1. Ms. Deming’s Weekly Newsletter Last Week’s Happenings…
February 8, 2016
Last Week’s Happenings…
Our Panther Themed Day
On Friday we had a Panther themed day to celebrate them going to the Super Bowl. For reading, we read articles about the Panthers and then identified the central message of the article. For math, the students worked on a PBL where they received $10,000 to go to the Super Bowl. They had to plan their trip and calculate all transactions, create an itinerary of their trip, design a Panther Super Bowl champion shirt, answer challenging math questions, and create a poster of items that they purchased. Finally, students celebrated by eating pizza and enjoying Panther football doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. A huge shout out to Mr. Baer for waiting in line for 45 minutes to get these!

2. Happening This Week… Grammar
Math
This week we will finish our division unit. The students received a study guide that is due on Tuesday. We will go over it in class and students will take their division test on Wednesday. Also, students will be working on two PBL’s this week. The first is one that was assigned as part of the division unit. The students are creating division board games. Once they are completed, we will play each other’s games. The other PBL students are working on is the Panther PBL. Next week we will be starting our fraction unit.
Reading
This week students will continue reading their series books in their book clubs. After they do their assigned reading, they create 3 thick questions and write a summary of what they read. Students will also learn about how illustrations contribute to the words in a story. They will look at how the illustrations create mood or aspects of the plot or character in a story. Students will also analyze stories and study how parts of a story build on each other. On Wednesday students will have their assessment on the last 2 skills, which are theme and how illustrations contribute to the words in a story.
Writing
Students will continue with their nonfiction magazine articles. Students are working on writing their paragraphs, creating subheadings for their paragraphs, including text features, a glossary, and a magazine cover for their illustration. This is similar to the project they did at home, just not as detailed.
Grammar
There will be no grammar this week as we are trying to finish up with our nonfiction writing articles.
Important Dates to know…
-Tuesday 2/9 Parent Personalized Learning Meeting (3rd grade will be held in Mr. Hiroshige’s room, which is directly next to Ms. Deming’s 6:00-7:00 p.m.
-Thursday 2:30 3rd Grade Awards Ceremony in the gym
-Friday 2/12 Class Valentine’s Day Party
-Wednesday 3/2 Book Character Day (Come to school dressed as your favorite book character)
-3/18 Mother/Son Event
-3/31 End of third quarter
-3/25-4/3 No School Spring Break
Vocabulary Dates:
-List 7 words introduced Monday 2/1 and Tuesday 2/2
-List 7 test Friday 2/12
Spelling Homework & Test Dates:
Group 1 Words introduced 2/17 and test 2/24
Group 2 Words introduced 2/18 and test 2/25
Group 3 Words introduced 2/19 and test 2/26
Upcoming Assignment Due Dates:
-Tuesday 2/9 All 3 division pathways must be complete
-Friday 2/12 Valentine’s Day boxes due for those students participating in the contest (if not bring in an undecorated bag or box)
Upcoming Test & Quiz Dates:
-Wednesday 2/10 Division Unit Test
-Friday 2/12 Vocabulary Test on list 7
Science- This week the students will learn about the different phases of the moon. The students will participate in an experiment that involves OREO cookies. They will have to create the phases of the moon by carving the frosting and putting them in order.
Social Studies- This week the students will be learning about the 5 themes of geography and the different types of maps.
Notes from Ms. Deming 
-An invitation to the second quarter awards ceremony for all students receiving an award will be going home this week. The ceremony is this Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in the gym. If you have other children in different grades be sure to check their times. 2:30 is only for third grade.
-Please continue to have your children practice fluency with their math multiplication and division facts at home. I am noticing that many students since they are not practicing as much are not retaining their facts and are losing some of their fluency!
-If you would like a deeper understanding of personalized learning, come to the meeting that will be held Tuesday, February 9 from 6-7 in Mr. Hiroshige’s room. You will actually go through the process that your child goes through during math to experience what they experience.
-All students should have received their report cards. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding them!
Important Information and Reminders
Wish List:
In desperate need of items for the year:
-White 8x11” copy paper (Total of packs)
-Disinfectant wipes (Total of 10 containers)
Wish List Link: