Important Updates

ISTEP
On Monday, we will begin ISTEP testing (3rd Grade only). We will test on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Attendance is crucial, so please make sure your third grader is at school and do not schedule any appointments in the morning! It is very important that your child gets a good night's rest each night, eats a good breakfast each morning, and dresses comfortably each day. Students do better on tests when they are well rested and well fed! Please read additional tips for parents and students regarding ISTEP in this week's Delaware Trail Blazer. Here is the link.

Mr. Gatlin, the Everyday Math Coach, will take the second graders from our class and Cardinal's 2/3 class to work on a special math project during our ISTEP testing time. The second graders will get to do a fun and enriching math project.

Spring Fling
As you probably already know, the Spring Fling is on Saturday, March 5th from 11:00-1:00 p.m. Our class basket theme is Movie Night. Thank you SO MUCH for the many donations we have received for the basket already. Basket donations are due on Monday. Please DO NOT send any more food or drink items. If you would still like to donate to our basket, some good ideas would be $5 giftcards to Blockbuster or Family Video, movie theater giftcards, or DVDs. We have had mostly snack donations so far.

Spring Party- Items Needed
Our Spring Party will be on Friday, March 25 at 2:30 p.m. Angela Newberry has been planning a great party with the help of several other parents who have volunteered to donate items or help with games. Dawn Thomas is planning a craft for the class, and she needs everyone's help!! We need 24 1 liter clear plastic bottles with lids. Please send these in the week prior to the party, so Dawn can prepare our craft!

Next Week
Mon.-Wed. ISTEP testing 9-11 a.m.
Wednesday: Chick-fil-a Chicken Biscuit Sale before school ($2.50)
Saturday: Spring Fling 11-1 p.m.

Curriculum- Important
You have experienced the calm before the storm.....we have had several weeks with low homework. However, we are starting some new units next week that will require more work at home. We started our Invention Unit today, which is one of the largest, most comprehensive units in the 2/3 class. The final outcome of this unit will be an Invention Convention for families to attend, which means that your child will be developing an invention at home in the coming weeks! I will be providing you with a timeline for this project and project guidelines, so that you can PLAN AHEAD. Your child will need a tri-fold posterboard- the kind used for presentations that stands on a table. Please start looking for those NOW because all of the 2/3 students at all the elementaries will be looking for them!! These are often sold at Michael's craft store for less than $5.

In reading, we are starting a Biography unit. Students will be able to choose the novel that they want to read. All the choices are biographies about famous Hoosiers. Students were told to get on Moodle THIS WEEKEND to choose the book that they want to read. Each novel has a limited number of copies available, so this is first come, first serve!

In writing, we are starting a unit on Feature Articles. Students will learn how to conduct research and will eventually be writing articles about either a famous inventor or a famous Hoosier.

Be ready for more homework each night!!!

Spelling
There were issues with Spelling City last weekend. Since this was a short week, I just decided to not do a spelling list. However, next week's list is already posted on Spelling City under "Week of February 28-March 4." The secret word for this posting is tri-fold poster board. Please remember to print out the list and start studying!

Make sure your third grader gets to bed early on Sunday and has a good breakfast on Monday to be ready for ISTEP! Please start looking for those tri-fold presentation boards and be sure to email me if you find any good deals or any places with a lot of boards in stock, so I can share that info with other parents. Have a super weekend!