd graders know their home addresses. Please, please work on this with your child this week, and through the weekend.

If you would kindly send in one stamp for your child's letter, too, I would greatly appreciate that! If you have more than one stamp you're willing to part with, please send those in also! Thanks!

This Week At A Glance . . .

Orange Leaf fundraiser tonight, 9/25--bring your flyer or just mention you're supporting Reagan, and 10% of the total sales will come back to our school!

Send in picture order forms is you wish to order. Picture day will be next week, Tuesday, October 2.

Book fair information newspapers will go home on Friday. Take a look at some of the awesome deals and exciting books to get your 3rd grader motivated about reading! WE WILL BE SHOPPING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2 during our Media Center time: 9:00-9:30 OR students can shop with you at the spaghetti dinner Thursday, October 4.

Vocabulary: Quiz on Friday and pages 34-35 due Friday. There is only one back-to-back page due this week for vocabulary.

Fantastic Fall Party

WOW! What an enjoyable, fun-filled afternoon Mrs. Owens and many of the other parents had in store for us on Friday! From BINGO with candy corn to a blowing leaves competition, we had a blast!

Thank you to ALL of the parents for donations and volunteering! A special THANK YOU to Mrs. Owens for organizing the festivities!

Vocabulary This Week ONLY

Vocabulary "packets" went home today! I goofed on Friday, and I completely forgot to send them home. As not to "punish" the kids for my mistake, I took one of the pages off the backside of the packet. Therefore, the kids ONLY have to complete pages 34 and 35 (back to back) this week for an assignment. It will be due Friday, as always. We will still have our quiz on Friday as normal, too. Thanks for understanding!

Paws for Reading

Please take a minute to read through the Paws for Reading packet with a cat or a dog on the front this weekend. We discussed this AT HOME reading program during stations today, and I'm hoping you'll join forces with me to reach our reading goals this year! There will be prizes for students that turn in their reading log for reading 20 minutes AT HOME each day!

Keep in mind, "reading time" looks very different than what you might expect. Kids can:

• Listen to a book on an iPod, CD, tape, etc
• Read aloud with an adult (taking turns reading a sentence, paragraph, or page at a time)
• Reading silently
• be read book by an older sibling or adult
• read to younger siblings

Reading materials also go beyond just books and beyond this list, too:

• eBooks
• Playaways (portable digital books at public libraries)
• magazines
• online news for kids (yahooligans.com, timeforkids.com)
• reading baseball cards or similar
• Raz-Kids
• IREAD links on our blog
• Comics
• Scrapbooks

***Book orders went home today, too! For EVERY online order, our class will receive 1 FREE book! I was able to purchase 25 books with the last order using points from our class order. These books go directly into your child's hands! Thanks for considering your order! (Think gifts . . .!)

Parent/Teacher Conference Reminders

I'm looking so forward to talking with families on Wednesday, October 10 or Thursday, October 11 during our Parent/Teacher Conferences! Each time slot is only 15 minutes long, though, so please arrive on time! This is greatly appreciated!

Your child is bringing home an orange reminder slip today with your scheduled conference time and date. Many parents signed up for a conference time slot at Parent Night in August, so that time is indicated on the form you'll receive today. If a change is necessary, please just let me know. If no change is needed, no information needs to be returned. I have very few spots available, however, so if you can stick with the scheduled time you already have, I would greatly appreciate that!

Feel free to bring your 3rd grader with you to the conference. I highly recommend that they be an active member of their success this year!

Yankee Candle Fundraiser for BEF

Brownsburg Education Foundation's 12th Annual Yankee Candle sale is upon us just in time for the holidays! Fundraiser packets are coming home today!

100% of the money earned from the sales of the candles goes directly to Brownsburg student scholarships and classroom grants! At a time with many education budget cuts, this is an easy way to get some funds back into the classroom for your children!

Out of town friends and family can check out the website at www.brownsburgeducationfoundation.org to order, too! Check out the great prizes your child can win in the packet/envelope today!

Keep in mind:

• Orders and payment are due on or before Monday, October 8.
• Checks made out to BEF.
• Return ALL copies of the order form with payment.

Everyday Math WORKING!!!

Go ahead with working online at home on math skills . . . the site is officially third grade ready! It also hosts Home Link copies, Family Letters, and games. Great tool for home use!

www.everydaymathonline.com

Everyday Math & IREAD links

We're experiencing, and apparently have been for some time, some issues with student accounts, when accessed from home, are linked to the fifth grade skills. Thank goodness this hasn't been an issue at school when logging into the program.

I have a request in with our tech department, and I will keep my fingers crossed that the issue is fixed soon. Please be patient with this rollover process. Thanks!

In the meantime, please use some of the iRead links on the right side of the blog, and/or other academic links, too. These are ALL excellent resources for practicing skills. *******In fact, the newest link titled "iRead and ISTEP Practice Questions" includes math, reading comprehension, language arts, and writing online skill games and sample questions.

Reading Counts Quizzes

Starting NOW, each student will be REQUIRED to complete at least ONE Reading Counts quiz on the computer at school (The first due date is below).  A quiz score of a 7 out of 10 or higher will be required on each quiz or your child will retake the quiz until he or she achieves the passing score. The passing score will go into your child's cumulative reading grade for each quiz. The online quiz content includes comprehension skills from leveled books that we currently have in our classroom library and Reagan's library.

I will send home a list of "just right" books for your child based on his or her current Lexile reading level in Friday papers this week. This list will help you guide your child's reading at home, and it will help with selecting appropriate books here at school, too. We're working on our reading stamina, too, so any attention you can provide for your student with guiding book choices would be helpful! ***Your child can read the books at home or at school, but the reading and quiz taking of at least one book MUST be completed by the following dates:

#1 RC Quiz: due Friday, October 12
#2 RC Quiz: due Wednesday, November 21
#3 RC Quiz: due Friday, December 21

RC Quiz due dates for 2013 will come out in the beginning of December. I will, of course, remind the students of the due dates, offer them time in class to read and take the quizzes, and place reminder due dates on the assignment board for the kids to copy into assignment notebooks each week.

Thank you so much for helping me guide your child to be a successful reader!

Tuesday Talk

WOW! Our class math tests for unit 2 were just WOW!! We had over 95% of the students score an A or a high B on the last test! We're doing something right here at school, and the kids are working hard at home on facts, home links, and online games! Keep up the good work!

Our Fall Party is Friday, September 21 from 2:45-3:30. Please attend if you'd like. However, please keep in mind that if you wish to attend and/or work in the classroom or on a field trip, you MUST have a background check filled out with the office prior to volunteering! Please ask me if you're unsure of how to go about this.

Last reminder: Please help, if you can, donate "Coins for Cancer" tomorrow and Friday. Kids can dress up in beach-type clothes tomorrow (Wedensday) and Bulldog gear on Friday. We will also have popsicles for sale for $.50 during recess on Wednesday.

Fundraiser Reminder

Don’t forget about our Fundraiser for the Leukemia Society next week!

Please donate a $1 if possible for each dress up day.

Monday- Hat Day

Wednesday- Beach Day (popsicles out at recess)

Friday- Brownsburg Spirit Day

All students will receive a popsicle and can dress up if even no money is donated!  We are encouraging a donation, but we understand that not everyone is able to donate at this time.

Thanks!

Giving Tree

September makes me think of visits to the apple orchard! Which makes me think of apple trees! Which then reminds me of one of my favorite books as a kid called The Giving Tree! This tree gave and gave and gave to the little boy until she could give no longer . . . eventually he gave something simple back to her: just visiting with her daily again and taking a rest against her trunk as an old man!

The giving in our classroom has been so generous this year! I have many parents helping on every day of the week, snacks are piled up high for our "brain fuel," and other donations have come in when asked! Students are also showing more and more giving with peers. So, thank you so very much for your generosity with items, as well as positive role modesl for your children! I promise to repay you ALL with a successful, mature third grader (in May), who also acts like a good citizen at school and in the community! Thank you for sharing your child with me this year!

This Week's Math Homework

ALL students have only one task this week in math for homework: Complete the Unit 2 Study Guide by Friday! That's it! This is a change from completing Home Link 2.9 tonight. I did not see it as helpful for test prep.

We will test on Friday of this week, and we will review tomorrow and Thursday for the test.

Learning Lab Concerns

Our class has had, over the last few weeks, a "revolving door" experience with reading and math labs in the learning labs here at Reagan. I wanted to assure ALL parents that your child will only attend these labs if I've first notified you. However, after the first initial contact, your child could move in and out of lab as the professionals that work with you child see fit.

To ease your mind about how I'm hitting all of concepts with ALL students, I'm enriching reading instruction during Reading Block with content text such as non-fiction passages from Read to Succeed, Time For Kids, Social Studies and/or Science Weekly newspapers, Snapple Facts (see links), National Geographic, BrainPop Jr., and Raz-Kids.

Some of these resources are embedded within literacy stations (small groups) each day, too, either individually or with the teacher or parent helper.  These resources are leveled text pieces that will expose children to use different strategies for different types of text.

All of these resources are important for providing non-fiction exposure to prepare students for IREAD 3 in the spring.

Happy Reading at home with your kids, too! Try to read different types of text: magazines, newspapers, online news, novels, picture books, etc. Listen to you read aloud is also KEY for raising a fluent reader!!!

Scootpad Online Tool

I introduced Scootpad to the students today to browse during stations! Once we got through the login issues, the students seemed to enjoy the program. It's a completely optional resource, but an additional one for students that want that extra practice at home.

Students received their log in cards today. Although their login ids are different, everyone's password, for now, is welcome. Once into the program, the kids can work through skills to earn coins. Coins can be "spent" on rewards such as extra computer time, sit by a friend for a day, free homework pass, etc.

There really isn't a deadline on this skill work. And, in fact, it's completely optional for students. It's just a fun way of reinforcing the skills for math and reading that we use here at school!

www.scootpad.com

Spirit Days for a Great Cause!

Kids with Leukemia and Cancer need your help!

Please help us raise money to donate for the Leukemia Society.  We have our very own HERO right at Reagan Elementary School.  Aiden is 2^nd grader who is battling leukemia and he is WINNING!!!!  When we donate money we are helping kids like Aiden!  We also have a sister of one of our students who is battling brain cancer.  Faith is a 4 year old girl who loves to play Barbies with her big sister Savanna who is a fifth grader at Reagan!  We will be having another fundraiser in the spring to donate to Riley Hospital in Faith’s name.

 Please donate a $1 for each dress up day.  We are also selling popsicles at recess on Wednesday, September 19 for $.50 each.

Monday, September 17 – Hat Day

Wednesday, September 19 - Beach Day (wear flip flops and sunglasses, you will need recess shoes!) and Popcicles out at recess for $.50

Friday, September 21 – Spirit Day (wear your favorite Bulldogs Gear)

Brain Fuel FAQs

Many students are bringing in snacks, and boy are we so thankful!!! The kids really work hard all morning and afternoon, so refueling is a MUST!

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that not everyone will like what we choose for snack on a certain day. We all eat the same snack for obvious reasons. However, some students have chosen to bring their own daily snacks, just in case. This is absolutely acceptable!

Thanks again for the generous donations. Please keep in mind that we have 26 students now!

Friday papers

My goal is to send home papers on Fridays each week. It is your child's responsibility (with my prompting) to collect his or her papers from the individual mailboxes. Other important papers and your child's Friday Letter notebook will come home in that mailbox, too. The only item that needs to be returned is the Friday Letter notebook on Mondays (or the first day of the week).

EDM Online Games = Clip Up Daily

www.everydaymathonline.com

The website above is an EXCELLENT resource for online math games, family letters, Home Links, and really any other resources parents and kids need to be successful this year in math. Please check out the site with your child's EDM login information (found in their pencil pouches in binders).

***For each student that spends at least 10 minutes per night working on EDM online games and/or math skills (flash cards, problem solving, telling time, skip counting orally, etc . . .), he or she may clip up on our behavior chart each day (optional). Of course, a note in the assignment notebook or directly written to me about your child's efforts toward math success is a requirement. This will start as soon as Monday.

***Students can still clip up each day they wear an analog watch, too.

iREAD Useful Sites

Along with ISTEP this year, iREAD is an important reading test that third grade students will take in the spring semester. I've linked a few GREAT sites to our blog labeled "iRead" for your child to browse or work through as you wish (completely optional).

Another great way to succeed at iRead is to READ, READ, READ!!! Research shows that reading increases vocabulary and spelling skills, as well as writing skills.

Find time to read with your kids or allow your kids to SEE you reading! My boys often see me reading a good book (too often maybe) or browsing through a magazine. I enjoy listening to audio books, downloading books on my iPod or Nook, checking out books at the public library, or even swapping books with friends. A class competition is in sight soon . . . Our class library is open for any student of mine to utilize, too! I encourage reading and LOTS of it!

Story Quiz and Vocab This Week

We WILL NOT have a story quiz this week. We will discuss some of the skills for our story, but we will NOT take the quiz individually this week.

We WILL NOT have a vocabulary quiz on Friday either this week. Packets are still due, but we will spend the time in class to discuss the words and their meanings.

We WILL have a Home Link for math each night (other than Friday). Those are due the following day.

Snack Update

We have welcomed two new students to our class in the last two weeks! We are so excited to meet new friends! We now have more friends to share snacks with, too!

If you have not donated a snack to our class (individually wrapped preferred), please consider a donation soon. We now have 26 students that need that extra "brain fuel" each day. Many, many thanks to all families that have donated to our class treats! We look forward to the fuel each day!

***Starting next week, due to the low number of snacks remaining, we will go down to one "brain fuel" snack each day. We are currently doing two because the kids are "starving," but we just can't do it each day!

Weekly Wrap-Up

Friday Letters went home today. Please take a minute to respond to your child. He or she worked very diligently on the 5 parts of a letter and would love a response. If you cannot respond due to time, please sign the letter each week.

Vocabulary Packets: Vocabulary packets go home each week on Fridays. They are not due until the following week. I'm going to move the due date to Fridays each week as to give the kids a bit more time to practice the words. We will still quiz over the words on Fridays as normal.

Entertainment Books: I do not know final numbers on our class sales as of today, but I promised the kids an ice cream party if we sold at least 25 books as a class. I will keep them posted.

Labor Day

Reminder: No school on Monday, September 3 due to Labor Day celebrations!

Enjoy the long weekend!

All Pro Dad's Breakfast 8/31

WHAT: Reagan Elementary All Pro Dads Breakfast

WHO: Guest speaker, Tony Pedregon, two-time NHRA Funny Car champion

WHERE: Reagan Elementary School, 4845 S. Bulldog Way, Brownsburg, IN

WHEN: Friday, August 31, 2012, 7:15 – 8:30 a.m.

HOW: Pedregon will speak to students and their fathers about this month’s topic – “Spending Time with Your Children”

RSVP online at our school chapter page - www.allprodad.com/2980.  Click on rsvp link under Upcoming Meetings . 

WHY: Founded in 1997 with its national spokesman former Colts’ coach and current NBC football analyst Tony Dungy,  All Pro Dad is a monthly breakfast held before school where fathers and their children meet with other dads and kids in the school cafeteria or a local restaurant.  During this time, they discuss a wide range of family topics, spend time together, create fun memories, and are equipped with resources to strengthen their relationships.

 

NOTE: Pedregon Racing is having an Open House Thursday, August 30, from 3-7 p.m. at their race shop in Brownsburg - 462 Southpoint Circle, Suite B. Please visit www.tonypedregon.com for more details. Tony will be competing in the NHRA US Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway over Labor Day weekend. Please visit www.lucasoilraceway.com for more information.

Scholastic Book Orders Due Friday 8/31

Just a reminder that ALL Scholastic Book Orders (online or paper form) are due by Friday. Please take a moment to browse the books and other fun items with your child online or  in the paper catalog. Every purchase provides our classroom with FREE books!

Our class code is DVNFB. Online orders work best, but please don't hesitate to send paper order forms to school, too. Thanks!

https://clubs2.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/LogonForm?esp=CORPHP/ib/////NAV/Parents/QLinks/BookClubs////

Friday Letters

I neglected to post on Friday that we did not get to writing our letters. We will continue the letters this week, but the time just got away with us with all the excitement of our flower and bean experiments!

Thanks for understanding!

Entertainment Fundraiser Deadline

Entertainment Books and/or money raised by selling the books will be due Wednesday, August 29. It's great weather to get out there and sell, sell, sell! I saved $20 last weekend using last year's book, and I've heard and seen for myself that this year's book is evern better!

If you'd rather just make a donation to the school without buying/selling books, that's an option, too.

Reagan PSG will happily accept donations.  Students will not be eligible for the duck or Ice Age prizes though because those prizes come from the company.  But, each donation of $15 can count as 1 book toward our classroom total, $30 would equal 2 books and so on.  Students that bring in $45 (equals 3 books) can put their name in for the prize drawings.

 

Thanks again for supporting our school!

Tuesday Talk

WOW! Thank you to all familie for providing an abundance of delicious snacks for our class "brain fuel!" The kids have enjoyed a morning fill up and an afternoon fill up, too! Please continue to send snacks into school as you remember!

We are finishing up our first unit in math: Unit 1. We will test over this unit on Friday. The students will get a study guide during math tomorrow that they will complete by Friday. This study guide WILL prepare them for the test, but I assure you that all of the skills we've worked on daily will also be excellent practice points!

I will be at a writing workshop tomorrow in order to enhance our writing curriculum even further! In fact, each 3rd grade teacher will be attending this workshop tomorrow, so I will not be here. I told the kids this afternoon, but please take a minute to discuss expectations with teacher guests when I am not at school. Thank you!

Enjoy this beautiful weather! It just makes us all smile a little bigger!

Class Snacks

We had almost everyone (including the teacher) starving by lunch time today! I'm not sure if we worked a few extra brain cells, burned too much fuel during our brain breaks, or we're all going through growth spurts (I certainly hope that's not the case for me), but we think a mid-day snack is a necessity!

If you would so kindly send snacks in as soon as possible, we'd be so grateful!! I will provide the first day of snacks on Monday. If at all possible, I'd prefer individual packaging, too. We'd lose valuable instructional time passing out "just the right amount" of snacks to each student (must be fair, right?), but I understand that is costly, so we will gladly accept any healthy food items!

We do have a few allergy needs, so please AVOID the following ingredients:

• tree nuts or anything processed in a plant with tree nuts
• peanuts
• dairy

Obviously, no candy or candy bars please!

Thank you!!

Telling Time

We've been working extremely hard on telling time to the minute over the last two weeks. I encouraged kids that ALREADY have an analog watch (round with hour and minute hands) to begin wearing it each day.

**I DID NOT tell students they need to buy a watch to wear to school. However, if your funds allow, I'd love to see every 3rd grader wearing one in order to assist with telling time on a daily basis!

Parent Volunteers

I am currently working on a schedule that should work with everyone that indicated they'd like to volunteer. I will get those schedules out to parents as soon as possible. I'll probably do a start date in September.

I appreciate your patience with this, and I am so thankful for all that are able and want to help our students.

**Please make sure you have filled out a volunteer form for Reagan in order to help during the school week, on field trips, field day, etc. You even have to have a form filled out if you plan on attending recess with your child. Contact Cristina Ehm at 852-1060 x2600 if you need a form or have any questions.

Entertainment Books: Reagan Fundraiser

We kicked off another great season of raising money for our school today! Seeing Mr. Chambers and Mr. Trimmel ride out in 20" bikes really got our attention-we're ready to sell at least 1 book per student (25 total) in order to win an ice cream sundae treat (courtesy of Mrs. Hill), and many, many, many MORE prizes!! Please read through your child's information packet tonight!

***Students were reminded three different times NOT to sell books to strangers. We encourage students to sell to family, friends, and familiar neighbors ONLY!

Homework: Please have your child read the story Pepita Talks Twice to prepare for tomorrow's story quiz.

Scholastic Book Online Ordering

https://orders.scholastic.com/DVNFB

We are beginning Book Clubs, Paws for Reading, and a few other activities to motivate our readers! Help us out by browsing the online order form (paper copy and a pdf will come home today, too) for some amazing new reads and adventures for your third grader! Our classroom library is also in need of a few donations--just by ordering online, our classroom will receive a FREE book!

Orders are due by August 31, 2012. If you'd rather NOT order online, please send a check made out to Lindsey Hill. I will be sure to order the books/items for you.

Thanks for supporting your child's classroom readinga adventure!

Power School/Grades

I will update grades periodically each week, but I will promise to have it most up-to-date by Mondays at 4:30. Please plan to check your child's grades with your child each week.

Keep in mind: Some items in the gradebook are not going to come home as a graded paper. We often complete participation activities, notebook journal entries, mathboxes, journal pages, etc that cannot come home each week.

If you every have any questions, please call or email me.

852-1060 x2631
lhill@brownsburg.k12.in.us

Fantastic Friday

Friday Letters will come home today inside of your child's Friday Letter notebook. Please take a minute to read the letter from your child, and sign. Each letter and your response will remain in the notebook for the entire year, so please take a minute to write back to your child each week. The notebook needs to be returned on Mondays.

Friday Folders: Last week the students brought home "Friday Folders" with graded papers, information, etc. However, to keep things simple, we're going to include these Friday-type papers in the front pouch of your child's binder.

We started musical brain breaks today! In order to practice our fluency reading, and to give our brains the endorphins they need to keep learning, we will be taking brain breaks throughout each school day! The kids really enjoyed this!!!!

We also started Literature Stations today! Students were able to work independently in their "offices" while others practiced using the SMART Notebook tools! We set our expectations prior to beginning, so each student knows what stations should look like and sound like before diving in next week!

Box Tops and Beyond

Our class is currently tied for the "gold" in our Reagan Box Tops Olympics!!! See the notes below from our PSG about receiving more Box Tops easily!

BOX TOPS
We are off to an amazing start with BOX TOP$ this year with close to 2,000 in under one week!! That may be a new record for the start of school! The deadline is September 28^th for the Olympic contest. The prizes you are going for will be announced in the near future.
You can also help us get FREE BOX TOP$ for our school by going to http://generalmills.promo.eprize.com/boxtopshero/ and http://generalmills.promo.eprize.com/clickandearn/. I love FREE money!!

Also, PSG just wanted you all to be aware that Marsh is doing Bonus 50 Box Tops certificates for purchasing 10 Box Tops participating products.  This is going on from now until next Wednesday, the 15th.  If you purchase more than 10 Box Tops products, do so in separate transactions to get more 50s. 

In Additon: 

4     Give with Target – by simply going to this link https://givewith.target.com/schools/83445 and voting, our school will be given $25 Target gift cards for every 25 votes!!  We already have earned $75, please help us bring in more by getting everyone you know to vote!  We are leading the Brownsburg schools right now, and I’d like to keep it that way…because Reagan is the best, of course! J  

5    Avery Give Back to Schools – Please go to http://givebacktoschools.avery.com/ to vote for Reagan in this Avery contest.   We lost a lot of ground this summer, but still have a chance to win something if we vote.

6    Orange Leaf – We have a Reagan Day at Orange Leaf scheduled for Tuesday, September 25^th.  Please join us, the kids love seeing their teachers at these events!

Thursday Thoughts

Vocabulary packets were due today, but I did not collect them yet. I wanted the kids to have the words to practice their meanings tonight. Our first quiz will be tomorrow.

We did not get to our first Thoughtful Thursday activity today. Hopefully things will smooth out by next week!

We took our first SRI today, and our DIBELS reading for fluency is complete. We have quite a range of readers in our classroom, but I assure you that we will differentiate their needs, and we WILL see success this school year!

Behavior/Reading/Binders/Volunteering

We’re almost halfway through the week, and EVERYONE has displayed their character well this week in our “Being Presidential” behavior system! EVERYONE has stayed on “Ready to Learn” by the end of each day, and many students have clipped up to “Good Job,” “Great Day,” and “Outstanding!” If your child clips up to “Outstanding” in one day (we reset each day to “Ready to Learn”), and he or she should show good character through another event, he or she will receive a “Being Presidential” ticket to be drawn on Fridays by Mrs. Benner, our counselor! We’ve had many tickets enter the contest already, and it’s only Tuesday!

Your child’s reading book will come home tomorrow night so he or she can reread the story Officer Buckle and Gloria (page 16) with you or to you to prepare for our story quiz on Thursday.

Please don’t forget to check out your child’s S.T.A.R. Binder each night. In fact, there is new information inside today (a sheet protector behind the pencil pouch with information to keep in the binder). Please also take a look at your child's assignment notebook each night to double-check what needs to be completed, and dates to study for quizzes.

I promise to contact interested parents soon that wish to volunteer. We'll plan to begin a rotation of some kind in September! Thanks for your patience!

Third Day of Third Grade

We're settling into a routine nicely! The kids have been so motivated by our "Being Presidential" reward system! Please remind your child that he or he MUST have all 5 days on "Ready to Learn" (white) or higher in order to join our celebrations each Friday.

Please be sure to check your child's Friday Folder each week (it will only come home on Fridays).

Please be sure to check your child's Assignment Notebook each night. It is your choice as to whether you sign the notebook or not. I will not be checking for parent signatures at this time.

Please be sure to send the following items to school if you have not already done so:

• AUP (Acceptable Use Policy and Handbook Form)
• Medical Record Form (Green)
• "Handle with Care" information form
• Volunteer form (white with polka dots)
• PSG Forms