MVP Readers

Our class was given a challenge by Coach Johnson to read 300 points worth of books over a 2 week period. Amazingly, our class surpassed that goal and read 518 points in 2 weeks, and everyone contributed to the point earnings with at least 5 points each!!! We now have a total of over 2,300 points-that's tripled our point value since the end of January!

For the next two weeks, we will read for the Conference Championships-our goal is to beat our 518 point top score with at least 519!! If we succeed, we're headed to the Reading Superbowl!!!! 

***Joel and Caden were our MVP readers from the last 2 weeks! Both  boys were rewarded with the choice to have lunch in the classroom with friends or a DQ gift card. They both chose lunch in the classroom with a friend!

One more week of official reading logs at home in order to continue preparing for our upcoming ISTEP testing the week of April 29. After that, we'll make changes as needed!

Community Skate Night

Exciting News and Upcoming Dates

With the welcome of spring, we're also so excited to announce that our entire class PASSED the IREAD reading test we took back on March 18!!!!! We can attribute this success to many, many things, but specifically to (ideas collected from the kids):

• Weekly Reading Logs
• Mr. Johnson's regular season and playoff reading rewards system prizes (and food!)
• Reading Counts books daily
• Reading Counts quizzes daily
• Parents reading with/to us
• Mrs. Hill reading with/to us
• Parent helpers in literacy stations
• Learning Lab teachers
• Amazing lessons with Mrs. Medjeski
• Postive support from Mr. Chambers and Mrs. Benner
• Mrs. Proctor helping us choose books to read at our reading levels
• Literacy stations

April 2013

• April 18:  Spring Pictures
• April 29-May 3: Round #2 of ISTEP testing--multiple choice in reading and math

May 2013

• May 4: Mrs. Hill's running first mini marathon! Wish me luck!
• May 10: Track and Field Day:  9:00-12:00
• May 21: Eagle Creek Field Trip: 9:00-2:00
• May 27: Memorial Day-No school
• May 31: Last day of school

Track and Field Day Volunteer Opportunity

Reagan Track and Field Day

Friday, May 10, 2013

 

On Friday, May 10th Reagan Elementary will have Track and Field Day. Students will compete in track and field events and class competitions. The students and teachers are excited and looking forward to it. Some things to remember for your children on this day will be sunscreen, hat, and a water bottle. 

***If you would like to volunteer to help with Track and Field Day, please contact Mr. Trimmel ptrimmel@brownsburg.k12.in.us or 317-852-1060 ext.2649. Please indicate if you would like to volunteer in the morning (grades 3-5), afternoon (grades K-2), or both. Here is a schedule for the day's events.

Time	Track	Field	Relay Races
9:20 – 10:10	3rd	4th	5th
10:10 – 11:00	5th	3rd	4th
11:00 – 11:50	4th	5th	3rd
11:50– 12:50	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
12:50 – 1:40	K	2nd	1st
1:40 – 2:30	1st	K	2nd
2:30 – 3:20	2nd	1st	K

New Box Top Competition Lurking . . .

PLEASE GET THOSE BOX TOPS IN . . . Or at least begin collecting them again! This is possibly the easiest donation any one parent/family can make to the school and your child's classroom this year and years to come!!!

1) We are 97% of the way to our goal of $6000 this year, and we should blow by that after the spring contest!

2) As of today, Reagan's Box Tops ranking is 2nd in the Central Indy area (to a Plainfield school - we are 1st in Bburg) and 12th in the state!! We really want to be 1st in our area and top 10 in the state, so let's work hard during the last contest!!

3) The last contest will begin after spring break, more details to follow.

4) Bonus Box Tops are again available at Meijer - Buy ANY 10 Box Tops items and get a Bonus 60.  This will definitely help us meet our goal!

MVP Reader #7

**Our MVP reader this week is Eddie Finn! Eddie read and passed the most quizzes for the group since last Wednesday. Great job to all readers, however, as we reached our Reading Counts points’ goal—our class has read over 1,800 Reading Counts Quiz points this school year, and over half of the points were earned in February and March alone!!! We will be celebrating “the regular season” with Mr. Johnson tomorrow afternoon. We will be announcing an exciting new challenge for the “playoffs” just as March Madness gets rolling!

Terrific Thursday 3/21

*I have to tell you all that I am super excited to receive the IREAD test results from the beginning of this week! (We will know sooner rather than later). The kids have worked so diligently for the entire year, and most especially the last five weeks that we’ve been preparing for these assessments! Give your child a high five, a hug, and celebrate with some extra family time over the next two weeks! You all deserve the time to relax together! We will kick things into gear again when we return April 8!

 ***Tomorrow is our PSG Box Top Pajama Day! Since our class turned in more than 400 Box Tops in January and February, we earned a PJ Day at school. Please keep in mind our school’s dress code (appropriate jammies) and that each child MUST come to school in regular shoes. Each child MAY bring slippers, but they will only be worn when inside the building.

 ****We have our Unit 9 Math test tomorrow. Study Guides came home last night, and they will return home again tonight. They should be complete as of 3:40 today, but I encourage you to talk with your child about the skills/types of problems, as these mimic the test items they will see tomorrow.

  

 

MVP Reader Weel #6

Our sixth week of Reading Counts were successful yet again!!!! We are currently at 1,796 points toward our goal of 1,800 points by May!!! I'm just guessing, but I think we'll get there . . . :)

Ben Coomer received our “TOP DOG” or MVP reading points reward this week! Ben will enjoy lunch with a few friends and Mrs. Hill! ***Remember, for each 10 points earned as of January 25, a new Mr. Sketch marker is received!!! There will be a different winner each week, so keep racking up those points with reading books and passing quizzes at school on the computer!!!

Fantastic Friday 3/15

Amazing job last night at the choir program boys and girls! We had 100% of our class there last night, shining brightly in those gorgeous, creative shirts!

There will be NO reading log for the week of March 18-22.  However, I always encourage your child to read—this is a great week to just read for pure enjoyment! In fact, if a note/email/voicemail is received that your child read the previous day, he/she may clip up for each day!
 

There will also be NO IREAD packets the remainder of the year. We will be testing over Unit 9 in math next Friday, so please notify me if you’re planning to NOT have your child attend school next Friday morning. We will review Tuesday through Thursday of next week for the Unit 9 test.

IREAD testing is Monday. Please be sure to provide your child with a good night’s rest, a healthy breakfast, and a boost of confidence this weekend!  We could really use some healthy snacks for Monday’s testing . .

We are just 4 small points away from reaching our 1,800 Reading Counts points since August! We doubled our points after Mr. Johnson put us up to the reading challenge at the end of January! We’re set and ready to earn that pizza party . . .!!!!

 

Class Update 3/7

The final IREAD packets will go home tomorrow, Friday, March 8. Please encourage your child to work on these packets diligently! IREAD is a VERY important assessment for 3^rd graders! IREAD packets are due Friday, March 15.

Reading Logs will resume this weekend and next week, too. Remember, the requirement is 120 minutes or 2 hours of reading from Friday to Thursday of each week. It’s also required that each student completes the reading log and has a parent/guardian signature. Reading Logs are due each Friday.

Please see the blog and/or the attached document for a Penny War competition to support Komen Breast Cancer Research next week at Reagan!

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 @ 7:30 Reminder!!!! It’s our third grade spring musical night at Reagan! Please arrive by 7:15 wearing your decorated shirt, colorful shirts!

Penny Wars March 11-15

MVPs: Week 4 and 5

Our fourth and fifth weeks of Reading Counts were successful yet again!!!! We are currently at 1,664 points toward our goal of 1,800 points by May!!!

Evan Furuness and Emma Thompson received our “TOP DOG” or MVP reading points rewards for the last two weeks! Evan enjoy lunch with a few friends and Mrs. Hill, while Emma will enjoy a treat, too!  ***Remember, for each 10 points earned as of January 25, a new Mr. Sketch marker is received!!! There will be a different winner each week, so keep racking up those points with reading books and passing quizzes at school on the computer!!!

Thursday Update

We are beginning to construct a 3-D map of Brownsburg next week. We could really use shoes boxes, paper towel rolls, and other recyclable items. Please send anything and everything that we could possibly use to school by Monday of next week. NO GLASS PLEASE!

Tomorrow, Friday, March 1, is Read Across America Day! We, along with many kids in America and around the world, will be celebrating reading and Dr. Suess’s birthday! I’m allowing students to bring a blanket, pillow, and/or small stuffed animals to read with in the morning. (These items MUST fit in backpacks or small bags that can be held on the students’ laps on the bus). We will enjoy some partner reading, listening to a few famous faces read aloud, and some individual reading time, as well. It’s also dress like your favorite book character dress-up day at Reagan tomorrow (Friday)!

ISTEP testing begins next week! I’m still awaiting quite a few letters from parents for the kids! Please, please try to get a letter, note, or an email to me by Friday afternoon. See the attached ISTEP letter for more information.

 March 22 is a pajama day for our class and many others! We brought in over 400 Box Tops for our school, helping to raise over $2000! Please remember that students may wear slippers once inside the school, but regular shoes MUST be worn to and from school and at recess. Of course, appropriate pajamas are necessary!

MVP Reading

Our third week of Reading Counts was another successful week!!!! WOW!!!! WOW!!!!! WOW!!! The kids are staying excited about this new reading incentive program with another weekly increase of 225 points!  We have over 1,275 points total for the year, and 450 of those points have been in the last 3 weeks!!! The kids are really motivated, and we celebrated all of the growth today with donuts from the Johnson family!  Our goal is 1,800 points by May, so please continue to encourage reading at home, too!! It’s making a difference . . .

Sophia Owens received our “TOP DOG”  or MVP reading points reward for the week! She received a Dunkin Donuts gift card for a special treat!! (Thank you Johnson family for providing the rewards). Sixteen more Mr. Sketch markers were given out last week, doubling last week's total!  ***Remember, for each 10 points earned as of January 25, a new Mr. Sketch  marker is received!!! There will be a different winner each week, so keep racking up those points with reading books and passing quizzes at school on the computer!!!

Riley Week Reminder

This was posted last week, but just as a reminder!

Riley Hospital for Children Fundraiser

Please help us raise money for Riley Hospital. One example of a child that Riley has helped is Faith. Faith is a 5 year old girl who has brain cancer. Faith loves to play Barbie’s with her big sister Savanna who is a fifth grader at Reagan! By donating money to Riley Hospital you are helping children like Faith!

We will have the following activities to help raise money. If you want to donate a $1.00 for each dress up day that would be great, however if you can’t donate a dollar that is okay too! ALL students can participate in the dress up days! Class that raises the most money for the week will get extra gym time with Mr. Trimmel!

February 19- Wear your favorite team clothing

Students will be able to pay $.50 to shoot a 3 point shot (closer for younger students). If they make the shot they will get a prize.

February 20- Wear Red for Riley

Class that wears the most red wins extra recess!

February 21- Brownsburg Bulldog Day wear your favorite B-Burg Gear!

February 22- Hat Day!

Reading Rewards

WOW!!!! WOW!!!!! WOW!!! The kids and I are so excited about this new reading incentive program! We’ve been reading Reading Counts books all year, but it’s recently sky-rocketed with our new incentives! We have 1,055 points total for the year, and 220 of those points have been in the last 2 weeks!!! The kids are really motivated, and we celebrated all of the growth today with 100% of our class predicted to pass ISTEP based on Acuity C!!!! We are “over the moon”! Our goal is 1,800 points by May, so please continue to encourage reading at home, too!! It’s making a difference . . .

Megan Janning received our “TOP DOG” reading points reward for the week! She received a McD gift card for a special treat!! (thank you Johnson family for providing the rewards). Eight other students received a Mr. Sketch marker this week for completing 10 points of reading books. ***Remember, for each 10 points earned as of January 25, a new Mr. Sketch is received!!! There will be a different winner each week, so keep racking up those points with reading books and passing quizzes at school on the computer!!!  

Upcoming Dates

February 7-Lockdown practice DRILL

February 8-Acuity C for Language Arts-this is just a predictive assessment for ISTEP

February 13-Valentine Traps due

February 14-Valentine Family Breakfast (7:45-8:15)-a purple flyer came on Friday

February 14-Valentine cards distributed (No party)

February 15-Acuity C for Math-this is just a predictive assessment for ISTEP

February 18-NO SCHOOL-Presidents’ Day

 

March 4: ISTEP WEEK—we will test every day during this week

March 14: 3^rd Grade Music Program 7:30 PM @ Reagan

March 18: IREAD-we will be testing ALL day

March 25-April 5-Spring Break

 

April and May . . . more dates to come in the coming months

May 31—Last Day of 3^rd Grade

Valentine Information

Valentine traps are due next week! Please try to have the traps to school by Wednesday, February 13. Please keep in mind, this is an enrichment-type project. I don’t expect amazing inventions, but rather creativity and effort!

Since we are creating the Valentine card traps, the kids will be able to distribute Valentine cards to one another on Thursday, February 14. However, please DO NOT send any treats, candy, or other snacks/drinks as we’re NOT having a Valentine party.

I am sending home a class list for Valentine cards on Friday. Please be sure that IF your child is bringing cards to his or her friends, EVERY student in our class receives a card. Thanks!

Supplies Needed and IREAD packets

Please check with your child that he or she has all needed supplies for school. Many students were without scissors and glue this week when it was needed for a variety of activities. We all kindly shared with one another, but it made the process much slower than needed. Please check with your child this weekend on his or her supplies, and if possible, help replenish.. Thanks!

IREAD packets (pink) went home with the students today. The packets are a required assignment, and they are due on Friday of next week. I assured the kids that they could count the time they spend on the packet toward their nightly reading logs. However, I’d love to see that the packet is in addition to the nightly reading, as all of these activities will prepare us for the “big game’, just as Mr. Johnson’s playbook prepared him for his games!

Reading Counts Reward System

After a fabulous visit from our own famous football player dad, Mr. Johnson, our kids are even MORE excited about reading than ever before! Mr. Johnson challenged them to reading 1,000 points on Reading Counts before the end of the school year. We’ve already read over 850 points combined as a class since August, so reading 1,000 more points by May should be as easy as pie!  If the kids reach this goal, Mr. Johnson will provide a pizza and pop party for the class!

 

However, we don’t have to wait until May to be rewarded for our reading! There are chances along the way to earn prizes, too: for every 10 points each third grader in our class earns on Reading Counts books from this point forward, he or she will get to choose a Mr. Sketch scented marker, thanks to the Johnson family! These markers are a necessity in our classroom, and "rock our world" in stations! How long will it take your child to collect the whole set?!

 Reading Counts quiz books can be checked out in our school’s media center. We also have a daily literacy station called “Books in Hands-Reading Counts” that allows each student 12-15 minutes per day to just read books at his or her Lexile level, and then take quizzes over these books at the computer station or at various times throughout the week! ***All Reading Counts quizzes can ONLY be taken at school on our server. The reading of the books, however, as long as your child has checked the books out of the media center, can be read at home, too.

**If you’d like to donate a package of Mr. Sketch markers for our reward system, I will not turn your donation away! J

Please see the attached letter for more information regarding Reading Counts points.

Lindsey Hill

Skating Permission

Skating permission slips are due by the end of next week. Please be sure to sign the permission slips and return as soon as possible. We have had some very generous donations, so if the funding is an issue, please just send a permission slip with your child, and we’ll take care of the rest! **I attached a permission slip to today's email update should you need a new copy.

Riley Spirit Week-February 19-22

Riley Hospital for Children Fundraiser

Please help us raise money for Riley Hospital.  One example of a child that Riley has helped is Faith. Faith is a 5 year old girl who has brain cancer.  Faith loves to play Barbie’s with her big sister Savanna who is a fifth grader at Reagan!  By donating money to Riley Hospital you are helping children like Faith!

We will have the following activities to help raise money.  If you want to donate a $1.00 for each dress up day that would be great, however if you can’t donate a dollar that is okay too!  ALL students can participate in the dress up days! Class that raises the most money for the week will get extra gym time with Mr. Trimmel!

February 19- Wear your favorite team clothing

Students will be able to pay $.50 to shoot a 3 point shot (closer for younger students).  If they make the shot they will get a prize.

February 20- Wear Red for Riley

Class that wears the most red wins extra recess!

February 21- Brownsburg Bulldog Day wear your favorite B-Burg Gear!

February 22- Hat Day!

We are "falling in love" with simple machines!  The kids have been studying the 6 simple machines during science for the last week, and we are continuing our study even further this week.

 

***Using this knowledge, each child will construct a Valentine Trap using at least 3 simple machines. The traps are an AT HOME project, and should NOT cost any (or minimal) money, depending on the design you and your child come up with. The projects are due on or before Wednesday, February 13.

 

***Please see the document attached to my email message today for further instructions. (The following pictures are an example of a finished Valentine Trap from a previous year-please use it as inspiration, but do not allow your child to make an exact replica of the project provided as an example!)

 

Parents Invited to PE

Jump Rope for Heart

 ***We will be making adjustments (see below) to our assignment notebooks at the end of the day today. The 2 hour delay and a little confusion with handouts, we bumped a few things forward. Thanks for your flexibility!

Basal Story this week—Read the story Thursday night and story quiz on Friday-I always allow the kids to use their books, however, so a good read through together or aloud is perfect practice.

Math—Friday is still our Unit 7 assessment. The Home Link that was supposed to come home last night will come home tonight. A Unit 7 study guide will also come home on Thursday to study/review, but we will be working with it today in class.

Reading Logs—still due on Friday-ALL students must read for 2 hours or 120 minutes from last Friday to this Friday. ALL reading logs MUST be signed by an adult once the reading is complete.

Please, please be patient with me regarding communication via email or phone and updating grades this week. I have a list already graded, and your child’s work will be coming home, but updating the gradebook is going to take me an extra day: we welcomed TWO new students to our class this week, so we’ve been really busy getting them up to speed with our crew!

 Thanks

FAQs as of 1/16/13

1.   IREAD and ISTEP-How can I help my child study for these tests coming in March and April? We will be sending home several different packets of activities/questions to prepare each third grader for the IREAD and ISTEP assessments. Those packets will come home mid-February. They will NOT be optional, so we’ll probably scale down the reading log minutes for those weeks ONLY. More information to come on that next month. J

 

2.   Reading Log: Can my child read his story from the reader and count it toward his 20 minutes each night? YES!!!! If you want to read the story to your child (as I often do with my own 2^nd grader, go for it! You’re modeling what a fluent reader sounds like, and your child will probably gain MORE from listening and discussing with you than doing so alone.

 

3.   Math: We will be finishing up Unit 7 and will be testing over the unit next Friday. Study guides and review sessions will come next week. PRACTICE THOSE FACTS (multiplication) at home each night to help ACE this unit’s test!

Grades Updated

Report cards are available on your Power School account! Please take a moment to log in and print your child’s current Quarter 2 report card.

 

Additionally, please be patient with me on the updating of the grade book with Quarter 3 grades. I already have a few items to insert, but I’m waiting on a few other things before I can update.

 

***I WILL PROMISE TO UPDATE THE GRADEBOOK EACH TUESDAY by 5:00 PM. I might possibly update it more frequently, but this is the expectation J. Thanks!

Math Effort Clip Up

I've offered your child a chance to "clip up" on our Being Presidential behavior chart one time each morning just for working on math-related skills at home. Possible ideas:

• Acuity at Home
• EDM Math games online
• Fearsome Fifteen facts
• Computation-Adding and subtracting three digit numbers with regrouping and borrowing
• Examples    469 + 478=          OR      671-348=

Your child's math efforts MUST include a brief note from you in his/her assignment notebook, on the previous night's homework, or a piece of note paper. Thanks!

Fearsome Fifteen Math Fact Practice

There are over 100 basic facts kids are expected to know before they leave third grade! We think that's way too many when we can make things much simpler . . . We are so excited to now by studying just the "Fearsome Fifteen" multiplication facts! Your child can "clip up" on our classroom management chart each day just for giving a solid effort to studying these facts! The effort must be accompanied with a note signed by parents/guardians, however. Signing the assignment notebook or jotting down a quick note is fine with me!

3x 4 = 12
3 x 6 = 18
3 x 7 = 21
3 x 8 = 24
3 x 9 = 27

4 x 6 = 24
4 x 7 = 28
4 x 8 = 32
4 x 9 = 36

6 x 7 = 42
6 x 8 = 48
6 x 9 = 54

7 x 8 = 56
7 x 9 = 63

8 x 9 = 72

Reading Log Clarification

I hope the new reading log is going well! The kids have been buzzing about it at school, and very excited to get to choose how they read each night/week! ***Just to clarify, the reading for the log folder is to be done before or after school hours. The kids were hoping they could log their Reading Counts quiz books that we provide time to read in class, but that is not the case. They will log the titles for taking quizzes, but it CANNOT count toward their “reading time”-the reading logged in the folder is in addition to what we already do in the classroom.

Yearbooks

If you’re planning to order a yearbook for your child this school year, the order forms went home before the holiday break. If you need an additional order form, please let me know.

 

This Week's Homework & Reading Counts Quiz Info

This week's homework: (I will not post this each week, but until we all get used to the new expectations, I will do so . . .)

• Tuesday night:
• Read for at least 20 minutes and add to reading log folder
• Math Home Link 6.5
• Wednesday night:
• Read for at least 20 minutes and add to reading log folder
• Read this week's story (can be used for the 20 minutes of reading)
• Math Home Link 6.10
• Thursday night:
• Read for at least 20 minutes and add to reading log folder
• Prepare summaries and reading log information to turn folder into Mrs. Hill each Friday
• Unit 6 study guide for math (complete what we do not finish in class)

***I am only requiring 60 mintues of reading logged this week in the new reading log folder.
***Please remember the variety of ways your child can READ at home. Please see the YELLOW family letter in your child's reading log folder or binder.


Reading Counts quizzes
Each student now has at least TWO (2) Reading Counts quizzes due by the end of each month. Even though we only have three weeks in January, I am still requiring the same number of completed quizzes due by this month's end.

***Please remember that the quizzes can only be taken online at school since the program is only offered on our network.

 ***We spend at least 15 minutes each day in a "Books in Hands" literacy small group, specifically reading books from our school library. Each of the books has been selected to reach a variety of reading levels, and each book has a Reading Counts quiz available at the computer station each day!

Weeky Reading Practice (Homework)

Weekly Reading Practice

 

“Books in Hands” is the foundation for our daily literacy stations. Reading does not stop there, however! Books (or any reading material) in your child’s hands EACH day for just 20 minutes helps to foster a reading habit for a lifetime! A fluent reader will surface through focused reading practice when reading time is provided at HOME, too, in three different ways:

 

TO:             Read TO your child.

WITH:       Read WITH your child.

BY:              Read BY himself/herself

 

Your child’s weekly reading homework will challenge him/her to focus on reading (in many different ways with a variety of materials) for two hours or more each week. Please guide your child to use the pages inside his/her reading log folder to help organize weekly reading and his/her Reading Counts quiz titles and scores.

 

Ideas for building fluent readers:

·       Listen to your child read aloud to you

·       Read aloud to your child

·       Take turns reading together

·       Provide digital books for listening to fluent readers read

·       Provide a variety of reading materials: magazines, newspapers, online news websites for kids (see our class blog for links)

·       Use Acuity at Home interactive lessons

·       Use RAZ Kids online leveled readers and quizzes